Thomas Schreiner is a 27 year old 195cm point guard from St Polten, Austria that will be playing his third season with Spanish team  MoraBanc Andorra (Spain-Liga Endesa)helping them move up this season to division one. He started his basketball career in 2003 for : UKJ SUBA St.Polten (B Bundesliga) where he played until 2006. In the 2006-2007 season he played for  BSC Raiffeisen Furstenfeld Panthers (A Bundesliga): Stage 1: 21 games: 3.1ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.8bpg; Stage 2: 14 games: 7.6ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.0apg, 2.3bpg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 71.4%. Then in 2007 he returned back to St Polten where he played until 2011. In the 2011-2012 season he played for  ECE Bulls Kapfenberg (A Bundesliga). Since 2012 he has been playing for Andorra. Currently he is a member of the Austrian national team and spoke to German Hoops after the loss to Germany in qualifying.

 

Thomas thanks for talking to German Hoops. A tough 77-64 loss to Germany in the second game of European qualifications. I guess Austria learned tonight that a game has 40 minutes and not 35 minutes. Is this a game that Austria will be able to forget quickly?

 

It was definitely a tough loss for us. We have to move on from last nights game quickly, we have to draw confidence from our first 35 minutes and learn from our mistakes. We have to move on quickly because we have another big game on Sunday against Poland.

 

With five minutes to play Austria led 64-56, but then totally lost their rhythm allowing Germany to finish the game with a 21-0 run. Did Austria get tired? What were the main reasons for not being able to score in the last five minutes?

I don’t think it was about us getting tired. We just had a couple of mental breakdowns and got to passive because of their defensive intensity.

Germany lost the first game in Poland and were on the boarder of losing in Austria. Were you surprised how Germany played for 35 minutes? Is Germany overrated or just not playing to their potential despite having NBA player Dennis Schroeder and other top players?

It’s obvious they’re not playing up to their potential so far. I think that they’re a really talented team but haven’t had a chance to prepare properly because of the NBA summer league. Also, you cannot forget that they’re a really young team.

Enis Murati led Austria with 27 points and shot 11/16. He has played in Austria his whole life. Do you believe that some German teams now know who he is after this performance?

I think after last nights performance everybody who watched the game in Germany now knows him. I’m glad he played well and got a chance to show that they’re also good players in the Austrian league.

What German player impressed you the most in the game? Maxi Kleber was a big factor in the fourth quarter why Germany could come back and win the game.

Maxi Kleber was the X factor for Germany. He is a really talented player and had an outstanding performance against us. I think he has a bright future ahead of him.

How content are you that Austria can still advance? Austria now plays Poland next who is 2-0.

We knew coming into this group that it would not be easy to qualify for the European championships. We are heading into every game with the mindset that we want to win, and I still believe in our team that if we play our best basketball we can still qualify.

You already led the Austrian league in assists as a 21 year old in the 2007-2008 season with 7,6 assists per game. Has passing and finding your teammates always come easy to you?

I’m a player who does whatever the team needs to win games. For me as a Point Guard to try to get everybody involved.

You will be playing your third season for MoraBanc Andorra (Liga Endesa) and helped them move up from Leb Gold to the Liga Endesa. How thrilled are you to start to play in the best league behind the NBA this season?

I’m very excited, and look forward to competing with the best players in Europe.

You were second best in the Leb Gold in assists last year. What will be most challenging on the court this season for you coming from the Leb Gold league?

I think the biggest challenge will be to compete against even better players and teams than last season. I also think the speed of the game is another notch higher in the Liga Endesa.

You played with Jordi Trias who played 6 seasons for FC Barcelona and this season Victor Sada will join the team who played 8 seasons for FC Barcelona and won medals at the 2011 European championships and 2012 Olympics. Since you have been there has Trias told any interesting stories from his Barcelona days?

Yes, like every veteran he shared a lot of interesting and also funny stories about his career, and especially his time in Barcelona.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Captain America 2

Thanks Thomas for the chat.