Braydon Hobbs is a 27 year old 196cm point guard playing his third season in Germany and first with ratiopharm Ulm. Last season he played for the  Giessen 46ers playing 33 games averaging 10.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.8apg, Steals-3(1.7spg), FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 42.2%, FT: 86.8%. Two seasons ago he played for  rent4office Nuernberg (Germany-ProA) where he averaged 11,9ppg, 4.1rpg, Assists-4(5.9apg), Steals-2(1.9spg), FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 82.4% . He started his basketball career in 2008 with Bellarmine (NCAA2) playing a total of 133 games. He turned professional in 2012 and played for Caceres Basket (Spain-LEB Gold, starting five): 35 games: 7.1ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.9apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 41.9%, 3PT: 34.7%, FT: 87.9%. In 2013-2014 he played for Alba Fehervar (Hungary-A Division, starting five): Eurocup: 10 games: 11.9ppg, 3.1rpg, 3.6apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 40.4%, 3PT: 52.3%; Hungarian League: 32 games: 9.1ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.4apg, Steals-2(2.3spg), FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 72.7%. He also played three summers professionally in Australia. He spoke to German Hoops before the game against the Fraport Skyliners.

 

Braydon thanks for talking to German HoopsYou have spent your third Easter in a row in Germany. What have you learned to appreciate most about Easter in Germany that you haven´t had in the States?

Easter is always a good time of year, whether I’m in the US or in Germany. I appreciate the time I get with my family here in Germany though. A lot of the stores are closed on Friday and then again on Monday so it gives me a lot of time to spend with the family at home.

After winning 26 games in a row, you lost to FC Bayern Munich recently, but since beat Wurzburg and Giessen. Is basketball life back to normal in Ulm?

Basketball life is definitely back to normal after the loss. It was a tough loss, but I think we have responded in the right way.

Congrats on the big 72-63 victory against your ex team Giessen 46ers. Giessen played a good game, but would you say that keys to the win were controlling the boards and forcing them to 17 turnovers?

Giessen played a solid game against us. Neither team played particularly well on the offensive end. I wouldn’t say we controlled the boards because I think they out-rebounded us. Forcing them into 17 turnovers was a key to the game for sure though.

Your ex team Giessen 46ers played ratiopharm Ulm very tough in both games. How proud are you of their success and how have you observed their development since your tenure there?

I’m proud of how they have played this season. I watch a lot of their games and they play a good style of basketball. They are well coached under Coach Wucherer and the guys seem to buy into what he wants.

Your ex head coach Denis Wucherer has announced that this is his last season as he has done excellent work in the last 4 years with Giessen. Rumour has it he will head to Alba Berlin. Do you believe that he is ready for the next step and be successful right away with an organization that expects success right away?

I think Coach will be great wherever he goes next. Players love to play for him and they enjoy his style of basketball as well. He is ready for the next step wherever that might be.

Before the loss to FC Bayern Munich, I am sure the team was thinking only from game to game, but how disappointed were you that the undefeated record was stopped and do you still feel that the team had the game to have gone undefeated in the regular season?

I think everyone is disappointed when they lose, so I was upset after the loss. It’s extremely difficult to finish any type of season undefeated, but it would have been cool to be a part of an undefeated season.

How beneficial is it not going into the playoffs undefeated? Was the loss to FC Bayern Munich possibly a positive thing in disguise in the teams quest to win the BBL title?

We can always look at the loss as a positive thing. We need to learn from our mistakes and hopefully finish the season out strong.

How have you seen ratiopharm Ulm continue to develop and progress despite never losing games until FC Bayern Munich? That is always a challenge when your winning. How has the club still been able to progress as a unit?

After the loss to Munich, I think we have bounced back in a solid way. Hopefully we learned from the loss and move onto the next game.

Will you be very surprised if your teammate Raymar Morgan isn´t named MVP this season? What one experience has shown you this season that he is the MVP of the league?

Raymar has had an incredible season so far. He is one of the main reasons why we have only lost one game thus far, in the BBL. He is a matchup nightmare for other teams. I can’t think of any one experience, but every time he steps on the court he brings it.

Six months ago, you stated “My defense has been just okay this season. It can always get better of course. I can improve on my one on one defense a bit more”. How has it continued to develop this season?

My defense has definitely improved as the season has gone on. I think we are better defensively as a team as well, which helps everyone’s defense a little bit.

Your fourth in assists in the BBL this season. If somebody had told you that in the winter of 2015 when you were with Nurnberg that in two years you would be among the top assist leaders in the BBL what would you have stated?

I love to pass so that’s not too far fetched. I love to make my teammates better by passing and by putting them in a position to score.

You play with amazing talent and with a team chemistry that is among the best in the BBL. How has your playmaking and point guard play progressed throughout the season that has left you with a content feeling?

It has definitely been a work in progress. It took me a couple games to get comfortable with the new team, but things are going great now. We all enjoy playing together, so that helps a lot.

The next game is against the Fraport Skyliners who played you tough in Frankfurt 79-73. What memories do you have of that game? This weekends game will display a total reformed Frankfurt roster as Antonio Graves, Kwawe Vaughn and Shavon Shields are gone.

I remember they had a totally different lineup from what they have now. We didn’t play a great game either. We will need to play better this Saturday to get the win.

Ratiopharm Ulm are still battling Bamberg for the right to own position one while Frankfurt will give their Germans ample minutes and will have no pressure. What kind of game can we await and what will be key for winning?

I think it will be a tough game. I think we need to execute offensively a bit better than we have in the last couple of games. We will need to limit our turnovers and control the boards as well.

Devin Booker recently hit the Boston Celtics with 70 points. Did it surprise you that he reached this feat before other big time NBA players?

It definitely surprised me a little bit. He is extremely talented, but to get 70 points, in one game, is unreal.

Where do you rank Isaiah Thomas now with the top NBA point guards and can he still help them make a run despite the death of his sister?

I would rank him in the top 5 of point guards in the league. I love watching him play. He plays with great confidence and has the potential to carry them pretty far. They are struggling at the moment but we will see.

How special was the run of South Carolina at the 2017 NCAA tournament? Do you feel like this was the story of March Madness 2017?

It was a good Cinderella story for South Carolina. I was shocked that they made it that far. They had excellent defense and that carried them to the final four. This was one of the main stories of the tournament for sure.

Is Lonzo Ball the real thing? Do you feel like he will be able to develop further despite the antics of his father on social media?

I think Lonzo Ball is a talented basketball player. I’m not sure he is going to be one of the best ever like his dad thinks. We can only wait and see.

There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?

I am not sure if that is true or not. He is an animal on the court regardless though. He plays with a chip on his shoulder at all times. He has one of the best motors in the NBA, so I think he would be getting a lot of triple doubles anyway.

What was the last movie that you saw?

Mr. Deeds

Thanks Braydon for the chat.