The German basketball community got a real pre Halloween trick or treat eye candy display in terms of a Roger Powell tomahawk dunk in Artland last weekend which was as delicious as a Lionel Messi(FC Barcelona) full field scamper and goal like Diego Maradona did at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, tennis goddess Anna Kournikova giving a tennis clinic in a see through bikini, or Barry Bonds hitting a mammoth moon rocket from San Francisco across the bay to Sacramento. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners next play 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goettingen on the road, but that almost seems secondary as the Roger Powell dunk has stuck in the heads of many basketball lovers like the rescue effort of the Chilean miners last month. Roger Powell may look like a combination of Michael air Jordan and Dennis the worm Rodmann, but for any player to have Air Jordan roots in their game is about as taboo as living in Boston and being a New York Yankees fan, because there is only one Michael Jordan. “Nobody has the Michael Jordan touch of air except himself”, stressed Gloria Giants Duesseldorf Giants guard Steven Wright. After just one game, the dunk of Roger Powell already seems to be as memorable as a teacher getting that first apple from a student. Powell had Marius Nolte, Boumtje Boumtje and Darren Fenn looking up in amazement as he soared to the hoop for the dunk and many more people who saw it on TV. “I dont know if Powell will have a dunk like that in Goettingen, but Powell is real athletic and that dunk was real nice and the best that I have seen this season. It was a monster treat”, laughed ex Braunschweig guard Steven Wright. BG Goettingen are known as the Veilchen(German word for violet) and perhaps Powell will find some violets on the rim or just do some other kind of dunk chaos on the court in Goettingen? “Hopefully Powell can violently slam over the violets”, joked Phoenix Hagen American Mark Dorris. BG Goettingen center Jason Boone sees the arena elements as maybe being a problem for Powell. “The dunk floor in Quackenbruck is very springy. I have seen a lot of nice dunks in that arena. The Lokhalle is an old train repair station and the elevation levels are a little different there. We will have to wait and see what Powell can do”, warned BG Goettingen center Jason Boone.

After the sensational 2010 Eurochallenge win that brought some new fresh wind into German Basketball, BG Goettingen faithful fans were hoping for a majority of the team to remain, but the opposite happened. It may have been summer, but the atmosphere seemed as a big spring cleaning that didn´t take place in just one family house, but a neighborhood. The club let go off nine players including such key players like Chris Oliver, Taylor Rochestie, Chris Mcnaughton, Ben Jacobson and Chester Frazier. This BG Goettingen facelift was about as extreme as if the Los Angeles Lakers had parted with the one and only Kobe Bryant this summer. The only players to remain were Dwayne Anderson, John Little, Jason Boone and Robert Kulawick. In the last years, BG Goettingen have always been in the playoff hunt and just performed very well. BG Goettingen coach John Patrick never has a lot of money for players, but he has the incredible talent of finding players out of college like a Taylor Rochestie or Dwayne Anderson or guys from lower leagues like a Chris Oliver and make them develop quickly into very solid role players moving to team star players. The only problem is that many players have such good seasons that they then become nmon affordable and leave as Taylor Rochestie showed going to Turkey to continue playing the game he loves so much.
At the moment, BG Goettingen rest at position 10 in the BEKO BBL standings with a record of 3-4. When comparing this years team to last years tam after seven games, there was little difference as BG Goettingen had a record of 4-3. Last season after seven games BG Goettingen, then won 15 of their next 18 games and also were playing Eurochallenge where the team had more opportunities to play together and get a better feel of each other. It will only be a matter of time before BG Goettingen will start cranking out more victories. “Goettingen has a new team and have not come together yet. The new guys like Mike Scott, Trenton Meacham and Adam Waleskowski are all good players and play hard. They just need to play more games together”, stressed ex Paderborn American Steven Wright. Defense seems to be an issue in the early part of the season concerning the 3-4 start. “We are missing 24 seconds of defense. Looking back on our loses, we did not do a good job playing defense until the possession was over. This is something that we have been working on this week”, stressed BG Goettingen center Jason Boone.
Losing key players like Taylor Rochestie, Chris Oliver, Ben Jacobson and Chester Frazier seems to have made a difference in the quality of play as well as in their style this season. “Rochestie and Oliver are two great players that menat a lot to their team. They seem to be dearly missed. I think that they had a much better roster the last few years, but some players had success and moved on. Playing against them this season was much easier than the last few years, but they still have a lot of pressure. They still play their kind of style, but not as extreme as in the past”, warned ex Walter Tigers Tuebingen guard Steven Wright. Despite a little change in the new style of BG Goettingen, the team has also gained a few new positives in their game. “Our game plan changes form game to game, but we still try to control the tempo in each game. I think that our team is more athletic than in the past, but also better at slowing down the pace when its needed”, stressed New York native Jason Boone. Ratiopharm Ulm had little problems with BG Goettingen last weekend winning 95-73, but Ulm guard Travis Walton was impressed with their game. “BG Goettingen play a fast paced speed upstyle and have a lot of the same type of players. They are small and have to play like this. I like their style”, stressed ex Michigan State guard Travis Walton. BG Goettingen also have a new guard duo with Kyle Bailey and Louis Dale who have a lot of responsibility of running the teams offense. With Bailey, the team has an experienced player and Dale a rookie who is learning the ropes from bailey. “I think that Bailey/Dale are a good duo. It is hard to replace Rochestie who did a lot for them. Both are more shooters than classic point guards, but still very good players”, warned Steven Wright.
This will be the seventh meeting between The Deutsche Bank Skyliners and BG Goettingen Goettingen, and the clan of Gordon Herbert haven´t fared so well losing four of the six games the two teams have played since BG Goettingen arrived in the BEKO BBL in 2007. Who could forget the stellar 74-67 Frankfurt win in the Lokhalle in 2008 as half of the team was sick and Maksym Shtein showed a totally other side of him as he exploded on the court making just about every touch he had land in the basket as he led the club in scoring with 24 points. In 2008-2009, the luck of last years Frankfurt team seemed to be with BG Goettingen as they won two nail bitters. In Frankfurt, they prevailed 64-61 despite 16 points from Ilian Evtimov. In the return date in late February and 48 hours before the Top 4 in Hamburg, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners lost 70-65 as they had all chances to win in the crunch time, but missed some key shots. Pascal Roller had a huge game with 20 points. Last season, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners lost 90-78 and were outplayed for 40 minutes. In the return game in Frankfurt, BG Goettingen lost in overtime 90-88 as Aubrey Reese tied the game at 88 with a three pointer and then won the game with two free throws with nine seconds to play and Seth Doliboa blocked the last BG Goettingen shot with two seconds to play.
BG Goettingen is led by Adam Waleskowski who is a 28 year old 203cm power forward that was born in Cape Girardeau (USA). He got the German citizenship in 2007. He has a strong presence in the zone and quite agile for his height. He played at Florida St. (NCAA) from 2002-2005 and in his senior year played 31 games: 8.4ppg, 4.4rpg, 25ast, FGP: 49.2%, 3FGP: 42%. He went to Germany and played for Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (Germany-2.Bundesliga) from 2005-2007 and in his first season played 27 games: 19.4ppg, 11.3rpg, 2.5apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 56.2%, 3FGP: 28.1%, FT: 71.9%. Already then, BG Goettingen coach John Patrick was aware of his play and wanted to bring him to the BEKO BBL for the 2007-2008 season, but the American rather went to Besancon Basket Comte Doubs (France-ProB) playing 26 games: 14.0ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.3apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 30.4%, FT: 70.6%. In 2008-2009, he played for Nanterre (France-ProB), French League: 7 games: 7.6ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 59.5%, FT: 37.5%. Last season, he played for Kaimakliou (Cyprus-Division A). this season, he is leading BG Goettingen in scoring and has shown that he can play at the BEKO BBL level averaging 13,6ppg and 5,3rpg. Dwayne Anderson is playing his second season in Goettingen. The 24 year old 198cm forward from Silver Spring, Maryland was one of the big surprises last season being of the top rookies in the BEKO BBL and being a very important part of the John Patrick winning formula playing 27 games: 11.6ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.4spg, FGP: 64.4%, 3PT: 33.7%, FT: 74.3%; EuroChallenge: 10 games: 10.9ppg, Reb-5(7.0rpg), 1.3apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 63.0%, 3PT: 19.2%, FT: 81.3%. He played at Villanova (NCAA) from 2005-2009 and in his senior year played 31 games: 9.0ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 44.4%, 3PT: 30.7%, FT: 84.5%. He reached the NCAA Lat 8 in 2006 and Sweet 16 in 2008. This season, he is averaging 11,2ppg, 5,2rpg and 1,4apg. He is shooting solid at 47,5% from the field and 40,9% form the three point line.
The team added Louis Dale who is a 22 year old 180cm point guard from Birmingham, Alabama. He played at Cornell (NCAA) from 2006-2010 an din his senior year played 31 games: 12.8ppg, 2.9rpg, 4.7apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT. He reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2010 and was All Ivy- League Player of the Year -08, All-Ivy League 1st Team -08, 09, 10 and was Ivy League Champion -08, 09, 10. He is currently averaging 10,6ppg, 2,7rpg and 1,4apg. He started well as a rookie scoring in double figurers in three of the first four games, but his minutes have dropped considerably in the last three games as he has scored only 13 points in all three games. The team also added Mike Scott who is a 24 year old 203cm forward from Indianapolis, Indiana. He played at Kent St. (NCAA) from 2004-2008 and in his senior year, he played 35 games: 13.2ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 48.5%, 3Pts: 39.6%, FT: 85.0%. As a rookie, he played in Turkey for Trabzonspor (Turkey-TB2L). Last season, he played in Hungary for Polaroid Lami-Ved Kormend playing 33 games: 15.4ppg, Reb-2(8.8rpg), 1.5apg, 1.5spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 59.5%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 69.7%. This season, he is averaging 8,7ppg, 6,0rpg and 2,0apg and 1,3bs. So far, the American has shown no problems adjusting to the BEKO BBL. He has shown as a very versatile forward who can find the open man and also help out under the basket on defense as he displayed against EnBW Ludwigsburg blocking five shots.
The club also added American Trenton Meacham who is a 25 year old 188cm guard from Champaigne, Illinois. He played at Dayton (NCAA) from 2004-2005 and then transferred to Illinois where he played from 2005-2009. In his sneior year, he played 34 games: 10.2ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.7apg, FGP: 42.2%, 3Pts: 42.1%, FT: 84.5%. He has quite a college career at Illinois especially in his senior year as he was named an Academic All-Big Ten selection in all 3 years at Illinois. Also, ´he was team captain in the 2008 and 2009 seasons. He is an outstanding guard who is very capable of playing the point full time as well as the 2 spot. He started all 34 games on the season in 09, ranking third on the team in scoring with an average of 10.2 points. He is an outstanding shooter and he led the Illini and ranked second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal shooting at 42.1 percent (69-164). Ranks fifth on the Illinois career 3-point field goal percentage list at 40.8 percent (178-436) and ninth on the school career 3-point field goals list with 178 treys. Scored in double figures 16 times and was the Illini’s leading scorer in six games on the year. In final game of his career, scored a season-high 24 points vs. Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. He was named Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Dec. 29 after averaging 19.5 points, 4.0 assists and 2.5 rebounds in wins over No. 25 Missouri and Eastern Michigan. He scored 23 points vs. Mizzou and had 16 points vs. EMU. Scored 21 points vs. Indiana on Jan. 10 and made seven 3-pointers vs. the Hoosiers, one shy of his school record…Trent was third on the team in assists with an average of 2.7 apg. Tied career-high of six assists on three occasions, vs. Georgia (Dec. 6), at Purdue (Dec. 30) and at Ohio State (Feb. 22). Trent was third on the team with 31 steals. Last season, he played for Kraftwerk Wels (Austria-A Bundesliga, starting five): EuroChallenge: 6 games: 13.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 45.2%, FT: 91.7%; Austrian League: 37 games: 15.4ppg, 2.4rpg, 2.6apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 55.8%, 3PT-2(45.0%), FT: 82.4%. This season, he is averaging 8,7ppg, 1,1rpg and 2,0apg.
The biggest signing of summer was bringing back fan favorite Kyle Bailey who is one of the few Americans who will offer to do an interview in the German language.
He is a 28 year old 188cm guard from Fairbanks Alaska that is playing his third season for BG Goettingen. He played at Santa Clara from 2000-2005 playing together with Macabbi Tel Aviv guard Dorin Perkins. He is a very smart player that handles the ball well and is strong in pressure situations. In his rookie season, he split time between the Florida Flame(NBDL) and BK Riga. Since 2006, he has played in Germany. He helped BG Goettingen reach the BBL in 2007 from the second division. In 2007-2008, he played for Ratiopharm Ulm and in 2008-2009 helped BG Goettingen reach the playoffs averaging 14,4ppg, 4,3rpg and 3,3apg. Last season, he played EnBW Ludwigsburg, but it was a season to forget. He played 21 games: 8.8ppg, 3.9rpg, 2.5apg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 18.3%, FT: 82.0%. He was released in February 2010. He somehow didn´t seem to fit into the game style of coach Tolga Ongoren. This season, Bailey is averaging 8,1ppg, 3,3rpg and 2,9apg. He is still looking for his three point shooting touch as he shot only 18% last season, but has improved it to 28% this season. 24 year old 191cm guard Robert Kulawick is playing his third season in Goettingen. He started his basketball career at TUS Lichterfelde in 2003 and also played for Alba Berlin from 2004-2006 playing 14 BBL games, three ULEB Cup games and winning the BBL cup in 2006. After playing with The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in 2006-2007, he crossed the boarder into Holland and played for Den Helder Seals playing 34 games averaging 7.9ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.3apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 42.2%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 84.6%. Already in 2008-2009, one could see the confidence of John Patrick in the German letting him average 10 minutes per game, and last season he increased his minutes to 17 minutes This season, he is averaging 5,6ppg, and the expression not to leave him open for a shot gets stronger and stronger as he is a real threat as he is shooting 52% from the field and 59% from the parking lot. He has been a member of the German U-18 and U-20 teams the last years and if he keeps developing the way he does, then German National coach Dirk Bauermann will have to invite him to the German National team some day.
Another important signing over the summer was bringing John Little back. John Little is a 26 year old 180cm guard from Peoria, Illinois. He is playing his third season with BG Goettingen. He played at Northern Iowa from 2002-2006. In 2007-2008, he wanted to play for the Peoria Kings of the ABA league, but the team folded, so he returned to Northern Iowa and finished the season as assistant coach. Last season, he played EuroChallenge: 16 games: 5.1ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 48.8%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 55.6%; German League: 37 games: 7.2ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 26.7%, FT: 81.1%. “Little is their energy guy. He brings  a lot of energy and athletic ability from the bench. He doesn´t have much of a shot and likes to drive to the hoop and finish at the rim. He is  a good rebounder for his size. He is possibly the best defender on the team. He has long arms and plays the passing lanes well and is their best on ball defender”, stressed Omari Westley. “He is probably one of the scrappiest players in the league and always plays hard and gives 100% every minute on the court”, added Ricky Hickman. This season, Little is averaging 5,3ppg and 3,4rpg. The team also brought back Jason Boone who is a 25 year old 198cm power forward/center from Sugar Loaf, New York who is playing his fourth season with Goettingen. Three years ago, he made the jump form the Regionalliga to the BBL, which is similar as if a professional baseball player jumped from A ball to MLB. “Jason Boone is a strong athlete who likes to finish around the rim and is not a shooter at all. One should give him the jump shot and don’t let him penetrate. He is a strong offensive rebounder and goes to the boards each time. He isn´t  a good free throw shooter and don’t give him any easy layups. One should attack him on defense and despite his athletic body, doesn´t move his feet so well and he is foul prone”, stressed Omari Westley. Frankfurt will have to keep an eye on him in the paint. “Boone is probably one of the strongest low post players in the BBL. He can move anybody with his strength down low”, added Ricky Hickman. Last season, he played 16 games: 10.7ppg, 6.8rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 59.6%, FT: 53.8%; German League: 35 games: 9.1ppg, 6.1rpg, FGP: 60.3%, FT: 55.9%. This season, he is averaging 4,0ppg and 2,9rpg.
The club also signed Jermaine Raffington who is a 25 year old 205cm power forward/center German. He played at TSG Ehingen from 2002-2005. He played at Southeastern CC from 2005-2007 and then returned back to Germany. He played at BV Chemnitz 99 (2.Bundesliga) in 2007-2008 playing 30 games: 12.6ppg, 5.7rpg, 2FGP: 53.4%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 59.3%. He played for BBC Bayreuth from 2008-2010. Last season, he played games: 10.2ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 45.8%, 3PT: 35.5%, FT: 72.7%. This season, he is averaging 1,7ppg and 1,3rpg. The club also signed Christoph Tetzner who is a 29 year old 200ccm forward. He is an active slashing forward who loves to drive and cut from the perimeter; a very good defensive rebounder. He played at Lichterfelde Berlin from 1999-2002. He then played at Mitteldeutscher BC from 2002-2004. He played at BBC Bayreuth from 2004-2010 playing 178 games. Last season, he 30 played games: 5.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 68.0%. The team also added Cornelius Adler who is a 21 year old 195cm shooting guard/small forward. He played for SG FT/MTV Braunschweig (2.Bundesliga) from 2006-2008. He played for Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (ProB) from 2008-2010. Last season, he played 7 games averaging 19.7ppg.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners are looking for their second straight win on the road and looking for their fourth win in a row. BG Goettingen is trying to get back on the winning track after a 95-73 loss in Ulm. At first glance, one might think that getting the ball inside against BG Goettingen should be the first priority, but this is something that BG Goettingen is prepared for. “They might be undersized, but they have a good inside game. When you go inside, BG Goettingen shrink the court so you have to make the open shots, because they will force you to make them. They know that teams will always try to go inside against them”, warned Ratiopharm Ulm guard Travis Walton. Frankfurt is the best rebounding team in the BEKO BBL at the moment averaging 41 rebounds per game. It is no secret, that BG goettingen will have to work extra hard under the boards. “We have to go inside and dictate the speed of which the game is played and rebound well. It would be nice to knock down shots, but if the game becomes a grind it out type of game, then we feel comfortable relying on our X-factor the fans”, warned Jason Boone. BG Goettingen. BG Goettingen might not play their furious 40 minutes of hell like in the past, but teams always have to be aware of their fast break game. “Frankfurt has to defend them and control them in transition. They can not let them get hot from outside. BG Goettingen is small and Frankfurt should attack them inside. If Wood can control the tempo and lead them, then they will be ok. Powell is so big and will really help them”, warned Steven Wright.