About

Bert Larsimont, administrator and owner of this blog, is a basketball amateur who has been involved in basketball for more than forty years (first as a player and scout in his historic Belgian club of CEP Fleurus and later on as an international basketball writer and correspondent). Bert's basketball blog (now berthoop.blogspot.com and formerly www.berthoop.net) has successfully been online since December 1998. This proactive presence on the internet has also allowed Bert to correspond and write for some major basketball media and websites. For over 20 years, Bert's regular activities have included writing and reporting for www.eurobasket.com, as well as for www.BasketMe.com and www.fullcourt.com.

Being a basketball correspondent -- one of the few non-American members of the renowned USBWA-US Basketball Writers Association since 2003 -- also allows Bert to keep in touch with his favourite sport and his basketball pals internationally.

From 1998 to 2019, Bert got the chance to meet or interview some great basketball personalities like NBA star Rudy Gay, top level coach Herb Brown, WNBA and Olympic Champion Katie Smith, former Great Britain’s national team and current Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch, young European top players like Cenk Akyol (Turkey) or Aldo Curti (France), other coaches like Niksa Bavcevic from Croatia, Veselin Matic from Serbia, Jacques StasTom Poppe, Daniel Goethals, Pascal Meurs and Serge Crevecoeur from Belgium, Giovanni Lucchesi from Italy, etc. Over the years, Bert has also covered several special events for different media: the Basketball Champions League Final Four 2019 in Antwerp, Belgium, the EuroBasket Women 2013 held in France, the 2013 EuroCup Final in Charleroi, Belgium,  the 2011 EuroChallenge Final Four in Ostend, Belgium, the 2010 FIBA World Championship for Women in Czech Republic, the 2002 EuroLeague Women Final Four in Liévin, France, several Harlem Globetrotters shows organized in Belgium, the yearly U18 World Tournament of Douai in Northern France, Belgian Lions' European championship qualifying campaigns, Belgian Ethias League games, etc.

Contacts with managers, agents, coaches and players have always been enriching experiences. Games in which great basketball players of all generations were involved have always been a pleasure to attend and write about: Mario Chalmers, Aleksandar Djordjevic, Tyrese Rice, Tim Abromaitis, Dusan Sakota, Richard Hendrix, Nick Calathes, Alex Mumbru, Zhou Qi, Ersan Ilyasova, Danilo Gallinari, Theodoros Papaloukas, Rudy Fernandez, Felipe Reyes, Jared Sullinger, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Omre Casspi, Tony Parker, Ronny Turiaf, Boris Diaw, Hidayet Turkoglu, Axel Hervelle, Nicolas Batum, Todor Stoykov, Goran Ikonic, Martynas Gecevicius, Henry Domercant, Christopher Booker, Acie Law, Eric Struelens, Richard Dacoury, Antoine Rigaudeau, David Rivers, Stanislav Kropilak (among the male players) or Alba Torrens, Sandrine Gruda, Lauren Jackson, Celine Dumerc, Sancho Lyttle, Hana Horakova, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maria Stepanova, Amaya Valdemoro, Ann Wauters, Ilona Korstine, Becky Brunson, Nicole Ohlde, Edwige Lawson, Sheryl Swoopes, Margo Dydek, Ticha Penicheiro (among the female players). Bert's basketball inspiring interest in basketball and writing will still prevail for the years to come…

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NCAA basketball - 2016-17 berthoop.net Men's All-America Team and last review (May 2017)