Lukas Smazak (188-G-2007) is a 18 year old 188cm point guard form the Czech Republic playing his first season with the Skyliners organization playing Pro B and NBBL. He began his basketball career with the BK Snakes Ostrava (U19 League). Last season he split time with Srsni Photomate Pisek (NBL) and the Snakes Ostrava (1Liga) averaging 20.9ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.0apg, 2.4spg, FGP: 42.0%, 3PT: 35.5%, FT: 87.7%, played also at BK Snakes Ostrava U19 team (U19 League) averaging PPG-1 (30.9), 6.9rpg, APG-1 (6.6), SPG-1 (4.5), FGP: 58.2%, 3PT: 30.1%, FT: 81.5%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the NBBL Top 4 in Berlin. The interview was conducted before the injury to Jamie Edoka occured.
Congrats Lukas on reaching the NBBL top 4. How high do you rate this in your young career so far? Thank you! Its definitely one of the best success so far.
Eintracht Frankfurt Skyliners beat a tough Jena team in 3 games. What do you believe did your team learn about themselves in this series? We need to have a better start into the games and be consistent in offense. Be solid in defense, even if the game is not going good for us.
The team was 0/16 before it finally made the first 3 by you. Later you hit more three´s as did Ivan Crnjac. Was that belief always there from the team that the team would start to hit three´s?
I think yes, because we had 0 threes in the first half and we are really good shooting team, so we need to keep shooting, even in these type of situations.
You won game 3 against Jena 68-64. You led 4-0 and after that was always fighting to come back, You finally got the lead back in the last minute. Did your team want it a bit more than the other team? I think both teams wanted to win more and that´s why the game was like that.
One could see the relief on the face of head coach Thore Bethke after the game 3 win. He comes over as a reserved and quiet guy. Can he get loud in the lockerroom? How vital was his coaching for the success? Yes, ofcourse he can be loud, but I think he did everything in his power for this series.
You were fortunate to be teammates in the NBBL and Top 4 with Jamie Edoka. How good is he really and does he have NBA potential?
I’m happy that I can practice with and also against him, he is really competitive so he makes me better. I think he has talent and potential and I would love to see him play somewhere like NBA.
How much easier does his play make your job as a point guard? How do you believe did you guys harmonize best?
It helps me a lot, because the defense is focused on him and when he is doubled I get open shots. Also he can sometimes be PG and run a play for me.
How special is Ivan Crnjac? He showed in the Pro B against Erfurt that he could make 10 three´s and 35 points and against Jena came up big with 3 three´s in a row. What else do you appreciate from his game besides shooting? Ivan is a really talented player. Besides his shooting its definetly his basketbal IQ and strength in post.
Maxi peters is in the shadow of Edoka and Crnjac, but also a very vital player. What was his biggest strength this season that helped the team have success? I would say his length, he had a lot of important blocks and rebounds.
Rephael Edward is such a special player and had 7 offensive rebounds against Jena in game 3. How special is he and does any player have a bigger heart than him?
This guy is just special. He was the most important piece in lot of games this season. To be honest no, he has the bigger heart and hustles for every ball.
Eintracht Frankfurt Skyliners have tough opponents in Berlin with Vechta, Ulm and Alba Berlin. Does your team welcome the underdog challenge? Definitely, we can only gain at this point.
It will take 2 incredible games from Eintracht Frankfurt Skyliners to win. What will be key for your team to pull the major upset twice? STAY TOGETHER and FIGHT.
You played 7 minutes more in the NBBL than the Pro B. Was your role a bit different in the NBBL than Pro B? Yes it was different, in NBBL I was starting PG and Pro B secondary PG and sometimes also SG.
Who wins a 1-1 in practice you or Jamie Edoka? We have never really played, but he is really good defender and also more athletic than me, but I can shoot better. At the end probably him.
It has been an incredible season for the ratiopharm Ulm organization as they will compete in the easyCredit BBL playoffs again while they have also had tremendous success reaching the NBBL Top 4 in Berlin and will fight for the title while the Pro B team Orange Academy have reached the final and will battle the ETB Miners for the crown. The automatic final visit secures Orange Academy a spot in the Pro A next season. In the middle of all this success has been top French prospect Meissa Faye (198-SF-2007) who has been a massive instrumental part in the club´s success. But that hasn´t been all as he also made his easyCredit BBL debut as well as playing in the Eurocup.” It has been a very enriching year to play with the pros in Eurocup and play with the Orange Academy where I have a lot of responsibilities and I can try things to improve my game which was very nice. I improved my game a lot. I really enjoyed to play my first games as a pro and to be successful with the Orange academy as well”, stressed Meissa Faye. He has put up great stats in the Pro B as one of the go to guys and despite playing less games in the NBBL, he has put his staple on that competition as well and proved that his talent was no fluke. “I just came with the idea to Germany that I really wanted to improve my game, but I didn’t know a lot about German basketball so I was really discovering and figuring out how to play because it was really different than France. The biggest thing was that the defense were collapsing a lot”, said Meissa Faye.
When one examines the last years and talents that have come to Ulm from France and where they have ended, it is really a no brainer that he chose Ulm. Guys like Essengue, Dadiet, Sochan and Hayes all reached the NBA and all were able to develop further with the German organization. “The infrastructures of Ulm are impressive and of course they’ve been successful with young players in the past so I wanted the best place to go to the next level”, stated Meissa Faye. It wasn´t a great NBBL regular season, but all that matters is how you play in the post season. Ratiopharm Ulm come to Berlin this weekend having swept former NBBL champions Urspring and FC Bayern Munich in the playoffs. A great majority of the NBBL team also played in the Pro B, so there is definitely great chemistry on the team. “Everybody in this team knows what he has to do and everybody understands his role and respects it so that’s a really big strength because it’s not easy with young players to have everybody understanding their roles”, added Meissa Faye. The club totally destroyed FC Bayern Munich sweeping and winning game 1 by 15 points and game 2 by 26 points. Munich was the defending champion and Ulm showed that they have noting to fear. “Ulm is a top club as well and especially in the youth I believe it’s the best so there is no big club for us we just want to win every time we step on the court”, warned Meissa Faye. There are so many great players to watch with Ulm like top polish prospect Teo Millicic or 2026 AST champion Felix Kiehlneker, or rim protector Endurnace Aiyamenkhue who will be teammates next season with 2025 NBBL champion Ivan Kharchenkov at Arizona (NCAA), but there are many more like glue guy Yanu Slingerland and defensive specialist Kenan Yeboah. “Yanu is a really good player and when he wants to take over the game, he does it perfectly and he is really important in our team, he can do really impressive things and be very efficient. He can do a lot of things on offense and you can count on him to stop the best player of the opposite team. Kenan is really nice and he’s one of the players that understands his role the best and that’s the type of player you want in your team and who makes you win. His defensive qualities helped us a lot this year, but he can also be really important on offense”, commented Meissa Faye. Ulm has been strong the last years in the NBBL, but this season´s team could be their strongest ever. Anything else besides the title will have to be a disappointment. “Everybody is ready and of course the only goal is to win. That is the moment you wait for all year”, warned Meissa Faye.
But not only in the NBBL has Meissa Faye been successful, but also with Pro B team Orange Academy. The club marched to the Pro B playoffs with the best record and the youngest team in the league at age 18. The club swept Rhondorf and then had a real tough 3 game series against Ludwigsburg, but struck back in game 3 crushing them by 27 points. In the semi-finals, they also swept Alba Berlin farm team Lok Bernau who were stacked with so much experience and also talents. “We are young and hungry. We have energy and we aren’t scared of nothing. We have this capacity to change a game in a short period of time like we did this year a lot. And of course we have a lot of talent”, stressed Meissa Faye. The team obviously has great team chemistry and special players like Swiss army knife Joel Cwik who won the 2022 JBBL title and of course the Milicic brothers. There isn´t only Teo, but Zoran who is a few years older, but also brings special qualities to the team. “Joel is a really good player who can do a lot of things on the court and you can always count on him to give energy every game on offense and defense. His energy helps everybody and you just want to give a lot to the team like he does. The Milicic brothers are real competitors every day either in practice or in game and it’s just really fun to play with them because you know that they always want to win and they know what it takes, they are both talented and I think they have a nice future ahead. I enjoyed everything with them”, explained Meissa Faye.
The athletic flying French man who describes his game to NBA player Mikal Bridges has had a central part in both the NBBL and Pro B. But does he have a different role for each team? “It was a nice season where we finished first and I really improved my game while enjoying playing for this team because we’ve been successful. And I didn’t get to play a lot of NBBL this year so I can’t really say that I had a different role”, said Meissa Faye. He is a player that fills the stat sheet well, so it is no secret what his biggest strength on the court is. “I’m a shooter, but other than that I’m really versatile. I can do everything on the court. and same on defense I can guard every position block shots and get rebounds”, added Meissa Faye. He has played in 4 competitions this season with the BBL and Eurocup with the pro´s while in the NBBL he is averaging 16,4ppg, 4,2rpg, and 2,1apg while in the Pro B is averaging 17,4ppg, 4,8rpg, 1,5apg and 1,0spg. How has his game grown having been able to see 2 sides of the game from the pro´s to the youth league? “I improved my game a lot because with these competitions you have a lot of games and you can play against every type of teams or player and with that the individual work that we are doing helps a lot”, stated Meissa Faye. The director of the success has been Florian Flabb who already led ratiopharm Ulm to the NBBL top 4 last season, but lost to FC Bayern Munich. He got revenge against Munich recently, but now wants to finally win the NBBL title along with Joel Cwik who will have his last chance to win. Flabb like Faye is also extra motivated to taste glory. “Flo is a really good Coach, coaching youth players is not easy and he knows how to do it. He helps us getting better every day but he has also this winning mindset which led us where we are now in in the Pro B final and in NBBL as well”, expressed Meissa Faye. Faye and Flabb will have a tough semi-final battle against Vechta and most likely meet Alba Berlin in the NBBL final while in the Pro B will have to battle Essen that has more experience. It will be interesting to see what their fate will be. It won´t be easy, but I would be very surprised if they get shut out
Zavian McLean (193-G-2001, college: FGCU) is a 25 year old 201cm forward that was born in Izmir, Turkey but grew up in North Carolina and played his rookie season overseas with at SC Vasco da Gama Porto (Portugal-Liga Betclic) and Entente Orleans 45 (France-ProB). He played AAU ball with Team Wall and also played at Village Christian Academy. He played 3 seasons at Columbia (NCAA) averaging 7.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 46.7%, 3PT: 23.3%, FT: 71.1%, 7.0ppg, 2.4rpg, FGP: 55.2%, 3PT: 29.2%, FT: 77.3% and 9.4ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 63.6%, 3PT: 42.6%, FT: 68.2%. He then added a season at Florida Gulf Coast University (NCAA) averaging 11.4ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 65.0%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 62.8%. He spoke to germanhoops.com after exploding for 53 in Portugal
Thanks Zavian for talking to germanhoops.com. You recently scored 53 points in a game and was the highest scorer in the world. You did it in Portugal. What does this feat mean to you? It´s really amazing. It was something very historical that hadn´t been done in a long time. It was great to do it for the fans in Portugal and on the road. The place was sold out and to get such a big win and put on a show meant a lot.
You have only been with the team a short while. You seem to have needed no adjustment period to being able to score so easily in your first season overseas. I think that I came to Portugal with this growth mind set. I knew that it would be a big challenge coming from the NCAA to overseas. I welcomed adversary from day 1. I put a lot of pride in working on my game and I put in the work. It was only a matter of time before this would happen.
Did you always know that you had such great scoring potential in your blood?
I have always been a scorer my whole life. I play more from the fundamental side. I took on a scoring responsibility in college. It took me a few games overseas to know that I could be a scorer here as well. I also have to say I have put in the work, but I couldn´t have done without God and my teammates.
Did you have a special breakfast or do something different on this day to help you achieve so many points? It was the usual routine. I have a specific routine and always stick to it.
How did you feel going into the game? Do you sometimes know how your game may go after warm ups and how your shot is feeling? I knew that the stakes were high going into the game that we needed a win badly. We knew that there was pressure, but I welcomed the challenge. I wanted to prove to all that I could compete on a big stage. I felt good going in and stuck to my game and took what the defense was and was very aggressive.
How did you get into the game flow? How rapidly did you know that you might have a real good scoring day? I think we had already scored 20 points after 5 minutes. I knew that the game would be high scoring and high paced. I knew that both teams would get on transition a lot and it was a matter of who would score most. I felt early on that I had to execute. I played my game because my team needed me. I got into the flow early, made shots and made free throws. I knew it would be a special game after the first quarter.
The team had 20 assists in the game and you had 4. Did you score a lot on the isolation? I did score a lot on the isolation. I was aggressive from the start and took on responsibility. I did have a lot of turnovers that really bugs me.
Did you know in the fourth quarter that you were close to 50 points?
When your playing you tend to look at the score board to see the time, fouls and time outs. I knew how much I was scoring. I knew I had 48 points and then I made an offensive rebound and put back for 50 points. I had no idea at that moment that the record was 55 points. Had I known that then I would have made it a mission to get the record.
What was your favorite own basket of the 53 point game? My favorite bucket was the 109th point to go ahead. I got an and 1. We were up three points with less than a minute to go. That was the break or take control moment of the game. That cemented the game for us.
Did you get any special messages from people that you might not have expected from? My family, people from home, club supporters and other fans from Europe. I turned off the phone after a while because there was a lot going on. I definitely got a lot of love.
Did you have to get your teammates donuts after game? I didn´t have to get donuts, but if they had, I would of.
It was the last game day in the easyCredit BBL for the Skyliners and all they had to play for was pride and to finish the season strong as their playoff hopes had been dashed weeks ago. The Skyliners had a walking wounded list as big as mount Everest and it wasn´t getting any smaller against their opponent ratiopharm Ulm. Eintracht Frankfurt Skyliners hero Ivan Crnjac who had led an amazing come back against Science City Jena with his barrage of three´s to reach the NBBL Top 4 in Berlin last weekend had had his mini break out in the loss to Chemnitz with 7 points. However a few more injuries in Chemnitz added to the massive injured list of Frankfurt as 9 guys were out of action.
The Skyliners walking wounded
Head coach Klaus Perwas had little choice but to insert his farm team players. 3 guys made their easyCredit BBL debuts with Czech Republic guard Lukas Smazak as well as Germans Leif Zentgraf and Maxi Peters while Alvin Oniya was in the line up after not having played in the BBL since the 2020-2021 season. At the end of 40 minutes, the Skyliners had been demolished on the boards and had coughed up the ball 19 times. 60% of the Skyliners roster in this game were Pro B players. “The Pro B players obviously needed some time to adjust to this BBL style of play. We allowed way to many open shots. We played a lot better in the second half being more comfortable and were more awake. We were more aggressive and were better on the switches”, stressed Skyliner Leif Zentgraf. Ratiopharm Ulm had a massive first half, but cooled down a bit offensively in the second half, but still controlled the game with ease. “We had a strong first half, but began slow in the second half, but finished strong. I thought we played well together and worked on habits for the playoffs. Guys were finding their rhythm before the playoffs”, stressed ratiopharm Ulm guard Mark Smith (193-G-1999, college: Kansas St.).
Christian Sengfelder at the FT line
The first quarter was an offensive show as both teams combined for 55 points, but the guests led 31-24 after 10 minutes. Ratiopharm Ulm led early 5-1 as ex Kansas State guard Mark Smith connected on a trey and ex Harvard (NCAA) American Chriatian Ledlum made a tip in dunk. The Skyliners found their rhythm as exceptional isolation player Isaiah Swope dropped a step back jumper and ex Creighton (NCAA) forward Ryan Hawkins scored on transition for the 6-5 lead. Swope would nail a trey and Ledlum a lay in as Ulm led 12-9. Then came the big moment of young athletic German Leif Zentgraf who compares his game to Franz Wagner made his BBL debut and scored his first BBL points with a lay in to trail 12-11. “I have to thank the coaching staff for their trust. I´m really grateful that my teammates found me. This was a great experience to be on the court and score my first points”, smiled Leif Zentgraf. Ratiopharm Ulm kept the slim lead the rest of the way only because Isaiah Swope continued his one man show showing his incredible ball handling and moves. He would score 6 more points on a 20 footer, acrobatic lay in and free throws having 12 points in the first quarter. The guests moved the ball well and fired well from outside as Danish player Tobias Jenson scored twice and 2017 NBBL champion Nelson Weideman also hit a trey while ex Telekom Baskets Bonn forward Christian Sengfelder added 4 points. “Frankfurt stayed with us, because Isaiah Swope made shots. He got in the paint and broke us down well and made plays”, stated Mark Smith. Ratiopharm Ulm shot 55% from the field and 54% from outside and had 12 rebounds and 1 turnover while the Skyliners shot 47% from the field and 36% from outside and had 10 rebounds and 2 turnovers.
Jacob Knauf dunk attempt
The turning point of the game occurred in the second quarter where Ratiopharm Ulm continued to be a scoring machine, but tightened up their defense allowing only 8 points and led dominantly 61-32. Ex St Johns (NCAA) guard Nahiem Alleyne began the second quarter with a jumper, but Ratiopharm Ulm then escaped out on a lethal 11-0 run to lead 42-26. In the run, the guests got everyone involved as ex Rice (NCAA) forward Mailik Osborne made a lay in, ex Munich forward Alec Anigbata hit a triple, Ledlum made a lay in while ex St Johns (NCAA) center Joel Soriano was real active on the glass making 2 alley-op dunks in a row with dimes from Jenson and Weidemann. Frankfurt was harmless on the defensive end having no impact on the closeouts. Ex Schwenningen forward Jacob Knauf stopped the Ulm run at the 7,05 minute mark with a dunk to trail 42-28. However that would be Frankfurt´s last field goal of the first half. They would connect on 4 more free throws from Alleyne and Swope, but Ulm stopped Frankfurt 12 times as they couldn´t muster any offense. Swope didn´t have the hot hand like in the first quarter as he missed 3 shots. Ratiopharm Ulm would produce 19 more points to Frankfurt´s 4 free throw points as their offense looked like an easy stroll in the park while the Skyliners had to work extra hard for good looks which they didn´t get often. Smith continued to be aggressive scoring 5 points while Jenson added another trey and Osborn an alley-op dunk. Sengfelder also added 3 points and ex Braunschweig guard Thomas Klepeisz also nailed a trey for the very comfortable half time lead. “We moved the ball well and stuck to our defensive principles. We capitalized off their mistakes and let our defense be our offense”, commented Mark Smith. Ratiopharm Ulm shot 65% from the field and 56% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the Skyliners shot 34% from the field and 25% from the three point line and had 15 rebounds and 7 turnovers.
Isaiah Swope at the FT line
The Skyliners stepped up their game in the third quarter losing it only 19-16, but couldn´t make any dent into Ulm´s gigantic lead trailing 80-48 after 3 quarters. Frankfurt stopped Ratiopharm Ulm on it´s first 2 possessions, but they then found their groove as Soriano and Ledlum made a lay in and a jumper. Frankfurt punched back with Alleyne free throws and a Hawkins trey to trail 65-37. Both teams were scoring at ease as the Skyliners simply couldn´t get over the hump. Weidemann twice scored lay in´s with his left hand as the Frankfurt zone was like a comfort zone for Ulm as their was no aggression anywhere to be seen from the Skyliners defense. Smith also displayed his fierce isolation skills as he dropped a nasty trey that looked so ruthless as the Skyliners trailed 72-40 and their trek up the mountain looked endless. Here and there the Skyliners showed traces of solid execution as Swope displayed a nifty step back jumper for 2 points while Alvin Onyia got to the free throw line adding 3 points. Ulm always found ways to get inside and get easy points as Jenson made a dunk and Sengfelder made a lay in off the lob pass from Klepeisz and then the German made a dunk at the buzzer closing out the third quarter. “We began slow and had too many turnovers that quarter. But that all changed when the second unit came. They gave extra energy and got easy baskets”, said Mark Smith. “We wanted to come back and were more aggressive and awake. We did a good job producing open looks”, stated Leif Zentgraf. Ratiopharm Ulm shot 58% from the field and 48% from the parking lot and had 29 rebounds and 7 turnovers while the Skyliners shot 36% from the field and 27% from the parking lot and had 23 rebounds and 13 turnovers.
Nelson Weidemann with the left hand lay in
Ratiopharm had no let up´s in the fourth quarter as they closed out the game strong never allowing the Skyliners any chance of a real comeback. Ratiopharm Ulm came out on fire in the last quarter not allowing any punch backs from the Skyliners as they went on a lethal 12-2 run to extend their lead to 92-50. In the run it was the 1-2 punch of Tobias Jenson and Anigbata that supplied all the early scoring punch. Jenson showed his 3 level scoring qualities as he made a lay in, dunk and trey while Anigbata made a tip in and trey. The Skyliners then finally punched back with a 9-2 run to trail 94-59. Lukas Smazak who made his BBL debut hit 2 three´s in a row from the left wing. His big strength is his shooting and he showed why. “I was a bit nervous at the start when I came in. But then after 2 ups and downs, it was all cool. I really wanted to score some points. I was so happy that I hit 2 three´s”, smiled Lukas Smazak. Skyliner Nahiem Alleyne closed out the game strong with 8 points including 2 three´s to trail Ulm 99-64. Frankfurt had a few turnovers at the end while Ratiopharm Ulm closed out the game with 4-0 run as Jenson and Smith made lay in´s as both finished with 20 points a piece. “We closed out the game well. We played well against their zone and shot the ball better”, stated Mark Smith. “We hit the three ball better and communicated better on defense”, added Leif Zentgraf. Ratiopharm Ulm was led by Mark Smith and Tobias Jenson with 20 points a piece. Christian Sengfelder and Chirs Ledlum also added 11 points a piece while the Skyliners were led by Isaiah Swope with 17 points while Nahiem Alleyne had 14 points. Ratiopharm Ulm shot 57% from the field and 44% from outside and had 42 rebounds and 12 turnovers while the Skyliners shot 38% from the field and 32% from outside and had 26 rebounds and 19 turnovers.
Ivan Crnjac (203-F-2007) is a 19 year old 201cm forward that is averaging 18/7/2/1 in the NBBL currently an din the Pro B averaged 14ppg and 2,0rpg. Last season he averaged 20,5ppg, 7,9rpg, 2,2apg, and 1,7spg in the NBBL (U-19) and in the Pro B averaged 11,0ppg, 4,1rpg, 1,3apg and 1,0spg. He helped the Fraport Skyliners win the B League title at the U-18 International Cup in Tokyo, Japan. In 2023 he reached the JBBL (U-16) top 4. He won the NBBL MVP award for the 24-25 season. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his first BBL points against Chemnitz and the NBBL Top 4.
Thanks Ivan for talking to germanhoops.com. Eintracht Frankfurt Skyliners are back at the NBBL Top 4 after a 10 year drought. What does that mean to you? It means a lot. We continued the process of the 2007 year by fighting out of the Division B 2 years ago and reaching the NBBL Top 4. It is great reaching the NBBL Top 4 after getting to the JBBL Top 4 3 years ago. I’m really proud of the team.
What were your thoughts in November 2025 after the team started losing 3 of 4 games. Did you feel like it could be a long season?
It is always tough when your injured and can’t help your team. I didn’t know where our journey would go then simply because we had many injuries. But I still felt confident that we could go far with a healthy team.
How tough was it for you not being able to help?
It was a tough time. You watch the team and can’t help. But I feel like when I came back, it made the team stronger and we continued to grow
Was the turning point of the season the 2 game series against FC Bayern Munich? You lost the first game badly 106-74, but then won 115-88. That loss was bitter as we had a thin roster. We knew at what level we needed to be at in order to be able to compete with better teams.
What do you believe did the team learn from that loss?
We learned that we had to play better together as a team. I didn’t play well that game. We couldn’t rely on just one guy, but all had to fullfill their roles better.
The team then won twice and then played IBAM 5 times in a row. How crazy did that feel? It was strange playing 5 times against them. We stuck together well in the playoffs despite not having Jamie Edoka or Chris Widner. IBAM is a very good team and played well, but we were mentally tougher that helped us get the win.
In the playoffs you lost a nail bitter to IBAM 77-74 and then had 2 do or die games. How vital was this playoff series for the growth of the team? It was a huge achievement winning this series. We had so much pressure in the series. It was a big relief when we won.
What do you believe did your team learn after the first loss to IBAM in the playoffs?
The problem in the first loss was that they outhustled us. We weren’t on the same page. That hurt us. We understood that in the next 2 games in order to win, we have to be on the same page.
Then came the exciting series against Jena. Frankfurt won game 3 in incredible fashion. How draining was that game for you as a player? That was a tough series as well. We always tried to stay positive even when things weren’t looking so good. Winning game 3 against Jena was a real challenge. We found good solutions and went possession by possession.
You made big three’s to spark the comeback. It seemed like your emotions were at a all-time high or not?
It was all a big relief when I hit the shots. The log jam had burst I hadn’t shot well at first, but then I broke out. I was emotional, because now I knew we were ready to come back.
Both teams fought like crazy, but did your team still want it more? I think that both teams wanted it a lot. We just had a little more luck than they did. Them missing free throws also hurt them.
You were very emotional after the buzzer sounded. Is this top 4 a greater achievement then the JBBL top 4?
I don’t know yet, if getting to the NBBL is a bigger achievement simply because we haven’t played yet. But I do know in terms of the season, the NBBL way was more difficult than the JBBL way.
How special is Rephael Edward of a player? He had 7 offensive rebounds in game 3 against Jena. Have you ever seen a player with a bigger heart?
I don’t think there is a player that has a bigger heart than Rephael. He decides how well we defend with his energy. He shows so much heart and is a very special teammate.
How have you seen the development of Jamie Edoka? Is he becoming a NBA prospect? I think he is. He continues to develop each season and get better. His weaknesses continue to decrease. He has a real good mindset and his potential is limitless. He has a good body and touch and has all the tools to get there
Maxi peters is a bit in the shadow of Edoka and you. How vital is his play for success?
He doesn’t play his normal position, because I play the 4. He does a great job at the 5. He gives us great hustle and energy and shot blocking abilities. He also has a good skill set to score.
You open up in the NBBL Top 4 against Alba Berlin. Has the team welcomed the underdog role?
I wouldn’t necessarily say that we are the underdog. I think that all 4 teams are at a similar level. It is hard to compare since we have never played them. They area good team though.
What will be key to reaching the final? We have to show the type of hustle and mindset that we had against Jena. We can’t give up. We have to be prepared for every situation in every possession.
The Skyliners suffered a tough loss in Chemnitz yesterday? How tough is the burden to have so many guys out? It was very tough especially when 3 guys went down during the game. But I’m really proud of the team how it never gave up with the limited personal and still reached the overtime.
The team had a bad start, but staged a major comeback in the second half. What words of wisdom did coach Klaus Perwas give the team? He told us to keep fighting and not give up.
How tough was losing in crunch-time? What was key for not getting the win? A few shots just didn’t want to fall for us. They in turn hit some tough shots to propel the win.
You played 27 minutes and had a 7/4/1 game and a block. How good did it feel playing heavy minutes? It felt really good to get a chance of real minutes and to be there in important moments. I hope I can do that again.
You scored your first BBL points with a trey. Take me through that bucket? I was just playing my game when I scored my first BBL points. I was ready to shoot and I never hesitated.
You shot 1/6 form the field. How do you rate your shot selection from that game? I wouldn’t say I had really good shot selection, but I had some open looks. The BBL is very fast and you need to make quick decisions. You always need to be ready.
Do you feel like you will play a lot again ratiopharm Ulm? It could happen. I hope so.
What will be key to beating Ulm on Sunday?
We have to have the mind set to hustle and giver our all no matter how many guys play.
Some players just have that winner´s gene in them. The ability to be on a team and just lead his teammates through a season and win that chip at the end. One of those special players is Miles Mallory (196-F, college: RMC, agency: Highlight Athletes). Besides having the same name as me which is rare and nice to see, he is a guy that at the age of 24 has already won 6 chips in his career. He has built that extra foundation of having achieved titles at the college and pro level. He won 4 straight ODAC titles at Randolph-Macon College (NCAA3) and then came overseas and as a rookie did it again with the Seeburg College Wizards Karlsruhe (Germany-Regionalliga). After not winning last season with the ROTH Energie Giessen Pointers (Germany-Regionalliga),he rebounded this season and bang won another dub with another new team TSG Reutlingen (Germany-Regionalliga). The only difference to his rookie season was that this time, it was more difficult as he had to earn it with 6 extra games as the playoffs were there which wasn´t the case the first time 2 years ago. “2026 had more emotions behind it just because it was 2 series that both went the full 3 games. The struggle made the championship feel greater. In 2024 we had a great team as well but I think with about 3 games to go we had a feeling that we were going to win the trophy already. This time when the buzzer sounded I took a deep sigh and I was full of joy and happiness. I saw all of my teammates’ faces. We worked so hard for this and I am glad that it was this group that won it”, remembered Miles Mallory. Another special dimension added to his second pro chip was that he helped produce it against his old team from Karlsruhe. “It meant everything to win not because it was my old team but knowing what a championship means to my teammates, my personal career and the city. It was surreal to play my former team in the final especially since there’s a good amount of guys I played with. These are guys that helped me jumpstart my career with their unselfishness and I always will appreciate that. In the first game of the series we did a great job passing the ball. Nemanja was great finding guys all game on cuts. In the second they played better and were definitely tougher. And in the 3rd game we were first to loose balls and creating extra possessions. The 3rd game was a grind it was very low scoring and we just carved out a couple more plays to earn that win. Very proud od us getting our hands dirty”, stressed Miles Mallory. Another special aspect to the final was battling legend John Stockton´s son Sam. “He is a smart player just like his dad. Worked well with screens and had a lot of backdoor cuts. Good timing off the ball and he worked well with Karlsruhe with their movement. Yeah I was aware it is really cool to see that develop this year and for him to get an opportunity to represent his family’s name”, said Miles Mallory.
Miles and Miles in Limburg in 2024
The Maryland native came back to Germany in August 2025 to Reutlingen a pretty small town in southern Germany. It didn´t take him long to get that feeling that there could be something unique about his new club. Could he already find early traces of a championship team? “I would have believed if someone had said we could win a title as there was a lot of faith in this group from the first day of seeing this team”, added Miles Mallory. However the season didn´t begin with a bang as it lost against Saarlouis. However after that it won 15 of 16 games. “We lost that first game and then got down 20 at Giessen in the second game before coming back. We got tested in those first 6 quarters of the season. And yeah we did great bouncing back and starting to become a machine with fastbreak points. Those games were really important to see what type of actions on offense were working and not working. And we really started to figure it out after the loss to the Panthers”, stated Miles Mallory. However even title teams have growing pains which they experienced losing 3 of 4 games. “We had a tough time winning the possession battle. Against Urspring and the Panthers we turned it over a lot and could not close the deal late game. Then Against Lich we collapsed and then Jonas Harper hit some huge shots to force overtime”, remembered Miles Mallory. The team then finished the season strong with a 6 game winning streak. How key was finishing the season off strong? “It was very important. Because those losses allowed Karlsruhe and Urspring to close the gap on the 2nd seed in the playoffs. Finishing strong allowed us to play at home in both series for game 1 and game 3. We got to integrate new players in there for that final stretch which also allowed us to play with different lineups for the playoffs. Reutlingen then beat Ehingen in a 3 games series. The team showed a lot of character during adversary and pulled out the series. “We took pride in our defense especially in game 3. Game 2 they beat us off the dribble a lot and we also turned it over a ton early in that game. Game 3 we were more aggressive on the ball and kept them out of the paint with some good help also. We were mentally strong that game and I think it showed in the second half”, commented Miles Mallory. The finals was no cake walk as TSG Reutlingen had to give all they had again in 3 games to be crowned champion over Karlsruhe. “It felt amazing. This was the longest season of my career physically and mentally. Just a lot riding on this season. This was my 3rd year on the regio level and really wanted to win my way out and move on to the next level. So this time it really feels like we achieved something great. I played with a great team and a great group of guys who all cared just as much as I do about winning the right way”, stressed Miles Mallory.
The incredible rebounder who compares his came to NBA player Jalen Smith of the Chicago Bulls will never forget what the massive secret was for TSG Reutlingen being so consistent and successful for 8 months. “We were great in the fastbreak and moved the ball well ahead. Everyone on our roster took and made 3s which is a great thing to have. It really opened up the floor for our players who could drive the ball. All of those qualities made our fast break really dangerous and it shined in games we needed it most”, said Miles Mallory. The team was filled with a roster of great players and characters that all bought in to what head coach Rodrigo Reynoso wanted and built a team chemistry that always grew as the season wore on. “He is a coach that expresses his mission with a lot of passion. He brought and edge to this group. And he empowered all of us to be more and do our strengths and that was really helpful”, remembered Miles Mallory. 2 teammates that were ultra vital for the success of the club were the guard duo of Vito Barbarosa And Noel Duarte. “It felt that no one could keep Noel in front. He was one of our captains. He played with a lot of toughness and physicality and the rest of the team fed off of that. He would take challenges to guard the other team’s best perimeter player which is exactly what you want out of a captain. Vito is very gifted and had a lot of different shot types that he was good at. Could get hot really fast and opened up the floor a lot because the defense could not leave him. He also had a good hand and forced a lot of turnovers. We also had Lino Killian John Valentin who made a great impact and gave us a lot of options to switch gameplans”, warned Miles Mallory. He was reunited with Nemanja Nadjfeji, the son of easyCredit BBL legend Aleksandar who had been his teammate last season in Giessen. “It was great being reunited with him again. Nemanja is the best passer in this league and for the last two years he routinely found me on cuts. He would often direct traffic for us offensively and we were almost always organized with him giving out directions as he was our other captain. It was good to have him and Valentin back as teammates. Familiar faces made connecting with the rest of the team easier”, added Miles Mallory.
The prolific scorer who lists NBA player Immanuel Quickly as his toughest cover ever in his career had another great statistical season in the German Regionalliga. In his first 2 seasons overseas he averaged 18/9/1/1/1 and with Reutlingen showed again his consistency averaging 18/8/1/1/1. “I felt like it was a good season. I would have loved to have cleaned up missing free throws but that didn’t work out so well. This year is probably the most I have put the ball on the floor and I also was able to play well in transition. Made the majority of my shots and had a clear vision for most games of where and when to shoot”, said Miles Mallory. He scored double figures in 29 games and had 10 double doubles and was able to grow as a player again. “I think from the field and from 3 this is the best I have ever shot the ball. Also I think I was better in isolation situations”, expressed Miles Mallory. He shot 46% from outside which was the best ever in his career. Did he change anything up on his mechanics, or was it just better shot selection or more reps than usual? “I searched for some fixes to make sure the ball is coming out straighter and cleaner. I watched some videos on youtube and then I practiced a lot cleaning up my mistakes and getting my shot off a little faster”, remembered Miles Mallory. He also as usual displayed his 2-way qualities again. He showed that he could grow again as a defender. “I was able to play defense in the paint and perimeter this year more than ever. The first thing is the conditioning. I was always able to play basically all 40 minutes. But I was not always explosive for as long as I wanted to be in games. This year that changed and it allowed me to be better for longer games and as the season went on. And just tried to pay attention to detail. Guarded a lot of great players but always took the challenge and just continued no matter the result”, added Miles Mallory. He scored 20 points or more 14 times and had a 32 point explosion against Ulm and 30 points against PS Karlsruhe 2. It wasn´t an easy choice to pick his personal favorite own performance of the season. “For the regular season it was the first game against the wizards where I hit the game winner was a crazy moment. But in the playoffs I would say the 3rd game vs Ehingen we played great defense and on that and-1 that I had late that was probably one of the loudest pops I have heard from our fans. Nothing beats winning a championship though”, stressed Miles Mallory. He is a serious competitor that never ceases to get better and will be in the lab again this summer working on his craft. “ I will work on dribbling for sure and attacking more with the ball in my hands in transition. I have to keep working on my off hand and continue to get a lot of reps shooting in different situations. I also want to work on getting my right leg stronger so I can generate more power off of two feet when I get in the lane”, warned Miles Mallory. So what is the next step for Miles Mallory. Staying in Reutlingen and playing pro B seems like a logical choice. “If everything works out with the license and contracts I would really like to be back in Reutlingen in Pro B. I have been waiting 3 years for a chance to move up so this is finally a chance that I have to do that”, stressed Miles Mallory. 3 could be a charm as Miles Mallory´s Pro B dream with TSG Reutlingen could become a reality.
David Pisic (200-SG-2003) is a 22 year old 200cm shooting guard that has a double license to play for FIT/One Wuerzburg Baskets (Germany-BBL), and with VR Bank Wuerzburg Baskets Akademie (Germany-ProB) an dthis season averaged 12/2/1/1 stats. Last season with VR Bank Wuerzburg Baskets Akademie (Germany-ProB) he averaged 6.8ppg, 2.8rpg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 87.5%. He began his basketball career with TSV Wieblingen and also played a season with the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer (Germany-ProB) averaging 10.1ppg, 3.2rpg, FGP: 59.5%, 3PT: 41.6%, FT: 72.7%, played also at SG TV Duerkheim/BI Speyer (Germany-2.Regionalliga). He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.
Thanks David for talking to germanhoops.com. Your Serbian but came to Germany. What were the main reasons for doing that? I was born in Germany, Mannheim to be exact and grew up around there. Both my parents are off Serbian origin and were the ones to move to Germany in the 90s, sometime before I came to the world here
What were the main reasons for starting to play basketball? Growing up I played a lot of sports, although nothing did me better than basketball. My Father motivated me, growing up in the gym, it came somewhat naturally. I fell in Love with the sport
Who were your early basketball inspirations? My father was my first inspiration, he played before me, and I always looked up to him. The first tapes of other players that stuck with me were highlights of Peja Stojakovic and Dejan Bodiroga whom my father introduced me to, and I wanted to be like
You played 3 seasons with the TSV Wieblingen Fuechse. How do you remember these years? How did your game grow there? It was my first time playing Senior Basketball in the 2.Regionalliga Baden Württemberg. Coming out of U-16 and JBBL as a skinny Kid, I had to grow in every aspect of the Game, get used to the Physicality of grown men, where I improved every single year until I outgrew it and was ready for the next step up. It was a good time from which I keep a lot of memory’s still.
Did you have an early basketball mentor in those years? My Father, he was mentoring me every step of the way
You then went to the Ahorn Camp BIS Baskets Speyer (Germany-ProB) averaging 10.1ppg, 3.2rpg, FGP: 59.5%, 3PT: 41.6%, FT: 72.7%, played also at SG TV Duerkheim/BI Speyer (Germany-2.Regionalliga). How important was this season in Speyer. How valuable was this season for you?
This season was a big step forward, first time playing on the Pro b level, whilst also being double licensed and playing in the 2 Regionalliga for some extra game time. It was my first Taste of pro Ball, the style of play, and another step up in physicality and speed of the game. I learned a lot from my veteran teammates there too, it turned out to be a very important time for my Career, as from that moment on, I also knew I was made for this and more. I made adjustments in my game and started treating every part of the Game like a Professional, practiced hard, put my Head down and worked through it. This season also opened the doors for me to come to Wuerzburg and put me on the map. I am still very close with my colleagues from that season, a lot of strong friendships came out of that one.
You got trust from Carl Mbassa. How did he help you make the next step there? From him I learned the grit and importance of defense. It is what ultimately gets and keeps you on the Court. That sometimes it is not only x and o’s, tactics or Talent, but pure will and effort that gets you the wanted success. He is a good Ccach that knows what he wants and expects his players to give 100% every day.
Your brother Pavle was on the team in Speyer. What kind of a relationship do you have with him? Pavle is someone I have a very close and special relationship with. We grew up together, shared experiences and ultimately have the same dream. Although we are now apart playing in our perspective teams, him being in Karlsruhe, me in Wuerzburg, we are in close contact and keep supporting each other whilst chasing the same Goal. A Dream would be to one day play with him together on a team.
How valuable was ultimate team player DJ Woodmore for you? What could you learn most from him?
DJ Woodmore was my Captain and Veteran in Speyer, he is a phenomenal guy, kept the Team Spirit high and was a true Leader. He has a lot of experience and knew how to handle certain Situations, lift our Heads and push forward. I appreciate most from him his calm and joyful demeanor, every single day and game, always locked in no matter what.
You scored in double figures in 17 games and had so many great games that season. Was there a game that season that was the turning point that you knew that you belonged? I think the very first two games of that season. I went to Erfurt with no big expectations, but I wasn’t afraid either. I had a small breakout Game, played my first real minutes and contributed to the team effort. After scoring double digits again the game right after, I knew it was no luck or exception and that this was for me, as now I understood the Level of Play.
Last season you moved to the VR Bank Wuerzburg Baskets Akademie (Germany-ProB) averaging 6.8ppg, 2.8rpg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 87.5%. How do you remember this season playing for Alex King? You didn´t have the big role yet?
It was the tough Ride for me, new team, new environment. A big opportunity to work and expand myself within a special club. Fighting with injuries, I spent a long time just searching myself, trying to find ways to fit in and produce on the court. Fortunately, I had a great Ttam, lots of good teammates with whom we could beat anybody in the league. Alex did a good Job coaching and made sure to improve just as much as a coach, like we did as players. Looking back, I will always remember this Season as one that made me stronger and helped me look beyond certain Horizons. At the end I still had a somewhat decent Role on that Team, which consisted of many high quality players who are now all playing at higher levels.
You had some really talented teammates like Calvin Wishart and Tyrese Williams. Was there a player that had the biggest impact on you? I had a lot of great teammates that year, and everybody impacted me in a special way. However, I have to say Calvin Wishart. We spent that year sharing an Apartment, I looked up to him and still do. His style of play, especially his competitiveness is what made him special and I made sure to copy some of that. Both on and off the court a great guy. Shiftiest guy I met so far
This season your minutes rose from 17 to 24 and have a bigger scoring role. Does it help that there hasn´t been an import player on the team? Are you one of the leaders on the team?
I wouldn’t say it helps not having an import player, it is just the fact that we have a new restructured team, new roles and space to work with. My improvements do help and I still try to make every minute I get justifiable. We have a very young Team, one of the youngest in the League, where I get to be within the top group regarding the age. My younger teammates jokingly call me, “unc”. Having this little bit of experience on some guys, I view it as a responsibility to help leading this group, as much as possible by example.
How has Alex King helped you become a better player this season? By being a coach that understands players in a different way than a majority does. He himself was a player with a successful career and knows what it feels like to put on the boots, tie the strings and walk through the thorns every single Day. He’s seen it all and is sharing what he learned himself. He gave me the necessary trust and I reciprocated.
You exploded for 42 points against Coburg. Did you know that you were capable to do that? I was not surprised, for me it was just a question of time when my explosion will come. Especially coming off a thumb Injury that kept me out for 2 months, a lot of work was done behind the scenes that showed itself once it was the time again.
What do you remember from that game? How quickly did you know that you were in the zone?
You only know you were in the zone once it is over, after the Game. Although I remember vividly almost every second of it. Who knows if there is even more to it, a deeper flow state, greater focus. At the End its just your Brain working on autopilot, with all the programming and necessary practices for it to happen, being done in the countless hours in the gym beforehand.
How talented is German Marko Petric? What do you appreciate most about his game? He is very talented, a smart Kid. He understands a lot and is both mentally and physically a step ahead of his age. His energy is contagious, and he has everything he needs in order to become a pro. His game keeps improving and I appreciate being part of his Journey.
What are your goals as a player? Is the easyCredit BBL realistic for you? My goal is to compete at the highest possible level, whatever it may be, BBL, Euroleague. I don’t think it is unrealistic at all; I was able to experience the level of the players in Wuerzburg and am not doubting myself that I can do it. Everything is possible in your life if you believe. I will keep working and see how far It gets me.
Let´s talk about your game. You’re a 200cm guard. If you had to compare your game to a NBA or Euroleague player who would it be?
I’d say Klay Thompson, Bogdan Bogdanovic. Great shooters who are also able to impact the game in a lot of other ways without needing to always have the ball in their Hands. I also like studying Marko Guduric and learn from his game, stretching the floor. Become a 3 Level threat
You’re a player that can fill the stat sheet well. What are your biggest offensive strengths? My shooting is by far my biggest strength. The ability to stretch the floor, play without the Ball, Cut and Space. Attack when necessary whilst also finding my teammates if they are in a better position. Playing quick in transition, Fastbreak Situations
How would you describe the development of your three pointer? You shot 41% 2 years ago, 30% last season and currently at 50%. What has been your secret to the good shooting?
It involves a lot of practice, countless hours of work, thousands of shots. Varying the footwork, out of different looks and situations and of course fundamentals. A key thing is also the mindset, something that I had to teach myself. The mental game to trust the work I put in behind the scenes, treating every shot as it is, without having past missed shots impacting the confidence of the one I pull right now. Confidence is Key, I believe every shot is going in.
What kind of a defender are you now and what kind of a defender do you still want to become? I’d consider myself a good defender. More the smart type, using my head and positioning to hinder the opponents offense wherever I can. Help my teammates whilst also defending my guy 1v1 without being a liability. I want to be able to guard everybody from 1-4, a feat that should be possible with my size. The necessary experience is on its way
On what areas of your game are you working on most now so you can continue to improve?
You can never shoot good enough, which is why it will always be something I focus on consistently. work on the weaknesses and make my strengths even stronger. Playmaking is something I can still improve, as well as working on my body, becoming even stronger faster, but most importantly smarter. To make the right reads when necessary. Becoming a professional off the court just as much as on the court. There is no end in studying the game, lets keep it that way
Who is the greatest player that you battled in your career that reached the NBA or euro league That would probably be Ariel Hukporti or Noa Essengue, although they were just on the opposing team and not A Matchup or Battle I fought myself. Ivan Kharchenkov was the toughest Matchup yet I would say.
Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time. Hannes Steinbach, Calvin Wishart, Tyrese Williams, DJ Woodmore, Christian Skladanowski
Please list your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present heads? Michael Jordan, Peja Stojakovic, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic
For every American baller the dream is to play in the NBA and win the NBA title and probably the big goal before the NBA is winning the NCAA title at March Madness. Winning an NCAA title is rare and what is even rarer is experiencing guys having won that exceptional title play in the easyCredit BBL. There simply haven´t been many guys that have done it. There was even two German guys who won the NCAA title twice with Niels Giffey and Christian Ast. One had to wait 17 years after Henrik Rodl won with North Carolina in 1993 to see Giffey win it with Kemba Walker and UConn in 2011. He did it again in 2014 for a second time with Shabazz Napier. 2 other players that stand out that have won the NCAA title and played in Germany in the BBL were Darius Miller with Kentucky who won a BBL title with Bamberg and Napier who won a title with FC Bayern Munich. This season there is another baller balling in Germany with the Skyliners with Nahiem Alleyne (193-G-2001, college: St.John’s) who also won March Madness. He also did it with UConn in 2023. Somehow UConn has had that knack of sending guys to Germany. There was another player that also played in Germany with Senegal big man Souleymane Wane in Giessen who also won with UConn in 1999. For Nahiem Alleyne winning the NCAA title means so much. It was a goal that he had on his bucket list already in elementary school “I saw my goals come to life. I wrote a list of dreams in eighth grade and one of them was winning the NCAA title. It was a real wow moment. I have 2 distinct memories from the NCAA final. The first that I will never forget was running onto the court and seeing the fans in the football stadium. I was nervous. It felt like 1 million fans were there. It was a dope moment. The other was around the 2 minute mark where I knew that we were going to win it all”, stressed Skyliner guard Nahiem Alleyne.
Nahiem Alleyne who lists Paolo Banchero of the Orlando Magic as his toughest opponent in the NCAA was born on July 23, 2001 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. He attended South Gwinnett High School and also Mountain View High School. He was a HS three-star on 247 Sports and was ranked as the 21st-best player in the state of Georgia in 2019. He then attended Virginia Tech from 2019-2022 and played 90 NCAA games. He had consistent stats averaging 8.8ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 38.7%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 76.2%, : 11.1ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 37.5%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 80.7% and 9.6ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 38.8%, 3PT: 37.3%, FT: 85.2%. He reached 2 NCAA tournaments and in his last season won the ACC title. Not many players can say that they beat North Carolina and Duke back to back to win the ACC title. “That run was special. We were a 7th seed. I remember we had a meeting before the ACC tournament. We felt like we could win it all. We really got locked in. North Carolina was our kryptonite. We had so much energy against them and were hot the whole game. We knew that we could beat them. After that we knew we could win it all. We then beat Duke and coach K in his last season”, stressed Nahiem Alleyne. He had so many great games including hitting Florida for 28 points in a tough March madness loss and overall really grew as a player under head coach Mike Young. “Coach young really took me under his wing. I honestly didn´t think like I was good enough, but he always believed in me. He groomed me into the player that I am today”, remembered Nahiem Alleyne. He then added a year with the University of Connecticut (NCAA) averaging 5.2ppg, 1.2rpg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 30.5%, FT: 87.1% and won the NCAA title. Was that the best basketball decision in his life? “I´m really grateful for getting the opportunity and playing for head coach Dan Hurley. But individual wise, it was my worst season in the NCAA. I had some mental issues”, said Nahiem Alleyne. But it was all worth it since, he helped UConn win it all. The team was on a mission that season and dominated at March madness. “If someone had told me in October 2022 that we would win it all, I would have believed it. We had so many pieces. I remember tweeting a pic of the 2011 winning team. I felt like we had something special. We knew going in that we could win it all, but that it would be tough. The first 2 games were tough. The first one against Iona was the toughest. The next one against St Marys and Logan Johnson was also tough. But when we beat Gonzaga bad, I knew that we would win it all”, warned Nahiem Alleyne. He then added one more season at St. John’s University (NCAA) averaging 6.5ppg, 1.6rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 49.0%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 89.5%. He played twice against UConn that season and lost. He was able to grow a bit more under coaching legend Rick Pitino. “That was a learning year for me. It was amazing to be able to play for him. I learned the mental aspects of the game. I was able to see things through his eyes and perspective. I then realized why he had been so successful. His attention to detail and scouting was amazing. We had a good group of guys, but just didn´t make March Madness”, remembered Nahiem Alleyne who never played 1-1 against ex teammate Daniss Jenkins, but remembers him being one of the quickest guards that he ever faced in his career.
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Foto: ZIBART.DE
The Georgia native who lists Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Hakeem Olajuwan and Magic Johnson on his personal NBA mount Rushmore began his professional career overseas with AEK Betsson Athens (Greece-GBL)playing 4 Basketball Champions League: games averaging 5.3ppg, and then in Nov.’24 moved to Trefl Sopot (Poland-OBL) averaging 6.1ppg, 2.2rpg, FGP: 49.2%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.0%, 2.6rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 40.0%, 3PT: 38.5% and averaged 7.2ppg in the Eurocup. Every American has a wake up call to being overseas for the first time and it wasn´t any different for him. “When I got on the plane, I realized that this was really happening and when I landed it all hit me. Everything was different. My parents were far away and there was a time difference. I was really in awe the first 2 weeks”, remembered Nahiem Alleyne. His stay in Greece was very short as they had too many imports and he was the odd man out as a rookie. He was told that he would of played more with less imports. However he didn´t allow this first experience to rattle him, but he stayed on his toes and sought a new challenge in Poland where he had a long playoff run and played Eurocup. He had a different kind of a role as he wasn´t much of a scorer. “My role there was a tough one. I was a 3 and D player, but it really didn´t feel like it. I gave all I had and made my whole stay something out of it. It was a blessing playing against great players in the Eurocup. That showed me where I was as a player. I knew the next summer that I had to work on a lot of my game”, said Nahiem Alleyne. He was fortunate to have had many great veterans on the squad like ex NBA and BBL player Nick Johnson who showed him the ropes. “Nick was always funny and had so much energy. He always kept it real with me”, added Nahiem Alleyne.
The Ex UConn guard who lists Adama Sanogo (UConn), Jordan Hawkins (UConn), Daniss Jenkins (ST Johns), Justyn Mutts (Virginia Tech) and Tyrece Radford (Virginia Tech) as his 5 best teammates of all-time is playing his second professional season with the Skyliners. It took him a little adjustment time with all, but overall has enjoyed the experience and is very appreciative to Klaus Perwas and the coaching staff for helping him get integrated. He trains in a state of the art training facility and lives in a mall next to the facility. He has everything he needs there. Does he ever get out of the mall to explore the German culture? “I do get out a little bit. But to be honest, I don´t go out much. I have hit some restaurants and checked out the art museums. I like to take walks and have seen the river Main downtown”, said Nahiem Alleyne. On the court, it has been a tough season as the team is somewhere in the middle not in danger of moving down, but also not near the playoff territory “We had a tough stretch of games. I´m confident though that we have the pieces to make a run. We have been up and down and won a few more games. We just keep going which gives us hope”, stated Nahiem Alleyne. A big problem has been being able to close out games. The Skyliners have lost 8 close games. Is that big go to guy missing? “We all ask ourselves why we have lost so many close games. We were in so many games. I think that a problem has been that we allow one mistake to multiple into 2-3 mistakes. We then crumble. I feel like we have a good balance of players. We are all dangerous in many ways and just as dangerous if we had that one main go to guy”, expressed Nahiem Alleyne. One guy who has been missed is Jaedon LeDee who is involved in a contract dispute. Alleyne beat LeDee in the 2023 NCAA title game. “At the start I poked fun at him, but overtime it got less. Jaedon is a really good guy”, said Nahiem Alleyne. He has gelled greatly in the back court with immensely talented rookie Isaiah Swope. “I love Isaiah. He has asked me many questions about my journey. He is a real workhorse. He values the game so much and always wants to get better. We have a close relationship and both are competitors on the court”, commented Nahiem Alleyne.
, Foto: ZIBART.DE
The 3 and D player who lists Kobe Bryant as his GOAT is a player that likes to take things from many players to help implement into his game. He enjoys the game of Malik Beasley and how he shoots the ball and defends and lists CJ McCollum as his favorite player and his favorite defender is Jrue Holiday. He is though more than just a 3 and D player. “I like to get to the mid range a lot and when the opponents defense gets me off the line, then I like to use the pull up jumper as well. I´m also focused on using the floater more”, added Nahiem Alleyne. He is known as being a three point specialist and wants to continue to flourish overseas as a shooter. “I just want to be consistent and be confident. That is the main thing. I just will keep working on my shot. Just knowing to shoot it when the defenders hand is down, take the pull up off the three point line and knowing a half contested shot is a good shot”, warned Nahiem Alleyne. He also is striving to be the best defender possible. “I want to play at the highest level. I know that my defense generates my offense. I watch a lot of Jrue Holiday and Thomas Walkup. I want to be able to guard the other teams best players”, warned Nahiem Alleyne. He continues to be in the lab to improve his game as best as possible. “I´m working on many things like my ball handling, pick and roll reads and playmaking. But what I´m working on most is playing freely”, stated Nahiem Alleyne. This season he is averaging 8,8ppg and 3,0rpg and shooting 35% from outside and has scored in double figures in 11 of 26 games. Is it a fair assessment that he has been up and down? “Yes I have been up and down. I´m better though than in my rookie season. I have to improve my consistency”, warned Nahiem Alleyne. It is now the stretch run of the season and his favorite win of the season was in Ulm. “There is a lot history with Ulm and I played against my ex teammate Chris Ledlum. The win was amazing, because we showed that we could play with anyone”, stressed Nahiem Alleyne. The Skyliners were unable to reach the playoffs, but for Nahiem Alleyne, it was a season where he gathered vital experience and will be ready for battle on the court in year 3 no matter where he lands.
Matej Jelovcic (185-SG-1998) is a 27 year old 185cm guard that completed his fourth season with the TSV Neustadt Temps Shooters averaging 21,8ppg, 8,3rpg, 3,9apg and 2,3spg. He began his basketball career with KK Zagreb. He came to Germany in 2016 and his first basketball job was with BSG Basket Ludwigsburg. He also has palyed with teams Baunach Young Pikes, SC Rist Wedel, TSG Bergedorf Hamburg and Eimsbuetteler TV Hamburg. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.
Thanks Matej for talking to germanhoops.com. You are now in your 10th season in Germany. How rapidly did Germany become a second home for you? At the beginning, I honestly didn’t expect that Germany would become a long-term place for me. I wasn’t really thinking about it back then. But around my fourth or fifth year, it slowly became clear that this could be my future, both professionally and personally. That’s when I realized Germany was more than just a stop in my career.
Why did you leave your homeland of Croatia to come to Germany in 2016? During my final year of high school, I got the chance to join the U19 team of Porsche Basketball Akademie in Ludwigsburg. At the same time, I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do after school. So I decided to take the challenge, try something new, and see where it would take me. Looking back, it was a great decision and really shaped the path I’m on now.
You began your career with top Croatian team KK Zagreb. How were those early years for you, and did you have a mentor during that time? Back then, KK Zagreb was one of the top clubs in the Balkan region and even played in the EuroLeague in 2011. I was lucky to be part of the club during a stable period, which gave us the chance to play in lots of tournaments against strong teams. It really helped me understand where my game was at, what was possible, and what I should aim for.
You were teammates with future NBA and EuroLeague player Mike James, who was a rookie at the time. How do you remember him back then as a player, and did you ever expect he would reach that level? I actually never played with Mike directly because he joined the club after I left. But I heard a lot about him from people at the club who were there while he was playing. From what I heard, it was clear that he had something special and was determined to reach the highest level.
You came to Germany and joined the MHP Riesen organization, playing for their U19 and Regionalliga team. How do you remember that season, especially since you never recorded a BBL game? That season was a great opportunity. Training and playing every day with a talented young group was really fun and challenging. Some of the guys from that team went on to play at very high levels, like Ariel Hukporti, Matteo Šeric, and Lukas Herzog. I don’t regret not playing a BBL game because practicing with the first team showed me how high the level really is. It was a reality check, but a positive one, and it motivated me to keep working hard.
You then moved to BG Karlsruhe. How did that experience shape you as a player? They played in the 1. Regionalliga at the time. That period was really important for my development. I got a lot of playing time and was trusted to make plays and decisions on the court. It helped me grow a lot as a player. Living alone and taking care of everything outside basketball also pushed me to become more independent and mature faster.
You later joined the Bamberg organization and played Pro A with Baunach. How do you remember that season and how important was it for your development?
That year in Baunach was amazing. The team was stacked with talent and I was happy just to be there competing every day. It showed me I was good enough, but it also taught me that my biggest challenge would be finding my role and figuring out how to make the most impact. The practices were intense, the environment was professional, and the focus on basketball was serious. It was a huge year for my growth as a player.
You scored 17 points in a win over Chemnitz and were the best player on the court. Was that your fondest moment with Baunach?
Yes, I would say so. That was against one of the best teams in the league at the time. I got a lot of playing time and was able to contribute offensively, so it was definitely one of my most memorable games.
Since your time in Baunach, you have played in Pro B and Regionalliga. Why do you think you weren’t able to play consistently in higher leagues? There were a few reasons. First, I wasn’t German at the time, and not having a German passport makes it. Luckily, I’m getting a German passport this year, so that won’t be an issue anymore. Second, while I had good moments in Pro A, I didn’t consistently show that I could make a big impact, especially as a foreign player. And third, I wanted to start school and work on things outside basketball. I have a lot of interests beyond the court, so I didn’t actively push to continue in Pro A at that time.
That Baunach team had many talented players. Was there a teammate who had a big impact on you? The players who impacted me the most were the ones who made the game look easy. Kristian Kullamäe, who now plays for Estonia and in EuroCup, was one. William McDowell-White was another. Even though they were my age, they played with amazing basketball IQ and I looked up to them. I tried to learn from how naturally they played and make my game smarter.
You also played a season with SC Rist Wedel. What was that experience like?
When I joined SC Rist Wedel, it felt like a big step down from Pro A and the level of play seemed easier for me. The transition was smooth, and I enjoyed my time there. Unfortunately, I was sidelined for a while because of injuries, which limited how much I could contribute.
You were teammates with a young Justus Hollatz. Did you see his potential back then?
Yes, I did. Even back then, I could see he had the potential to play for the German national team. He’s sneaky athletic and it would sometimes catch me off guard. For example, he would randomly do a between-the-legs dunk in practice and you’d think wow. SC Rist Wedel and Hamburg Towers really helped him. They pushed him to step up, take shots, and become a leader. For someone introverted like him, that push was exactly what he needed. He embraced it and it worked out perfectly for him.
You were briefly with Eimsbütteler TV. What kind of experience was that and what do you remember about Mubarak Salami? That wasn’t the best experience for me. It was very brief and not a good fit overall. I didn’t really get to build a relationship with Mubarak because I was only there for two games. It was just too short to create any meaningful connection.
You also played a season with TSG Bergedorf. You had many great games including a triple-double. Was that one of the best games of your career?
Honestly, I don’t even remember that triple-double, so I wouldn’t say it was my best game. What made that season special was that I could play without pressure, enjoy basketball again, and be with great teammates and coaches. That season brought back my hunger and love for the game, and as a result, I had many good performances.
You have been with TSV Neustadt since 2022. What have you appreciated most about this organization? I really love the atmosphere at Neustadt. It feels like a family and the energy at home games is amazing. Not many clubs can match that. It’s really top-notch in that sense.
The team earned promotion to Pro B in 2024. What made that team so special? We had a really smart group of players who understood their roles and accepted them. From the start, our goal was to get promoted, and we did. That season gave me a lot of great memories and was very special for everyone involved.
How special of a teammate was Dyon Doekhi? What did you appreciate most about his game?
Dyon is an amazing teammate. He’s easygoing and easy to play with. Our games matched really well and we made a strong guard combination. One thing I really liked about his game was his inside-hand layup. No matter how many times I watched it, I always wondered how it went in so consistently. He perfected it and it made him really special on the court.
The team started the season strong but now has six loses. Why hasn’t the team maintained early momentum? At the start, we had a lot of injuries and some guys were out, so others had to step up. Roles were clear and we played with a lot of energy. Later, when more players returned, everyone was figuring out their roles again, which disrupted our rhythm. But I think we have the talent and basketball IQ to find our flow and play our best basketball when it matters most at the end of the season.
If you had to compare your style of play to a EuroLeague player, who would it be?
That’s a tough one, but I would say I would like to believe that there are some similarities between me and Carlik Jones from Partizan Belgrade.
You fill the stat sheet like no other. Would “Swiss Army knife” describe your game? Yes, I think so. I don’t have one exceptional skill, but I can do a lot of different things on the court well.
How would you describe yourself as a defensive player and what steps are you still working on?
I rely on instincts, especially for steals and taking charges. One thing I need to improve is my overall conditioning. I want to be in top shape so I can maintain pressuring guys full-court the whole game while also carrying a bigger offensive load. Last year my offensive responsibilities were smaller so I could focus more on defense and I was able to apply pressure more consistently and be great on that side of the floor, but now I need to be able to do both at a high level.
What areas of your game are you currently focusing on?
I’m working on becoming a better decision maker offensively. That means taking better shots, attacking the basket more, and finishing strong instead of settling for an okay three. I’m also trying to read the game better, make the right play for myself and my teammates, and execute at a high level.
Who is the toughest player you ever faced who reached the NBA or EuroLeague?
At a young age, I played against Luka Doncic. Considering what he has accomplished, he’s the most accomplished player I’ve ever faced, even though it was early in his career.
Please name your five best teammates of all time. Christenvie Kwilu Matteo Šeric Mehrdad Lotfian Leon Bulic Jannik Lodders
Your personal NBA, German, and Croatian Mount Rushmore of players?
NBA: Nikola Jokic, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Germany: Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Schröder, Franz Wagner, Andy Obst, Detlef Schrempf Croatia: Dražen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Dino Rada, Krešimir Cosic, Bojan Bogdanovic
It was mid March 2026 and the Pro B season was winding down for the Dragons Rhondorf. The playoffs at that point were a real reach for the 2024 Pro B champion. The club had suffered a brutal 22 point loss in Bernau and the players needed some serious soul searching. They buckled down and unleashed an amazing 4 game winning streak to sneak into the playoffs earning a special date with top club Orange Academy. An instrumental part of the success was Swiss army knife Juhwan Harris Dyson who was able t make an impact at both ends of the court. That 4 game winning streak was a very special moment and the favorite of the California native during the season. “ During the Wedel game I went down with a torn calf three minutes into a must-win game. That was tough, but I remember my teammates telling me they had me and that they would get the win. In the end it was for all of us, and you could see the confidence after that. On our team we say “next man up” and in that game we did that at a crucial point in the season”, remembered Juhwan Harris Dyson. The last month was a period where the whole Dragon team grew and really saved their absolute best for left. “I was very proud of my teammates for coming together and getting through a tough stretch. I think heart played a huge role because at the start of that four-game streak we had already secured our spot in the league, and guys could’ve been content with that, but we wanted the playoffs. The last five weeks of the regular season were our best stretch. I think defense was what allowed us to win games late, but we also did a good job executing the game plan from the coaching staff”, stressed Juhwan Harris-Dyson (198-SG-1999, college: California, agency: Origins Sports Group).
pic credit: Martin Jung
The Dragons Rhondorf went into the Orange Academy playoff series as the massive underdog and it showed in game one where they were demolished on the road. Orange Academy who are led by ambitious young coach Florian Flabb who found a way to steer a young team with an average age of 18 to the best record in the league. They play with incredible confidence, have great chemistry and experience despite a young age. However the Dragons Rhondorf weren´t about to go down without a fight and gave all they had in game 2 in their living room. They made a few mistakes in the last minutes and lost by a few points, but all the fans were happy for their effort. “I’ll remember how hard everyone fought for the fans and each other. We wanted to show we were better than what we put out in Game 1”, said Juhwan Harris-Dyson. All in all, it was a season with many interesting moments. The American gave the season the grade B. “ It was a season of ups and downs like any season, but one where when you look back, you can be content and happy. We had a solid start as a team, then hit a small hump with a few losses. That pattern continued with some wins and some losses until the last stretch of the regular season, where we were able to win out and go from a relegation spot to a playoff spot”, added Juhwan harris-Dyson. The team showed that they could score at will, but problems arose on the defensive end. However when it counted most in the last month, the team definitely made steps. “I think it started with focusing on defensive rebounding. I don’t think we were a bad defensive team but we had a lot of times where we did not finish possession by securing the ball. We also put focus on our 2 on 2 ball screen defense and ball screen protection. Over the course of the season, we improve in those areas which was seen most in the last month of the season”, commented Juhwan Harris-Dyson.
Pic credit: Martin Jung
Every player on the roster gave their all for the success including Kenan Reinhart. Last season he was the classic 3 and D player, but this season, he became a real versatile player. He had worked last summer on all facets of his game and had goals of being more than just a 3 and D player. “Kenan took big steps by showing he’s more than just a shooter. He showed he can defend and attack the basket too. He even ran point for us at times. I think he can succeed at whatever level he plays next”, warned Juhwan Harris Dyson. Another player that made a huge step in his game was 17 year old Dusan ilic who helped Germany win the famous AST title with Germany. He is such a special player that has a massive future ahead of him. “Playing with Dusan was great. He’s got a lot of potential. You don’t see many young guys with that fire, confidence, and skill set. He improved a lot this season, especially his shooting, shot selection, and learning how to run a team”, stated Juhwan Harris-Dyson. The Spanish magician Jorge Mejias ran the team very well and sparkled with Teodosic like passes all season long. “It was a lot of fun playing with Jorge. He’s a unique player with how he passes and creates for himself. He plays with a little flair, which makes it fun to play with and watch”, said Juhwan harris-Dyson. The paint area was run by Benjamin Sadikovic and Duje Dujmovic who also made big steps in their development in the Pro B with extensive minutes. “I think they both gained a lot of confidence, which is huge. Sadi improved physically, got better catching the ball, moving, and being more aggressive in the post. He’s also got a good shooting touch. Duje found his rhythm midway through the season and started putting together complete games. He scored well, especially from three, and rebounded well. He was big for us down the stretch”, explained Juhwan Harris-Dyson. The best choice for most improved player was young German Carlo Schmid who went from hardly playing in the first 2 months to becoming a double figures scorer of the bench in the last month. “Carlo made big strides this season through his work ethic and time in the gym. He’s still new to the sport, but you wouldn’t know it watching him. The sky’s the limit for him, and he deserves most improved player for our team”, stated Juhwan Harris-Dyson.
Picc redit: Martin Jung
The athletic American who predicts that the Los Angeles Lakers will win the 2026 NBA title had a superb first Pro B season averaging 14/6/1/2/1. Players are always competitors and know that their seasons could of always been better than what they were. “I think for my first year in Pro B I put together a solid campaign. I’m my own biggest critic, so I feel like I could’ve done more, but overall I’m content”, stressed Juhwan Harris-Dyson. He shot 38% from outside at Wulfen and since then it´s been going down. Will he focus more on his three point shooting this summer? “Even if the numbers dropped, I think my consistency improved. I tried to take at least one three a game. It’s something I’ll keep working on. I just need reps, and I’ll get a lot of those this summer”, said Juhwan Harris-Dyson. His free throw shooting continues to be a problem. Since the Bernau game he shot 10/18. Will he attack your free throw shooting this summer? “ I agree free throws have been a problem at times, but I’ve shown I can be consistent. It just comes down to reps. I’ll be in the gym a lot this summer. If I decide to stay in Germany for the summer Rhöndorf and Bonn have great facilities for that”, added Juhwan Harris-Dyson. Even if the Dragons didn´t have good team defense, he always gave all he had and enriched the team defense with his relentless will and power to impact the game. “Defense has always been my foundation, but this year I showed I can do more. I can play on and off the ball and impact the game in different ways. I see myself as a glue guy, a Swiss Army knife type”, warned Juhwan Harris-Dyson. He had a special relationship with young German head coach Max Becker who did a good job making the Dragons into a playoff team. “ It was a good relationship. Younger coaches can relate to players more. From the first call I could tell he had real passion and something to prove. He did a great job balancing being cool with players and still professional. Having coaches always in the gym for extra work helped a lot”, remembered Juhwan Harris-Dyson.
pic credit: Martin Jung
The defensive specialist who compares his game to NBA player Andrew Wiggins hasn´t returned home to California, but instead is continuing to work on his game and is practicing daily with easyCredit BBL team Telekom Baskets Bonn who are seeking a long run in the playoffs. “It’s a challenge every day going up against high-level players. I think of it as a good challenge to have. I want to keep sharpening the fundamentals and the tactical side of my game. The practices and skill workouts with Coach Stankovic have already helped a lot this year”, stated Juhwan Harris-Dyson. There are a lot of talented Bonn players with Birt´s, Garrett and Comithier. Is there a guy that he is trying to measure up most with in practice? “There’s a lot of talent on this team, but I wouldn’t say I’m trying to measure up to anyone. I try to take small things from everyone. Tylan is someone I watch a lot because of his defensive mindset and overall game. Being able to learn from him has been big”, said Juhwan Harris-Dyson. After paying his dues 3 years in the German Regionalliga and gaining valuable experience in Romania, is his goal now playing in the Pro A or returning to the Pro B for more grooming? “Everything’s open right now. I’ll look at both leagues. My goal is to get a Pro A contract but for the 26/27 season what Is important to me is to be back in the playoffs”, warned Juhwan harris-Dyson. It will be interesting what option he gets, but one thing is for sure, wherever he lands next season, that team will get the full package.
German Hoops 