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Team Handball News Your independent news and commentary outlet for the Olympic sport of Team HandballMenu Home About Bios Team Handball News Podcasts Commentaries on Handball in the U.S. Handball FAQ Contribute Contact Post navigation ← Older posts Spain’s Copa Del Rey with an American Angle Posted on March 5, 2020 by John Ryan Logrono’s Jr Scott and Leon’s Drew Donlin This weekend 8 Spanish Club teams will meet in Madrid for the finals of the Copa Del Rey Cup. Of special interest to American handball fans will be the 2nd quarterfinal between Ademar Leon and Logrono La Rioja which will have one current U.S. National Team player (Drew Donlin) playing against a possible future U.S. National Team Player (Jr. Scott). Leon and Logrono will play tomorrow (Friday) at 1615 CET / 1015 US ET. And, the match can probably be seen here in the U.S., but it might take a little planning/effort. (How to watch in the U.S.: Link ) Andemar Leon vs Logrono: Video Link The winner of the match will face the winner of Barcelona/Granollers on Saturday in the Semifinals. Copa Del Rey Tournament Bracket Posted in Handball Webstreaming , USATH News Podcast (Episode 65): Air Force Invitational Interviews Posted on March 4, 2020 by John Ryan http://media.blubrry.com/team_handball_news/p/teamhandballnews.com/wp-content/uploads/mp3/65_AF_Invitational.mp3 Podcast: Play in new window | Download During this past weekend’s Air Force Invitational I conducted several interviews and they are all featured on the latest podcast for download. Interview 1) William Kennedy of Texas A&M and Moshe Mukori of Concordia College talk about playing for Dallas THC at this tournament and their efforts with their respective college programs. – Video: Link – Subscribe to the Team Handball News YouTube channel: Link (so, you don’t miss videos like the exciting end to the Championship Match: Link ) Interview 2) North Carolina’s Alex Laws discusses the Air Force – North Carolina match, the current state of collegiate handball and the challenges of recruiting athletes for the collegiate game. I also ask him a variation of the Jay Cutler challenge: Could a select group of UNC football and basketball players beat the Carolina Handball team? Interview 3) Tournament MVP, Air Force Nate Luther after the Championship game, Air Force’s defense strategy and his evolution as a player over four years. And, also whether a group of AF football and basketball players could beat the AF Handball team Interview 4) Air Force coach, Mike Cavanaugh, reflects on the tournament, the waning days of stickum, some of the challenges with roster integrity and the last time Air Force beat West Point. (Note: I was a bit confused regarding Air Force’s planned trip to the Netherlands over Spring Break; Their spring break is a different week from Ohio State, so it’s a separate trip.) Don’t miss an episode: – Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes: Link – Or use this RSS Feed to sign up for the podcast in your favorite podcast aggregator: Link And, be sure to check out the podcast archive with interviews and great handball discussion going all the way back to 2006: Link The podcast was sponsored by Aspire Products, EMST150 Training Device. Check it out and don’t forget to use the promo code THN30 for a 30% discount. Posted in College Handball , Podcast , USATH News Air Force Knocks Off #2 North Carolina on Way to AF Invitational Title Posted on March 2, 2020 by John Ryan Air Force on offense vs North Carolina this past weekend at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Air Force and North Carolina met this past Saturday in a key collegiate team handball showdown that will certainly have implications on the Top 5 Collegiate Poll and seeding for the College National Championships. Coming into the North Carolina was undefeated with an 11-0-0 overall record and a 5-0-0 record in collegiate competition. Winners of the Carolina Blue Cup and a #2 ranking. Meanwhile Air Force had been in and out of the Top 5 and a far less gaudy 2-0-11 record, arguably against tougher competition. Earlier in the day North Carolina lost to Dallas THC, 29-23, meaning that the pool play match between the two teams would also likely see who would make the championship match. The match started out competitively with Air Force taking a two goal lead in the first ten minutes. Gradually, though, Air Force started to pull away from Carolina. To stem the tide, North Carolina used a somewhat unique 7 vs 6 attack with GK, Jack Moore leaving the goal and essentially playing center back. This strategy had mixed results offensively and Air Force failed to fully capitalize on several empty net opportunities. Regardless Air Force was able to extend their lead to 12-6, before North Carolina went on a mini 3-1 to close out the half and limit Air Force to 13 – 9 halftime lead. The second half featured more of the same with Air Force gradually extending their lead and North Carolina never really threatening to get back into the contest. Air Force’s peak lead was 25-15 and the final score was 26-18. Air Force used a variety of defenses including a pressure man to man defense which prevented North Carolina from ever getting into a comfortable flow. This defense along with an outstanding performance by GK Austin Faulkner limited North Carolina to just 9 goals each half. Speaking with North Carolina leading scorer, Aaron Hamm, after the match he highlighted that it was a well deserved win by Air Force, but that they missed having their #1 GK Jared Floyd, who couldn’t attend due to a family emergency. Air Force team captain, Austin Faulkner was pleased with the Air Force performance noting that North Carolina had beaten Air Force last year at College Nationals and the win was a big confidence booster for the club. Air Force has no more stateside competition prior to College Nationals, but most of the team is headed to the Netherlands over spring break for a training camp. Air Force Scoring Nathan Luther 6 Kyle Gruzka 5 Richard Vaughn 5 Quinton Riddle 3 Anthony Sanders 3 Mark Simpson 2 Tevin Miller 1 Brian Brown 1 North Carolina Scoring Aaron Hamm 8 Philip Schwarte 4 Alex Laws 3 Jack Moore 2 Joe Reinhardt 1 Tournament Results Pool Play Air Force 33 – 18 Air Force (2nd Team) Dallas THC 28 – 20 Salt Lake City North Carolina 30 – 24 Air Force (2nd Team) Air Force 34 – 21 Salt Lake City Dallas THC 29 – 23 North Carolina (Video Excerpt: Link ) Salt Lake City 27 – 26 Air Force (2nd Team) Air Force 26 – North Carolina 18 (Video Excerpt: Link ) Dallas THC 36 – 22 Air Force (2nd Team) Air Force – Dallas THC (Not Played) North Carolina – Salt Lake City (Not Played) Pool Play Standings Note: The last 2 pool play matches were not played since they would have been meaningless matches between the same teams that would later meet in the Championship and 3rd place games. Instead a friendly was played between the Air Force 2nd Team and North Carolina’s reserves. 3rd Place North Carolina 25 – 20 Salt Lake City 1st Place Air Force 28 – 27 Dallas THC This was an outstanding back and forth competitive match which saw tournament MVP, Nathan Luther score the decider in the closing seconds. Be sure to check out the video of last 8 minutes of the match: Video 1 Video 2 Awards Top Scorer: Paul Assfalg: Dallas THC Most Valuable Goalkeeper: Austin Faulkner Most Valuable Player: Nathan Luther Video of Awards Ceremony: Link Posted in Uncategorized Euro 2020 Sports Betting Review and a Few Thoughts on Handball Betting Posted on February 27, 2020 by John Ryan Amateur vs Pro Bettor… A Handball Betting Experiment During the 2020 Men’s European Handball Championships this past January I conducted a little betting experiment with Samo”, a professional handball bettor from Slovenia. We each started the tournament with 1000 Euros and made a variety of wagers almost every day. My imaginary bank roll of 1,000 Euros took a 115 Euro hit, leaving me with just 885 Euros. Meanwhile, Samo fared...