Basketball On The Internet.

OCEANIA may be about to undergo change but it won't be lost to Australia or New Zealand, according to Boomers coach Andrej Lemanis.

Post-Rio Olympics after 2016, Oceania will become part of the Asian Region which means Australia will get to play some decent tournament games, and so will the Tall Blacks.

But Oceania will still throw up one (FIBA World Championship or Olympics) qualifier.

"That's how I understand it to work," Lemanis said today on the eve of his trip tomorrow to Europe to watch the business-end of EuroBasket and catch up with his "Aussies abroad."

"From 2017, the change for us will be that Oceania will go into the Asian Region. But although we will play in the Asian Region, there's still one guaranteed spot for Oceania."

In other words, if, for example, the Asian Region produces four qualifiers, one will need be the highest-placed Oceania competitor.

Or, in a best-case scenario, if Australia wins the Asian Region, it would go through as an Asian qualifier and New Zealand would make it through as Oceania's qualifier.

"I think that's how it works," Lemanis said. "From what I understand."

That should allay some concerns across the basketball community.

For the reasons Lemanis is Europe-bound, check out today's News Limited report at: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/boomers-coach-andrej-lemanis-says-it8217s-time-to-take-the-fight-to-europe-for-world-cup-medal/story-fnii09gt-1226717836343

IN LJUBLJANA, Slovenia, guard Stefan Markovic – no, not the one suiting with Townsville - scored five straight points to secure Serbia an expectedly tough 76-69 victory over Belgium at the European basketball championship today.

With Serbia up by two, Markovic nailed a 3-pointer before sinking two free throws for a seven-point lead inside the final two minutes.

This time it wasn’t the Belgians who got the chocolates. (Yeah. I did it.)

Latvia tipped off the second round by whipping Ukraine 85-51.

The Latvians had more threes than a Bulgarian Beauty Pageant (that one courtesy of the late, great and forever greatly missed Clynton Grybas) connecting on 15-of-29 long distance calls.

Latvia shot at a beetroot soup-boiling 58.6 percent, while Ukraine were at the other end, going off at a mere 29.5 percent.

No vareniki for these boys.

“They dominated every facet of the game,” Ukraine coach Mike Fratello said.

“To lose by 34 is an embarrassment for everyone in the locker room.”

Not to mention a couple of towel boys and the janitor.

Kristaps Janicenoks led Latvia with 14 points and Sergii Gladyr had 12 for Ukraine.

Group results carry over so Latvia has a 1-2 record and so too do the Ukrainians.

Serbia is now 3-0 and Belgium 0-3.

Forward Renaldas Seibutis scored 15 points to lead Lithuania to a 76-62 victory over France.

Despite being loaded with NBA players, France could not cope with Lithuania's speed and fell behind by 10 halfway into the third quarter.

Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto Raptors) had 13 points on 6-for-6 shooting with six rebounds for a devilishly good 666 effort.

His dunk and tip-in gave Lithuania a 14-point lead inside the last three minutes.

San Antonio Spurs duo Nando de Colo (12 points) and Tony Parker (11) struggled.

COPPED a little email heat yesterday for letting BA's breathless and heavily fanfared announcement of its "new" TV deal for the WNBL on the ABC go unmentioned.

While everyone and their neighbor was calling it some kind of "landmark agreement", the truth is the ABC going back to a live game on Saturday afternoon with a two-hour timeslot is little more than the ABC going back to what we had BEFORE last year's much-touted extremely fabulous deal.

So forgive my reluctance to join the trumpeteers.

(Plus we did break the news here on July 19, as it happens.)

What IS good is that my (e)mail is the ABC will film a great many more color stories and have them waiting to run if-or-when games finish well short of the two-hour timeslot.

And of course, any coverage of our Opals and Boomers can only be a good thing.

MELBOURNE Tigers have jumped to second place behind Cairns Taipans on the Blitz table after collecting 6.5 points from tonight's 94-76 win over New Zealand Breakers in Wellington.

The Tigers won the game (three points), and three quarters. The teams tied the second quarter, splitting one point. The quarter-by-quarters were 22-19, 15-15, 34-30, 23-12.

Cairns is in first place in pursuit of the inaugural Loggins-Bruton Cup after sweeping all seven points from its clash last weekend with Wollongong.

Melbourne Tigers 94 (Goulding 31, Worthington 15, Ballinger 14, Dennis 11, Tomlinson 10; Ballinger 9 rebs; Dennis, Tomlinson 7 assists; Goulding 3 stls) d New Zealand Breakers 76 (Abercrombie 19, Bruton 11, Lazare, Webster 10; Abercrombie, Vukona 7 rebs; Johnson 4 assists; Vukona 4 stls).

WILLIE Farley, an NBL-championship-winning import with Adelaide 36ers, one of its top four imports of all time and arguably the most popular, will be back in town on Saturday to play his former club.

Farley and his Toowoomba Mountaineers import teammate James Legan will guest for Al Green's SBL All Stars against the Sixers in an exhibition match at Pasadena Stadium.

The venue's capacity has been increased to 600 so be early if you plan to see this game, tip-off at 6.30pm.

Former 36er Pero Vasiljevic has bailed from the original team due to work and while the Stars are hoping to suit West and former Sixer centre Blake Truslove in his place, Neil Mottram (Forestville), Curtis Scipio (Eastern), Matthew Lycett (Norwood), Luke Stanbridge (Woodville), Trent Fildes (Forestville), Rashad Tucker (Southern), Joel Spear (West) and Ryan Clark (Woodville) complete the lineup.

For today's take on Willie's return, hit: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/basketball/willie-farley-may-return-to-lead-the-sbl-stars-against-the-adelaide-36ers-in-an-nbl-exhibition-saturday/story-fnii09ki-1226717839736