Month: November 2016

Eugene Harris(Hebeisen White Wings) Consistency Comes With Preparation So We Have To Continue To Get Better Everyday

Eugene Harris is a 29 year old 193cm point guard from Pittsburgh and is playing his sixth professional season and first in Germany with the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau. Last season he played for Siarka Tarnobrzeg (Poland-TBL): 13 games: 6.9ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2FGP: 32.6%, 3FGP: 25.4%, left in Jan.’16, later that month moved to KTE-Duna Aszfalt (Hungary-A Division): 11 games: 6.4ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 28.3%, FT: 75.0%. He started his basketball career in 2006 with  High Point (NCAA) where he played until 2010 playing a total of 121 NCAA games. As a senior he played 30 games averaging 14.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 38.7%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 87.5%.In his first five professional seasons, he has gained vast experience having played in countries like Lithuania, Georgia, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Ukraine. He spoke to German Hoops after the big 70-66 win against Nurnberg.

 

 

 

Eugene congrats on the huge 70-66 win on the road in Nurnberg. How good is basketball life for you at the moment?

Thank you ,It’s always good to get a win on the road in a tough environment and our team responded well. We will enjoy this and then refocus on what’s ahead.

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Brandon Shingles(I’ve Made A Career Out Of Being A Well-Rounded Player)

Brandon Shingles is a 28 year old 190cm guard from Albany, Georgia that currently is at home waiting by the phone for a job. Last season he played for the UNI-Riesen Leipzig playing 23 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 4.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 62.1%, 3PT: 18.2%, FT: 67.2% He started his basketball career at Morehead St. (NCAA) and as a senior played 32 games: 4.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.8apg, 1.5spg. In 2010 he started his professional basketball career at  Aschersleben Tigers BC (Germany-2.Regionalliga) playing  15 games: 14.5ppg. He led the team to the Regionaliga 2 title. In the 2011-2012 season he played for Guildford Heat (United Kingdom-BBL) playing  6 games: 7.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 57.1%, FT: 31.3%; left in Nov.’11, then moved to BBC Febro Eagles Magdeburg (Germany-Regionalliga) playing  7 games: 16.1ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 61.8%, FT: 63.0%. He then played for KB Drita Gjilan (Kosovo-SuperLeague) and three years ago for GBP Badajoz (Spain-EBA) playing 15 games: 15.5ppg, 8.3rpg, 3.6apg, 2.3spg, 2FGP: 60.8%, 3PT: 6.3%, FT: 57.3%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

 

Brandon thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how was your summer?

Summer was good with a lot of training and traveling. I also coached AAU in the summer. I’m currently an assistant coach at Taylor county high school.

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Mike Lucier (Dragons Rhondorf) I Try To Play Above The Rim And Get The Fans Into The Game

Mike Lucier is a 23 year old 201 cm forward from Forest,Ontario that is playing his rookie season in Germany with Pro B club Dragons Rhondorf. He played at Lambton (CCAA) from 2011-2016. As a junior he played 18 games games averaging  17.7ppg, 11.3rpg, 2.4apg, 1.1spg, 1.3bpg. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season and first impressions before the start of the regular season.

Mike thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

Hey Miles, right now I am in Bad Honnef getting ready to get our regular season started. My summer was pretty good, I spent a lot of time in the gym trying to prepare myself to take the next step in my basketball career.

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Ekene Ibekwe Leads The Fraport Skyliners Shutting Down Ex Team CEZ Nymburk 74-61 In Champions League

It  was seven months ago that American Eugene Lawrence suffered one of his worst BBL defeats of last season in Frankfurt, but at least the American from Brooklyn, New York who only has to travel 21 miles in the summer to get from his home to Englewood, New Jersey to pick the basketball brain of Champions League opponent Jordan Theodore or to trade secrets about best groomed bald heads and could still boast that his 37 point demolition against Bamberg was worse than the 78-48 loss at the hands of Theodore and the Fraport Skyliners last season. In that game, the Fraport Skyliners shared the ball around nicely while the Telekom Baskets Bonn had a cold shooting day and were totally outplayed and worn down by their stellar defense of last season. Lawrence matched the point total of Theodore with nine points, but dished out only one assist as his playmaking was severely flawed by the aggressive Frankfurt defense. Last season, losing was a habit for Lawrence with the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but this season he returned back to an old stomping ground with CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL) where he won his only two titles in 2012. In the Czech Republic NBL league, he has helped the team register a perfect 10-0 record and their only loss was in Champions league play against Banvit and Theodore last week 75-69. In that loss, Theodore was his usual self-supplying 15 points, six boards and seven assists while Lawrence countered with 11 points. If Lawrence had the audacity to inquire Theodore after the loss some questions about how to beat Frankfurt is unknown, but one thing is for sure, Lawrence returned back to Germany with a massive chip on his shoulder after being swept by the Fraport Skyliners last season and getting creamed in the Fraport arena by 30 big ones. However once again, Lawrence had no fortune in the ex living room of Theodore as a huge second half and comeback by the Fraport Skyliners where they outscored CEZ Nymburk 44-21 helped win their second Champions League game 74-61 moving to 2-2 in group play.

After the loss, Lawrence departed from the locker room sniffling a bit as his cold wasn´t unnoticeable and his mood wasn´t either as he was more than disappointed by how his team collapsed in the second half. “I think that the third quarter killed us. We had too many turnovers and missed layups all game long. On the road, you must always be cautious of everything. We gave Frankfurt the momentum in the third quarter and it carried over until the end. We had a good second quarter, but Frankfurt punched first in the second half and kept coming”, stressed CEZ Nymburk point guard Eugene Lawrence. The Fraport Skyliners totally lost control of the game in the second quarter, but came back in the third quarter turning the game around and finishing strong to earn the win. “Coach Perwas told us at halftime to stay with it. We have worked too hard the last weeks to keep handing games away. Too often we are a good team for 20 minutes, but the other 20 minutes of not being a good team. We were more consistent and wanted it more and it paid off. It was all about better communication on offense and defense and it was the best game of the season where we did that”, explained Fraport Skyliner guard Kwame Vaughn.

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Larry Drew II (Neptunas Klaipeda)I Am Looking Forward To Putting Myself Back On The Map In Europe

Larry Drew the second is a 26 year old 188cm point guard from Encino, California that is playing his fourth professional season and first with Neptunas Klaipeda (Lithuania-LKL). He started his basketball career in 2008 with N.Carolina (NCAA) where he played until 2011 playing 96 NCAA games and winning the NCAA tournament in 2011. He then transferred to UCLA and as a senior played 35 games: 7.5ppg, 2.4rpg, Assists-4(7.3apg), 1.4spg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 43.3%, FT: 60.9%. He started his professional basketball career in 2013-2014 with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League, starting five): 46 games: 11.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 6.7apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 69.5%. In the 2014-2015 season he played with the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) playing 12 games: 3.8ppg, 1.3rpg, 3.8apg, in Feb.’15 signed at Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League) playing 45 games: 11.3ppg, 3.6rpg, Assists-2(9.5apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 42.6%, FT: 74.4%. Last season he played for AS Monaco Basket (France-ProA): 18 games: 4.1ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.6apg, left in Mar.’16, later that month moved to Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League): 8 games: 3.3ppg, 3.1apg, 1.0spg. Last summer he played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas (New Orleans Pelicans): 5 games: 7.2ppg, 3.6rpg, 3.8apg, 1.4spg. He spoke to eurobasket on the eve of the 2016 US presidential election and before the Champions League game against the EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Larry thanks for talking to German Hoops Welcome to Germany. It´s election night. What is your impression of this election?

It has been a little wild. So far the media coverage has been big and it feels more like it´s about ratings than about choosing the right candidate to run the country right. I am not a big Donald Trump fan. For me it´s about choosing the lesser of two evils. Maybe we will see Hilary Clinton as the new president.

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Eugene Lawrence (CEZ Basketball Nymburk) I Am In My Prime Now And Think I´m Better Now Than When I Was 27

Eugene Lawrence is a 30 year old 184cm point guard from Brooklyn, New York that is playing his ninth professional season and second with CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL). He started his basketball career in 2004 with St.John’s (NCAA) until 2008 playing a total of 114 NCAA games and as a senior played 30 games averaging 7.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.7apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 34.4%, 3PT: 25.8%, FT: 70.2%: Finished career at St. John’s ranked fourth all-time in assists (520), fourth in three pointers made (122) and fifth in steals (196). He started his professional basketball career in 2008 with BK Casta SPU Nitra (Slovakia-Extraliga) playing 32 games averaging 17.9ppg, 5.3rpg, Assists-1(6.4apg), Steals-1(2.3spg), 2FGP: 59.2%, 3PT: 33.7%, FT: 71.7%. He then played two seasons with BK Prostejov (Czech Republic-NBL) and then moved to CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL). He then played with Hoverla Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine-Superleague) for one and a half seasons and then played two and a half seasons with the Telekom Baskets Bonn and last season played 33 games: averaging 8.1ppg, 2.7rpg, Assists-2(7.0apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 39.7%, 3PT: 27.4%, FT: 78.7%; Eurocup: 10 games: 10.5ppg, 2.3rpg, Assists-3(7.4apg), FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 80.6%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Champions League game against the Fraport Skyliners.

Eugene welcome back to Germany. You had a tough departure from Bonn. If you retired tomorrow could you say out of all the teams I played for as a professional, Bonn was my second home?

It’s great to be back. Last season was rough but I also have so many great memories from Bonn. If I had to retire tomorrow it would be really close but Bonn would be in my top 2 places I’ve played for sure.

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The Joseph Lewis Point Guard Mentality Surges medi Bayreuth To 7th Win In Row Creaming The Fraport Skyliners 72-56

The first few weeks in Germany haven´t been easy for Fraport Skyliner Kwame Vaughn as he came into a difficult situation to a team that was suffering growing pains and needed the instant savior as the Oakland, California native didn´t lead the team to new heights, but rather to low heights on a 5 game losing streak. It isn´t always fair to blame the point guard for the team woes, but that is how the basketball reality usually works and the American had to hear criticism, but his play wasn´t all that bad as he showed flashes of his scoring ability and knack of fine playmaking, but just didn´t do it consistently and he also didn´t have a team on the same page which didn´t make his conducting skills any easier. It was obvious that sooner or later the ex Cal State Fullerton(NCAA) guard would slip out of his funk and be good for a break out game and that is exactly what happened 5 days ago where he helped snap the team´s five game losing streak and register their first win in the Champions League. Vaughn entered into the game in Slovenia with a chip on his shoulder and was brilliant scoring 27 points, grabbing five boards, dishing out five assists and getting three steals. He didn´t let a pointless third quarter discourage him as he netted vital buckets in crunch-time to preserve the victory on the road. Vaughn now had some new refreshing self-confidence and had the golden opportunity to add on to his stellar game in Slovenia and help defeat one of the hottest teams in the BBL with medi Bayreuth. Vaughn entered into the Bayreuth game focused and looking to extend the Fraport Skyliners winning streak to two games, but despite a solid effort on his part, he was unable to get the needed support on offense as the Fraport Skyliners lost their fourth game in a row in the BBL and sixth of their last seven games. After the third loss in a row at home in the BBL, Vaughn had the same helplessness look that he had against the SC Rasta Vechta loss, but he didn´t point any fingers at his teammates. “We lost as a team and my teammates always help me on the court. Our problem at the moment is that we can´t execute. I always try to get the team involved, score on my own and just pick my spots. We need to bring more energy and fight to the court. Our biggest downfall today was that we didn´t bring enough intensity at both ends”, stressed Kwame Vaughn who finished with 12 points, four assists and shot 44% from the field.

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Terrell Harris (Iserlohn) We Have The Depth To Play With Anyone In This League

 

Terrell Harris is a 23 year old 190cm guard from Indiantown,Florida that is playing his rookie season in Germany with the : Iserlohn Kangaroos (Germany-ProB). He started his basketball career at Mars Hill (NCAA2) in 2011 and then moved to Georgia College in 2012. As a senior he played 29 games averaging 24.6ppg, 6.7rpg, 4.0apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 36.3%, FT: 76.8%. He concluded his college basketball career winning the All-PeachBelt Player of the Year 2016. Harris spoke to German Hoops after the 84-74 victory against Stahnsdorf.

 

Terrell thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the big 84-74 victory against Stahnsdorf. How good did it feel to get back on the winning track after the bitter loss last weekend against Bochum?

Hey Miles nice to talk to you again like always. Thank you on the victory, it feels good to win any game in this league. In all we are better than our performance against Stahnsdorf. I know personally I did not play up to my potential and overall we did not play up to our potential as a team, but we are learning.

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Georg Beyschlag Powers FC Bayern Munich 2 Past The Fraport Skyliners Juniors 64-59

One of the main attractions in any German football city is when the big mighty FC Bayern Munich comes to town and for years and years and years the Red was always in Niederrad a close hop over the Main river playing 45 times against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga since 1965, but since 2011 a second FC Bayern Munich has crossed over into Frankfurt to Hoechst as the basketball department finally was back in the first league and has been battling the Fraport Skyliners for years with the Bavarian team getting the last laugh on most occasions. However this season a third FC Bayern Munich club will make their first appearance to Frankfurt with their farm team as they came to the Nordwest center where the Fraport Skyliners Juniors have their home residence to duel on a rare Friday evening. Even if an Uli Hoeness had some how gotten lost or by mistake made his way into the smug BCM gym or assistant coach Demond Greene had let some of his contacts go to work and urged some of his old German national team teammates to watch the game, the main title of this game could only be one “Kids”. The Pro B is obviously a league that develops many young players, but very rarely do you see two teams like the Fraport Skyliners Juniors and FC Bayern Munich 2 sprout so much youthfulness as if the fountain youth was situated in the corner of the arena as both clubs have an average age of 18 years on their respective rosters. Another amazing thing about this clash of the youth was that neither team had an American import which is very rare, but FC Bayern Munich 2 did have enough support from other European countries to help improve their respectable 4-1 record while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were reeling a bit trying to get back on the winning track boasting a tiresome 2-4 record having lost four of their last five games. The game was a tale of two halves as the Fraport Skyliners Juniors controlled the first half, but let the game slip away as FC Bayern Munich 2 roared back in the second half getting special energy from Karim Jallow and Georg Beyschlag defeating the Fraport Skyliners Juniors 64-59. After the fifth loss of the season, there was no discouragement from team elder statesman with 24 years German Tim Oldenburg who was back from an injury and was hopeful for the future of the young team. “It felt good to be back. It is all still a bit slow, but all is good. We have a very young team, but have Travis Thompson back and I feel that we still have the same quality from last season so all is good”, smiled Tim Oldenburg. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continue to have massive problems executing and hitting balls and their 26 turnovers defined an ever growing problem with taking care of the ball. “It didn´t matter what we did today, we couldn´t hit shots. We let them play their game in the third quarter in which they got easy baskets off our turnovers. Munich is a young team and it can be hard to get out of the hole, but we let them way too easily”, stressed Tim Oldenburg. FC Bayern Munich 2 like Frankfurt had a horrible offense game, but stepped it up on the defensive end a tic more than Frankfurt. “We had no rhythm on offense missing easy lay ups, free throws and having too many turnovers. We won this game with good defense”, stressed assistant coach Demond Greene.

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Tyson Hinz(Mitteldeutscher BC) I Need To Be Efficient And Effective Whether I play 10 Minutes Or 30 Minutes

Tyson Hinz is a 24 year old 20cm forward from Ottawa, Canada that is playing his third professional season and first in Germany with the Mitteldeutscher BC: He played the last two seasons with Landstede Basketbal Zwolle (Holland-Eredivisie) playing a total of 73 games and last season played 35 games averaging 13.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 1.8apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 76.6%. He started his basketball career at Carleton University (CIS) in 2009 and played there until 2014 playing a total of 123 CIS games and as a senior played 27 games averaging 15.4ppg, 6.1rpg, 2.7apg, FGP: 61.1%, 3PT: 42.4%, FT: 76.1%. There he won four CIS titles and three OUA titles. He spoke to German Hoops after the 79-65 victory against BV Chemnitz

 

 

Tyson thanks for talking to German Hoops. The Mitteldeutscher BC is currently 6-1 and have a three game winning streak. How good is basketball life for Tyson Hinz at the moment?

I am always extremely fortunate to be able to play basketball as my profession. Having our team tied for first in the league is always a nice bonus but there is still a lot of basketball to be played.

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