Just getting a job can sometimes be very tough for anyone and as difficult as what Steph Curry must have been going through mentally being down 3-1 against the Toronto Raptors as the appreciation of attaining that job no matter what the circumstances are can be mixed depending on the character of the person, but what happens when you get that dream job? Having the opportunity to make that hobby become your bread maker? Well most guys are probably very happy and sometimes even exhilarated. A guy like Grant Teichmann wasn´t only overjoyed, but was more than extremely thankful when he had learned that he would not only be getting his dream job, but be getting paid to play the game he loves in a foreign country and on top of that to be able to live in one of Germany´s great historic cities named Heidelberg where many American´s can say they have visited. It´s an added bonus when you also have the German citizenship and can finally get to learn about a culture that you have heard about so much, but never been exposed to because of growing up in the States. When Teichmann learned of being able to play his professional basketball rookie season in Germany, he took to social media and expressed a tribute seldom seen from a basketball player. “I found out yesterday that a real life dream of mine has finally turned into a reality! I’ve dreamed about this moment since I was a little kid and it’s officially here. I’ll be headed off to Germany in August to play basketball professionally for MLP Academics. The amount of support I’ve received over the years and just yesterday alone has been overwhelming. There are so many people I owe and need to thank for being able to reach this dream of mine but I know I can’t even begin to think where to start. Thank you to every single past teammate, coach, manager, trainer, team doctor etc. who has been there along the way. It took an extreme amount of hard work and an incredible up and down journey over the years for all of this to fall in place. I’m grateful for the route I chose to take and to have always trusted myself and those closest to me. Next stop Heidelberg, Germany“, stressed Grant Teichmann. “What stood out right away was his daring and self-confidence shooting the ball especially from way outside. You rarely see a pure shooter like him that also has good court vision. We will focus on his defensive qualities as he still has a lot of potential in that area. He is a real nice and pleasant person that is very excited to come to Heidelberg”, expressed MLP Academics manager Matthias Lautenschlager. Grant Tecihmann has that rare special thankfulness combined with sheer talent that will help him make that next step in Heidelberg.

            Teichmann is a 22 year old 190cm guard that grew up in Brentwood, Tennessee and lives in Nashville now possesses the American/German citizenship. His dad was born and raised in Germany and is a German citizen. Recently in Atlanta Grant applied for his German passport and citizenship and received it. His grandparents still live in Bayreuth. Even if he never lived in Germany, he was able to follow NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki as a kid and remembers his fondest memory of the German wunderkind. “The 2011 NBA Playoff run. He was literally unstoppable. I loved seeing a magical run that seemed like complete destiny. I always remember Dirk from when I was young because he was the only player my dad would talk about until LeBron came along”, expressed Grant Teichmann. He comes from a very athletic and family as his father played football for UT-Chattanooga, as did his brother Logan.  His brother Kyle also played basketball at Freed-Hardeman (NAIA).  Another brother Chase is an assistant men’s basketball coach at Florida College and helped coach Grant as a graduate assistant at FHU. He had basketball early in his blood and was a stand out at Brentwood high school where he averaged 20.4 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His career high was as a senior where he netted 40 points in the district semifinals.  He finished his career with over 1,100 points.  He garnered All-State, All-Mid State, All-Tournament and District Tournament MVP honors in high school while helping lead the school to three straight state tournament appearances and a spot in the finals in 2015. Despite having such an amazing high school career, he didn´t get that NCAA gig, but had to be content with starting in the NAIA the fourth college division and one where it´s difficult to go on to a professional career. He played two seasons at Freed-Hardeman (NAIA) playing 63 games and in his sophomore season averaged 10.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.7apg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 39.5%, FT: 75.5%. He was the team´s second leading scorer and had 19 starts. His best scoring game there was a 27 point explosion against Lindenwood-Belleville (Ill.). Despite having a solid second year, he decided that it was time for a change and moved to Carson-Newman (NCAA2). “Freed-Hardeman was a great experience. I loved my teammates and my brother Chase was on staff for two years. I chose to leave because after my first year our coach left unexpectedly and my teammates and I decided to stay another year and give it a shot. Unfortunately it wasn’t a good situation to be a part of”, stressed Grant Techhmann.

            Teichmann who lists his special NBA Mount Rushmore with guys like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal… Wilt Chamberlain honorable mention then finished his college run with a stellar career at Carson-Newman (NCAA2) where he showcased his abilities in 60 games. In his junior season he played 31 games averaging 11.1ppg, 4.5rpg, 3.9apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 42.1%, FT: 70.2%. He scored in double figures in 19 games including two 22 point efforts against Wingate and Queens, NC. Other highlights in his junior campaign were getting close to a triple double against Lenoir-Rhyne with 10 points, 8 boards and 8 dimes. He also showed his offensive versatility dishing out at least 5 assists in 11 games and had 9 against Anderson. In his senior season, he made another step averaging 14.5ppg, 4.5rpg, 4.7apg, FGP: 50.2%, 3PT: 42.2%, FT: 73.3%. He scored in double figures in 23 games and had more than 20 points four times. He hit Newberry for 26 points and had stellar games against Tenn Wesleyan netting 24 points. He had a great performance against Lander with 23 points and 10 rebounds and 23 points against Virginia-Wise. He also contributed 22 points against Catawba. He also made a another jump in his playmaking abilities registering 7 assists or more 8 times including 11 against Lees-McRae. He was fortunate that he played for a coach that let him just play his game. “My playmaking ability increased. Coach Benson gave us a lot of freedom on the court and encouraged us to play to our strengths and aggressive”, added Grant Teichmann. One of his 20 plus point explosions wasn´t his fondest game memory, but rather one where he netted less points in a huge 92-91 win. “Those were all great games but I think my most memorable one would be at King my junior year. It was a come from behind win. I had 16 or 18 in the second half and hit a lot of big shots late in the game to give us a close win”, added Grant Teichmann. There were many guys that helped him become the player he is now, but one of his biggest supporters was his head coach Chuck Benson. “On the court, CB gives you a lot of freedom and puts you in position to make plays as well as teaches the game from a universal standpoint. What he preaches works at all levels. Off the court, he would constantly talk to us about the real world once we’re out of college, and how we need to carry ourselves as professionals”, warned Grant Teichmann. He doesn´t only have class and special basketball skills, but also has a comical side. When asked about who won a one on one in practice between him and other top player Malik Abraham, he had a quick witty remark. “We never actually played one on one. But I’d like to think I had the best one on one record on the team”, smiled Grant Teichmann.

            On the court Grant Teichmann has a very versatile game and enjoys to fill up the stat sheet. He compares his game to a mixture of a smaller Joe Ingles and Joe Harris. He enjoys the Ingles playmaking ability who isn’t just a spot and dot guy and understands how to make plays in the pick and roll and is a very underrated defender He also likes to compare himself to a Joe Harris because of their size, the ability to run off screens, and catch and shoot ability. A big strength in his game is his shooting ability and knows exactly what he will have to do as a rookie in Germany making that next step from a good shooter to a great shooter. “My goals to go from good to great would be to keep the same percentages (because of the longer 3-point line) but to increase the amount of makes per game”, warned Grant Teichmann. He is not only a prolific shooter, but also a very good passer as he averaged close to five assists in his last two seasons at Carson-Newman. He credits aggressiveness as something that helped increase his playmaking ability. “I’ve always considered myself too passive growing up. I have always had good vision. With the increase in how aggressive I was, I naturally drew more defenders which led to more assists. Despite being such a versatile player, there are still other facets to his game that he believes are still off the radar. “I think even though my percentages show my ability to score efficiently, I still think my finishing ability is slept on. My off-ball defense, on court communication, basketball savoy and knowing the nuances of the game are also things I think aren’t always noticed”, stressed Grant Teichmann. Despite having so much basketball ability, he knows that he still has many parts on his game to work on and will do so in the next months before he makes the trek to Heidelberg in August. “Shooting, finishing, as well as being better in the pick and roll. I’ll also be working on shots off the dribble and understanding the European game more”, added Grant Teichmann.

            Teichmann who credits Malik Beasley a shooting guard for the Denver Nuggets as his toughest cover as he just seemed unguardable now will begin his professional career with ambitious German Pro A team MLP Academics. The club has had a good development over the last years bringing in talented Americans and helping them make the next step and last season reached the semi-finals of the playoffs and soon will be opening a new state of the art arena. Getting that first professional contract was like a dream come true for the character guy Teichmann as not too many guys have reached a high level the way he has having started in the NAIA. Teichmann remembers his freshman season at Freed-Hardeman where he averaged only 4,9ppg, but already back then he had a healthy self-confidence and if someone had told him in 2015 that he would be a professional in 2019, he wouldn´t have admitted that he couldn´t be a professional one day. I would say it was definitely possible but I can’t lose my confidence like I did this past year (2015-16 season) and I just have to trust my skill and ability”, warned Grant Teichmann. With so many positives to chose from, his new club MLP Academics and the amazing new city Heidelberg and German culture, going here was a no brainer for him. “Their level of interest in me and their past success convinced me. I liked the consistency with their roster as well. There are some good guys to learn from. As a bonus, I started looking into the city and heard nothing but good things about it”, stressed Grant Teichmann. Like at Carson-Newman where he played for knowledgeable Chuck Benson, he will get another gem of a coach with Frenki Ignjatovic and should be able to make positive strides in his development under him. He was smitten with his new coach in their first talks. “He seemed knowledgeable of the game and straight to the point. He seemed very professional, strategic, and versatile. I look forward to getting to know him a lot better”, warned Grant Teichmann. The movie buff who isn´t old school in his favoritism in the never ending debate of who´s the greatest of all-time Michael Jordan or Lebron James taking the latter also has something else that is always beneficial in a player having that extra special hunger to be successful. He has had to prove himself the last four years after a strong high school career playing in the NAIA and NCAA 2 and it won´t be any different now. He has always had that chip on his shoulder and with his motivation to continue to get better and prove people wrong, it is still on his shoulder now. “I definitely have always had a chip on my shoulder but it isn’t difficult coming to terms of always having to prove yourself, because I wouldn’t want it any other way”, warned Grant Teichmann. He doesn´t only have that special rare thankfulness combined with sheer talent, but also that vital chip on his shoulder that will never hinder him from wanting to reach success.