The last time the EWE Baskets Oldenburg sipped and enjoyed the taste of sweet champagne winning their first and only Beko BBl title, FC Bayern Munich hulk John Bryant was a house hold name at Santa Clara registering 18 and 14 stats in his senior year, ex Fraport Skyliner Lorenzo Gordon was active in his first tour of duty in the Beko BBL and it wasn´t always easy to see who could smile wider him or his cousin Jimmy Mckinney and Chris Fleming had just completed his rookie campaign in Bamberg with no titles and was at the start of building that four peat. Oldenburg did have some severe lady luck and basketball god looking over their shoulder beating the Telekom Baskets Bonn in a series that seemed almost lost in 2009. However basketball can be a weird sport at times and in the end all that matters is how the ball rolls. It took Predrag Krunic two years to build a champion after coming on board in 2007 for the departed Don Beck. In those two years, Krunic was able to bring continuity into the club rapidly by holding important players and practicing that great mix of American and Baltic basketball. After the title followed three less than satisfactory seasons where Oldenburg got worse each season. They were the best team in the 2009-2010 season finishing the regular season in first place, but couldn´t achieve anything in the playoffs losing unexpectedly to the future new Oldenburg head coach Sebastian Machowski and the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig. In 2010-2011, they finished in fifth place after the regular season, but lost early again in the playoffs and in 2012 didn´t even reach the playoffs. It seemed like the air in the Oldenburg balloon had left as quickly as do German national players under Joachim Low who don´t perform well and never return. It seemed like that last team under Krunic had been put together wrong, as team chemistry was never built and the fire in the thunderbird had been doused by a north sea rain fall that had fallen upon the city. After one season under Sebastian Machowski, it seems like Oldenburg CEO Herman Schuller has done everything correct. The success came a lot quicker than most might have thought as the team reached the Beko BBL final last season being swept by Bamberg, but in three hard fought games where a few possessions here and there could have given Oldenburg a win or two and then who knows what could of happened. One never wants to get too confident, but the team performance by Oldenburg last season was no fluke. The Beko BBL gets more competitive each season, but why can´t Oldenburg stop the four peat of Bamberg this season. It is the second season of Machowski and it was the second season where Krunic took Oldenburg to the winners circle. Machowski has done something that usually gives winning teams the edge in the playoffs by keeping most of its players and keeping the team chemistry intact. Bamberg has been doing it for years and the formula for titles keeps giving additional hardware for Chris Fleming. Oldenburg have the talent on paper, experience and heart to win it all this season. There possibly are not two more experienced American Beko BBL players on the same team than Detroit native Ricky Paulding and Julius Jenkins. Paulding may have the biggest basketball heart in the league and Jenkins the work ethic that many players strive to have. It will be interesting to see how the season develops for the club as they will pull out some wins against Bamberg, Alba Berlin and FC Munich. If many things do come together and the club is still playing basketball in June then anything is possible and they could possibly be the first team ever to win titles in two different buildings standing side by side.
Month: October 2013
Medi Bayreuth Survive The Brick Battle As Brian Qvale Leads The Charge Past The Fraport Skyliners 74-67
The last time the Fraport Skyliners played an official game, FC Bayern Munich still wasn´t crowned Champions League winner they weren´t fretful at all of the chances of Borussia Dortmund to upset them, tennis ace Andy Murray was probably still having numerous Wimbeldon dreams of winning and Lebron James was pulling an Eddie Murphy from Beverly Hills Cop babling “lalalala I cant hear you” to any doubters about him ever being able to repeat as NBA champion which he did. All these events occurred after April 27th the last official game of the Fraport Skyliners in the 2012-2013 season as they had to win on the last game day to stay in the league and did putting the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg in their place with a huge home victory. Fans now had to wait more than five months to get the ball bouncing again and the Fraport Skyliners didn´t have an easy place to start the new 2013-2014 season as they had to play at medi bayreuth one of the nastiest and loudest arenas in the Beko BBL. Since Bayreuth has returned to the Beko BBL, Frankfurt has a 1-2 record in the Oberfrankenhalle and even lost three years ago with a monster game by 2011 MVP Dashaum Wood who proclaimed the arena one of the loudest that he has played in Europe. The Fraport Skyliners opened the new season in Bayreuth losing a tough defensive battle that was dominated by bricks in the first half from both teams as neither could hit the ocean and as always a very loud crowd that made life difficult for the Fraport Skyliners. “It was an ugly first half for both teams. There are days where shots fall and days where they don´t. Nobody could any shots into the ocean and both teams were standing on the beach”, smiled ex Bamberg forward Beckham Wyrick. One of the match winners of the game was Brian Qvale who was gleaming after the game when asked about the home crowd. “I like the home crowd fans. It was a great atmosphere and they helped us the whole game. I am looking forward to playing all home games this season”, added Brian Qvale. “Even though it was an ugly game, our fans were always behind us. WE defended very hard and we don´t care if the game is pretty or ugly, but that in the end we get a win”, stressed medi Bayreuth guard Simon Schmitz.
Jay Threat(MLP Academics Heidelberg) I Get A Lot Of Rebounds And Start My Fast Breaks That Way Just Like Rajon Rondo
Jay Threat is a 24 year old 180cm point guard from Richmond, Virginia that is playing his second professional season and first in germany with the MLP Academics Heidelberg. He started his basketball career with George Mason and then transefered to Delaware State where he played from 2009-2012 an din his senior year played 26 games: 8.9ppg, 3.7rpg, 6.0apg, Steals-1(3.0spg), FGP: 45.3%, 3PT: 26.4%, FT: 82.1%. He played a total of 89 NCAA games. Last season as a rookie he played for Ungmennafelagio Snaefell (Iceland-Dominos League): 28 games: 18.5ppg, 5.3rpg, Assists-1(8.9apg), 1.9spg, FGP: 50.6%, 3PT: 41.6%, FT: 77.8%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
Jay thanks for talking to German Hoops. You signed very late with German team MLP Academics Heidelberg. Was the job market tough this summer or were you just weighing your options?
I was just weighing my options for the best fit. Being on a team that wants you, and for you to play your game is key.
What were the main reasons for coming to Germany to play for MLP Academics Heidelberg. What sold you on joining this team?
The main reason for coming to Heidelberg was coach really wanting me to be here and play my game. Me finding out about the tourist attractions and the city was just a plus.
Heidelberg is a big tourist attraction. What do you know about Germany. Do you know any guys that are playing in Germany?
My old college roommate Cam Long is playing out here on a BBL team and another college teammate from DSU Marcus Oliver is out here on another Pro-A team. Tyrese Rice is a good friend of mine and he helped me make this move (played out here last year).
Last season you played for Ungmennafelagio Snaefell (Iceland-Dominos League) playing 28 games: 18.5ppg, 5.3rpg, Assists-1(8.9apg), 1.9spg, FGP: 50.6%, 3PT: 41.6%, FT: 77.8%. You dominated the league. How did it feel like having Rajon Rondo like assist stats?
I had a pretty good year in Iceland last year and my teammates made it real easy on me by allowing me to just play my game and not having to force up a bunch on shots and they also taught me a lot.
Was there anything difficult to get used to living I Iceland? What is an experience that you had that you will never forget?
Where I was in Iceland I was in a small town and very SLOW! So it was different coming from a city back home. All the snow was a crazy experience for me, as well as the limited hours of sunlight in December.
You obiviously can pass the ball, but can also score when you have to. What is a hidden strength in your game that doesn´t always get noticed right away.
I think scoring was my hidden strength until last year. My college stats are very misleading. We played in a slow system. But now I would have to say my rebounding. I get a lot of rebounds and start my fast breaks that way just like Rajon Rondo. I get my defensive pride from him and chris paul. I am a Sneaky and smart defender.
You played only four games at George Mason before transferring to Delaware State. What is your fondest memory of Folaran Campbell that played in Germany a few years ago?
Folaran Campbell (we call him shaq) is a funny guy. Just all the jokes we used to make through out the day. But on the court he is all about business.
You averaged 3,0 steals per game in your three years at Delaware State. After what NBA player do you pride your defense on?
I pride my defesne on guys like Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo
How did Gregory Jackson get you prepared best for a professional basketball career?
Coach Jackson helped me to be able to control the tempo of the game better.
Who was the best player that you played against in the NCAA that might be in the NBA or Europe now?
The best players that I played against in the NCAA that are in the NBA now are Michael Beasley and Evan Turner.
Richmond has no NBA, NFL, MLB or NHL team, but have other professional teams. What Richmond team did you follow most closely as a kid and why?
Honestly there was no team that I followed closely in Richmond.
What was the last DVD movie that you saw?
The last DVD movie that I saw was Above the rim one of my favorite movies.
Thanks Jay for the chat.
Can A New Name And Complete Predrag Krunic Lift medi bayreuth To Their First Playoff Appearance?
The glory days of Steiner Bayreuth and Michael Koch hoisting the Beko BBL title are a distant memory for the hardcore fans as well as breathing playoff air as the last time it was able to do that the walk man and listening to a Michael Jackson Bad cassette in the mall while doing some people gazing and seeing how many Madonna look a liikes one could count on your fingers was the game, a slew of German soccer legends like Lothar Matthaus, Rudi Voller or Jurgen Kinsmann were still looking but close to their first and only world cup title and the music trend acid was making its rounds following by the dance emergence in Europe and the grunge scene was only a few years away and already preparing for take off as the late 80´s were ending as was the high point of Bayreuth basketball. A long lull and dry spell followed as the club went through bankruptcy and falling into lower leagues until the reemergence of returning to the first German basketball league in 2010. In it´s first three years back in the top German basketball address, the club had some solid teams, but were unable to make noise in the playoffs due to a minimal budget and a continued heightening of the level of play in the Beko BBL. The club wants to change all that and after more than 20 years of feeling like wily coyote with their mouth foaming and foaming with hunger for being able to play in May, the club hopes to make that step this season. With a new name, a complete Predrag Krunic who is able to select his own roster this season unlike last season where he arrived as a fire fighter to douse the fire like he did in his Oldenburg tenure where he led the team to a title in 2009 and a stronger roster than in recent years, this could be the year where the club reaches the promised land for the first time. A new name could be that good luck charm and the name, resume and the intense eyes of sheer focus and desire to achieve success of Predrag Krunic could give Bayreuth fans this season something to forget their misery of certain departed players from last season and to pass their time before the Wagner games commence.
Will The Fraport Skyliners Be A Grab Bag Team This Season?
Back in the day even at the most boring children´s birthday parties like at the local pizza place munching on soggy pie, trying to find humor at the bowling alley while trying to hit a strike and stay clear of the gutter, riding lame donkeys up and down the tiny backyard in your home or playing boring board games while counting each second to when it was time to go home, there was almost always a constellation prize for kids when the party was over with the traditional grab bag or party favor. This going home present was a way to say thanks for coming and by the way here is a gift for you. Gifts range from tiny toys, candy and pencils. Once you are of a mature age and are able to visit a wedding, there a person has the chance to get a more sophisticated gift like classic favors that can go from the classic sugared almonds or delicious chocolates to candles and scented soaps. Modern gift trends include CDs with the most desired music of the bride and groom, shot glasses filled with colored candy or beautiful picture frames with a photo of the couple. So what does all this grab bag jibber jabber have to do with the 2013-2014 Fraport Skyliners? Well this is a team that has been constructed in a way that it will be hard to make a real defined prediction what this team will be able to achieve and is sort of like getting a grab bag served at a function and not knowing what is inside it. Guessing how many wins the Fraport Skyliners will achieve this season is no different than having had to predict how many cheese balls legendary comedian Chris Farley could have eaten in the cheese ball machine in a minute, how many times Allen Iverson would utter practice in a practice 2 press conference or how many goals soccer god Lionel Messi will hammer into the goal this season as he already got off to a good start in the first win of the season netting two goals for FC Barcelona. Just the notion of not knowing what this club is capable to achieve makes this season so interesting and exciting in the Beko BBL.
The Fraport Skyliners have returned 2004 BBL champion Gordon Herbert back to Frankfurt for a third tour of duty. In the last years as is the case for most Beko BBL teams except for TBB Trier, Americans are as abundant on rosters as are NBA players on the French national team. Since the 6/6 ruling, there has been more of a need for German players to be on Beko BBL rosters. And since that is the case why have German players rotting on the bench when one can give them minutes and let them develop in a more healthy way. The Fraport Skyliners have usually always lived with their Americans, but already last season showed their interest in getting young Germans playing time. This season the club has only five imports with Quantez Robertson, Dawan Robinson, Jacob Burtschi, Aziz N’Diaye and raw gem shooter with a golden pistol Andy Rautins.The club this season has displayed a desire to implement more Germans and possibly have fans chant “Here come the German Skyliners. The club has six German players younger than 22 years of age. The team kept Konstantin Klein, Johannes Voigtmann and Danilo Barthel from last season and these guys most surely will get even more minutes this season. The club also added two more Germans with U-18 German national player Stefan Ilzhoefer who was a very interesting pick up that will also get extra playing time with the Pro B team. He comes from the Ludwigsburg system and recently played the European Championships U18 Division B in Strumica (FYR Macedonia) playing 9 games and averaging 6.3ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 61.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 40.0%. The club also hauled in Kevin Bright who is a 20 year old 196cm swing man from Mannhiem. He comes from the Ehingen program and left a lasting impression from his rookie season in the NCAA with Vanderbilt (NCAA) where he played 33 games averaging 6.9ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 41.8%, 3PT: 40.6%, FT: 58.8%. He was the leading rebounder on the team and few will forget his buzzer beater winner against Georgia. It seems like more and more teams are trying to follow the TBB Trier route of developing young Germans. “I like this new concept of the Skyliners. It is an interesting mix of German talents. The club has kept them for the long term which gives the club planning security and allows the Germans to develop calmly”, stressed ex Basketball player and Lumani agent Jan Rohdewald. The club hopes that all players will develop in their own way, but seeing who develops the best and fastest is also has a type of grab bag effect. “Voigtmann, Klein and Barthel already got their minutes last season and they will profit from it this season. It is really very hard to say, who will develop the best, but all three will make a step forward, plus a very good player with Kevin Bright has joined them. I think that Johannes Voigtmann is very talented, but he needs to get even fitter and use his potential more. He is an intelligent player that already last season had good games. I think that he will get even more consistent this season”, warned Jan Rohdewald.
Gordon Herbert is a diehard basketball freak that stands for focusing on grooming the tactical measures on the court with his players. In the last two seasons, the Fraport Skyliners had difficulty scoring averaging under 70 points a game and survived many games simply by letting up fewer points and just buckling down and defending for 40 minutes as if it was their last game ever. Relying on top defense surely will be a goal for Gordon Herbert this season as one doesn´t meet more bull dog like defenders than Quantez Robertson and Konstantin Klein. So making big defensive plays and getting out on the break leading to easy points is something that the team will need to have function. The team may not have the consistent scorers that can individually decide a game even though Quantez Robertson has improved his scoring and Jacob Burtschi can have big games on any night, so the team will have to play as a team each night and need output consistently from each guy 1-12 on the roster. It also won´t help the team if they start out slow like they did the last two seasons under Muli Katzurin because the heroic like second half they had two seasons ago where they had NBA players like Jermareo Davidson and Tim Ohlbrecht to save the day won´t be present this time around. The Fraport Skyliners will also have to get off to a good start and some of the young players will have to take over responsibility.There is no fear that the big German three Klein, Voigtmann and Barthel can do that and a Kevin Bright could be the big surprise, because he had the best experience for his age last season playing against the best in the NCAA. One should never underestimate a Gordon Herbert in that he is known for getting the best out of his players so why shouldn´t he be able to do that from his young players. How well Dawan Robinson will be able to follow up his amazing play from last season is still to be seen as he began contact practice in mid September If he returns to be the old sweet Philly from last season, then this team could surprise many folks. Making a prediction is difficult, because the Beko BBL is so competitive and that is why this grab bag team will be so endearing to watch. “It is difficult to make predictions. All teams made steps forward. Last season, one thought that certain teams would make the playoffs after the first half, but in the second half were near the bottom. Having consistency will help against that. Tez, Burtschi and Robinson are a foothold. Perhaps the young Germans will give the extra added pep that the team needs. I think that Kevin Bryant could be the x-factor with his effort and defense. It will be exciting to watch this team and they will reach an identity with this team”, warned Jan Rohdewald. The addition of Rautins could make the difference between a grab bag season or nipping at the end of the playoff places. It could be a grab bag season until the end for the Fraport Skyliners and who knows with Gordie at the helm who has had success all over the place, letting fans unveil a ticket to the Beko BBL playoffs from the grab bag would be a party treat and if not just watching the young Germans getting playing time and mature will make the Fraport Skyliners a more experienced team next season and then they will be able to blow up the grab bag and let it pop. Andy Rautins however is that special player that just could let that grab bag pop with hot shooting all season long.
German Hoops 