If there was one thing that Brandon Bowmann had much of the last months while playing for SC Rasta Vechta was time on his hands if he wasn´t at practice or in the gym. There really isn´t much to do in Vechta and perhaps one could find more pleasure counting the steps from Vechta to Quackenbruck and see if it was less than the seemingly million steps that Houston Rocket Jeremy Lin recently took to the basket in a playoff game. However if one were to take the Los Angeles native Bowmann behind the Rasta Dome and have a chat on a deserted pasture with a few cows chewing out the grass and ask him what has unnerved him most in his career not reaching the NBA or not winning the 2009 Beko BBL title with the Telekom Baskets Bonn against the EWE Baskets Oldenburg, the question could be a tossup as the NBA is never a sure thing, but winning the 2009 Beko BBL final seemed like the sure thing. That title loss remains a big scare in the Telekom Baskets Bonn basketball history as well as being labelled as the Buffalo Bills of the Beko BBL as reaching the final has always been their reality 8 times, while winning hasn´t been on their menu yet. Their last final was the 2012 cup and they have reached the playoffs seven of the last eight years, but all this is meaningless until the club can finally celebrate that first title in Bonn. Sometimes it seems like there is a mini curse in Bonn as titles can be won more easily as Oldenburg showed for the first time in 2009 and the Opel Skyliners showed for the first time in 2000, but then again don´t let a Tony Gaffney instruct you about curses or winning titles. He had to wait 20 years until his beloved Boston Red Sox beat the curse of the Bambino winning the World Series again after a 86 year dry spell in 2004. That Bonn and Buffalo start with the same letter is no coincidence, but Bonn fans should hope that Buffalo still not winning a Superbowl after reaching four isn´t.

Not only this 2009 loss for Bonn gives a displeasureable  connection to the EWE Baskets Oldenburg, but also their ex coach Predrag Krunic who was the head coach during the title run in 2009. However the ex Bonn head coach didn´t really take big steps forward in Oldenburg after the 2009 title, but maybe  a few back in the next years as he was unable to build continuity as the team really slipped in the 2011-2012 missing the playoffs for the first time since 2007. The Serb was sacked and Oldenburg CEO Herman Schuller had the right touch again bringing 1995 Korac cup winner with Alba Berlin Sebastian Machowski that brought success and happiness back again to Oldenburg. In his first season in Oldenburg, Machowski led the team to a surprise final giving Chris Fleming and the Brose Baskets Bamberg a tough time being swept, but losing only by a combined point total of seven points. Machowski grew and developed as a head coach in Braunschweig for three years and took the next correct step to Oldenburg and kept an already intact team together that didn´t let down from their superb season last season, but once again are a kind of dark horse team that will act as a hyena and pounch into any group and possibly exiting having the last laugh if top teams like FC Bayern Munich, Bamberg or Alba Berlin don´t take care of the meat. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg are always capable of upsetting one of the top three, but have to be aware of the Telekom Baskets Bonn and first get by them to get the chance to annoy a top team.

The Telekom Baskets Bonn arrive in the playoffs with a record of 25-13 and ended the season in fifth place. Despite a very interesting season where they had problems winning at home, the Jared Jordan Bamberg affair and Tony Gaffney returning, they reached their season goal of the playoffs. They enter the playoffs having won four of the last nine games, but four of the last five games showing that they have gotten used to the departure of Jared Jordan as new American Eugene Lawrence has been more just a suitable replacement, but has put up Jordan like assist stats with 6,0, but been able to score better than the ex Bonn player at 10,2 as the club really got the perfect player to combine scoring and playmaking to their advantage. Bonn celebrated big victories against Alba Belrin, ratiopharm Ulm and the Artland Dragons and most importantly had the number of Oldenburg twice sweeping the season series.  The club is really solid all the way down the board from the guard position to the center position.  The team is led by Ryan Brooks who really has paid his dues going from non playoff BBL teams Giessen, Frankfurt and even a season in Finland to a team that is in the playoffs. He has become a leader and with teammate Benas Veikalis have a potent 2-3 position force that will give any team nightmares with their never ending aggressive offensive. Even if Jordan is gone, Lawrence just about has balanced the offensive skills that a Jordan would have had, but has added physicality to the defense which they didn´t have with Jordan. With David Mccray and Andrej Magold, Bonn has two nasty defenders that just annoy offensive players until they force turnovers. On offense, both guys can score in spurts. On the big positions, Bonn is just as strong as ex NBA player Tony Gaffney gives that athletic push on the boards and on the break coupled with the routine inside game of Jamel Mcclean who does nothing really fancy except score near the basket and does the bulk of the rebound work. Mcclean has had a superb season averaging 13,7ppg and 7,2rpg. He has been consistent for 80% of the season scoring in double figures 25 times including five double doubles and a 25 point 18 rebound explosion against medi bayreuth. Bonn head coach Mathias Fischer has superb role players in American Kurt Looby who wont necessarily supply scoring punch, but his shot blocking and rebounding could be the difference in one or two crunch time possessions and German Steve Wachalski is one of the few players to go from Regionaliga to Beko BBL has the perfect team character and can hurt you with his three pointer.

The EWE Baskets Oldenburg finished the season in fourth place with a record of 25-9 and enter the playoffs  with a four game winning streak and having won seven of their last eight games with the only loss being against the Telekom Baskets Bonn. This season Oldenburg celebrated huge wins against FC Bayern Munich, The Brose Baskets Bamberg, Alba Berlin, swept ratiopharm Ulm and the Artland Dragons. Beating the top three teams at least once speaks for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg as they can beat anyone on any given night. You had John Stockton in Utah, Larry Bird in Boston, Magic Johnson in Los Angeles and Rickey Paulding in Oldenburg, all great players that have had that special relationship to their club. Paulding is mr Oldenburg and just might keep a second home here after his playing days. His worth to the team is indescribable  as he is one of the top five best players in the league for years. Oldenburg is solid at every position, but their strongest are the small positions 1-3 with the scoring bulk from Paulding and Julius Jenkins who is having another big season and wants to win a third title in Germany after Berlin and Bamberg. Jenkins is the team top scorer and especially from downtown he is hot shooting 49,4%. The point guards are filled with Leborn James friend Dru Joyce who is the playmaker and gets the team going in the right direction and  is having a solid season with 8,0ppg and 3,9apg and Chris Kramer that also can play the two position that is really a player that can lead the team on any night in points, rebounds or assists. He belongs to the top defenders in the league and is even more nasty  in one on defense that Quantez Robertson or Akeem Vargas. The ex Frankfurt Skyliner Germans Konrad Wysocki and Dominik Bahiense De Melo have minor roles, but still add spunk to the team with De Mello giving that aggressiveness on defense and hitting the one or other big three pointer and the ex Ulm player Wysocki playing that superb inside out game that has been his trademark for years. On the big positions, Oldenburg has had some misfortune this season losing American Adam Chubb to injury, but the ex Penn player has returned and not resigning Italian Adrea Crosariol as his short term contract expired and the club didn´t know that Chubb wouldn´t be healthy again. Crosariol was a force on offense and defense and has been missed. Nemanja Aleksandrov has had problems pleasing the fans averaging 9,9ppg and 4,3rpg as his seemingly life long comparison as the next Serbian Dirk Nowitzki has haunted him. The club brought in German Philipp Neumann that was unhappy in Bamberg and has been solid averaging 7,2ppg and 3,4rpg and ex Skyliner Travon Bryant who adds that experience, but hasn´t been a major force. The club always has German banger Jannik Freese from the bench that can bring solid minutes.

This is a very very interesting series and perhaps the only one that will go five games.  The Telekom Baskets Bonn go into the series having swept the season series winning 86-75 and winning a nail bitter in overtime 84-79. Bonn go into the game as the slight underdog as Oldenburg had a better season record and thus attained the home court advantage. Oldenburg have the experience factor and really should be able to win this series. Oldenburg match up well at the small positions with Jenkins and Paulding who can handle a Brooks. The big man position match ups are more balanced now with Adam Chubb back. The x factor for Bonn will be Eugene Lawrence. If Oldenburg can somehow find a way to limit his physicality and playmaking and win the inside game than Oldenburg will advance into the next round. Kramer with seven inches on the American in height should be the player to stop Lawrence who has eight kilo more than the Indiana native. But one should never count out the Telekom Baskets Bonn. Can they continue to beat Oldenburg and will their thinner roster be able to withstand the deeper bench and energy of Oldenburg will be the question. If Oldenburg can up their game from their two meetings against Bonn, then it will be a long summer again for Bonn fans without a title while Tony Gaffney goes home to Boston to follow the Boston Red Sox and hope at least for a another title in October for his home town team.

Alba Berlin has been like a troubled child of the league the last years that is so gifted, but can´t use its talent to shine in basketball life as the 8 time Beko BBL champion hasn´t won a league title since 2006 and really has been overhauled by Bamberg in the last years as the top team in the Beko BBL. They have been one of the hottest teams in the Beko BBL in the last months having had a 17 game winning streak at one time and reached the Eurocup last 8 and might have the perfect roster this year that combines deepness, character and skill that will be enough to finally win that ninth league title. Last week, Alba Berlin played an unsatisfactory first half against the Fraport Skyliners where they looked anything like a future championship team as they couldn´t find a sound offensive rhythm against a young Frankfurt team, but very aggressive defensive orientated club in the first half. Under ex coaches like Luca Pavicevic, Gordon Herbert or Muli Katzurin, Alba Berlin probably wouldn´t have been able to come back and win the game in seven out of ten games, but the three time European champion with Yugoslavia head coach Sasa Obradovic made the necessary adjustments in the second half, had trust in his star players David Logan and Reggie Redding and just knew which players had to have the ball in their hands and who were to make the right decisions. Alba Berlin found their rhythm in the second half and outplayed and controlled Frankfurt until the end. Head coach Sasa Obradovic did a superb job finding the right mix of players again this season and the question is can the team still heighten their play in the playoffs to make that next step getting new hardware back to the German capital? If Obradovic can bring his third coaching title to Alba Berlin this season, it would be the most in two seasons in comparison to only two titles in seven years previously.

Ever since Mike Taylor got the Ulm coaching job in 2003 there has been something very healthy growing in the Schwaben city. Taylor planted the seed which has grown into Ulm reaching the Beko BBL again in 2006, making the playoffs in 2009 and even as he had to go in 2011, the positive curve of the organization has continued to move upwards as a new arena was launched and the playoff appearances have become a consistent occurrence and with more and more success, the expectations continue to rise with fans in the region. However there is one direction that the club doesn´t want to continue to move in and that is being the distinguished, but content runner up which started for the Telekom Baskets Bonn and hasn´t left them. In the last three seasons the team has been a finalist three times reaching the Beko BBL final in 2012 and reaching the cup final the last two seasons. Five weeks ago, it would have been the perfect gift to win the cup in their own arena, but Alba Berlin was a tick better, but ratiopharm Ulm was so close. Traditions are always there to be broken as mr Ulm and heart and soul of the team, German national player Per Guenther is still searching for that first title. If there is any guy that deserved a title as much as a Mike Taylor in Ulm then it is Per Guenther. Guenther always looks so focused on the court, but if needed can really show his emotions on the court would probably let out the biggest cry of joy that probably could scantly be heard in Hagen if ratiopharm Ulm ever won a title.

Alba Berlin reached the 2014 Beko BBL playoffs in third place with a record of 26-7 and despite a winter lull where the club lost three of four games including their traditional game in Hagen which has been on the norm in the last years, the team comes into the playoffs having won nine of the last ten games. Their biggest wins of the season was against FC BayernMunich, Bamberg and sweeping ratiopharm Ulm. Especially on defense, the club has shifted up a few gears in the down stretch giving up under 70 points in seven of the last nine games leading up to the last game of the regular season against FC Bayern Munich. Everyone lauded Alba Berlin for getting big time player David Logan that played with top Euroleague teams the past two seasons in Athens and Tel Aviv and has 101 Euroleague games under his belt and he has been one of the leaders this season hitting huge shots and just bring defenses in turmoil with his active aggressive play on every touch of the ball, but fact is that the best player for Alba Berlin this season has been Reggie Redding who does everything on the court. He is second in team scoring, third in rebounding, first in assists, second in steals and first in field goal percentage. The fact that Redding can play positions 1-4 makes him all the more valuable.  Alba Berlin has a sound guard rotation with American Clifford Hammonds who knows exactly how to separate scoring from creating for his teammates and like Logan has a similar uncanny aggressiveness in his game. Young German Akeem Vargas who came as a nobody from Tuebingen to BG Goettingen where he had  a huge season in the Pro A to Alba Berlin where he has fought for minutes and received them. Recently he has been more in the German basketball news for his aggressive defense, but Sasa Obradovic wouldn´t want it any other way. Vojdan Stojanovski has been an adequate role player coming from the bench and shines more through his penetration than outside shooting. It took Alex King six years to reach a top German team as his development continued to grow from Frankfurt to Bonn to Wurzburg and has had a solid season for Alba Berlin. He is often in the starting rotation and when controlled can give the team energy on both ends of the court and he may never reach the 54,2% from outside from last seasons Eurocup season, but he takes the three pointer with much more confidence since his Frankfurt days. The big strength for Alba Berlin is the big positions. The club has a strong four man rotation with Jan Jagla who won the 2008 Uleb Cup with NBA player Ricky Rubio is still a force at 32 years of age. He took force in the Frankfurt game with three put backs off offensive rebounds in one quarter, Leon Radosevic who is injured and might play in the Ulm series is a capable inside/out player, Levon Kendall is a modern 208cm player that is smart around the bucket and has a nice touch from outside and young German Johannes Wohlfarth-Botterman that gives the club another dimension in their pick and role game.

Ratiopharm Ulm finished the season in sixth place with a record of 20-14. Ratiopharm Ulm come into the playoffs playing under 500 having won four of their last nine games. Their biggest wins of the season were against Bamberg, Artland and Bonn.  They are a team that can definitely light up the scoreboard, but the question is always, do they feel like defending as their defensive performances this season have been as up and down as actress Delta Burke´s weight in the last 20 years. ratiopharm Ulm is led by Per Guenther who is their leader and playmaker and gets their offense going. The Ulm guard play is a big strength as their three top scorers are all guards. Besides Guenther, there is American Cameron Long who has had a solid season can always present problems in crunch time, but has an unreliable three pointer as he was 0/6 against FC Bayern Munich, but 5/8 against medi bayreuth. Puerto Rican Edgar Sosa who learned the basketball trade under coaching legend Rick Pitino on the other hand can hit the three pointer with consistency making 7/8 against Cantu in Eurocup play, but also when his shot is turned off can be the playmaker as he displayed eight assists against Phoenix Hagen and seven assists against Wurzburg. The club also has a solid core at the wing with German Philipp Schwethelm who will never be a big scorer, but shines with his defense and can hit the three pointer under pressure,  experienced Adam Hess who won titles early in his career in the Czech Republic isn´t the youngest anymore, but still has the stroke from downtown and will help out on the boards and American Wil Clyburn who is the Super Tez of Ulm definitely shines with his athletic play, but didn´t bring the consistency on offense. The club had no easy task finding replacements for John Byrant as no player was able to duplicate the two time Beko BBL MVP, but the team has a solid four man rotation with 2008 NBA Draft pick Trent Plaisted who has almost identical stats with German Daniel Thiess with points, rebounds and field goal percentage. The only difference is that the German has a three pointer in his arsenal. Two time NCAA finalist with Butler Matt Howard is possibly the hardest working player on the team averaging 10,8ppg and 5,1rpg. Wisconsin alumnist and third year man with Ulm Keaton Nankivil is that diligent worker that has a solid inside out game and who could forget his three point buzzer beater against FC Bayern Munich.

Alba Berlin won the season series 2-0 winning the first game in a blow out in Berlin 102-74, but in the return game in Ulm, it was a lot closer as Alba Berlin won 92-87. Alba Berlin won the rebounding  duel in both games and used their deep rotation to their advantage as they were able to share the ball and get everyone involved. Alba Berlin has the home court advantage in this series and that first game will be very crucial. If ratiopharm Ulm could make the big surprise and steal it, then this series could go five games. However if Alba Berlin wins the first game then they will match through to the semi finals. Ratiopharm Ulm isn´t as potent as in recent years as big country John Bryant is gone. There is more pressure on the shoulders of Per Guenther who brings that team basketball quality to the team. When he is off the floor, then the ratiopharm Ulm style changes to less team basketball. This game will be decided on the boards and on the defensive end and since Alba Berlin do both much better will win this series. Logan and Redding are the key players to control for ratiopharm Ulm, but to get both off their game in the same game is more than unlikely. The roles in Berlin are more defined than in Ulm that other guys like Hammonds, Kendall or Radosevic will be able to carry them.

 

Tom Johnson is an Irish-Canadian that is a basketball coach and as a player played in countries like Belgium, Germany, France and Italy. As a coach he has coached in countries like Finland, Belgium and as of late in Austria for team Oberwart. He recently talked to German Hoops about basketball.

 

Tom thanks for talking to eurobasket.com. Where are you at the moment and are you a guy that likes to follow the NCAA March Madness?

 

Hi thanks for inviting me for this conversation. I am currently in Belgium. I do follow the March Madness and it is a great tournament this year.

On your eurobasket.com profile, it states that you were fired from your head coaching duty at Oberwart. You also were experiencing some health problems. What exactly was the cause for your dismissal? The club was at position seven and not necessarily down in the cellar.

I left Oberwart due to unexpected health issues that started in November. The treatment required 3 surgeries that took me away from the team for short and extended periods of time. The last surgery left me in the hospital for 9 days and took a lot out of me. It was impossible for me to continue at 100% energy and focus so the club and I agreed on an extended medical leave of absence until end of season. This decision was best for me and for the club.

Oberwart has had an up and down season having some nice winning streaks and also losing streaks. Why wasn´t the team able to be more consistent this season?

Well winning on a consistent basis is a seasonal phenomenon even under the very best of conditions but we had a completely new group of foreign players from last season and we had the unfortunate run of key injuries right at the end of preseason that affected our process of building integration and roles. The injury problems came back again down the road and then my health issues began so it was difficult to find a steady level with these distractions. I always believed that we were going to be tough at the end of the journey and I think the team can still do more than everyone expects in the playoffs.

You have been head coach in Finland and a long time in Belgium and in Austria the last two seasons. How was the step coming to Austria, a lower league in comparison to Belgium. Did you see it as a step backwards or a time to continue to develop and take on a new challenge?

I saw the decision to come to Austria as a new challenge and opportunity to have good results in yet another country that plays basketball on a very good level.

After a strong rookie season in Germany, Abe Lodwick has had a stellar season with Oberwart and is the second best rebounder on the team for 201cm. How important has this season been for him in developing further? Is Lodwick ready to go back to a higher level and succeed with the experience that he had in Austria?

Abe is one of the finest character guy I have ever coached. He approaches each day with professionalism. This season has been very important for Abe as I feel it has allowed him to play a more complete role and with this has helped him become a more complete player. I think the summer training will be very important for him. If he dedicates himself to bring new dimensions of specific strength and conditioning combined with better ball handling he can surely play a larger role in BBL as a combo 3-4.

American Sammy Zeglinksi came to Oberwart via a solid NCAA career at Virginia and a strong rookie season as so many players do like Derrick Allen did. Is Zeglinski ready next season for the next step like in the Beko BBL or a higher league?

Sammy is so talented and he has great natural instincts to score, make plays. He is a game changer when the chips are down. For the next level Sammy needs to also bring his conditioning level in the summer to a higher level going into his next preseason. I think he is a great piece for a team at the next level because. With another guard beside him that can create and make good scoring and passing decisions he would flourish. I kind of see him being a Taylor Rochestie type with continued development.

What was the most challenging thing that you had as a headcoach in Austria with Oberwart. If you had to compare your experience in Austria to other coaching stations in your career how would you describe it?

I think the challenges are the same everywhere you work as a professional coach. The overall professionalism is different on a daily operational sportive level when I compare BELGIUM, GERMANY and Turkey to Austria. It is difficult when you don’t have everyone in practice consistently…so the challenge then is to create and foster he best practice environment possible when you have 4 or maybe 5 players in morning practice. This can be tough but you have to teach and work constructively and intelligently inspite of the circumstances.

You came late in the 2009-2010 Beko BBL season to the Deutsche Bank Skyliners to assist Gordon Herbert and almost won a Beko BBL title. What exactly is your connection to Herbert? Did you guys meet in your short stay in Finland as a coach?

Gordie and I are both Canadian and from the same province of British Columbia. We both played on the Canadian National team albeit in different eras but this is the strong common bond we have. We met in Europe when he was coaching in Wurzburg and I was on an interim playing contract in Bamberg. We have been friends since. Gordie helped facilitate my first contact with a team in Finland where I started my coaching career.

Are you disappointed that you weren´t able to assist Gordon Herbert in Berlin or now in Frankfurt? It is no secret that Frankfurt has a Klaus Perwass since years as assistant coach and very dedicated non removable staff, but possibily in Berlin there could have been room for you?

I was talking to Gordie at the time he was about to go to Alba but I had the desire to head coach again after Assistant coaching positions in Frankfurt and Turk Telekom in Turkey. I think it would have been great to assist him in Alba but things just didn’t materialise in time. I would be great to work together with him in the future.

You played a season in Giessen as a player and was an assistant with Gordon Herbert. How appealing would be a return to Germany as head coach?

There are many many great coaches without jobs. Germany is one of the top leagues in Europe. Any aspiring pro coach would love to have an opportunity to work as a head coach there. I would love to have that opportunity. My experience working in multiple countries has prepared me for this but you need an opportunity.

Would you be willing to coach in the German Pro A if you had the possibility or is the Beko BBL main goal?

I think Pro A can be a great situation to build and move into the BBL. I am ready for an opportunity in the Beko BBL.

If you could describe yourself in a few sentences as to why any basketball team would love to have your coaching services how would you describe it?

Well, I believe I have distinguished myself by maximizing the potential I have had thus bringing the best results possible. I think I have a strong ability translate technical knowledge into a successful program for the players, coaching staff and management. I feel on a personal level I am extremely disciplined and competitive but I love people and want to connect on a human level with people from top to bottom within the organization. Without this human connection it is impossible to perform on the highest level and be successful.

Gordon Herbert has been a very successful basketball coach and is doing his magic again this season with the Fraport Skyliners as he has led some impressive wins against Munich and Ulm and fought through adversity with many injuries. You know him as coach and besides the normal blab la as to why he is so successful, what vital attribute in his coaching ability would you see as most vital as to why he is so consistent and successful?

Gordie has all the technical expertise that the top 1% coaches have. He is a great team builder understanding the personal human connection with different personalities. I think in professional European basketball you have people on your team from many different races, colors, religious backgrounds and if you can’t reach people as individuals than the culture of your team will never share and be responsible for the common goal. Gordie is a master at creating a culture and mentality of winning.

You have been coaching for a while. What satisfies you most about coaching besides winning?

Interpersonal relationships and the feeling of helping players develop to their potential.

What was your most memorable experience in your short time as assistant coach with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners?

Going to the Finals vs Bamberg and coming one win away from championship

 

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

 

The Butler.

 

Thanks Tom for the chat.

Joston Crow is a 26 year old 193cm swing man from Spring, Texas that is playing hiss econd season in the German Pro A for Crailsheim. Last season he played  30 games: 11.0ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.1spg, FGP: 54.8%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 73.9%. Before turning professional, he played for : Sam Houston St. (NCAA,) and palyed 31 games: 12.7ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.5apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 70.0%. He spoke to German Hoops before the final game in Goettingen for the title.

 

 

Josten thanks for talking to German HoopsIt has been a whirlwind and exciting of a season for Crailsheim. If someone had told you last September that Crailsheim would be in the German Pro A final, what would have been your reaction?

 

Great speaking with you as well. My first reaction would be that it is truly a blessing and a huge turnaround. I feel like we have a really have a good mix off guys that love to see each other succeed within our team concept.

The German Pro A had been a very very tight league. What was the biggest strength of head coach Willie Young and the club that it was able to have a strong season and reach the final?

Coach Will is a former player and has had a lot of success himself, so he knew what it takes for a team to prosper in the long run. I believe that his ability to stay calm in pressure situations, allows us to do the same and focus at the task at hand.

What is your general reaction of the Pro A final format in that it is a two game series like in soccer and the team that has the better point difference wins

Its something that I’ve never experienced before, but not hard to adjust to. But Ideally, I believe winning both games is the ultimate goal.

Crailsheim won at home 93-91 and made a tough fourth quarter comeback for the win. What was key for grinding out the win at home against 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goettingen.

Well I honestly believe we have the best fans in the League. They always play a huge part in our home success. I also believe we are battle tested in close-game situations, and believe that we can overcome a lot as a team.

Do you ever lose track of words how important the worth has been of Carlos Medlock for Crailsheim? Where would the club be without his services this season?

First off, Carlos is a great friend of mine, and a great player as well. He has been vital to our team’s success. Only God knows, where we would be without him.

Your stats have been down from last season, but still you have been a very important player for Crailsheim. You are shooting over 40% from outside. How pleased have you been with your play and I am sure you will leave it all on the floor once again Sunday in Goettingen.

I think we have a very deep team this year, and team success is the most important thing to me. So I am very pleased with that at this point. Individually, you always want to improve and I feel like I will continue to do so. I am very anxious for Sunday’s game, as are my teammates.

How positive are you going into the last game Sunday in Goettingen? Crailsheim have a 2-1 season record against BG Goettingen. However BG Goettingen need to win by more than two points. Crailsheim forced BG Goettingen to 20 turnovers in the last game. I guess the main focus is to just win the game and Crailsheim will be Pro A champion. What else will be key in going home champion?

I am positive and thankful for the opportunity to compete in this game in Goettingen today. And I agree 100% Winning the game will be our focus. I also think that taking care of the ball and making free throws will be crucial to winning this game, as it usually is.

Have you been surprised by all the close NBA series in the first round?

I have been shocked by all the close series in the NBA playoffs. Im a native Houstonian, so to see the Rockets lose in the first round was disappointing but I believe they will bounce back next year.

Can the Dallas Mavericks win game seven in San Antonio? What is your prediction and why?

Sure, I believe Dallas CAN win, however, San Antonio’s championship experience and deep roster sways me in their direction. I pick SA. Home court in the deciding game is big, and Tony Parker remains to be one of the league’s most underrated PG’s in my opinion.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Soul Men with Samuel L. Jackson and Bernie Mac.

Thanks Josten for the chat.

 

Playing in the O2 World arena in Berlin is for many Beko BBL teams the highlight of the season as not only does one have the challenge of beating a top Beko BBL team, but one plays in one of the most modern, spectacular and amazing arenas in Europe. Plus one can measure one´s self against top players like David Logan, Leon Radosevic or Clifford Hammonds all the while not getting intimidated by the three time Yugoslavian world champion Sasa Obradovic. However for the Fraport Skyliners all these challenges seemed to be a bit in the shadow of the process of how the season has gone for the 2000 German cup winner. With the last game of the season in Berlin and totally meaningless for Frankfurt as in the past they had played very important playoff games in May, there were many questions on the minds of the players to where they could actually be in the standings on the last game day. Where would the team be today if Dawan Robinson had stayed the whole season and played as dominate as last season. Where would the Fraport Skyliners be if Andrew Rautins had played the complete season and dropped some more 30 point games on teams. Where would the team be placed if they had won a number of the six crunch time loses that was inflicted upon them. Where would Frankfurt be if Dane Watts had played the last six weeks and if Kevin Bright hadn´t been more injured and had been able to develop his game more. The Fraport Skyliners had to forgot what could have been for 40 minutes and play for pride and try to whip the butts of 8 time Beko BBL champion and go into summer vacation with their heads held high, but Alba Berlin was simply too much for the Fraport Skyliners winning 67-59 in a defensive orientated battle. After the game Cincinnati native Quantez Robertson had his typical post game face on and deflected any ideas that the game didn´t have some kind of meaning. “It was tough playing an opponent Alba Berlin in the last game of Marius Nolte and Sid. I thought we were motivated to play as hard as we could. I love the basketball competition against the other guys and just having fun”, smiled Quantez Robertson. For Alba Berlin the game had a meaning as they still had chances of overtaking Bamberg with them losing at home against Bonn, but that didn´t happen, but the players know that every game has  a meaning for their three time European champion head coach Sasa Obradovic. “We were motivated as there is never any relaxation for Sasa Obradovic. He always wants to win and it was important to win, but with Bamberg winning, we now have a meaningless game against FC Bayern Munich Sunday, but where we will give everything”, warned ex Frankfurt Skyliner Alex King.

Alba Berlin came into the game in third place with a record of 25-7 and were riding a very strong eight game winning streak after having had a down period in February where they lost three of four games. Alba Berlin had a slow first half, but found their rhythm on offense in the third quarter and also displayed consistency on both ends of the court as the Fraport Skyliners were unable to find a way to combat it. Alba Berlin also were teasing Frankfurt all game long on the boards as Frankfurt was unable to match their intensity. “We fought hard for 40 minutes, but I have to give a lot of credit to the Skyliners. They played very well and hard despite injuries and having many young players. We fought hard against them and knew that they would cave in sometime and we took advantage of it. We took advantage of our offensive strength as Redding and Logan hit big shots. When you have guys of their offensive capabilities, it will always be to our advantage. Our ball movement also was very good”, stressed ex Telekom Baskets Bonn guard. The Fraport Skyliners entered the game in 11^th place with a record of 14-19 and were playing spirited basketball as of late as they went into the Alba Berlin game with a three game winning streak having won games against TBB Trier, SC Rasta Vechta and the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. The Fraport Skyliners played a very solid first half having the lead for the first 17 minutes until they allowed Alba Berlin to go on  a little run. In the second half, the 2004 Beko BBL champion just couldn´t keep up with the intensity of the 2014 cup champion and couldn´t match their experience, versatility or depth. “We wanted to end the season on a good note in Berlin. We didn´t lose energy in the third quarter, but focus. We took bad shots and missed passes which doomed us. Overall we did  a good job on defense holding Alba Berlin to 67 points. However we didn´t do a good job on defensive rebounds. But overall it was a decent effort on defense”, stressed Oklahoma native Jacob Burtschi.

Ex Frankfurt Skyliner Ibrahim Diarra was at the game watching his ex team play, while Alba Berlin had to play without Leon Radosevic and the Fraport Skyliners were without ex Vanderbilt guard Kevin Bright as both were suffering injuries. The Fraport Skyliners got on the board first as Danilo Barthel nailed a sweet hook shoot over 2008 ULEB Cup winner Jan Jagla. David Logan then connected on a catch and pop three pointer as ex Clemson point guard Cliff Hammonds set him up. Frankfurt started to defend aggressively from the bat which presented problems for Alba Berlin as they were forced to tough shots. The Fraport Skyliners took advantage of missed shots and stormed out on a 8-0 run to take the 10-3 lead. The run was started with a bang with back to back three point bombs from American Jarred Dubois and German Konstantin Klein. Klein then connected on free throws. Frankfurt was able to extend their lead to 14-5 as they did a super job drawing fouls as Klein and Burtschi hit free throws, while Canadian Levon Kendall made a reverse dunk getting fed by German Sven Schultze.  Basketball continues to be a game of runs as Alba Berlin halted the Frankfurt run with their own 7-0 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 14-12. In the run Reggie Redding hit free throws, Vojdan Stojanovski made free throws and ex BG Goettingen guard Akeem Vargas dropped a three pointer on the fast break. It didn´t help the Frankfurt cause that Aziz Ndiaye was blanked at the free throw line. Ex Phoenix Hagen Forward Jacob Burtschi did end the first quarter on  a good note hitting a three pointer as the Fraport Skyliners led 17-12. “Frankfurt started very well, something that isn´t easy to do her. Despite their injury problems this season, you could see that the young Germans play with mush confidence. Frankfurt defended very well, something that has always been a staple of head coach Gordon Herbert”, stressed ex Frankfurt Skyliner Ibrahim Diarra. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 33% from the field and 43% from outside while Alba Berlin was shooting 27% from the field and 40% from outside. Frankfurt had the 9-8 rebound edge, but six turnovers while Frankfurt had three turnovers.

In the second quarter, the Fraport Skyliners were able to keep the lead until the last minutes as the game remained tight. Jan Jagla really took control in the second quarter as his inside dominance brought back memories to the potent Kyle Visser play in Braunschweig where he gave a basketball lesson on how to control the boards. Alba Berlin started the second quarter with a 6-3 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 19-18. Jagla made two easy tip ins as Frankfurt was simply to soft inside and let the ex Penn State center dictate the play. Kendall made a fade away jumper over NDiaye and Quantez Robertson struck for a three pointer. Robertson kept up his three point shooting terror connecting on another from down town and David Logan who has played 101 Euroleague games scored inside as Frankfurt led 22-20. Even if Frankfurt got beat on the boards at times, they also made amends as Johannes Voigtmann scooped up an offensive rebound and made the put back as Frankfurt led 26-20. Alba Berlin then had some luck as big man Levon Kendall who has a nice touch from outside connected on a three pointer and Danilo Barthel made free throws as Frankfurt led 28-22. However Alba Berlin then scored 13 unanswered points to lead 35-28. Indianapolis native David Logan got hot hitting two nasty shots where Frankfurt defended him well making a step back and a catch and pop three pointer.  Jagla got his third put back of the quarter as Frankfurt remained as lax on the boards as a linebacker who gets plowed over by a running back who has no authority to do so. Stojanovski ended the run sneaking inside for the simple lay up. Frankfurt was able to halt the run with 4-0 run as Robertson scored inside and a spectacular last second shot by Johannes Richter who weaved inside and ended with a finger tip roll in as Alba Berlin went into halftime with the 35-32 advantage, “Jan Jagla had  a big quarter, but that was no surprise. He was the biggest on the court and should have been able to make those plays. Max Merz had some problems and then make  a few turnovers and Alba Berlin will go on a run which they did”; stressed Ibrahim Diarra. Alba Berlin was shooting 40% from the field and 38% from the three point line and the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 41% from the field and 40% from the three point line. Alba Berlin had the 17-16 rebound edge and seven turnovers and Frankfurt had 10 turnovers.

In the third quarter, both teams had massive problems producing points as in the first six minutes only two field goals had been hit as Frankfurt had the 3-2 lead in the quarter itself. The game was wild as both teams were making turnovers at a high rate and Quantez Robertson made three steals in a span of two minutes to hinder Alba Berlin from breaking away. “Tez never stops no matter if were up by 30 or down by 30”, stressed ex Bremerhaven forward Jacob Burtschi. However with four minutes to play in the third quarter, Alba Berlin was able to break away ending the quarter with a 15-7 run to lead 52-42. Alba Berlin got free throws from Kendall and  a huge three pointer from ex Tuebingen American Redding. Frankfurt was involved in too many individual plays as Dubois shot a hook shot airball and the club made some turnovers because of  a lack of concentration. Alba Berlin continued to get to the foul line as Kendall connected and Hammonds who is playing in his sixth country as a professional nailed a three pointer as Alba Berlin led 47-36. In the last few minutes, Frankfurt attempted to chip at the Alba Berlin lead, but couldn´t get it down to 10 points. Konstantin Klein who bested his top scoring games against Bamberg and Vechta with 16 points in Berlin made an  off balance shot with one second on the shot clock. Alex King who played a very controlled game penetrated from the wing and found Kendall for the easy bucket as Frankfurt trailed 49-38. Dubois then scored inside while King nailed a high rainbow three pointer and Robertson made two free throws as Alba Berlin led 52-42 after 30 minutes. “Alba Berlin upped their defense in the third and showed why they are such a good defensive team. We had no offense in this phase and they got going”, stressed Fraport Skyliner captain Marius Nolte. ”We had  a good third quarter opening up the game that got us going to winning the game”, added Philadelphia native Reggie Redding. Alba Berlin was shooting 40% from the field and 43% from the parking lot while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 36% from the field and 36% from the parking lot. Alba Berlin was leading the rebound duel 27-21 and has 12 turnovers while Frankfurt had 14 turnovers.

In the fourth quarter Alba Berlin kept control of the game as the Fraport Skyliners made one last push in crunch time, but couldn´t limit turnovers at the end to make the game even more exciting as they couldn´t cut the lead down to less than seven points. Alba Berlin started off the fourth quarter with a 4-0 run to lead 56-42 as the big men Jan Jagla and Johannes Wolfarth-Bottermann scored buckets in the zone. Frankfurt also connected on offense, but couldn´t really make any ground as they were unable to get consecutive stops on defense. Robertson found an open Voigtmann on the pick and role for a dunk, but Hammonds  hit a turn around shot and Klein followed with  a three pointer as he saw a second of daylight and shot, but Frankfurt couldn´t make any  ground as they trailed 58-47. King then made a tough turn around shot over the taller Voigtmann as Alba Berlin led 62-49. Frankfurt then made one last push going on a 6-2 run to trail Alba Berlin 64-55 as Barthel and Klein connected on free throws, Redding made a fade away shot and Klein snuck inside for the easy basket. With a minute to play, Frankfurt sought one last breath of hope as Barthel nailed  a three pointer as Frankfurt trailed 65-58. However Nolte came on the floor for his last minutes  in his professional basketball career missing free throws and making  a turnover as Redding made him pay with a step back jumper sealing the win for Alba Berlin. “Redding was big in the fourth quarter showing why he was a MVP candidate. He hit big shots and is a big piece to their success and why he is here and not in Tuebingen”, stressed Jacob Burtschi. “Experiencee helped us get this win today. In so many situations, Sasa Obradovic knows which player should have the ball and what decisions should be made. We stayed calm at the end and hit our shots”, stressed ex s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg forward Alex King. “From the middle of the third quarter until the end, we got away from executing and didn´t make the easy plays. We missed shots, but also passed up easy shots. We didn´t do a good job boxing out”, warned  Quantez Robertson.

Alba Berlin were led by David Logan and Levon Kendall with 12 points a piece. Reggie Redding contributed 11 points and Jan Jagla added 10 points. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Konstantin Klein with 16 points. Quantez Robertson and Danilo Barthel produced 10 points  a piece. Alba Berlin finished the game shooting 43% from the field and 40% form outside while the Fraport Skyliners shot 39% from the field and 37% from outside. Alba Berlin dominated the boards 36-28 and had 16 turnovers while Frankfurt had 18 turnovers. It was the last game for Paderborn native Marius Nolte who was sad after the loss about playing his last game, but also looked forward and is looking forward to see what the club will do in the next season. “The German players developed and with Tez and Burtschi on board, I am convinced that we will have a successful season next year. We made  a good step this season and now we will see where it will take us”, stressed Marius  Nolte. The biggest fighter and biggest heart remains to Quantez Robertson and he was a big reason why his teammates followed his lead this season. “We fought every game, played aggressive each game, left it on the floor and won and lost as  a team. I think our future is great. Our goal will be the playoffs and looking to play cup and play for a championship”, warned Quantez Robertson