John Fields is a 24 year old 205cm forward from North Carolina that started the season with the LTi Giessen 46ers, but recently moved to Levharti Chomutov (Czech Republic-NBL). He started his basketball career with  E.Carolina (NCAA) in 2006 and played there until 2008. He then played for : NC-Wilmington (NCAA) from 2008-2010. He then moved one more time in the NCAA and played his senior year for Tennessee (NCAA) playing  34 games: 2.6ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 58.7%, FT: 46.4%. Last season as a rookie he played for  Salon Vilpas Vikings (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 39 games: 11.4ppg, Reb-1(12.2rpg), Blocks-2(1.8bpg), FGP-1(62.5%), FT: 45.2%. He talked to German Hoops about his stay in Giessen and new team in the Czech republic.

Thanks John for taking some time to talk to eurobasket.com. For some players just finding a team is difficult, but even after leaving Giessen, you were already playing your first game for Levharti Chomutov a week later. How thankful are you for finding a new job so quickly?

Im very thankful that my agent could find me a good situation like this and Chomutov for believing in my talents and the coach Eisner Tomas for recognizing my skills that I could bring to the court.

Did you feel some pressure coming into your new job with Levharti Chomutov feeling the need to produce after getting little minutes for the LTi Giessen 46ers?

At first. You always feel pressure to do your best when you just come to a team but after a few practices with the team I knew that I was going to be put in great situations to succeed on the floor and to show what I can do best.

How difficult is it coming into a new situation during the course of the season? After playing with so many Americans in Giessen, there are only two other Americans with your new team. How helpful was Showron Glover in getting you accustomed to on and off court matters?

Yeah its difficult coming into a new situation during the course of a season but the players and coaches in Chomutov have been great they have supported me since day one and help me learn the offense and defense we play and getting my use to the town and area I live in. Showron has been great on court we make a nice pick and roll combo and we are great in the open floor for alley ops and off the court he has been great too just getting me used to the city

You have already played seven games for your new team and is averaging 18,6ppg and 9,6 rpg. Are you surprised that you have made such a rapid transition?

Yeah Im surpised on how fast I picked up the offense and how much the team trust me down low to get a basket for them. Coach Eisner Tomas has designed great plays for me to get one on one chances in the post. And when they do double we have good spacing and shooters on the floor to knock down the open shot.

You seem not to have had any problems with the Czech league. Is the level very much lower than the Beko BBL or is there not so much difference?

Naw its just that the styles a different in Czech league its more up and down play and the BBL is more half court driven.

You had a wake up call to the Czech league with a 116-52 loss to CEZ Nymburk that are the Bamberg of the Czech league. You held your own with 25 points and nine rebounds. Losing is never nice like that, but how important was your own game in showing that you can play against the best team?

Yeah it was important to show that I could play with the leagues best.

What are your goals for your self and Levharti Chomutov this season? Currently the team is in eight place. Are the playoffs and an allstar berth things that could happen for the team and you?

My goals for this season is to win as many games as possible for Chomutov and to make the playoffs and advance deep. If an allstar brith happens that would be great too.

You came to the LTi Giessen 46ers last summer, but left in November. Did you ever think when you arrived that you would have such a short stay there?

Naw I felt like I could have helped the team a lot more than I did. But things happen for a reason and I wish them nothing but good luck on their season.

LTI Giessen 46ers had some talented players, but why weren´t you able to break more into the rotation?

Yeah it was a deep talented roster and I wish I could have been in the rotation more to help out the team but it was not meant to be Giessen is a great city with great fans and I enjoyed my time there.

Do you believe that you got a fair chance? There was a lot of competition at your position. You had double double stats in Finland last season which was a fine recommendation for coming to the Beko BBL?

Yeah I believe I got a fair chance it was just that The coaches and the Gm did not think my style of play fit the team. But when one door closes another one opens so no hard feelings.

You are known as a shot blocker. Do you believe that your defensive abilities were possibly overlooked? Having that good defensive stopper can always help a team.

Yeah I felt like I could have been a rim protector with Giessen and helped a lot on defense with my time on the court there.

It hasn´t been an easy season for the LTi Giessen 46ers. Players like Jimmy Baxter and yourself coming and going and in 18th place. Do you think that they will come out of their funk?

Yeah I believe they will come out of that funk they have some good players like Ryan Brooks and Lequan Prowell they should be fine.

What could you learn from Elvir Ovcina on the court that will help your game develop further?

I learned lot from his passing skills. Elvir is a good passer out of the post. So I learned from him to be patient in the post with your moves and passes and its paying off for me here in Czech.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Biker Boyz.

Thanks John for the chat.