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EuroLeague Women musical chairs before the play-offsIn our EuroLeague Women 2008-2009 preview it was stated "it is not necessary to compare team rosters during the preliminary phase as players tend to move around during the season". This statement has come true with the transfer of many players since the group phase ended in December of 2008. Bourges Basket are the only club from France still in the competition. They have neither made changes to their management structure nor their team roster unlike a number of teams in the EuroLeague. At UMMC Ekaterinburg Laurent Buffard lost his job as head coach and has been replaced by Gundars Vetra, the former head coach of CSKA Moscow. Igor Grodin who was the head coach of the Russian Women's team at the 2008 Olympic Games has taken over the role of coaching CSKA Moscow. Grodin is well known in France. He coached in the LFB: Tarbes, Mondeville and Waïti Bordeaux during eight seasons in the Ligue Féminine de BasketBall. Candace Parker's expected arrival at UMMC Ekaterinburg in January did not happen because she is expecting her first child. Roneeka Hodges who played for Ros Casares has been replaced by Candice Wiggins. Hodges played for COB Calais in the Ligue Féminine de Basketball during the 2005-2006 season.
Tamika Catchings replaces Monique Currie at LOTOS PKO BP Gdynia, while Katie Smith has joined Fenerbahce. Halcon Avenida has brought in Maria Rovira who will replace Cristina Ciocan. Meanwhile Iveta Salkauskeová (Markauskaite) from Lithuania has signed for Maxima Brocker Kosice. She played for Villeneuve d'Ascq in the LFB but had to stop last season because she was pregnant. She has since had her baby and is making her return. ZVVZ USK Prague have acquired the service of Ieva Kublina from TTT Riga and Nykesha Sales from SK Cesis. Swin Cash on the other hand will be leaving the club due to problems with her back. Nicole Ohlde who played for USVO in France last season has signed for MiZo Pécs 2010, while another player from TTT Riga Essence Carson has changed clubs and will play for Italian club side Umana Reyer Venezia. The EuroLeague Women play-off start with the eighth final match-ups and are best-of-three series. This means that a team needs to win to progress to the quarter-final. Look back at round 10 Return EuroLeague Women season 2008-09 Index page EuroLeague Women picture credits: FIBA Europe Date created: 27 January 2009
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Former German international Linda Fröhlich (left) has moved from Maxima Brocker Kosice to Gambrinus Sika Brno.
