Uh oh, Osiris Eldridge already causing a little controversy in Turkey! ...And a Mike O. sighting...

This'll probably go unnoticed by the press in the US or the Pantagraph, but I think it's interesting news.....

A couple days ago, Osiris Eldridge gave an interview, and a blogger for the Portland Trailblazers posted some of his commentsand some more were reported by the campus newspaper over at ISU, the Daily Vidette.
In the interview, Eldridge says...
"(he) has signed a contract with PINAR Karsiyaka of the Turkish Basketball League...
..Eldridge ..said the contract was for $150,000."
http://www.blazersnews.com/portland-blazers/isu-pair-talks-about-professional-prospects/

We also reported this long before anyone else in Bloomington.......
http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?p=187437#post187437

BUT -- here's where the controversy comes in...some things I found being discussed on a Eurobasket message board said this is something that the European teams greatly discourage, even to the point of putting terms in their contracts prohibiting the players from discussing the terms and salary in their contracts, so just maybe this has already ticked someone off over in Turkey...
This morning, now the Turkish team's web site has an entry saying they dispute what Osiris is saying and that the salary he claims is not true.

The Turkish phrase
"maliyeti ile ilgili belirtilen miktarlar gerçeği yansıtmamaktadır"

..is translated...
"(the "cost" - or salary)..associated with Osiris.. the amount does not reflect reality"

In other words...since the translation is supplied out of context by the google-translate page, is that the salary amount cited by Osiris Eldridge in the interview is a lie!
http://kskbasket.net/v2/haberler/45-2010-2011/258-osiris-eldridgein-maliyeti-hakkinda.html

So - one is left to wonder why would Eldridge blab about his contract terms and salary if he's not supposed to do so, and it must be a fairly important issue when the first thing after hearing of the Eldridge interview, the Turkish team that Eldridge signs with immediate repudiates what Eldridge says and calls it a lie!
Hmmm....foreign intrigue..........


Michael Ocherobia was spotted a couple weeks ago (over the 4th of July weekend) playing for his country's National Team!
England's U23 basketball team played in an outdoor competition in Paris, France!
Michael, who does not even turn 21 until tomorrow (July 27) is a member of the U23 club, playing up a couple of years!
Unfortunately the team from England did not win the event and bowed out in a double overtime loss!

In this picture, he is the 2nd player from the right and you can just see the "ia" of his name on the back of the player's jersey...
http://www.hoopsfix.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Midnight-Madness-timeout-quai54.jpg

Here Michael is the big guy who is 2nd from the right - one of their tallest guys...
http://www.hoopsfix.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Midnight-Madness-Huddle.jpg

Here's more with a mention of Mike..this was NOT a professional event...
http://www.basketball247.co.uk/news/archives/00000604.shtml



A few more items...
Ex-Indiana State star David Moss just changed teams in Italy again...
http://www.sportando.net/eng/italy/seriea/11624/david_moss_to_return_to_teramo.html

Fired Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie almost got hired over the weekend as an assistant at Nebraska...
But -- Billy would rather wait things out and take a head coaching job when it comes along...
http://www.omaha.com/article/20100724/BIGRED02/100729826
http://www.allkyhoops.com/2010/07/internet-rumor-billy-gillispie-to.html

Louisville head coach Rick Pitino's extortion trial vs. the blonde woman who accused him of getting her pregnant then brushing her off - all gets under way this morning.
Here's a picture of Pitino's accuser all decked out to jog your memory...
http://wildcatcorner.com/main/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/thesypher.jpg

This morning she wore a hot pink skirt to court...
http://cmsimg.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=B2&Date=20100726&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=307260033&Ref=H1&MaxW=318&Border=0

I guess it's given that coaches are going to be recruiting the really young players,
so now the coaches and dads of 4th and 5th grade kids are putting together recruiting videos and posting them...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztf087F0ibY


This one still has me chuckling --
of course the government has better things to do, but since when has that ever stopped someone at the Fed from making ridiculous rulings and distorting and stepping into the most miniscule crevices of private life to alter the way people do things.
This one ranks right up there with forcing baby swings to apply a warning label saying...
"Do not fold and store away with the baby still inside the swing"...
http://www.bradleyfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16023