View from London on Iowa's foreign basketball trip

Not long ago, I gave you this Hlog post to supply you with everything you needed to know about Iowa's 6-game men's basketball trip to England and France, which starts next week.

And I did mean everything you needed to know. It was a wonderful post. I think it may be nominated for several Webby Awards.

But everything doesn't always mean everything. So I have supplemental information, courtesy of a chap named Leo Faure (@faureleo on Twitter), who lives in London and grew up in southern France. He is a basketball fan. Here are his comments:

• London Lions
• First I wouldn't call them a pro team. In the UK, the average yearly salary is 7k, so not a professional level.
• We (the fans) have no idea about the roster for next season: only three players signed a contract.
  • Rod Brow, American guard with a lot of experience in the UK
  • Adrien Sturt, a centre who can shoot, kind of Byron Mullens
  • Nick Freer, new American player, no idea how he plays

• Mike Martin should be back but as you said he's 39, so not as much impact as before. Still quite impressive physically.
• Orlan Jackman has a big potential (graduated from Oklahoma, actually selected with Team GB for the camp Pre-Euro) but for what I heard, he will play in Germany next year
• 2 other good players who are probably not back this year: Jordan Spencer (19 years old, finalist of the U20 Euro division 2 with Team GB in July, and Tayo Ogedengbe who signed in 4

  ^th

  division in France.

• The 2 assistant coaches play sometimes.
• Copper Box should be quite empty for the 2

  ^nd

  match as well, basketball being really not popular.

• AMW All Stars: no idea about the roster but  as you said, it will be a tough match.
• Saint Quentin: I don't know much about this team again but Pro B is already a good level
• Hyeres-Toulon:
  • The club was in Pro A 2 years ago and made the playoff with Coach Alain Weiz, who coached the national team for 3 years between 2002 and 2005, if I'm not mistaken.
  • Then the club kind of crashed but they are still pretty strong.
  • They have a really talented guard, Axel Julien.
  • It's also the ex-club of Alexis Ajinca (ex-Bobcats, Raptors).
  • Nice ‘Palais des Sports' but always empty. Soccer is the main sport in this city.

• Fos Ouest:
  • Definitively the best team.
  • They have a project to move to Marseille (2

    ^nd

    biggest city of France) to make a big club but they can't find an arena yet.

  • Williamson is indeed quite good but they have better players like Mohamed Hachad (a tall guard), Moussa Badiane (from East Carolina Pirates) strong center and Fabien Ateba, Nicolas Batum's cousin!
  • Fos-sur-mer is an awful city, really industrial. Not touristic at all!

Thanks much to Leo. The World Wide Web truly is that.