If one were to match up American and Topeka, Kansas native Kyle Weems and American and Williston, North Dakota native and teammates Brian Qvale by letting them attempt certain duties, each guy would shine at a certain thing. For instance park both guys in the corner with a blindfold and let them fire fade away bombs form the corner with a Ronny Burrell in their face, then ex Missouri State(NCAA) Weems will probably hit more shots than Qvale, however put them both in the zone and let each guy battle with ex Bayreuth center Brandon Hunter, then most definitely it would be Qvale who could have more success with getting rebounds, making hard punishing put backs and turn around jumpers. If they would battle in a miniature golf game, it would be hard to tell who would win, but Qvale definitely has played before. However one aspect to both guys games where they are head to head at the moment is in scoring consistency. Before the game against the Fraport Skyliners, both guys have scored in double figures 24 times and are the most consistent on the team. Weems has shined scoring 20 points or more five times including a 27 point feast against Phoenix Hagen while Brian Qvale has scored 20 points or more three times including a 28 point outburst against the Telekom Baskets Bonn and has registered four double doubles. If one follows the career of Qvale, it seems like he has made the right choices each season and has developed with each increasing in skill league that he entered. After playing at Montana(NCAA) for four years, he went to Turkey in 2011 as a rookie and played for Aliaga Petkim (Turkey-TBL): 32 games: 8.9ppg, 4.4rpg, FGP: 56.5%, FT: 58.3%. Last season he played for  Belfius Mons-Hainaut (Belgium-Ethias League, starting five): 31 games: 9.8ppg, Reb-4(6.1rpg), Blocks-2(1.1bpg), FGP-2(65.3%), FT: 66.7%; EuroChallenge: 6 games: 13.3ppg, 9.7rpg, 1.0apg, 1.7bpg, FGP: 71.1%, FT: 57.1%. He has improved his stats each season and now with Bayreuth has really had a statistical explosion in points and rebounds in a league that belongs to the top 5 in Europe. He made the playoffs last season in Belgium and wont make them this season in the Beko BBL, but he definitely has made general managers in Europe even more aware of his abilities. Another important aspect to the success of Qvale is his character as he is the ultimate team player and just has a good attitude on and off the court. He came to Bayreuth with the right attitude and it has shown all season long. “I will do anything I need to do to help the team win. I will play the role that coach wants me to play. I plan to be a solid defensive player in the middle with blocking shots and rebounding and offensively give the team an effective low post presence scoring and rebounding”, stated Brian Qvale. Even though offense is a potent aspect to his game, he plays at both ends of the court. “I would say I am good at being in the right position on defense involving blocking shots or helping out a teammate”, stressed Qvale. Qvale definitely knew how big a chance he had with medi bayreuth and it has paid off. “I will come in and do the very best job I am capable of. I am confident in my abilities and I promise to work hard and do the best I can and that is all I can do”, warned Qvale. Those were his words before the season and he definitely kept his promise. It is unknown who will win the scoring consistency crown between Weems and Qvale and it wont be as spectacular as a Kevin Durant breaking the consecutive 25 points or more scoring games in a row of 41 of Michael Jordan, but one thing is for sure, that medi bayreuth fans will equally be happy to have had both guys chugging away this season as who knows where the club may have been without the services of the two?

The medi bayreuth season has been a major disappointment as 2009 Beko BBL champion with Oldenburg Predrag Krunic was unable to fulfill the expectations a she was dismissed early in 2014 after leading the club to a dismal 3-12 record after having started the season winning two of the first three games. It seemed like with each passing week, the worse the team mentality got between coach and players. medi bayreuth had to make a change and brought in fireman Michael Koch who like his brother Stefan had been inserted as fireman in Wurzburg had a whole new experience in Bayreuth after he led Bonn into the playoffs and was used to winning. Since Koch came in, he has brought the club out of the lower ranks building a very respectable 6-7 record. The club has won their last three road games and five of their last six games after starting 1-6. Koch has brought happiness back to the players and as a players coach knows what the players have been through. The club have been led by Americans Kyle Weems, Brian Qvale and Ronnie Burrell, but especially new guard DJ Seeley has been a huge plus as he is averaging 15,4ppg and has made ex NBA player William Conroy quickly forgotten. medi bayreuth is smoking hot while the Fraport Skyliners are freezing cold as one can almost count the number of close loses in 2014 on both hands. Especially in the last three loses against Tuebingen, Wurzburg and Braunschweig, they have been unable to close out the games. Jacob Burtschi already warned before the Braunschweig game that Frankfurt has to be careful and ready and made his warning against Bayreuth a tad more forceful. “They are a very good team and talented. They have been playing well as of late and if we aren´t ready it could be their fourth road win in a row and our fourth loss in a row”, warned Jacob Burtschi. “We have to come out aggressive form the get go and execute better than we have in the past and limit the opponent to one shot. Bayreuth has strong play inside and Frankfurt will have to be ready for it. “They play much pick and role and we will have to watch out for that. We have phases in games where we are good on offense and defense and we have to keep working on having more good ones than bad ones”, warned Johannes Voigtmann.

This season Predrag Krunic was able to build his roster from the start and was able to keep a healthy core of players from last season. Krunic kept his point guard Kevin Hamilton who will be playing his second season with Bayreuth. Last season he played  23 games: 9.5ppg, 3.5rpg, Assists-4(4.3apg), Steals-5(1.6spg), FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 72.2%. This will be his fifth season in Germany after having played two seasons. Hamilton belongs to the best assist players in the Beko BBL and is a pass first guard that is a pest on defense with his fast hands and due to his good rebound instincts is always on the run to get into the offense sets qúickly. He also isn´t lazy over the summers as he continues to play in the Puerto Rican league and since turning professional in 2006 has played 124 games there. The club also kept combo guard Bryan Bailey who at age 33 doesn´t seem to get any slower as he will be starting his 12^th professional career and ninth in Germany having played with Artland, Oldenburg and Wurzburg in the past. Last season for Bayreuth he played  33 games: 12.2ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.7apg, 2FGP: 48.9%, 3FGP: 39.7%, FT: 84.7%, in May’13 moved to Acea Virtus Roma (Italy-SerieA): 20 games: 3.4ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.4apg. The biggest strength of the New York native is drawing fouls on the penetration and will hit that big three pointer. The club also kept the German guard duo of Nicolai Simon and Simon Schmitz. Simon may only be 26, but has much BBL experience having played with Alba Berlin, Paderborn and Tuebingen. He is starting his second season with Bayreuth and last season played  33 games: 9.3ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 41.8%, 3PT: 47.5%, FT: 86.8%. He made  a huge jump this summer playing exhibition games for the German national team. He is a great passer and dangerous three point shooter. He will come from the bench and give teams problems. Schmitz is a 23 year old 188cm guard that is playing his fourth season with Bayreuth. Last season he played 34 games: 5.5ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 27.3%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 76.9%. He is the captain of the team and will give valuable minutes from the bench. The club also kept the heart and soul of the team with Beckham Wyrick who is a 29 year old 198cm forward that will be playing his third season in Bayreuth. He has played in Leverkusen and Munich previously. Last season the Ohio native played 26 games: 7.4ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 41.0%, 3PT: 35.1%, FT: 60.0%. He is the heart and soul of the team and will be the energizer from the bench that will hit those big three pointers or muscle home shots in the paint with his grit.  The club also kept young Germans Tom Spoler and Peter Zeis. Spoler is a 25 year old 206cm forward that already played 13 beko BBL games as a 19 year old with Leverkusen. This will be his third season with Bayreuth and last season he played  23 games: 2.8ppg, 2.0rpg. More a shooter than doing damage near the hoop and it will be interesting to see how many minutes he does get from Krunic didn´t always give Germans in Oldenburg suitable minutes. Peter Zeis is a 24 year old 196cm forward that is playing his third season with Bayreuth. Last season he played  28 games: 2.3ppg, 1.2rpg. He is a very dangerous three point shooter who nailed four against Tuebingen last season, but again the question will be how much playing time he will get so further development and hard work in practice will be vital.

Medi Bayreuth added four new players with Americans Ronald Burrell, Kyle Weems, Brian Qvale and Phillipp Heyden. Ronald Burrell is a 30 year old 204 cm forward  that will be starting his fifth professional season in Germany having played for Bonn, winning the German cup with Cologne and reaching the 2013 Beko BBL final with Oldenburg. IN between he played in France and three seasons for Polish Euroleague power house  Asseco Prokom Gdynia playing 45 Euroleague games. The great thing about the New Jersey native is that he is an allrounder at the power forward position and with his size can hit the three pointer at ease and is also a great extra pass giver something he already hurt teams with in Cologne. He will be one of the top scorers on the team a role that he will fulfill. Kyle Weems is starting his second professional season and came after the club parted ways with American Zach Morley. Weems is a 23 year old 198cm forward from Topeka, Kansas that had a brilliant rookie campaign for Bonn playing  38 games: 13.7ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 51.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 80.2%; EuroChallenge: 14 games: 13.2ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 37.0%, FT: 79.3%. His stellar play gave him Eurobasket new comer of the year 2013. This past summer he played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas (Atlanta Hawks): 3 games: 3.3ppg, 3.3rpg. He is an allrounder that can hit in your face shots deep in the corner and will also be 1-2 in scoring for Bayreuth. Brian Qvale also is new on board  who is a 24y ear old 201cm center that played at Montana(NCAA) and will be playing his third professional season after playing in Turkey and Belgium. Last season in Belgium he played for  Belfius Mons-Hainaut (Belgium-Ethias League, starting five): 31 games: 9.8ppg, Reb-4(6.1rpg), Blocks-2(1.1bpg), FGP-2(65.3%), FT: 66.7%; EuroChallenge: 6 games: 13.3ppg, 9.7rpg, 1.0apg, 1.7bpg, FGP: 71.1%, FT: 57.1%. He has a big gap to fill at the center position after ex NBA players like Jared Reiner and Brandon Hunter playing there. However  a plus is that he won´t necessarily have tos core much, because the team already has an abundance of scorers, so rebounding and his instincts for blocking shots will be his main concern.  The team also brought back Phillipp Heyden who played in Bayreuth He is a 25 year old 206cm center with rich BBL experience having learned the ropes in the Alba Berlin organization and having played for Ludwigsburg and last season for the Mitteldeutscher Bc playing 30 games: 6.3ppg, 3.4rpg, 2FGP: 52.3%, FT: 80.0%. He is your typical back up center that is a very good free throw shooter and will do the dirty work under the basket.

The Fraport Skyliners have split the season series the last three seasons. In 2010-2011, they won at home 83-75 getting 26 points from Dashaun Wood, but losing on the road 86-79 despite 29 points form Wood. In 2011-2012, they lost at home 79-71 despite 27 points form Tim Ohlbrecht, but won in Bayreuth 90-57 getting 22 points from Jimmy Mckinney. In their first meeting last season, the Fraport Skyliners won 76-59 as they were led by Ted Scott and Danilo Barthel with 15 points a piece. In the return game in Bayreuth, the Fraport Skyliners lost 75-69 in a game that was tight in the last few minutes as Beckham Wyrick hit some big three pointers. Frankfurt was led by Ryan Brooks with 15 points and Dawan Robinson with 14 points. This season the Fraport Skyliners lost the first game of the season in Bayreuth 74-67 as Bayreuth was led by Brian Qvale with 19 points while Ronny Burrell ahd 17 points. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Dwan Robinson with 19 points and Andrew Rautiins had 11 points. The Fraport Skyliners host medi bayreuth April 13^th.