There are quite a lot of reasons why one would adore seeing the s.Oliver baskets Wurzubrug play this season. Seeing the return of 2010 Eurochallenge winner Dwayne Anderson, witnessing the possible complete breakthrough of German Chris Mcnaughton, asking Derrick Allen friend Lamont Mcintosh if he also gets around with a bike in Wurzburg as he did at Artland, seeing the continued development of the three pointer of Alex King or just observing the three amigos Jason Boone, Ben Jacobson and John Little who might as well settle down in the same town once their playing days are over. However if you are a Fraport Skyliners fan than the number one reason for seeing the squad of Marcel Schroder play is ex Skyliner Jimmy Mckinney. After missing the opportunity to see the St Louis native play his ex team 11 days ago in Wurzburg at the Rexoth tournament, fans finally had the chance to see him play again in his ex practice living room stomping ground of the BCM. One had many memories of Mckinney from his countless injuries to his numerous short term contracts and it was difficult knowing which he saw more of. The American reached the playoffs in Frankfurt in four out of six seasons and it took until his last season where he became the sole leader. It was difficult seeing Mckinney in red as he returned back home in good spirits, but his home coming was ruined by the sharp shooting of Larry Wright who led the Fraport Skyliners past the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg 69-56 with a 27 point effort. Despite the loss, Mckinney had a smile on his face when seeing old friends. “I think this game was a set up. This was our worst game this pre season. However it was great coming back and seeing the fans and club again. It was a great atmosphere and it was great to be back in the old gym”, stressed Wurzburg guard Jimmy Mckinney. His ex teammates enjoyed seeing him again, but the color of the jersey took time getting used to. “It was weird seeing Jimmy in red. My nicest two memories last season was when he taught me to drive a stick and the game where I passed him the ball and he hit a game winning shot. He said “good job Devin”. That was really nice to hear from him”, added Devin Gibson. “I didn´t want to steal the show from Jimmy. I just wanted to help my team win. It was weird playing against an ex teammate. Last week in Italy I played against my ex teammate Reggie Hamilton at Oakland. Jimmy is a very good player on offense and defense”, commented Larry Wright. Teammate Lamont Mcintosh is glad to have Mckinney on his team. “One could see that when Jimmy doesn´t have his shooting touch that we struggle. His play will be a difference maker in our offense. He is a great teammate”, said ex Artland Dragon Lamont Mcintosh.

After finishing in third place in basketball tournaments in Wurzburg and Italy, the Fraport Skyliners returned from their week long training camp in Trevisio fresh and ready to take on a potential Beko BBL playoff team. After a pretty even first quarter, the Fraport Skyliners broke away in the second quarter, allowed Wurzburg too only eight points in the third quarter and stayed consistent in the fourth quarter slamming the door on the Bavarian team. After the 40 minute game the question was did the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg stink up the house or did the Fraport Skyliners annoying defense have a part in this win? “Our defense was very strong, but I would say that it wasn´t just us. Wurzburg seemed to have quite  a few mental lapses. We were very consistent and Larry Wright hit big shots”, commented Fraport Skyliner guard Devin Gibson.  For the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg, they can only forget this performance and concentrate on their first game against BBC Bayreuth. “The Skyliners prepared very well and there defense was good. We were just bad. We were flat and it was just one of those days where nothing went right. I hope that we don´t have one of these days during the regular season”, warned Jimmy Mckinney.

Before the game started, Fraport Skyliner manager Gunnar Wobke awarded Jimmy Mckinney with a tuxedo. Last season, the whole team wore tuexedos to a team function and the American kept saying how much he wanted to own one. It was a nice gesture of the Fraport Skyliners and Mckinney seemed more than overjoyed about accepting the gracious gift from his ex team. The Fraport Skyliners had 11 players on the stat sheet with six being PRO B players. Frankfurt is still seeking after a shooting guard and a big man. The Fraport Skyliners started with Johnathon Jones, Konstantin Klein, Dion Dowell, Quantez Robertson and captain Marius Nolte while the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg countered with John Little, Jimmy Mckinney, Lamont Mcintosh, Dwayne Anderson and Jason Boone. The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg got the board first with a Jason Boone stuff, but the Fraport Skyliners countered with a typical give and go from Konstantin Klein to Marius Nolte. Klein also likes the target Johannes Vogtman.  Wurzburg had their shooting touch early as Dwayne Anderson and Lamont Mcintosh scored from down town. Quantez Robertson had a spectacular penetration drive that had him sliding on the BCM floor as if a secret coating of ice had been layed down.  Wurzburg was able to extend their lead to 13-7 with a pretty ally-op pass from Mcintosh to Anderson. However the Fraport Skyliners didn´t seem startled as they regrouped and finished the first quarter with a 9-3 run to have the game deadlocked at 16-16. PRO B player Larry Wright scored seven of the nine points. He started the run with three free throws. Dion Dowell then made a hammering dunk after getting a quick feed from Danilo Barthel who had secured an offensive rebound. Wright then hit two more free throws and made a steal and scored on a routine lay up. Mckinney then ended the first quarter in typical Jay roc manner putting some fakes on his opponent and drilling home  a three pointer.

In the second quarter, the game started to turn as the Fraport Sklyiners took control and were more efficient with their shooting consistency. The Fraport Sklyiners went on a 8-2 run to lead 24-18. After ex Bamberg guard Maurice Stuckey hit a runner, it was Larry Wright who continued to show that he learned his trade shooting at St Johns and Oakland as he nailed a three pointer. Quantez Robertson connected for a mid distance shot and Danilo Barthel made a three pointer. Wurzburg had lost some intensity on defense coupled with mental lapses while the Fraport Skyliners continued to show a lot of confidence in their shots. Wurzburg tried to come back and did going on a 9-5 run to cut the Skyliners lead to 29-27. Ex BG Goettingen center Jason Boone scored twice in the paint while pit bull John Little scored on a pretty finger tip role. However this quarter remained a up and down run for both teams. The Fraport Skyliners finished the quarter strong going on a 10-3 run to lead comfortably at halftime 39-30. In the Skyliner run, Nolte scored with a baby hook, Wright with a mid distance shot, Robertson with a lay up after being fed by Jones with a no look pass and Klein finished the second quarter with a contested three pointer after beautiful ball movement by the team. “We were working too fats in the first quarter. In the second quarter we calmed down and executed well on offense”, stated Larry Wright. “The Skyliners had more desire and energy. We were unable to match their intensity”, commented Lamont Mcintosh.The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 48% from the field and 36% from outside while the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg were shooting 38% from the field and 45% from outside. Frankfurt had the 20-14 rebound edge and both teams suffered seven turnovers.

The third quarter showcased the lowest scoring quarter of the game as the Fraport Skyliners outscored the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg 9-8. Wurzburg could of cut the lead down even more had Jason Boone not missed four free throws in a row, but he had hurt his shooting arm in the pre season game against Hapoel Jerusalem and was fighting to find his shooting motion.  The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg had some hope after starting off on a 5-0 run as John Little hit from the parking garage at the Northwest center and Mcintosh also scored with a jumper as the Fraport Sklyiners only led 40-36. However the Fraport Skyliners continued to stay calm and kept their defensive pressure up and annoyed Wurzburg in their offensive sets. Klein nailed a wicked shot off the dribble and Dowell and Robertson made free throws as the Fraport Skyliners led 48-38 after three quarters. “We overplayed our options. Frankfurt defense forced us out of our sets and we were unable to execute our sets”, added Lamont Mcintosh. “We turned up our ball pressure. Our help side was excellent and each guard was excellent”, commented Larry Wright.

Larry Wright saved his best for last as he didn´t even let the s.Oliver Baskets get closer as he nailed the door shut gunning 17 points in the fourth quarter. Mckinney did start of the fourth quarter with what he does  best and that is being parked in the corner and dropping shots as Wurzburg trailed only 48-40. However the Fraport Skyliners kept up the offensive pressure as it was Wright who was on fire. After a Jones steal, Wright got fed for the dunk. After a Robertson off balance shot it was Wright who hit back to back with a lay up and Three pointer as Frankfurt led 58-45. Whenever Wurzburg was trying to come back, it was Wright who had a return answer. Mckinney drilled a three pointer for the 61-49 Frankfurt lead, but Wright hit a three pointer as Frankfurt led 63-49. Anderson agve Wurzburg hope again with a three pointer as they trailed 63-52, but Barthel scored inside for the 65-52 lead. After Boone made a jumper, it was Wright again who hit a three pointer from the corner sealing the win as Frankfurt led 68-54. Mckinney hit the last shot of the game leaving his Skyliner fans with something to remember him by. “We locked down in the fourth quarter. We showed that defense wins games more than offense does”, stressed Larry Wright. “That was not Wurzburg tonight. We had mental lapses and we missed Ben Jacobson.  We will have to make adjustments during games when things aren´t working”, added Lamont Mcintosh.

The Fraport Skyliners were led by Larry Wright with 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Wright was modest after his performance, but one could feel that he was overjoyed as well as relived about his play. “I just was aggressive looking for my shot. I was open and my teammates found me. I know that I can play in the BBL, but that is up to management. I can play basketball all day long”, stressed Larry Wright. Devin Gibson had a bright twinkle in his eyes after describing the play of teammate Wright.  “Larry was amazing. That was one of the best performances that I have seen in Frankfurt”, stressed Devin Gibson. Lamont Mcintosh had not heard of Larry Wright before the game, but knew who he was now. “He can flat out shoot. I got burned a few times over helping. He played division one and was given a chance to play at the PRO B level. He has proven that with hard work and consistency he can make the jump to the BBL. The best example that it is possible is Julius Jenkins. He played at Nurnberg and made the jump to the BBL. He may be the best player in BBL history”, warned Lamont Mcintosh. Quantez Robertson added 13 point, five rebounds and three assists. Dion Dowell had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg were led by Dwayne Anderson with 14 points and five rebounds. John little produced 11 points and Lamont Mcintosh 10 points and four assists. Frankfurt shot 43% from the field and 28% from the three point line while the s.Oliver baskets Wurzburg shot 37% from the field and 44% from the three point line. Frankfurt won the rebounding battle 37-33 and had 12 turnovers while Wurzburg had 15 turnovers. With less than a week to go, the club knows what it can work on. “We can always work on defense and make our offense more smooth. We are rebounding well. We are small and our guards are always fighting and doing the dirty work”, stressed Devin Gibson.  Despite the thin rotation of the Fraport Skyliners, ex teammate Jimmy Mckinney is optimistic about the chances of his ex team this season. “Marius Nolte will keep the team focused and in line. They are a good group of young guys experience isn´t always most important, but just that they like playing with each other and that showed”, warned Jimmy Mckinney. The Fraport Skyliners open the season on the road in Ludwigsburg October 3^rd at 17:00.