Month: April 2017

Matt Reid(Artland Dragons) I Would Like To Play 2 More Years And Then Go Into Coaching

Matt Reid is a 33 year old 185cm guard that hast he German/American citizenship and recently completed his tenth professional season and first with the Artland Dragons. He started his career with Cerritos JC (NJCAA) and then played two seasons with Cameron (NCAA2) and as a senior played 26 games averaging 20.2ppg, 5.4rpg, 3.3apg, 2.2spg, FGP: 46.1%, 3TP: 36.0%, FT: 81.0%. He turned professional in 2007 and played for the Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga).He then played two seasons with Saarlouis before moving to SC Rasta Vechta where he played from 2010-2012. He then gained further experience with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (Germany-ProB) and Herten(Pro B). He returned back to SC Rasta Vechta in 2014 where he played two more seasons before moving to Artland this season. He spoke to German Hoops after being ousted from the playoffs by Wurzburg.

Matt thanks for talking to German Hoops. The season has come to an end for you and the Artland Dragons. After finishing second in the Pro B north division behind Lok Bernau, how disappointing is it bowing out in the first round to Wurzburg?

It’s always disappointing for the season to end without winning the championship for any team but I am proud how my teammates worked hard all season and battled through injuries and adversity and was able to achieve 2nd place in the north this season.

After winning game one, the Artland Dragons lost game 2 and game 3 ending their season. You said a few months ago in an interview to me that confidence is always good, but too much can be deadly. Do you feel like you had too much confidence as a team heading into game 2?

Too much Confidence was not the problem why we lost game 2, we had a hard working week in practice and was totally focused on winning game 2 in Wurzburg.

You scored only seven points and had 9 assists and shot 1/5 from outside in the first two games. Do you feel like you let the team down a bit in game 2 not being aggressive enough?

I think me being in early foul trouble let my team down in Game 2 but me not being aggressive enough offensively was not a deciding factor for the lost, I was in foul trouble the whole game and 4 fouls in the 18th minute of me being on the court and recieved my 5th foul with 8 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. I thought I did well with not forcing plays and reading the defense well in the series. It was a 5 point game game with 7 minutes to go in the 4th but we had a 3 minute stretch where we struggled to execute in our offense and got outrebounded by 20 as a team and that in my opinion I think was the deciding factor to the game 2 lost.

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Trent Weaver (FC Schalke) I Can Guarantee That My Best Basketball Is Ahead Of Me

Trent Weaver is a 22 year old 203cm forward from Columbus, Ohio that completed his rookie season in Europe in Germany with FC Schalke. He got an early taste of being a professional this year as he played for the Columbus Condors (CBA). Before turning professional he played for Ohio Dominican (NCAA2) from 2012-2016 playing a total of 108 games. As a senior he played 28 games averaging 15.5ppg, 9.5rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 72.5%. He spoke to German Hoops after the losing to the ScanPlus Baskets in the playoffs ending his season.

Trent thanks for talking to German Hoops. You arrived as a rookie in Germany 7 months ago. Did the season fly by or did it go at a rate that was comfortable for you?

Hey Miles, no problem. My time in Germany seemed to vary in speeds. There would be segments where I would wonder where the month had gone. Then, there would be times where one week seemed like a year to get through.

Your rookie season has come to an end against the powerful offensive minded team ScanPlus Baskets. How disappointed are you that there could be no upset?

Elchingen was a pretty solid opponent throughout the series. We gave them far too many opportunities that they took advantage of. We were unable to push through these circumstances. I’ve played long enough to understand that if you don’t match the other teams intensity and take away their strengths, your chance of winning isn’t great.

FC Schalke as a team was never able to find a way to stop Taevaunn Prince. Do feel as though the series could have been won in the first two games had you defended him better as a team?

It’s difficult to tell. He played pretty well, but they had other players step up in their roles. Their role players were a large reason for their success against us.

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Jiri Welsch (CEZ Nymburk) Paul Pierce Was Always Challenging People To Play One On One After Practice

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing ex Boston Celtic Jiri Welsch in Frankfurt during the 2016-2017 Champions League season

Jiri Welsch is a 37 year old 199cm guard that is playing his fifth season for CEZ Basketball Nymburk (NBL). He started his basketball career in 1990 with Holice and then moved to Pardubice in 1994 where he played until 1998. He then played two seasons with Sparta Praha and then two seasons with Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia). In 2002 he was drafted by Philadelphia 76ers (NBA,1rd(16). He played in the NBA from 2002-2006 playinbg a total of 247 NBA games for teams like Golden State, Boston, Cleveland and Milwaukee. He then played with Unicaja Malaga (Spain-ACB) from 2006-2010. He then played with teams Asefa Estudiantes Madrid (Spain-ACB) and Belgacom Spirou (Belgium-D1). He spoke to German Hoops about his basketball career.

Jiri you played in Frankfurt against the Fraport Skyliners this season. I can´t recall that you have ever played a professional game in this arena. What kind of feeling is it for you at age 37 to come to new basketball places?

You know what, I did play in this arena – 15 years ago, season 2001/2002, with Olimpija Ljubljana, Euroleague game. I shared that memory with my younger teammates as soon as we entered the gym. It’s a nice feeling to travel to new countries, new cities and arenas at this stage of my career, it makes it fresher and more interesting.

The club has won 13 titles in a row. That is something that is difficult to believe. How proud are you to be playing for such an elite team like CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL)?

It is a unique streak to win 13 titles in a row and I am very proud to be part of the last 4 championship runs. But it doesn´t happen on its own, there are couple of teams in the Czech league that can challenge and push us. We always have to work for it and earn it, so no matter how dominant it may seem – being a champion at the end of the season is always a rewarding feeling.

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Chris Warren Unleashes the Mini Harden Carrying Nanterre 92 Into The Fiba Europe Cup Final Past The Telekom Baskets Bonn 86-81

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber with post game interview with Nanterre 92 guard Chris Warren after dropping 24 points against the Telekom Baskets Bonn and reaching the 2017 FIBA Europe Cup Final

One could spend many boring hours bringing excitement back into your life browsing you tube and finding these amazing basketball videos where people hit amazing shots from tall bridges into a basket hundreds of meters down or the guy jumping into a lake and throwing the ball 40 meters into a basket or a guy using three walls to hit an incredible shot or hitting a half court shot flinging a Frisbee and seeing nothing but net. Sometimes one doesn´t need to kill boredom going on you tube to witness these kinds of shots, but all one has to do is go into a basketball arena and witness German sharp shooter, sniper, marksman in one Heiko Schaffartzik fire away as he has hit countless spectacular shots over the years and he belongs to the type of players that people will come just to watch him giving hitting from the parking lot a new meaning time after time after time again. After playing most of his illustrious career in his homeland Germany where he helped Alba Berlin capture the BBL cup in 2013 and FC Bayern Munich the league title in 2014, Schaffartzik decided to retreat from Germany in 2015 and has been in France ever since. Last season he played with Limoges and this season has been lighting up arenas in France with 2015 Eurochallenge winner Nanterre. It has been sometime since he last played a professional game in Germany in September at the 2015 European championships in Berlin and now was back in Bonn fighting for a ticket to the 2017 Fiba Europe Cup Final. The last time, the German played in the Telekom Dome in Bonn was almost 2 years ago on April 24^th where FC Bayern Munich suffered a humiliating 88-84 loss where he played only eight minutes and scored two points. This time the stakes were a lot higher and he wasn´t thinking about taking part in a special shooting contest from on top of the Telekom building in downtown, Bonn, but just escaping his homeland with a victory. This time with 10 minutes to go and down by 14 points, it looked like Schaffartzik who was sporting a blond beard looked like a young Vince Van Gough and would go home the losers, but Nanterre 92 stage dan amazing comeback in the last 8 minutes to help carry his team into the Fiba Europe Cup Final with a 86-81 victory. “Bonn ruled the physical game in the first three quarters and had a quick start and got hot which can always happen in basketball. We came back and were simply more physical in the fourth quarter and why we won the game”, stressed Heiko Schaffartzik.

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TJ DiLeo (Telekom Baskets Bonn) We All Have Good Attitudes And Know The Sacrifices It Requires To Be A successful Team.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber Post game interview with Telekom Baskets Bonn guard TJ DiLeo in Frankfurt 2017

TJ DiLeo is a 26 year old 190cm guard playing his fourth professional season and first with the Telekom Baskets Bonn (Germany-BBL). He played the first three professional seasons with the Giessen 46ers playing 76 Pro A games from 2013-2015 and helping the team move to the BBL in 2015. Last season for GHiessen he played 19 games averaging 5.7ppg, 2.4rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 38.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 73.3%. . He played at Temple from 2008-2013 playing a total of 126 NCAA games. In 2010, he played for the German U20 National Team in 2010 and played for the European Championships U20 in Croatia playing 9 games: 10.7ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.1spg, FGP. He spoke to German Hoops before the Fiba Europe Cup game against Nanterre in Bonn.

TJ congrats on the 77-76 win against Nanterre in the Fiba Europe Cup competition. How did this win really feel considering your only half way to the Fiba Europe Cup top 4?

I think this win was really good for us mentally. We realize that we still have the second leg to play, but our goal was to go to Nanterre and get a win. Nanterre is a strong team that has played very well at home, so we are happy to be heading back to Bonn next week with a one point advantage.

Nanterre were in front for the most part of the first half, but shortly before the break you took the lead and would hang on to the end. How nerve-wracking was the second half for you personally?

It wasn’t too bad. During the game you forget about the nerves. Also, I knew we have some guys that really step up in important late game situations, so I had confidence.

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The Isaac Bonga Do Or Die Show Leads Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners Past Nurnberg 70-60 Into NBBL Quarterfinals

In the last weeks do or die games as well as fascinating and breathtaking finishes like the unbelievable 75-73 win by North Carolina over Kentucky where Malik Monk´s last second shot was overturned by Luke Maye´s last triple with 0,3 seconds remaining to propel the Tar Heels into the 2017 NCAA Final 4 were as usual as it has been for ratiopharm Ulm winning and winning in the BBL this season, but also in the NBBL playoffs do or die games have been growing as last weekend the Igeko Falcons BC Nurnberg had to win at home against Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners to keep their season alive and did with a super performance as they won 63-51 stepping up their defense allowing 29 less points than in game one and carved the total points by German wonder boy Isaac Bonga and Cosmo Gruehn in half from 57 points to only 29 points and forced them to coughing up the ball 20 times with their aggressive defense. It hadn´t helped the cause of Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners that they were without their other strong performer Konstantin Schubert as he had been nursing an ankle injury. Both teams arrived into the game with their two star players Isaac Bonga who registered his first triple double in the Pro B a few weeks ago and is a projected 2018 NBA Draft Pick and Moritz Sanders who currently is averaging 7,2ppg in the Pro A and quietly developing further as a basketball player and were hoping to move on and face the International Basketball Academy Munich with their star player Oscar De La Silva. Despite being without second top scorer German Konstantin Schubert again for the third time in the series, Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners had enough other weapons and depth and took advantage of their home court despite some loud Nurnberg fans who had made the trip to cheer on the kids and escaped a last furious comeback by their opponent to slip into the quarterfinals with a satisfying 70-60 victory.

Isaac Bonga and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber: Postgame interview in Rhöndorf, December 2016

It was a game that Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners led from early on, but allowed Igeko Nurnberg Falcons BC very close in crunch time, but it was the overall sound team play and superb leadership by 17 year old Isaac Bonga that allowed the home team to preserve the win. After the quick win, Bonga had exactly one hour and five minutes before his next game in the BBL against the Telekom Baskets Bonn and was dripping with sweat outside the locker room and showed absolutely no panic about having to get to the Fraport arena in time and reflected about the victory and keeping a cool head at the end. “I knew from the start that I had to take responsibility today. That is my job as point guard. We were always awake in the game and stayed calm even in tough times”, stressed Isaac Bonga.

When Bonga was long gone and on his way to the Fraport arena for the 10 minute drive from the BCM gym, Cosmo Gruehn was still on the court stretching and found the right words for the win. “Rebounds was key today as we were the better rebounding team in the first half and also defense as we held them to 60 points. We also did a good job keeping Sanders and Hassfuerter in check. We didn´t have to rely as much on our outside shooting like in game two, but were able to penetrate more with success”, added ex USC Freiburg big man Cosmo Gruehn.

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Josh Mayo Is Tiny But Not Archibald Leading The Telekom Baskets Bonn To 74-73 Tightrope Win Over the Fraport Skyliners

One of the two hardest things for any ex Fraport Skyliner to do when he returns back to his old stomping ground is to not enter the first door on the right after coming through the glass door of the catacombs of the Fraport arena, but actually taking the third door and when entering the arena not taking that first left but actually taking the longer stroll to the bench on the right. Ex Fraport Skyliner Johannes Richer may have started his career with the Franken Hexer 2nd team (2.Regionalliga) in 2009 and played two seasons with the Brose Baskets Bamberg where he never made his break through, but it is fair to acknowledge that his most prosperous time as a professional came with the Fraport Skyliners from 2013-2016 where he played a total of 57 BBL games and 20 international club games and crowned his three seasons last spring winning the Fiba Europe Cup in Chalon, France. He also made his break through with Frankfurt in the 2014-2015 season where he helped clobber the Bakken Bears twice including his 15 point six rebound game in Frankfurt where he came off the bench for the injured Johannes Voigtmann and denied the Danish Bears honey on that night. The 205cm power forward/center was able to improve his minutes each season, but wasn´t able to make his full break through with Frankfurt and fled for the Telekom Baskets Bonn. However in Bonn, the big man continues to wait to get more trust from head coach Predrag Krunic as he is averaging only 2,5ppg and 1,3rpg. The only consolation prize that Richter is fighting for is a third consecutive trip to the playoffs something that the his ex team Skyliners are in jeopardy of reaching this season. Frankfurt entered the game having won two of their last three games, but digesting a tough OT loss in Bremerhaven while the Telekom Baskets Bonn had lost two of their last three games, but had beaten playoff candidate Ludwigsburg 90-86 last weekend. The Fraport Skyliners controlled the game, but an unfortunate turn of events at the start of the fourth quarter where Quantez Robertson was hit harder with fouls three,four and five then it is when Tom Brady gets sacked in the red zone which propelled Bonn to come back and squeeze out an exciting 74-73 win. After the win ex Skyliner Johannes Richter was beaming about returning back to Frankfurt and reflected on his lightening 4-0 run that he hit Frankfurt with. “I felt comfortable playing here today. It has been an up and down year for me. I always try to give as much energy as possible and help my team. I have to take the positives with my season. I think I have developed my game as with Bonn they focus more on defending the shot from the four whereas in Frankfurt it was more of defending the inside”, stressed Johannes Richter. Telekom Baskets Bonn head coach Predrag Krunic was thrilled after the victory and after hearing a positive homage to the great play of Johannes Richter and that he should get more minutes, the Serb coach was only able to blurt out “I am lucky that he is with us”, smiled Predrag Krunic.

Basketball BL, FRAPORT SKYLINERS - TELEKOM BASKETS BONN

-5- A. J. English / FRAPORT SKYLINERS / -13- Yorman Polas Bartolo / TELEKOM BASKETS BONN

The story of the game wasn´t only the early fourth quarter exit of Fraport Skyliner captain Quantez Robertson, but the hot scoring of Bonn point guard Josh Mayo who may be in his seventh season, but continues to play as if he has a gigantic chip on his shoulder and still needs to prove his worth despite having been a ruthless scorer wherever he has played if it was Latvia, France, Italy or Turkey.

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The Canadian Sensation Mike Lucier Leads Rhondorf to 80-78 Play Down Grind Out Win Over Nordlingen

If one had been away from the Dragon Dome the last few weeks concentrating more on the fabulous and always exciting March Madness in the States where a team like South Carolina stole the hearts of possibly even some loyal North Carolina Tar Heel fans or been outside enjoying the early spring weather and returned back to basketball in Rhondorf this last weekend, two major things would have caught the observer. The first most drastic item that one would not have seen cleaning up and dominating the paint area on both ends of the court would have been the big Dawg from Bloom Township, Illinois Aaron Nelson. He had abruptly departed from the club and returned back to the States listing homesickness as the reason. For many this may have been a true fact, but for others there seemed to be more behind the surface that just wasn´t communicated and for the club a very bitter event since now the club was missing 23 points and 12 rebounds a game and had to get more input from every other player under the boards. The other major development was not seeing a tall man in black, for some possibly a younger version of a Dirk Bauermann in attire as the GQ like figure of head coach Matthias Sonnenschein was missing as he had been dismissed by management and replaced by experienced Dutch man Thomas Roijakkers who´s name is familiar as his brother Johan coaches 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goettingen. Thomas Roijakkers last coached Pro B north team Stahnsdorf and gained further experience with Pro B team Recklingshausen from 2013-2015. He is known for his knowledge, work ethic and versatility. He is a specialist regarding digital video team and player scouting / analyzing. He also has a lot of experience in individual skill development and guidance of players. The Dragons Rhondorf had started off poorly in the play downs with a 0-2 record having lost to Lich and Leipzig and now were meeting the Giants Nordlingen who had a 1-1 record having beat Leipzig and lost to Lich. The only good news for Dragon fans was that they had their pro B basketball destiny in their own hands as they had two wins more than Leipzig and would fight for that last Pro B spot for next season as Lich is on it´s way to staying in the Pro B having two wins more than Rhondorf. After 40 minutes Aaron Nelson still wasn´t there, but new head coach Thomas Roijakkers still was and was very happy having been able to win his first game as Dragon head coach 80-78 over the Giants Nordlingen who´s come back attempt fell short in the last seconds.

Postgame interview: Mike Lucier (left) and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

After the victory game top scorer Mike Lucier who dropped 25 points and had 11 rebounds was thrilled about the win as well as relieved as the last weeks have been difficult with so much drama within the organization. “It has been tough as we didn´t want to be in this position now when the season started. We all have jobs to do and know that we have to win. I just try to stay focused and help the team win. I have a bigger role now. We started strong in the first and third quarters, but not in the second and fourth quarters where we were slowed down. We had too many break downs, but at the end of the day we needed a win and I am happy that we got it”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf forward Mike Lucier. The Giants Nordlingen had to fight back the whole game and could have won it at the end, but came up short. With all their bad luck this season, it seemed only normal that they wouldn´t grind out the win. “It was a tough battle and we fought until the end, but we just couldn´t get the win. We really wanted to stay in the league, but couldn´t make shots. I felt that we moved the ball well, hit open shots and adjusted well to their zone. We didn´t start well at all and at times played selfish which resulted in fast break baskets for them. They had too many runs that we couldn´t rebound from”, added Giants Nordlingen forward Adrein Coleman.

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Roland Nyama (Stony Brook) Athletically I Think I Can Play In The BBL

Roland Nyama is a 23 year old 198cm forward from Frankfurt, Germany that has the German/Cameroonian citzenship and recently finished his college career at Stony Brook(NCAA) after three seasons. He started his basketball career with the FTG Frankfurt junior team. He then got further valuable basketball experience with Eintracht Frankfurt (2.Regionalliga) in 2008. He then continued to play with Eintracht Frankfurt (2.Regionalliga) from 2009-2011 while also playing for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners Frankfurt II (Germany-ProB) where he played 6 games in two years. In 2011, he came to the United States and played for the Holderness School. He came to Stony Brook in 2013 and in his first full season played 34 games averaging 7.5ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 42.2%, 3PT: 39.0%, FT: 69.2%. In his last season he played 32 games averaging 10,3ppg, 4,4rpg and 1,4apg He spoke to German Hoops after announcing he would turn professional and before signing with German agency Scorers First.

Roland thanks for talking to German Hoops! You recently played your last college game against Illinois-Chicago. Did you know after the completion of 40 minutes that it would be your last NCAA game?

Hey Miles, thanks for having me. Yea I’ve known for a while that’s why I wanted to advance as far as possible in our season. I was actually sick that game and wanted to help contribute.

Last season Stony Brook made the last dance March Madness, but this season you lost the final ACE game too Albany 63-56. How crushing was it losing this game and did this loss have an effect on you deciding to leave school after only three seasons?

No the loss didn’t really have anything to do with it. Obviously I would’ve loved to go out winning the conference again but overall we exceeded expectations and had a successful season.

You recently announced that you were leaving school for going your last year of elegibility to turn professional. How did this whole process come about and how difficult or easy was it making this decision?

The first time I thought about leaving early was when I was hurt with my knee injury and realized that a basketball career can be over in a heartbeat. So I wanted to maximize my potential playing career but get my degree first. It was tough since I’ve made so many connections here and Stony Brook became my second home but at the end of the day I felt like it was the best decision to leave.

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