36 months ago, the world according to the tiny frog footprint town Quackenbruck which is also referred to as Entenhausen was on top of the 
world as it had just won their first title the BEKO BBL cup in Hamburg against EnBW Ludwigsburg as the image of fan favorite Darius Hall “the wall” partying with fans in the stands as if all had been invited to his daughters birthday party will probably never be forgotten. With all the excitement and success, The small 13,000 town Quackenbruck which has been known to carry 1600 fans to away games(12%of town population) seemed to feel more like a 300,000 city as they were basking in the glory of finally winning that first title and the only thing missing was having Darius Hall do a special winners dance with Donald Duck who supposedly vacations in the Artland. However in the last two seasons, the euphoric rise of the club built by Marko Beens that entered the BEKO BBL in 2003 has rapidly declined like the endorsements of golf legend Tiger Woods has since his scandal with all his mistresses surfaced. The club has missed the playoffs two years in a row despite strong rosters and not reached the TOP 4 again. However this year, The Artland Dragons are back to the stomping ground that they experienced from 2006-2008, will reach the playoffs and need two wins this weekend against Bamberg and Frankfurt/Braunschweig to bring
that second big title back to Quackenbruck. Maybe Bayern Munich coach Dirk Bauermann could give his player Darius Hall a few hours off to possibly transform some of his magic flair from the 2008 cup games in Hamburg to Bamberg this weekend?
Currently the Artland Dragons are in third place behind The Deutsche Bank Skyliners with a record of 20-9. So far the team of Stefan Koch is holding their own near the top. They have had two winning streaks of three games and there only rap could be that they have problems winning against top teams. They lost both times to the Brose Baskets Bamberg, but only with a total combined score of 8 points. Their biggest win of the season was a 78-74 win in Berlin. Despite not being able to beat top teams, the club is one that cant be underestimated. “Artland has been a great team this season and continue to get better each week. They are a team that will go deep into the playoffs”, warned John Bynum.
Month: March 2011
Niels Giffey(UCONN): If You Say In Germany That Your Goal Is The NBA, You Only Get A Funny Look
Niels Giffey is a 19 year old 200CM shooting guard/small forward that was born in Berlin and is currently a freshman playing for the UCONN 
Huskies. He started his basketball career for Marzahn Basket Baeren (2.Regionalliga) in 2005-2006. In 2007-2008, he played for TUS Lichterfelde Berlin (Pro B): 17 games: 2.4ppg, 1.2rpg. He played for Alba Berlin II (Regionalliga) from 2008-2010 and last season played 14 games: 9.6ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg. Some awards/achievements in his young career so far have been U16 National Team -06-07, European Championships U16 in Jaen (Spain) -06: 8 games: 6.8ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 46.8%, 3FGP: 50%, FT: 41.2%, European Championships U16 Division B in Skopje (FYR Macedonia) -07, German U18 National Team -08-09, Albert Schweitzer International Tournament in Mannheim (Unofficial World Championships U18) -08, Adidas World Junior Tournament in Douai (France) -08, European Championships U18 in Amaliada Pyrgos (Greece) -08: 6 games: 6.8ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.5apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 46.7%, 3PT: 22.2%, FT: 70.0%, Nike Euroleague Junior Tournament (Unofficial European Clubs Junior Championships) -09, German NBBL All-Star Game -10, German Regionalliga (North Group) Champion -10, German U20 National Team -10, Eurobasket.com German All-Regionalliga North Second Team -10, and Eurobasket.com German All-Regionalliga North Domestic Players Team -10. German Hoops spoke to the young German prior to March Madness about his life in the NCAA.
How do you like American football? UCONN has a successful football team.
I have been to one game. They have a very good team won the Big East. At first it was hard to understand the game, but with time I have began to enjoy the sport.
Dashaun Wood Is The Sun As He Drives The MBC Wolves Back Into Their Den As The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Prevail 70-58 On The Road
When checking out the Looney Tunes, there is absolutely no surprise that the roadrunner never gets captured and eaten by the motivated Wile E
coyote, because the bird is too quick and too smart. In Weissenfels, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were looking to start a new winning streak and were up against a torn and tattered Mitteldeutscher BC squad. The scenario on the floor was similar to Looney Tunes as Dashaun “mr roadrunner” had to put up with pesky wolves all night long, but the current leading scorer in the BEKO BBL had the hoop in front of him at most instances and the MBC wolves behind him as he led Frankfurt to the 70-58 win and had no problems getting the wolf pack to retreat back to their dens. “I was the sun. When the sun rises, wolves go away. I was slowly rising in the second half and when I made the last of the floaters, I had reached the top. There was no more howling from the wolves and they went back to their caves”, laughed Dashaun Wood. Quantez Robertson was glad that Wood was on his side. “The wolves were unable to catch up to him. Wood howled like crazy which the wolves didn´t like”, smiled Quantez Robertson. “Wood was a very hot sun that was burning”, added Kimmo Muurinen. Wood was as unstoppable as a tiger tearing apart an antelope on a barren field in Africa, and the way Kemba Walker has been leading UCONN to the 2011 NCAA Final 4. “Wood is the heart and soul
of team. He is most comfortable when he can do what he wants. The difference between him and other players is that he is consistent and gets the job done”, added Ronald Ross.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had had a tough time digesting the 79-70l oss to 8 time BEKO BBL champion Alba Berlin last weekend and one might of expected that Frankfurt would jump out on MBC early, but instead they were trailing as the home team was desperate to win and get out of the BEKO BBL cellar. Frankfurt surprisingly had a tougher time with the 16th ranked MBC squad, but in the end a win is a win no matter if it was pretty or butt ugly. “I have said all year long that any win on the road is big. Drums were playing and it was harsh environment, but as soon as we got control, they had a tough time coming back. No team is easy in this league as each team can win against anyone. It is important that we continue to bounce back after losses”, stressed Dashaun Wood. MBC lost their fifth game in a row and continue to drown at the bottom of the standings. “This was a very disappointing loss. We practiced well this week, but let the game get away in the third quarter. We couldn´t get flow going the way we needed too”, added MBC guard Ronald Ross. “This wasn´t a pretty win. We found a way to pick up our intensity in the second half, played more aggressive defense and limited them to one shot”, added Quantez Robertson.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Look To Survive a Hungry MBC Team Who Want To Find A Few More Late Season Highlights and Remain In The BEKO BBL
After the refreshing relaunch by MBC Last Season in the BEKO BBL where the team combined heart, effort and luck to a 1oth place finish and 
near playoff appearance, fans were looking to build on the success of last season this year, but their sophomore season back in the big show has felt more like a rough earthquake while scrambling not to fall into the earth. The team has been struck by injuries, lost coach Bjoern Harmsen for an extended period of time due to sickness and recently announced that he will miss the remainder of the season and had to say good bye to top players Jerome Tillmann, Michael Jordan and Richard Schields who were responsible for scoring, scoring, scoring and leadership. This season has been a nasty nightmare as the club seems to have been as unlucky as Charlie Sheen where the big suits upstairs from Two And A half men no longer put up with his personal theater and drama, Cavalier fans having to explain a 13-53 season and no more Lebron James and BEKO BBL team Walter Tigers Tuebingen were last week losing to The Deutsche Bank Skyliners leading for 36 minutes and then getting pierced through their hearts with a white dagger as they lost and their playoffs hopes sunk a bit more deeper into the Ammer river. With so much misfortune happening this season to MBC, the team may have to hope for many four leaf clovers and much wolf support in the arena as top team The Deutsche Bank Skyliners arrive March 26th for a late season duel at 19:30. “Yes it has been a tough season for them and it is tough to imagine what they are going through. They still are in most games but when you have that many changes in a season I am sure it is tough to find a good chemistry and get players on the same page all the time. It also hurts confidence, but at this level, you cant hold on for things too long because you have to find a way to play the next week just as hard and you have to have short memory playing the game of basketball”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum.
Derrick Allen Returns Home And Hasn´t Forgotten The Ballerina Moves And Kevin McHale Type Fade Away Jumper Pacing Alba Berlin by The Deutsche Bank Skyliners 79-70
One Thing that is always interesting to observe in professional sports is when a player returns back to his old stomping ground for the first time since his
departure. How an athlete is received by the fans can be positive or negative. Ken Griffey jr returned back to Seattle in 2007 as a Cincinnati Red and received a 15 minute tribute, Michael Jordan came back to Chicago as a Washington Wizard and got several minutes of standing ovations or Wayne Gretzky returning back to Edmonton where he won 4 Stanley Cups as an L.A King listened to 4 minutes of standing ovations and got cheers every time he touched the puck while other returns have not been as memorable as Johnny Damon of the New York Yankees came back to Boston and witnessed as the fans unleashed a fury of boos, or Bret Favre going back to Green Bay where he won a Super Bowl in 1997 as a Minnesota Viking and was violently booed by fans. However for Derrick Allen to be booed, who played three season with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners and was loved by everyone was about as unlikely as Charlie Sheen letting the cat have his tongue for at least 24 hours as it seems like he is constantly talking to some media outlet. Allen led Alba Berlin in scoring with 17 points and helped his team make a furious come back in the third quarter and lead the 8 time BEKO BBL champion to a 79-70 win and was all smiles after the win. Allen was put in OT duty long after the win signing autographs for everyone while the first players had finished showering. At times it looked likes a swarm of bees were hovering around Allen and the American as the queen Bee as his yellow warm up suit made him fit that part “Wearing the yellow wasn´t as strange as coming back into the arena again. It already felt strange last night practicing here. It felt great playing here and I am very proud of my ex teammates and the type of season that they are having”, warned Derrick Allen. Everyone in Frankfurt talks about Wood for MVP while in Berlin its Allen. “Allen is our MVP. He represents the heart of the team. He is our leader and everyone else follows him in line”, stressed ex Telekom Baskets Bonn guard Bryce Taylor.
Derrick Allen (Alba Berlin): Dashaun Wood Would Get My Vote For MVP Since He Is Playing At A High Level At The Moment
Derrick Allen is a 30 year old 203cm forward that grew up in Gadsen Alabama and is playing his first season with Alba Berlin. He is a rugged inside player who attacks the glass, will provide help on the boards, is a solid defender in the post, a competitor and hard worker that can score facing the basket and has shooting range to the foul line. He started his career at Southern Union State from 1998-2000. He then transferred to Mississippi and played there from 2000-2003. He then started his professional basketball career in Iceland playing for Keflavikur ripping up the FIBA Europe Cup playing 8 games and averaging 26.6ppg, 9.4rpg, 2.5apg, 1.8spg and playing 22 games in the Iceland league averaging 23,4ppg, 10.5rpg. He won the Icelandic league and cup title in his rookie season. In 2004, he ventured to Germany and has played there ever since with two years in Karlsruhe, one year in Leverkusen and played with The Deutsche Bank Skyliners from 2007-2010 playing 148 games for them. In 2006-2007, he led Leverksuen into the playoffs and led the BBL in scoring playing 38 games and averaging 16.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 50.6%, 3FGP: 32.3%, FT: 72.2%. In 2007-2008, he was second best scorer in the BBL for Frankfurt playing 43 games and averaging 18.1ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.9apg, 2FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 75.6%; and playing 10 ULEB Cup games finishing as the third best scorer averaging 19.9ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 54%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 72.9%. He has reached four BBL playoffs in five seasons and played in the four BEKO BBL Allstar games He spoke to German Hoops before the game against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners March 20th.
How has the adjustment been for you as a player from Luka Pavicevic to Muli Katzurin. How much of the Alba Berlin style has changed and does it fit your game more now?
Well for me it was an easy adjustement. Coach Luka played a more controlled pace, and Coach Muli plays uptempo and more face pace. Both styles fit my game, im still playing the same way.
Philipp Schwethelm(Eisbaeren Bremerhaven): I Play Very Controlled And Like To Set Up My Teammates
Philipp Schwethelm is a 21 year old 201cm forward that was born in Gummersbach and is playing his second season with the Eisbaeren 
Bremerhaven. He started his basketball career in 2004 with the Koeln cadet team. He played for Rhein Energy Cologne from 2004-2009. He already played Eurocup at age 16. In total, he played 61 BEKO BBL games in his 5 years. He also played 2 Euroleague games, 8ULEB Cup games and 3 Eurocup games. Last season for Bremerhaven, he played games 44 games avergaing 7.0ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 67.8%. He has achieved numerous awards in his career including U16 National Team -05-06,FIBA EuroCup Quarterfinals -06, International Tournament in Mannheim (Unofficial World Championships U18) -06: 6 games: 5.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 37.5%, 3PT: 23.1%, FT: 55.6%, German U18 National Team -06-07, German Bundesliga U-19 All-Star Game -07, European Championships U18 in Madrid (Spain) -07: 8 games: 8.5ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 56.5%, 3FGP: 47.6%, German Bundesliga U-20 All-Star Game -08, Eurobasket.com All-German Bundesliga Newcomer of the Year -08, Eurobasket.com German Bundesliga All-Newcomers Team -08, German U20 National Team -08-09, European Championships U20 Division B in Targu Mures (Romania) -08:(Champion): 8 games: 10.4ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.8apg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 64.3%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 77.8%, European Championships U20 in Rhodos (Greece) -09: 6 games: 11.2ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 41.7%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 78.6%, German Bundesliga Semifinals -10, German National Team -10,World Championships in Turkey -10: 5 games: 4.4ppg, 1.0apg, and German Bundesliga All-Star Game -11. Phil took some time to talk to German Hoops about basketball.
How much have The Gloria Giants improved since the first meeting this season?
They play more together as a team. They are running their plays better and have more options. They are passing the ball better and more and looking for the extra pass more.
Michael Jordan (Giessen46ers): I Learned A Long Time Ago To Never Get To High After A Win And Never To Low After A Loss
33 year old Michael Jordan (183-G-77, college: Pennsylvania) is a 183cm guard from Philadelphia. He played at the University of Pennsylvania
graduating in 2000. His first two years found him jumping around leagues in France and Spain before he found a new home in Germany with TSV Quackenbruck. In the 2002-2003 season, he helped lead Quackenbruck into the BBL with exceptional stats in 30 games, 21.1 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 6.9 apg. He helped turn The Artland Dragons into a playoff team in the 2004-2005 season as they lost the BBL Quarterfinal playoff series to The Opel Skyliners in five games. That season he averaged in 34 games: 11.1ppg, 3.4rpg, Ast-1 (6.4apg), 1.3spg, 2.6bpg, 2FGP: 52.5%, 3FGP: 31.3%. The next season, he was released by The Artland Drgaons, but went to Rhein Energie Cologne and won the BBL championship in 2006 averaging in 33 games: 9.8ppg, 2.3rpg, Assists-4 (4.1apg), 1.0spg, 2FGP: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.3%, FT: 52.2%. The next season, he went to Italy and played at Cantu where he led the league in assists and averaged in 37 games: 13.8ppg, 2.7rpg, Assists-1 (5.2apg), 2.0spg, 2FGP: 54.6%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 74.0%. The next season, he played in Belgium for Charleroi averaging in15 games: 9.5ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.6apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 90.0%;. He had injury problems and finished the season in Greece with PAOK. In 2008-2009 after a very short stay in Israel, he played a few months in Bamberg before going to the Cologne 99ers averaging 10,5ppg, 2,4rpg and leading the BBL in assists with 6,2apg. Last season, he played for Phoenix Hagen helping the team remain in the BEKO BBL. He played 16 games: 8.9ppg, 2.3rpg, Assists-5 (5.3apg), FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 73.3%. This season he played for MBC averaging 9,3ppg, 1,9rpg and 4,3apg before moving on to the Giessen 46ers. He spoke to German Hoops after the 82-64 win against The Walter Tigers Tuebingen.
Congrats on the 82-64 win against The Walter Tigers Tuebingen who were one of the hotter teams. How focused was Giessen tonight and caging the Tiger seemed a lot easier than it was stopping Frankfurt last weekend?
We were well prepared and focused on getting this win. We played together for mostly the entire game. We had a lapse in the 2nd qtr but were able to get back to form. Getting Moe Jeffers back helped us a lot as well as the early performance of Jannik Freese.
Mr Road Runner Dashaun Wood Looks To Outbolt The Gracefulness Of Mr Ballerina Derrick Allen As The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Clash With Alba Berlin March 20th
When studying players before an upcoming season, there is usually no reason not to expect spectacular seasons from fabulous athletes like Sydney Crosby from the Pittsburg Penguins, a Lionel Messi from FC Barcelona, a Kobe Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers or a Tom Brady from The New England Patriots because these guys have been having incredible years with their clubs winning titles and landing at the top of the league leaders in stats. Before the 2010-2011 BEKO BBL season, one might not have doubted a Derrick Allen not having a superb season with Alba Berlin after dominating the league the last 6 years in Germany or a Dashaun Wood who had been the top scorer in Italy for Cantu, however there was a possible cloudy forecast on the horizon for both players as Derrick Allen was going to Alba Berlin where the team is filled with so many players that could be top scorer and a Wood who was hurt with Benetton Treviso in 2008-2009 and didn´t even play last year. However both players seemed to have totally exceeded expectations as Allen has fit into both systems of Luka Pavicevic and Muli Katzurin and is leading the team in scoring and shooting 64% from the field the best in his career and still displaying his ballerina moves despite having a team filled with superstars and Wood has shown no ill effects of a knee injury and is possibly the most unstoppable player in the BEKO BBL in a long time as he has dominated like crazy. It really is no wonder that both players have adjusted so well. “Both players are professionals. Both have always had successful years and they play with the right attitude. One also should not forget that both have played for good teams and good coaches”, stressed Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak. It hasn´t surprised John Bynum either how well both players have developed with their new teams. “Both are great players and are showing why they are premier players in the BBL. I expected D.A. to have a good season because he has been consistent every where he has been at in Germany. I didnt know much about Wood but he is showing why he is one of if not the best point guard in the league”, added TBB Trier guard John Bynum. The duel Allen/Wood will be the highlight in the game as Mr Ballerina Derrick Allen will try to tip toe more gracefully than Mr Road Runner Dashaun Wood can bolt to the hoop. Is this a game where both guys could battle and eclipse the 30 point mark? “Both guys are the key players for both teams. The role of Allen is to score and Wood can score and is the second best assist maker. They are two different type of players that could score 30, but I think it will eb difficult for both to make it in this game”, expressed Kamil Novak.
Dashaun Wood Is Like A Slot Machine With Three Hearts In Crunch Time As The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Survive in Tuebingen 80-76
After recuperating from an annoying and controlled pressure from BG Goettingen last weekend, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners met the 
previously hot but since two games very much cooled down Walter Tigers Tuebingen and aside from many tough players the game concentrated on two players. It is always a treat to watch top point guard duels in Europe like in the ACB in Spain with Marcelino Huertas and Omar Cook, in Italy between Marques Green and Travis Diener or in the Russian league between Anton Ponkraskov and Marcus Wilson. In the BEKO BBL, the Paul Horn arena in Tuebingen witnessed the duel between the top two point guards Dashaun Wood who leads the league in scoring and Branislav Ratkovica who leads the league in assists. The battle between the two guards was very intense and Wood remembered his 34 point, 24 free throws and Frankfurt victory effort in the Ballsporthalle earlier in the season and after a slow first half was as focused as Carlos Arroyo who has been playing behind Rajon Rondo in Boston, the way the Los Angeles Clippers will have to continue to play after losing another key player in Eric Gordon and the way the Miami Heat are about winning after many players cried recently after their 87-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls recently. Frankfurt had been trailing for 36 minutes, but then got their first lead and it was Wood in the last minutes that helped propel the team to the 80-76 win. “The duel Wood-Ratkovica was a very nice duel. Ratkovica has been just as important for his team as Wood has been for us this season, but tonight Wood was more important”, stressed Skyliner center Marius Nolte. Wood always gets up for the challenge and was impressed by the play of the Serb. “Ratkovica is a very smart player that ran his team well. He attacks the pick and roll well and he did a great job getting the ball to his teammates”, added Skyliner guard Dashaun Wood. “The wood- Bane match up was intense. I thought that we did a good job on Wood in the first half, but at the end he still had 22 points. No team can totally shut him down. You just have to hope to contain him a bit”, added Tuebingen forward Dane Watts.
It was the eighth win in a row for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners while The Walter Tigers Tuebingen have cooled down a bit after their fantastic six game winning streak some weeks ago as they lost their third game in a row and their playoff hopes get squashed a bit more with each loss the same way the title hopes become less of a reality for the Boston Celtics with every embarrassing loss after the trading deadline where key players like Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson were dealt away. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners trailed for 36 minutes until Jimmy Mckinney gave the team their first lead and the club held the nerves as their performance was about as far from a Picasso painting in worth. “This was an important win for us. We didn´t play well and never found our rhythm, but it was worth so much being able to win the way we did”, stressed Skyliner sports director Kamil Novak. Despite the bitter loss, The Walter Tigers Tuebingen have nothing to be ashamed of by losing this game. “We didn´t execute well in the last two games, but tonight we fought well and gave a good team effort. We played with a lot of intensity and it was just sad that we lost it at the end. I am proud of our team. This loss made reaching the playoffs even more difficult. We can control how we play, but will need some help form other teams”, stressed Dane Watts. “We didn´t play well tonight, but we never gave up and we played with a lot of heart”, stressed Dashaun Wood.
German Hoops 