Saturday the new season officially starts in Landsmeer with the Supercup-game between the national champions and the winner of the Dutch Cup Tournament. ProBuild Lions won both. In such case the rules are that the other finalist of the play-offs is entitled to play the Supercup-game.
That will be HLB Accountants.
In the afternoon there will be three practice games of eredivisie-teams, followed by a presentation of all 10 teams to the press and the public.
For the first time the ProBuild Lions met a Dutch opponent, after a series of practice games agianst Belgian and German teams.
The Lions went to the city of Heerenveen to battle Celeritas Groningen in an exibition game on neutral ground.
ProBuild posted a 74-41 victory. Kati Harty led the Lions with 21 points. Belinda Bos had 17 and Molly McDowell contributed 12 points. Both American players were called to the bench in the third period and did not return.
"Offensively we could have done better", coach Laki Lakner said. "But on defense we did a good job. We worked hard and played as a team. We're still not at our best, but I am confident we will have a good start in the competition."
Lions finish foreign campaign in Belgium
Author: Henk Wals
Photo: Henk Wals
Date: September 20, 2010
In the first weekend of the Belgian competition, all games are held at one location. After the work is done, the players and the coaching staffs get together to celebrate the start of the season with food and drinks. We would not mind if the Dutch Basketball Asscociation would copy that idea: it's really fun.
Since the Belgian league consists of 9 teams, a 10th team was needed to make the party complete. The Belgian Basketball Association decided to invite the Dutch Champions and to pair them with their Belgian counterparts, Sint Katelijne Waver.
Being not 100% in shape yet, the Lion still were not wholly recovered from their game against Oberhausen on Thursday. They managed to match Sint Katelijne for three quarters. At intermission ProBuild trailed 35-33 and after the third period they looked at a 51-44 deficit. In the fourth period the Lions closed the gap to four points, but after this their level of play dropped quickly as apparently fatigue set in. It took the Belgian champions just a few minutes to build a 22-point lead. The Lions suffered a 80-61 loss.
Nevertheless, coach Laki Lakner stayed optimistic. "We are not in a 100% game shape yet. That is why we had to let them go in the 4th quarter. This was the last game of three intensive weeks of practice games against some very good foreign teams. Over all we did a good job. Next week we play Groningen and we'll see what we can do on the level of the Dutch competition."
"We know now what we can do as a team and what everybody's roll can be. The next two weeks we have time to practice our offensive and defensive plays. On October 2nd we will be ready."
Molly McDowell
Lions drop practice game to Oberhausen
Author: Henk Wals
Photo: Tine Sierink
Date: September 17, 2010
ProBuild Lions took a 63-69 loss to NBO Oberhausen in a practice game on Thursday night. With 3 minutes remaining the Lions led by 4 points, but in the last 3 minutes Oberhausen managed to turn the game around.
Next to three Americans, the team from Germany has a number of German national-team-players player on the roster. As in all earlier games against German teams, the Lions proved themselves able to match the Bundesliga-team. The lead was never larger than 6 points and changed a number of times.
"Oberhausen is a good team", coach Laki Lakner said. "They applied a lot of defensive pressure from the start. That is something most Dutch teams will not be able to do. Still, we did not commit too many turnovers and shared the ball well."
The weak point of the Lions, however, was the shooting percentage. They hit not more than 30% of their shots from the floor and 60% from the free throw-line.
Kati Harty led ProBuild with 18 points. Molly McDowell and Romy Stijsiger both scored 10 points.
Thursday September 16th ProBuild Lions host HBO Oberhausen for an exhibition game. It is the first time of this season the Lions perform at their home court. The game starts at 7:30 PM.
The ProBuild Lions showed that the level of Dutch basketball is rapidly approaching the level of their neighbors in the East. The Lions participated in a tournament in Marburg, Germany, where they battled TSV Wasserburg and BCP Marburg, both in two games.
Wasserburg finished as second of the Bundesliga last season and Marburg took the fourth seed. Both teams signed two Americans and a Euro-player from Eastern Europe.
All-in-all expectations were not too high when the Lions took off on their journey to the East.
Nevertheless, the results were quite promising. The Lions finished as second, beating Wasserburg two times and suffering two narrow losses to the home team Marburg.
Coach Laki Lakner was more than satisfied with the results. "We showed we can compete on this international level, even at this moment, when we are in the process of fitting in four new players and we are practicing for just ten days. "
"Our defense is far from being a well-oiled machine at the moment and our condition is not 80% yet. Keeping this in mind, this result is far beyond my expectations. From the start there's chemistry between the old and the new players. Offensively we shared the ball very well, considering we have not more than two plays everybody knows."
"I liked what I saw of the four players we signed this summer", coach Lakner said. "We gained strength under the boards and we can rotate as much as we like. I think we're a better team than last season."
Despite having started practice just three days before, the Lions went to the international Alain Marchetti tournament in Luxembourg and made it to the Finals.
The Lions started the tournament with a 26-38 win over the home team Amicale Steinsel and followed up with a minimal 50-49 loss to Résidence Walferdange from Luxembourg.
Kati Harty did not play in both games due to a foot-injury, but made her appearance in the evening game, when ProBuild met Spirou Monceau from Belgium. Harty scored 17 points to lead the Lions to a 49-44 win. Her new teammate Maaike van de Bovenkamp contributed 15 points.
That was good enough for a place in the Finals, which took place on Sunday at the end of the afternoon. The other Finalists were the Saarlouis Royals from Germany, coached by Dutchman René Spandau. The German champions held the advantage of having started practice four weeks earlier than the Lions. 6-5 center Petra Mantakova from the Tsjech Republic is their star-player.
So it was not too shocking to see that ProBuild trailed by 20 points after the first period. The rest of the game the deficit stayed about the same and the end result was an 81-59 loss.
"Nothing to be ashamed of," was coach Laki Lakner statement after the game. "I would like to meet this team again in a month or so and see what happens then."
"I like our four new players and I think we're stronger than last year", Lakner said. "We are able to set up a rotation of 10 (or 11, when Marie returns from Brazil in January) players without becoming weaker on the court. That means we can apply maximum pressure for 40 minutes."
"I thought Romy Stijsiger's game was a revelation. The way she battled Mantakova was admirable, being just 18 years old! Dewi Keppy is 6-3 but she has the skills of a guard. Maaike van de Bovenkamp showed what she do when we played the Belgian team and Danielle de Vreede worked very hard; she's a great hustler who went for every loose ball. So, all-in-all, a promising weekend."
The ProBuild Lions management announced the signing of 6-3 center Romy Stijsiger. The 18-years-old Stijsiger played for Lely Amsterdam last season and averaged 3,9 points and 4 rebounds in 15 minutes of playing time per game.
Stijsiger placed herself in the spotlight when she scored a season-high 10 points visiting ProBuild Lions at Landsmeer.
Romy Stijsiger is the 11th player on the Lions' roster.
Today Europe's main basketball website Eurobasket.com announced the winners of the All-Dutch Eredivisie Award 2009-2010. Several Awards went to the ProBuild Lions.
Kati Harty was the big winner, with Awards in five categories: Player of the Year, Guard of the Year, Import Player of the Year, 1st team and All-imports Team.
Molly McDowell was elected in the 2nd team and in the All-imports team. Jasmijn Overbeeke won an honorable mention.
Last, but not least, Coach Laki Lakner was awarded Coach of the Year.
Today the Lions' management proudly announced Kati Harty and Molly McDowell will return to Landsmeer for another season with the Lions. Both Americans signed a new contract.
Kati Harty was elected as last season's MVP of the Dutch competition. Harty averaged 21 points per game. In the play-offs she increased her average to 24.3 ppg.
Molly McDowell is the captain and the leader of the Lions. This season she saved the best for last, hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 25 points in the third game of the Finals, including a game-winning rainbow in crunch time.
Coach Laki Lakner said he was excited by the prospect of having the dynamic guard duo back next season. "Molly and Kati are great players and great characters. I am very glad they signed again."
Having signed his foreign players at a early stage brings another advantage, according to coach Lakner: "I look forward to a summer in which I do not have to watch hundreds of DVD's to select a new American player. Within a week or so our team is complete and then we have two months to relax."
Unexpectedly, Jasmijn Overbeeke announced her resignation yesterday.
Overbeeke called coach Lakner and told him she received a very generous offer from another Dutch team and that's she was planning to leave.
"We spoke for just a minute", Lakner said. "I told Jasmijn there was no chance whatsoever that we were able to match this offer and I wished her success. For us she was an important player, but I don't have any doubts that without her we still have a very good team next season."
Jasmijn Overbeeke added that there were also other reasons to move to Leiderdorp. "Practice starts an hour later and lasts 30 minutes shorter. Recently I accepted a full time job, which is hard to combine with playing for ProBuild Lions."
Jasmijn Overbeeke came to Landsmeer in the 2005-2006 season. In her last season with the Lions she averaged 8.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.
Today the ProBuild Lions management announced the signing of 6-3 forward Dewi Keppy.
Dewi Keppy is 18 years of age and is considered to be one of the most promising young talents of Dutch basketball. Playing for Lely Amsterdam, she started her career at the highest level at the age of 14.
"I am very exited to get this chance," she said. "I hope to learn as much as I can, playing and practicing with the national champions. ProBuild is a great team and I am proud to become a part of it."
Coach Laki Lakner said he thinks Kepy has the potential to become a great player. "Dewi is tall, but a good ball handler and as a shooter she has range. She's athletic and fast. She nicely fits in our style of basketball."
Today Anouk Biesters anounced her signing with Batouwe in her home town Bemmel in the east of the Netherlands. Batouwe won the second division championship and will move up to the first division next season.
Since Anouk Biesters joined the Lions in 2006 she won two championships, three Dutch Cups, two Final Four tournaments and a Supercup.
Coach Laki Lakner said he wholly understood Anouk Biesters her decision to return to her old club. "We are thankful for her contribution and we wish her lots of success in her career, wherever it will take her. She'll always be welcome at the Indoor Centrum Landsmeer."
Lions sweep HLB, make history
Author: Henk Wals
Video: Johan Kaal
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: May 24, 2010
The ProBuild Lions won their third national championship, posting a 3-0 sweep over HBL accountants Den Helder. ProBuild took the game with a 71-69 victory, winning the championship in three clean playoff sweeps.
It was the first time in the history of Dutch women's basketball a team won the Supercup, the Final Four tournament, the Dutch Cup as well as the national Championship.
"We have something to be proud of", coach Laki Lakner said. "This was a really good season. I am so proud of our team and I am thankful to all the people in our organization who worked so hard to get on this level. And I also want to thank our fans, who pulled us through in a number of key-games. Our fans are the best, without any doubt."
Molly McDowell scored 25 points, including a season-high six 3-pointers against 75% shooting. Kati Harty contributed 19 points.
Veteran center Marloes Roetgerink scored 27 points for HLB before fouling out at the end of the third period. Leonie Kooij and Kim Hartman both scored 10 points.
Jasmijn Overbeeke, Nadine Boesaart and Molly McDowell hit consecutive 3-pointers in the third period to put the Lions up 23-20 after the quarter. Roetgerink scored 10 points for HLB.
In the second quarter the Lions took a 34-24 advantage, but allowed HLB to cut the margin to 41-36 at intermission.
In the third period the Lions started to play sloppy, committing turnovers and missing almost all of their shots. Marloes Roetgerink tied the game 47-47, Leonie Kooij hit a 3-pointer and Roetgerink made it 51-57.
Kati Harty answered by converting a pair of free throws before Roetgerink committed her 5th foul, pushing Anouk Biesters in the back. Biesters hit both foul shots to make it 55-57 at the end of the quarter.
The Lions started the fourth period with a 11-0 run, with Anouk Biesters and Molly McDowell draining 3-pointers, 68-59. However, in the 9th minute Den Helder closed the gap to 68-67.
In the last minute Molly McDowell made her most important 3-pointer of the game, putting the Lions up 71-67. After that, Kim Hartman's last two points were just for the record.
Hi grandma and grandpa Jones, Kati and Kristen say HI!
After demolishing HLB in the first game, this time the Lions had to settle for a close 60-64 win.
After leading double digits most of the game, ProBuild allowed HLB to even the game 58-58 with less than 2 minutes remaining. With both team in a penalty situation, winning the game was a essentially a matter of not faltering on the free throw line.
Molly McDowell was first and did not blink an eye, making it 58-60. Next Marianne van der Hoek missed one shot, 59-60, before Anouk Biesters calmly hit both of her shots to put ProBuild up 59-62.
When it was HLB's turn again, Kourtny Treffers split a pair, making it 60-62. In the mean time the clock had run down to 16 seconds, forcing HLB to make more fouls to try to get in ball possession. McDowell and Biesters both hit one of their two shots before the clock ran out.
Kati Harty scored 21 points despite HLB putting some hard fouls on her to try to take her out of her game. Regrettably some of these attacks went unpunished by the referees.
The Lions did not shoot as well as in the first game, when they were 65% from the floor. This time they hit just 40% of their shots and 19,2% from behind the 3-point line.
"But still we won", coach Laki Lakner said. "And that is the beauty of playing solid defense. We kept Den Helder to just 60 points on their home court. It was not a brilliant game like Wednesday, but since they both count for one point we're 2-0 now."
"To prevent us taking the championship, HLB has to beat us for three straight games. I don't think that is going to happen. We will do our utmost to finish the series next Monday at our home court and make this a very sweat sweep."
Kati Harty scored 29 points to lead the Lions to a 93-66 rout of HLB Accountans Den Helder in the first game of the Finals.
The Lions used a brillant first period to gain a 35-16 advantage. Ilana Vergunst hit three 3-pointers, Anouk Biester had two, and Molly McDowell and Kati Harty both one, combining for 21 points in the quarter.
Molly McDowell scored 15 points, hitting 100% of her field goal attempts. Anouk Biesters contributed 12 points, Ilana Vergunst added 11 and Nadine Boesaart chipped in with 10.
The Lions put up a field goal percentage of 63.3, hit 57,9% of their shots from behind the arc and 87% from behind the 3-point line.
"Obviously our shots fell today", head coach Laki Lakner said. "Which explains the lopsidedness of this victory. But I also liked the way we played defense most of the game. We lost our concentration a bit at one small stretch of the game, just before the break."
It certainly looked that way. ProBuild built a 22 point lead in the second period, but allowed a 2-14 run that narrowed the margin to 10 points at intermission, 48-38.
In the third period the Lions quickly recovered, helped by coach Meindert van Veen of Den Helder, who drew a technical foul in the first minute for criticizing the refs, allowing Kati Harty to give the Lions a start from the free throw line.
Den Helder managed to cut the margin to 8 points again, 54-46, but after this the Lions furiously stepped on the gas pedal. In the buzzer of the third period Nadine Boesaart nailed a 3-pointer to cap a 22-5 run, putting the Lions up 76-51.
The fourth period was just a formality. Coach Laki Lakner let in his bench-players, who did a good job stretching the lead even more, up to 31 points in the 7th minute. Eline Vink and Marijn Neijndorff both came from the bench to nail 3-pointers in their first ball contacts.
The Finals of the playoffs start off Wednesday May 19th at the IC Landsmeer. For the first time since 2007 ProBuild Lions and HLB Accountants Den Helder meet each other in the playoffs.
And that's the way it should be.
HLB and the Lions jointly dominate Dutch ladies basketball for five years now. The Lions stepped up when coach Laki Lakner joined them in 2005. Both teams combined for winning 14 of the 15 prices to be won. Only Woonbron DAS managed to sneak away with the Final Four Cup in 2008.
HLB Den Helder won 3 Dutch Championships, 1 Dutch Cup and 1 Final Four tournament.
ProBuild Lions won 1 championship, 4 Dutch Cups, 3 Final Fours and 1 Supercup.
Head Coach Meindert van Veen of Den Helder is one of the most brilliant and experienced coaches in Dutch Basketball. Van Veen also coaches the national team.
Coach Laki Lakner is 20 years younger and less experienced, but beats Van Veen in the coaches' match-up when it comes to the win/loss ratio. Since Lakner joined the Lions in 2005, HLB and ProBuild met 22 times. Lakner won 13 games and Van Veen 9.
The ProBuild Lions management announced the signing of 5-10 forward Maaike van de Bovenkamp. Van de Bovenkamp played for the Lions in the 2005-2006 season before transferring to AutoCAD Amazone.
This season Van de Bovenkamp was elected MVP of her club. Also she was invited to become a member of the Dutch national team. The left-handed forward averaged 10.8 points per game last season. She gained a reputation for her speedy drives to the basket and for being a relentless defender.
That makes her an excellent fit for coach Laki Lakner's defense-orientated style of coaching. The Lions' head coach said he's very"
The ProBuild Lions management announced the signing of 6-2 Danielle de Vreede, a 20-years old center who played for Woonbron DAS throughout her career so far.
De Vreede averaged 8.6 points and 5 rebounds during the 2009-2010 season. On February 23rd she scored a season high 24 points against Wereldtickets Leiderdorp.
"It was a difficult decision to leave a team I played for all of my live", De Vreede said. "But this is an opportunity I have to take. ProBuild Lions is the top team in the Dutch competition. I want to keep developing myself as a complete player."
Coach Laki Lakner said he had his eyes on Danielle de Vreede for some time. "She's talented and strong, a hard worker who is willing to play defense. She's the type of player I am always looking for. I think she will blend in nicely with our team."
Daniëlle de Vreede
Lions to Finals
Author: Henk Wals
Video: Johan Kaal
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: May 8, 2010
For the first time since 2007 ProBuild Lions reached the Finals of the play-off. The Lions made it 3-0 in the best-of-five-series, posting a 79-62 victory over AutoCAD Amazone.
Kati Harty led ProBuild with 26 points, including 14 points out-of-14 attempts from the free throw line. Harty also grabbed 8 rebounds. Marie Hoogstraten hit four 3-pointers and had 19 points. Anouk Biesters added 15 points and 6 rebounds.
Amazone's Heather Zurich tallied 21 points and Maaike van de Bovenkamp contributed with 15. Whitney Jones was held to just 9 points, but grabbed 13 rebounds. She got in foul trouble early in the game and spent relatively much time on the bench. Jones was fouled out in the last period, receiving a technical for yelling at the refs.
Jasmijn Overbeeke was injured and saw limited playing time. Overbeeke bruised her hip in last Thursday's game in Utrecht. She spent 10 minutes on the court and did not play in the second half.
Coach Lakner claimed he had seen better games of his team. "We were a bit sloppy on offense, turning the ball over too many times. Amazone on the other hand, they fought for their lives, giving us a hard time. We did a good job again keeping Whitney Jones out of the game. In the end we took the win and now we have 10 days to prepare for the Finals. First we going to take a few days off, start practicing on Wednesday again."
The Lions trailed 17-18 after the first period and led only by 3 points at intermission, 31-28.
In the third quarter Heather Zurich made it 33-34, but next the Lions put up a 17-2 run to take a 50-36 lead, fueled by 3-pointers of Molly McDowell, Marie Hoogstraten en Kati Harty.
Before the end of the quarter the Amazones had cut the margin to 52-44 again. Heather Zurich scored 7 points in the last period before fouling out in the 8th minute, when Amazone trailed 69-62. Whitney Jones already had received her 5th foul in the 6th minute.
In the last two minutes of the game ProBuild scored 11 straight points, making the score look a little more lopsided than the game actually was.
Saturday night the ProBuild Lions host AutoCAD Amazone for game 3 in the semi finals of the playoffs 2009-2010. The Lions' goal is to finish the series; the Amazones will do everything within their power to prevent it. Game starts at 7:30 PM CET.
Lions take two game lead in series
Author: Henk Wals
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: May 6, 2010
ProBuild Lions used their two strong points, defense and bench-depth, to pull out a second straight play off win over AutoCAD Amazone.
And of course Kati Harty, who had 21 points to lead ProBuild in scoring.
With 11 points and 9 rebounds Molly McDowell was one rebound shy of a double-double. Nadine Boesaart added 10 points.
Boesaart also played an important role on the other end of the court, combining with Jasmijn Overbeeke to hold so-called one-woman-wrecking-crew Whitney Jones to just 16 points.
"We did a pretty good job on the defensive end", said coach Laki Lakner. "Offensively our 3-pointers did not fall, as we finished just 27% from behind the arc. We created good opportunities, so I guess we just had a bit of an unlucky shooting night."
Lakner said he wants to finish the series on Saturday in Landsmeer. "HLB and Eurosped are 1-1 now. If we make it 3-0 on Saturday, we have a longer resting period than whomever wins that series. The Finals do not start before May 19th."
The Lions jumped on AutoCAD, leading 9-19 after 7 minutes in the game, but allowed the Amazones to cut the margin to 14-19 after the first quarter.
In the second period AutoCAD used an 8-0 run to tie the game, 22-22, before the Lions managed to build a lead again. Nadine Boesaart nailed a 3-pointer to spark a 2-11 surge, which brought the Lions ahead 25-37 at intermission.
Molly McDowell scored 8 of her 11 points in the third period to help the Lions widening the gap to 35-54 in the 9th minute. It turned out to be their largest lead in the game. Whitney Jones, who spent much time on the free-throw line that period, made it 39-54 from charity stripe to finish the quarter.
The Amazones fought hard in a last attempt to turn the game around, but most of their scores were easily answered by the Lions, who maintained their double digit lead easily until the end of the game.
Thursday the Lions travel to Utrecht to battle AutoCAD Amazone in the second game of the semi finals.
The Dutch basketball blog www.powerforward.nl analyzed the match-ups. In their vision the forwards match up pretty evenly, but with Molly McDowell and Kati Harty the Lions have the advantage in the guard section, while the Amazones have a better center in Whitney Jones.
The question is: better center than whom? The Lions don't use classic centers playing with their backs to the basket. Jasmijn Overbeeke is a 6-3 forward who likes to beat her opponents on the dribble or by hitting 3-pointers, thus creating all kinds of match-up problems for more typical centers defending her.
6-2 Nadine Boesaart is also a qualified long-distance shooter and first and foremost a capable defender. But the main point is: Coach Laki Lakner knows how to use those qualities. That was why - among other things - Powerforward was quite sure the Lions have the edge in the head coach match-up.
An important question is, according to Powerforward, will the Lions be able to stop Jones? Well, Saturday they were, more or less, holding her to 14 points, by closing the passing lanes and using double teams.
Nobody was able to stop Kati Harty, on the other hand.
Thursday's game starts at 8 PM CET.
Lions take first game
Author: Henk Wals
Video: Johan Kaal
Pictures: Tine Sierink
Datum: May 1, 2010
Kati Harty lead the Probuild Lions with 28 points as they took the first game in the semi-finals. The Lions posted a 71-60 victory, after leading by as much as 29 points in the third period.
Molly McDowell sprained her ankle at practice on Monday. It turned out to be just a light sprain, but McDowell did not practice the rest of the week and was limited to 20 minutes in Saturday's game. She scored 8 points.
Jasmijn Overbeeke had 11 points and 7 rebounds. Amazone's Whitney Jones scored 14 points, Kiki Geelen contributed 11 and Heather Zurich 10.
ProBuild led 23-12 after the first period. Marie Hoogstraten started the second period hitting a 3-pointer, before Ilana Vergunst stole the ball and laid it in, 28-12. The Lions stepped on the pedal and drove out of sight. Kati Harty nailed a trey to make it 45-21 at intermission.
In the third period Harty hit two free throws after coach Jan Poels was rewarded with a technical after making comments at the referee. ProBuild stayed in possession of the ball and Harty scored 59-30, ProBuild's largest lead in the game.
Heather Zurich beat the buzzer to cut the margin for Amazone to 65-39 after the 3rd period. Coach Laki Lakner wanted to rest his starters in the 4rd period, but with the reserves on the floor AutoCAD managed to close the gap to 10 points with 2 minutes on the clock, 68-58.
Kati Harty, being brought back on the floor again, drained a 3-pointer to secure the win, 71-58.
"It is always hard to stay focused, when you lead with 30 points", coach Laki Lakner said after the game. "But giving away 20 points in 8 minutes; this is something that should not happen. Some of our bench players, especially the rookies, did not do a good job. I expect them to fight as hard as they can, when they get the chance to get on the floor in the playoffs, regardless what the score is at that moment."
Braakman Financiële dienstverlening
Ruud en Marjan Nassette
Hans Larooi
Vincent Post
mevr Roele
Inge Schaft
Tine Sierink en
Henk Wals
Hans van Veen
mevr de Vries
Anneke Wals en
Ferdinand v. Veen
