For an American basketball player to stay in the Beko BBL for seven years is about as uncommon as an American soccer professional playing in the German Bundesliga for a longer period of time with the exception of Steven Cherundolo who has played with Hannover 96 since 1999, Boston Red Sox nasty rival New York Yankeees not stealing a player every few years through free agency as they recently did with Jacoby Ellsbury or New England Patriot quarterback Tom Brady not having another amazing comeback one more time this season in a regular season game or possibly a playoff game. It just seemed like yesterday when New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig guard Immanuel Mcelroy was celebrating the cup win with Rhein Energie Colonge with the likes of now Alba Berlin head coach Sasa Obradovic, current Regionaliga player Johannes Strasser, current NBA player Marcin Gortat of the Washinton Wizards, current FC Bayern Munich manager Marko Pesic or new basketball team Hamburg Towers person in power Marvin Willoughby. The year was 2005 in the Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt and time surely has flown as have the slick smiles that Mcelroy has dueled with on the court as teammates or opponents like  Michael Hakim Jordan and Titus Ivory. Texas native Immanuel Mcelroy is celebrating his 10 year anniversary this season of playing in the Beko BBL and he can wear a big smile as he has accomplished so much in this time winning  two cups with Cologne and a league title and a cup title with Alba Berlin as well as being a four time Beko BBL all star and being the best defensive player in the league for five seasons. Imac as his fans call him is 33 years old who is a proud father of four kids is always a delight to watch and one never knows how much longer he will still be around so every new visit to Frankfurt should be an experience that one should just enjoy. He is playing his third season in Braunschweig and is in the twilight of his career and is the leader of the team can still fill up the stat sheets and battle with anyone on the court. The American returned back to Frankfurt with the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig and lost for the second time in Frankfurt as a Phantom 79-53. It is never easy covering the ex Alba Berlin champion as Oklahoma native Jacob Burtschi has known since he entered the Beko BBL in 2010 with Phoenix Hagen. “Imac is a good guy and a leader in this league. He is always a tough cover and  a lot of respect that he has been in the league now 10 years, because not many survive that long”, stressed Fraport Skyliner forward Jacob Burtschi. Mcelroy finished the game with four points and four rebounds in 27 minutes and even if it wasn´t his best game, his teammates are thankful for his play. “Imac does all the little things on the court. When he is playing well usually good things happen. He is one of the strongest players I have ever played with when you go pound by pound and one of the best teammates I ever had”, stressed ex Wake Forest center Kyle Visser. Who knows how many more years, the American will play in the Beko BBL, so teammates should cherish every added game with him. “He is always the same even when he misses a shot, he always plays 100% for the team. It may not always show on the stat sheet, but it shows on the court. When he was defending Rautins, he had more difficulty getting good shots”, stated Braunschweig guard Achmadschah Zazai.

Some of the keys for the game was how well the two shooting aces Andrew Rautins and Isaiah Swann would hit shots as well as how the bench would perform. Two weeks ago Frankfurt scored 39 bench points against Phoenix Hagen, while Braunschweig had only 7 bench points in a 89-74 loss to the Artland Dragons. Rautins won the scoring battle against Swann 26-12 and the Frankfurt bench won the bench points 27-12 even though one could subtract four points from the 12 as four were made by Pro B players in garbage minutes while the only real bench points came from Kenny Kadji who contributed eight points. In the last weeks the trio of Aziz Ndiaye, Ramon Galloway and Jarred Dubois have come up big often in different games and have stayed very consistent. The hero today was Ramon Galloway who chipped in with 11 points, had five rebounds and dished out five assists. After the game he was sporting a smile that could have impressed his fellow Texan native and opponent Immanuel Mcelroy who had enough to smile about during his Cologne and Berlin days and was thrilled about his game and bench play. “I was happy with my game. I felt comfortable out there and I just played the way I should. I want to be consistent in every game. The bench has been so important in many games this season. Some teams have only a seven man rotation, but we have a 10 man rotation. We want to participate every time. When we get in we talk a lot and keep telling each other to pick it up”, stressed ex La sale player Ramon Galloway. After the game Andrew Rautins who was wearing stylish torn Jeans had his usual relaxed look and was soft spoken and also saw the Bench as the vital part to the equation win. “It was a total team effort. When we get good contribution from the bench then we are hard to beat”, added Andrew Rautins. The New Yorker Phantoms know that their bench is a problem and that when their starting five isn´t on, it will be more difficult to win games. “The bench was a factor tonight. We have a lot of guys that have to play a lot of minutes and it really took  a toll on us”, commented ex ratiopharm Ulm player Isaiah Swann.

The Fraport Skyliners entered the game in 11^th place and wanted to make amends after they stunk out the Weissenfels gym so bad that even dead  animal corpses  would have had a better aroma then what the 2004 Beko BBL champion performed on the court. 96 hours after the bitter 30 point loss against the Mitteldeutscher BC, the 2000 Beko BBL cup champion were like day and night totally turning their game around and playing Skyliner basketball. They shot at a high rate, rebounded well again, had a nice offensive flow and most importantly played solid aggressive defense again. “We watched a lot of film after the MBC win. After we had some wins, we went to MBC much too comfortable and lost badly. We came into this game more focused and just really wanted to win the game. We stuck together on defense and was a great effort. If we have more defensive efforts like that then we will always be in very good position to win games”, warned ex NBA player Andrew Rautins. The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig came into the game in tenth place with an identical 6-6 record like the Fraport Skyliners and a big win against the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but were down fast against Frankfurt and were never able to recover as their play reminded one of their poor performance losing against medi Bayreuth and mustering only 49 points. After the loss, the Braunschweig players had little to say about the loss, but they were able to find direct words about what went wrong. “Andrew Rautins started hot and Frankfurt hit everything. After they had a big lead, it was hard getting back into the game. Despite the large margin of victory, I didn´t think that they were much better than us. We were simply too soft and they were very physical”, stated ex Giessen 46er Achmadschah Zazai. Braunschweig didn´t shoot the ball well or rebound and often had to work extra hard to get good looks and then there was Andrew Rautins who had another typical day at the office. “Frankfurt came out and took care of business and we didn´t. They were very aggressive form the start and it carried over into the Rautins hit everything and even when we contested his shots he made them. There isn´t really more one can do when he is on like that”, said ex Ludwigsburg center Kyle Visser.

3,340 fans were in the Fraport arena for a rare Wednesday night game       and German national head coach Frank Menz was in attendance observing Germans Danilo Barthel and Johannes Voigtmann. Frankfurt was without Marius Nolte and Quantez Robertson while the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig were without Harding Nana. The Fraport Skyliners got off on the right foot hitting on all cylinders as Andrew Rautins connected on his first shot and Voigtmann nailed a mid distance jumper. After an off balance jumper by Canadian Aaron Doornekamp, Rautins made it 3/3 from the field for Frankfurt with a lay in. Immanuel Mcelroy then hit a jumper and Swann a three pointer to knot the game at 7-7. Jacob Burtschi and Georgia native James Florence traded three pointers as the game was tied at 10-10. The Frankfurt Germany of Konstantin Klein and Voigtmann gave Frankfurt the 14-10 advantage with a lay in and jumper, but Florence then cut the Phantoms lead to 14-13 dropping a three pointer. Swann who´s passing gets unnoticed and is seen more as a scorer took apart the Frankfurt double team and kicked out a beautiful pass for the easy basket. Frankfurt then closed out the first quarter with a swift 8-2 run to lead 22-15. Rautins hit two three pointers and Voigtmann scored inside getting the perfect lob pass from Rautins. “Both teams started out very well, but the difference was that Braunschweig couldn´t contain Rautins and Frankfurt did a better job on Swann”, commented Pro B head coach of the Licher Basket Baeren Igor Starcevic. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 82% from the field and 100% from outside while the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig were shooting 40% from the field and 38% from outside. Frankfurt ha dthe 8-2 rebound edge, but six turnovers while Braunschweig had three turnovers.

In the second quarter the Fraport Skyliner defense took charge holding Braunschweig to five second quarter points and a comfortable lead turned into a 24 lead where Braunschweig would never recover from. Ramon Galloway scored twice demonstrating his first quick step and James Florence hit from way down town as Frankfurt still led 26-18. The Fraport Skyliners now would run into the half time break on a 18-2 run to lead 44-20. Ex Vanderbilt guard Kevin bright started the massive run with a high rainbow over Kenny Kadji. Gordon Herbert then brought in Aziz Ndiaye who right away brought the needed spark starting on defense where he swatted a Kadji shot back to Senegal which jumpstarted his offense and gave him the needed energy for a lay in and mega stuff over Kyle Visser as the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig trailed 33-18. Frankfurt was playing with a very high intensity and were causing serious turmoil in the sets of Braunschweig. Swann then stole a ball from Rautins and went coast to coast for the lay in. This big defensive play didn´t inject Braunschweig to turbo gear, but moreover kept Frankfurt active in their offensive sets. Frankfurt  then played a little over the rim as Barthel made a spectacular tip dunk on a Klein miss and Barthel then was the giver instead of the receiver as he usually is on dunks lofting up the pass for Galloway to tip into the hole. Galloway then continued to do solid playmaking finding Rautins for an open three pointer. Jarred Dubois then got the first free throws of the game for either team as 19 minutes had elapsed. Barthel closed out the first half with a lay in after Voigtmann made the perfect lob pass to the Heidelberg native. “It seemed like when they put in their bench players Kadji and Zazai nothing happened on their offense. Braunschwieg had little intensity and Frankfurt closed down the zone and Braunschweig couldn´t get anything going on offense”, stated Igor Starcevic. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 62% from the field and 46% from the three point line while the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig were shooting 32% from the field and 33% from the three point line. Frankfurt had the 17-9 rebound advantage and eight turnovers while Braunschweig had 12 turnovers.

In the third quarter, the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig were able muster two little runs of 6-0 and 5-0, but could never make a dent into the big Fraport Skyliners run as their consistent offense remained in the third quarter. There was little scoring in the first few minutes and more wild play until Klein hit free throws and Rautins escaped around Mcelroy scoring with  a lay in from the baseline. Klein then gave Voigtmann a quick shovel pass under the basket for two quick points as Frankfurt led 50-22. Braunschweig then went on their first run as they scored six unanswered points as Florence continued to be so sturdy hitting from the parking lot and Swann then possibly made one of the nicest buckets in the game as he spun around Barthel from the wing leaving him paralyzed and made the easy la yupa s Voigtmann was a step too late. Florence made a free throw as Frankfurt led 50-28. Barthel and Mcelroy then traded baskets and Frankfurt then went on a mini 4-0 run as Dubois made a hard penetration to the hoop and scored and Voigtmann made his patent mid distance shot as Frankfurt led 56-30. Braunschweig then compensated on some Frankfurt turnovers going on a 5-0 run as Swann hit another three pointer and Kadji hit a jumper as Frankfurt led 56-33. Rautins then hit a runner and then the Skyliner fans saw possibly the most prettiest play of the night as a touch of NBA Showtime was in the arena as Frankfurt played magical fast break basketball as Burtschi came down on the right side, swung the ball left to Dubois who touch passed the ball to the trailer Galloway who made the lay in. “We all felt each other. Anyone could of made the lay up. It was total unselfish play of us”, stressed Ramon Galloway. “That was text book basketball. It was fun watching that fast break”, smiled Jacob Burtschi. Doornekamp finished the third quarter with a three pointer cutting the Frankfurt lead after three quarters to 60-38. “We knew that Braunschweig would make a run, but we were able to limit them”, added Jacob Burtschi. “We had some runs, but our starters were losing strength”, added Achmadschah Zazai. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 60% from the field and 33% from the parking lot while Braunschweig was shooting 39% from the field and 44% from the parking lot. Frankfurt had the 23-14 rebound lead and 11 turnovers while Braunschweig had 16 turnovers.

The New Yorker Phantome Braunschweig were able to score better in the fourth quarter but were still outscored 19-14 by the Fraport Skyliners. The lead was so big that the Fraport arena saw the German license players battle in the last minutes as the game was more than decided. The Fraport Skyliners kept up their potent offense as they poured on a 14-0 run to lead 74-38 as the MBC debacle was at latest forgotten now. Rautins scored consecutive baskets, Burtschi then drilled a three pointer which was followed by more hot shooting from Rautins and a lay in by Ndiaye and free throws from the big man as Frankfurt led 74-38. The fourth quarter was the tale of two halves as Frankfurt dominated the first and Braunschweig now closed out the game with a 14-4 run that nobody will remember when they wake up the next day. Frankfurt did have one spectacular play left as Burtschi fed Ndiaye for the perfect ally-op lay in. Braunschweig got production from Kadji with a runner and three pointer and Florence scored inside. Near the end of the game, fans saw youngsters like Max Merz, Johannes Richter, Tim Oldenburg, Jorn Wessels, Brian Wenzel and Dominque Johnson on the floor. This was the normal garbage time procedure as the Frankfurt starters could savour the last moments before the final siren sounded. After the game Fraport Skyliner head coach was his usual self and was very pleased how his team rebounded from the big loss at MBC. “This was a different team than at MBC. The guys knew what their purpose was today. The last six minutes of the second quarter was the best defense we have played this season. We had 21 assists and our offense was flowing. We played well as a team and that usually results in a win”, stated Gordon Herbert. “Frankfurt did a very good job continuing to press our guards and they made us take tough shots all night long. On defense we often stopped their initial play, but they would react with an easy basket”, stressed Isaiah Swann. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Andrew Rautins with 26 points. Ramon Galloway added 11 points and Johannes Voigtmann with 10 points. The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig were led by James Florence with 16 points and Isaiah Swann contributed 12 points. Frankfurt shot a hot 57% from the field and kept Braunschweig under 40% from the field and outside. Frankfurt easily won the boards battle31-20 and kept their turnovers to 14.  Frankfurt dominated the paint points 38-8. Fraport Skyliner Ramon Galloway described it best what the biggest strength was of Frankfurt using his hands to do the talking. We played as team and brought the whole fist instead of individual fingers”, stated Ramon Galloway. Frankfurt now has 10 days off until they  meet ratiopharm Ulm on the road on December 21^st.