Shortly before Christmas 2020 the Fraport Skyliners Juniors barreled into Koblenz and snuck away after 40 minutes having suffered an embarrassing 88-45 loss where they coughed up the ball an unbelievable 29 times while Koblenz had an extra 17 possessions to make their basketball life more simple. Since then the Fraport Skyliners Juniors have been playing better basketball having defeated the TSV Oberaching Tropics and Orange Academy, but are still up and down having lost three other times. They definitely had that 2021 advantage over the scoring powerhouse Koblenz who came into Frankfurt sporting a disappointing 0-3 record in 2021. They were coming off an embarrassing loss at home against Orange Academy where they gave up a surprising 12-2 run at the end to lose. The Fraport Sklyiners Juniors were also coming off a loss in Speyer, but had revenge on their minds after their sad loss in Koblenz last month and showed a performance that was like night and day in comparison to the first game in Koblenz winning 86-76. 10 days earlier it had been Len Schoormann leading Frankfurt to the upset win over Orange Academy with 29 points and against the EPG Baskets Koblenz he did it again showing an outstanding performance scoring 24 points. After the game Fraport Skyliners Juniors head coach Miran Cumurija was all smiles after witnessing a fine performance by his players.  “I´m very happy we could continue to add on to the last wins here with this one. We have to learn to bring this kind of energy also on the road. We created stops so we could run transition and our ball movement was good. We had a little problems with our pick and roll defense, but overall we defended well”, stressed Miran Cumurija. The EPG Baskets Koblenz have had growing pains in 2021 being winless, plus many injuries and German Jacob Mampuya leaving the club, but they had their chances, but just couldn´t execute when they had to at the end.. “They had more intensity, energy, passion and fight. They hit first and hit us harder. We never got going on offense and couldn´t hit three´s. They made plays when they had to. This was a must win, but we still have  a lot of time in the season”, added EPG Baskets Koblenz guard DJ Woodmore.

                The first quarter was tight and had 5 lead changes and Len Schoormann didn´t waste anytime getting into attack mode right off the bat as he dropped a floater and trey for the quick 5-3 Frankfurt lead. Both teams got their offenses going rapidly and both teams tried to get their two inside players Brian Butler and Noah Kamdem going and did. Kamdem who is an undersized center, but has the body of an NFL offensive line man had his A game scoring three times with a spin move, 15 footer and put back for the 11-9 advantage. Schoormann scored again with a runner for the 13-9 Frankfurt advantage. But Frankfurt then lost some intensity and got a bit sloppy on defense allowing a Koblenz 8-2 run to recapture the lead at 17-15. In the run, Brian Butler got to the free throw line twice nailing three shots and ex Fordham(NCAA) guard Zaire Thompson scored inside as did ex Giessen Pointers guard Lukas Mayer. The guests heightened their aggressiveness with the drive using their quickness which Frankfurt couldn´t stop. But Koblenz wasn´t able to hold the momentum and allowed Frankfurt to close out the first quarter strong with a 6-0 run. In the run, Frankfurt did a super job getting a second big man involved in the paint as ex Cologne player Jordan Samare was set up nicely twice with perfect passes from Maxi Begue and Philipp Hadenfeldt for easy baskets. “Frankfurt played very good offense and did a pretty good job taking away our inside game”, stressed EPG Baskets Koblenz forward CJ Oldham. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 56% from the field and 25% from outside and had 10 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 33% from the field and 14% from outside and had 6 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

                The second quarter was tight at first, but halfway through the Fraport Skyliners Juniors could pull away and control the game and take a 40-34 advantage into half-time. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had the better start going on a 7-2 run to get the lead back again at 24-23. German Zaire Thompson was instrumental in the run being aggressive scoring a jumper on transition and also nailing a trey and then making a huge steal under Frankfurt´s basket feeding German Henning Schaake who has been with Koblenz since 2017 scoring on a lay in. Koblenz have Brian Butler who often can score in bunches when the team needs it most, but so do the Fraport Skyliners Juniors with work horse Noah Kamdem who made the paint his own wrecking area scoring 5 points in a row for the Frankfurt 28-24 lead. His elite anticipation on the glass helped him to an offensive rebound and pit back and his strength then allowed him to get an easy bucket. Frankfurt was playing smart at both ends and calmly while the guests were missing easy shots which would plague them the whole evening. Zaire Thompson continued to be aggressive and be an important offensive option for Koblenz as he tested his 26% three point season shooting percentage and scored cutting Frankfurt´s lead to 28-26. Frankfurt then cruised out on another run again of 7-2 to extend their lead to 35-26. Len Schoorman was on fire again scoring 5 unanswered points taking advantage of his athleticism scoring in the paint and making an off balance shot. He also worked on his playmaking making a nice assist to an easy Kamdem basket. “Len has a lot of freedom with us and has the advantage of playing with guys that he knows since the JBBL. He also sees different kind of bodies in the Pro B than in the BBL”, stressed Frankfurt head coach Miran Cumurija. Frankfurt was playing nice unselfish team basketball as Koblenz were unable to make big impact defensive stops. Basketball will always be a game of runs and the EPG Baskets Koblenz found some energy and heightened their intensity cutting into the Frankfurt lead closing out the second quarter with a 9-5 run. In the run the guests got buckets from German´s Noah Westerhaus who at age 22 is already with his ninth pro team and Brian Butler while 21 year old Lucas Mayer continued to be aggressive and reached the free throw line twice getting 4 points. “It was a game of runs. Frankfurt was very physical with Butler and Schoormann got going”, stated CJ Oldham. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 53% from the field and 20% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 9 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 38% from the field and 17% from the three point line and had 11 rebounds and 8 turnovers.

                The Fraport Skyliners Juniors kept the lead, but allowed the EPG Baskets Koblenz to hang around, but towards the end the home team was able to lead 62-54 after 30 minutes. The guests began the second half with a perfect pick and roll play from Thompson finding Dutch forward Chad Wellian for the easy basket. Frankfurt didn´t waste anytime getting their offense going again as the 2017 JBBL finalists Len Schoormann scored as did Maxi Begue who is that defensive stopper, but also showed his offensive skills making a pretty floater and then making a hard dunk flying in from the wing for the 46-38 Frankfurt advantage. The game remained a game of runs as the EPG Baskets Koblenz struck back storming out on a 8-2 run to trail Frankfurt only 48-46 as the momentum had changed. In the run they got vital support from Thompson who hit a 20 footer, Mayer scored 4 points including a trey and Butler connected on transition. The guests were executing better and had calmed down on offense making wise decisions and practicing good shot selection. Kamdem and Butler continued to do damage inside scoring while Frankfurt kept the slim 52-50 lead. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors saved their best for last in this quarter closing it out on a 10-4 run. In the run they got clutch support from Philipp Hadenfeldt who connected on a 25 footer and drilled home a trey while maxi Begue remained aggressive getting to the free throw line twice scoring 4 points. “I just did what the defense gave me. What I couldn´t do myself, I then looked to pass. I concentrated looking more for guys today. I really have been working on that”, said Len Schoormann. “We missed free throws and easy lay ups. It is hard to win when you miss the easy bunnies around the rim. We had many mental mistakes and they got to the rim and made plays”, stated DJ Woodmore.  The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 55% from the field and 21% from the parking lot and had 31 rebounds and 14 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 43% from the field and 19% from the parking lot and had 16 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

                Despite the EPG Baskets Koblenz cutting the Frankfurt lead down to three in the fourth quarter, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors kept control of the ball game and were able to get their fourth win of the season. The EPG Baskets Koblenz began with a quick 6-1 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 63-58 getting baskets from Mayer, Butler and Thompson. Frankfurt then found some daylight scoring 6 unanswered points as Kamdem scored on transition, Schoormann scored and Alvin Onyia made a pretty lay in high off the glass for the 69-60 Frankfurt advantage. But Frankfurt just wasn´t able to keep the comfortable lead allowing the guests to come back as Chad Wellian nailed two massive three´s to cut the Frankfurt advantage to 71-68. But Frankfurt had the last punch and decided the game with a timely 9-2 run to extend their lead to 80-70. A great strength of the Fraport Skyliners Juniors on this night was having many guys giving support at the scoring end at certain parts of the game. Jordan samare came up big in crunch-time while in this run ex Hanau forward Calvin Schaum was instrumental scoring 6 points. Schoorman also scored. In the last minutes 2019 NBBL allstar Jordan Samare was unstoppable in the paint area scoring 3 buckets slamming the door in the face of the EPG Baskets Koblenz. “He has this special anticipation for the offensive rebound and a special touch to score. You don´t see that often. I am happy for his growth and how he has been helping us”, stated Miran Cumurija. “We were right there at the end. We had good looks but just couldn´t make shots”, added DJ Woodmore. “Samare is very important for our team. He is undersized, but plays very physical. We defended well at the end closing passing lanes and were a bit more aggressive then they were”, expressed Len Schoormann. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Len Schoormann with 24 points while Noah Kamdem had 21 points and Jordan samara added 13 points while the EPG Baskets Koblenz were led by Brian Butler with 22 points while Lucas Mayer added 14 points and Zaire Thompson had 12 points.  The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 54% from the field and 16% from outside and had 40 rebounds and 17 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 43% from the field and 24% from outside and had 25 rebounds and 15 turnovers.

One of the great things to observe in the German Pro B are the farm teams of the easyCredit BBL and witnessing how young guys have developed over the years. For example in Frankfurt the last years have brought the basketball world Euroleague players Danilo Barthel and Johannes Voigtmann and NBA player Isaac Bonga while currently the next talents in the stall are Len Schoormann and Maxi Begue and later on Joshua Bonga. Another club that has developed young players well is FC Bayern Munich with names like Nelson Weidemann or Benjamin Schroeder or Ibam with the Da Silva brothers Oscar who is at Stanford and for many a certain NBA daft pick and Tristan at the University of Colorado. Another German basketball address that has been making strides in the last years has been ratiopharm Ulm with it´s farm team Orange Academy. In the last years the club has brought young talented players like David Kramer, Marcel Pongo and Joschka Ferner forward and recently have made German Christoph Philipps into a easyCredit BBL player. Not too mention Zach Ensminger who made a massive step in Ulm and now is already showing impact player abilities in the Pro A with the Artland Dragons and is still a teenager. His 16 year old brother Jacob is already getting minutes in the Pro B at age 16 and is waiting in the wings for the next step as proud papa Chris is observing it all. But there aren´t only German players taking advantage of the youth programs, but also guys from other countries. One guy who is looking to make the next step in Ulm is a young Polish boy named Igor Milicic who is looking to become that next house hold name in Poland. Coming to UIm was a huge step for the young Polish player in 2018 as a young 16 year old. But his competitiveness and self confidence has risen in Germany in the last years the way a Zach Lavine flies to the rim. Recently after a nail bitter 85-82 loss in Frankfurt, he answered politely, but also in a naughty way that he hadn´t expected Len Schoormann to make so many shots after he destroyed Orange Academy with 29 points. Milicic is a 18 year old that has the healthy self confidence of a veteran and that shrewd competitiveness that isn´t often seen at such a young age. He credits easyCredit BBL legend Chris Ensminger of helping him develop these qualities. “When I was younger and playing in Poland, I had no confidence. I was more of an outsider. There was a point where I was playing terrible, because I was scared to make decision on and off the court. When I came to Ulm, I was still overthinking things in my first year. In my second year I became a key player for our U-19 team and coach Chris Ensminger taught me how self-confidence is important in the game of basketball. He changed me from a shy closed kid to a confident young adult. I am really thankful for all our talking and his help to develop me as a player”. warned Igor Milicic who lists Nikodem Czoska, Jeremy Sochan, Moritz Heck, Nat Diallo and Timo Lanmuller as his five best teammates of all-time.

                Igor MIlicic born on August 27^th, 2002 in Poland. His dad Igor had a long professional career where he won 8 titles in countries like Kosovo, Belgium and Poland. After his playing days, he turned his energy to coaching and coached Polish team Anwil and last summer there were rumors of him going to Bamberg. 18 year old Igor Milicic played youth basketball with UKS 7 Trefl Sopot school (EYBL). He also has two younger brothers that also are playing in the Ulm youth program with Orange Academy. Having his brothers around is a huge plus as well as knowing that the support and advice from his father will always be present. “So far, family has had a huge impact on my career. My brothers and I, we talk basketball 24/7. We practice on individual skills every moment and we have dad next to us. Zoran, Teo and me, we promise to ourselves that one day we will play one season together in same team where dad will be our Head coach.. Hopefully that will be at a high level. I don’t know how it is going to be in the future, but we can always count on each other, and our father is always there to support us and give valuable advice”, warned Igor MIlicic. He came to Ulm in 2018 and played his first season with BBU Allgau/Memmingen (Germany-NBBL) playing 13 games averaging  6.3ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 21.7%, FT: 58.3%. He scored 13 and 12 points against ratiopharm Ulm and scored 11 points against FC Bayern Munich. There he was already teammates with Julius Ferber with whom he still is today with Pro B club Orange Academy. He and his brothers looked for the best basketball opportunity and there was none better than in Ulm. “I feel great in Ulm. This is a great organization. My father was looking for the best opportunity for development for my brothers and me. We went to a lot of places on tryouts, and after a while we understood that Ulm would be best for all 3 of us. Other teams seemed also good but Ulm looked like an organization that has a professional approach even to 10 year old players. We were thrilled when coach Thorsten Leibenath and coach Chris Ensminger informed us that the Ulm organization is interested to sign all three of us”, stated Igor Milicic. He made another jump last season not wasting his basketball talent by balling for three teams. He dominated with the ratiopharm Ulm U19 team (NBBL) playing 13 games averaging  20.4ppg, Reb-4(10.9rpg), 2.2apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 54.5%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 68.8%. He scored in double figures in every game and scored more than 20 points seven times including 28 points against Bonn/Rhondorf and 27 points against Tuebingen. He also received added experience with BBU 01 Ulm (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 10 games averaging  9.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 78.1%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.0%. In this league he played against men including having a 25 point game against Idstein and 16 points against Stuttgart. He also got valuable experience with Orange Academy Ulm (Germany-ProB) playing 15 games averaging  5.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 20.8%, FT: 79.4%. He scored 15 points against TSV Oberaching Tropics and 11 points against the ScanPlus Baskets. He also left a fabulous impression at the 2020 Addidas Next Generation Tournament with ratiopharm Ulm U18 team (Germany-ANGT) playing 3 games averaging 17.0ppg, 6.3rpg, 2.0apg, 2.3spg, FGP: 53.1%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 88.9%,

            Let us fast forward to 2021. His season ended suddenly in March 2020 as COVID-19 hit the world like an angry hurricane. For many in the basketball world, 2020 after March and into the summer was a very difficult time as finding places to train was hard, while for others it didn´t propose such a problem. For Igor Milicic, he finally had time to spend time with his dad again. “It was quite an experience. It actually was not bad at all for me and my family. As sChris Ensminger Helped Transform Igor Milicic(Orange Academy) From A Shy Closed Boy Into A Very Confident Player And Personoon as we found out lockdown from school, practice and games is ahead, mom and my two brothers who are also playing basketball with Ratiopharm , (they are really good)  drove back to Poland where my father is coaching. We had the opportunity to practice every day for 3-4 hours on individual skills with our father. I really used that time to get better. On top of that we had the opportunity to be together as a family for a longer period, which is rare for us”, expressed Igor Milicic.  COVID-19 has affected him as well now, because he is in a phase of his life now where he has a lot more responsibility. Despite COVID-.19 tearing apart his family, he has been able to take positives out of COVID-19.  “It makes me look on things how to get the best out of every situation or obstacles that I come across. For example, now I am in Ulm without family and learning how to live professional life without anyone helping me. It is tough but it is great for me. I am more confident as knowing that I can go over and beat obstacles”, warned Igor Millcic who last watched the boxing movie Southpaw.

                One of the surprise teams this season in the Pro B has been Orange Academy. The team is so young and has nine teenagers on the team and nobody is older than 22. You can´t always expect young teams to be successful simply because there is such a big lack of experience, but this team has gelled well and are playing fine team basketball. “This is no secret that BBU’01 and Ratiopharm are investing in the Youth program. Everybody in the organization gives 100% in every practice and the great work of the Coaches last year gave us good groups of talented players for this season. Coach Anton already prepared few of us even last season. He is pushing us hard to get better and to play together. The team is talented but important is that we want to play hard and win every game”, warned Igor Milicic. He has many talented teammates, but one that has been a huge spark in the success and left an impression on the polish national player is athletic German Nat Diallo. “It is tough to speak about teammates. They will go at me in the Locker room with whatever I say. Nat is an amazing guy off and on the court. Everyone loves being around him, and at the top of that he is a great athlete and tough basketball player. We are getting along really well, sometimes we even play 1v1 or have shooting competitions, and sometimes it gets out of hand. He is the best teammate I could ask for. He puts the team before himself. If there is some trash talk in the game, he is always the guy that is going to talk back to the opponent. I really appreciate what he is doing for our team”, stressed Igor MIllicic. Another teammate that really influenced him was German Timo Lanmuller. Unfortunately he left and joined Pro A team Tigers Tuebingen recently. “Timo was one of my best buddies this season. It all started in preseason when we were practicing with the BBL team. After every practice we had to stay to make 10 made 3s in a row from 5 spots. We would go as long as it took both of us to finish all spots. We both wanted to get better. I think that’s what connected us”, remembered Igor MIlicic.  His hard work has really paid off this season as he experienced his first easyCredit minutes with ratiopharm scoring 4 points against the Giessen 46ers. “It was a good and funny experience. Coach Jaka Lakovic called me for a sub and I was already hyped. In a few seconds, I had the ball under the basket. Going up to shoot, I had lot of ideas how to finish. Eventually I just flushed the ball to the basket . In that game every possession looked like a lifetime for me. Even when the game was stopped or on free-throws, I was all hyped and my legs were fire footing . It was a great experience and I can’t wait again to be in same situation”, said Igor Milicic. He also knows that in order to become an impact BBL player, he can´t stop grinding, but has to even work harder, because he still has a long way to go. “In some practices with the BBL team I really think I can play with Pros and on next ones I see I have to improve a lot. I am working a lot with coach Anton Gavel and Moris Hadzija individually to improve as fast as possible. Coach Jaka Lakovic is helping me when I practice with the BBL team. Coach has a big aye on my mistakes and motivates me to get better”, warned Igor Milicic.

                When you first see Igor MIlicic on the court who lists his personal NBA Mount Rushmore with NBA legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracey Mcgrady and Kevin Duran, you would imagine him being a big man still needing to get stronger, but he is really a 208cm guard/forward who compares his game to current Brooklyn Nets Kevin Durant. “. I am practicing a lot of his moves with Coach Hadzija on a daily basis. In the future I would like to find many similarities between me and KD. For now, it’s only height, little bit of style of play and a high jump shot release. He is impossible to guard because he moves as a guard with 6 ft 9”, can shoot over smaller defenders with his high release point over the head. Adding his footwork and ball fakes, he is unbelievable. I would like to view myself in the future as a European version of KD”, warned Igor Milicic. He used to like to see David Jelinek play, but also enjoys watching Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and former NBA player Ricky Ledo who played for his father last season at Anwil. Currently he follows current FC Bayern Munich forward Vladimir Lucic. Milicic is a player that is able to guard all guards and wings. Two big strengths in his game is his work ethic and mentality, but there are so many more that help him on his way to becoming that complete player. “I feel very comfortable with the ball in the open court or as a runner in transition. Second best where I feel great is in all shooting situations. I know my shooting % are not great but in practice my shooting % are much better and I´m just waiting for the moment when the same is going to happen in games consistently. Offensive rebounding is what I enjoy doing”, expressed Igor Milicic. His shooting continues to be a work in progress, but he is taking measures to become a more reliable shooter. “Together with Coach Moris we work a lot on having balance and good footwork during shooting. I feel very confident in my shooting. Coach is saying that repetition will give me consistency. Also, I need to stop thinking about missed shots immediately after taking the shot. Sometimes I think too much, so I need to relax a little more”, warned Igor Milicic.. Another area in his game that he is working on is defense. His hard work has paid off this season as he has improved on the defensive end as his ability to keep up with smaller guards and apply pressure has gotten better. “Defense is something that I take really personally. Everybody in the coaching staff, coach Ensminger last year, coach Gavel, and coach Lakovic, are on me about defense. They have made sure that they don’t want one dimensional players. Now I have to prove to them each game that I am on top of it, on both sides of the court. In the last few months, I think there has been a big change on my defensive approach. Although I can make huge progress I think we are on good path for me to become that lock down defender as well”, stressed Igor Milicic. Last season it was ex Bamberg legend Chris Ensminger that helped him leap and make huge strides and this season it has been ex Bamberg guard Anton Gavel. “Coach Gavel is giving me lot of confidence with his approach towards me. I feel he believes in my abilities and also he is challenging me on little details which ultimately will make me a better player. He is a great motivator and brings high energy to practice as well as in games. I am very happy to develop under his eyes”, stated Igor MIlicic.

                He is only at the start of his career, but so far in his career he has been able to battle against some high level guys in the BBL, but so far none has compared to the experience he witnessed last season in Poland with ex NBA player Ricky Ledo. “Last season I was always practicing before and after the pro team Anwil had their workout. One time my dad was missing one player so he called me to play defense on Ricky. It wasn’t like Ricky slowed down as he was guarded by the coaches 16 year old son. It was quite the opposite. He scored on me almost every time, although my hand was in his face all the time, he was still making the shot. I have never played against someone like him before. It was like a dream come true for me, because I always wanted to play against an NBA level player and Ricky was one of them”, stressed Igor Milcic. In the future the regularity of playing against guys like Ricky Ledo could increase dramatically as he recently was named to the Polish national team from ex ratiopharm Ulm head coach Mike Taylor. “He comes from a great basketball family. I love this father /son tradition something I also had with my dad. He continues to make good steps. He gives Poland a good future”, warned Mike Taylor. Ex BBL players like Michael Hakim Jordan who now is coaching at Drexel(NCAA) or current BBL legend Ricky Paulding can smile with the best of them, but so can Igor Milicic. His smile couldn´t have been any wider after he found out that he had been chosen for the Polish national team. “Wow, that was huge surprise for me. I was smiling all day after I found out I was on the list. I called immediately my teammate Jeremy Sochan and we were showing our happiness very loud . That is a great motivation for the  future. You never know when and where an opportunity can appear, so I will work even harder in each game and practice. You never know who is watching”, stressed Igor Milcic. What many don´t know is that he also could have picked to play for the Croatian national team. “I am half Polish half Croatian, but Polish basketball is closer to me, because I played there for 7 years and everybody saw me. In Croatia we are only on summer time and in big basketball nobody saw me there. The Polish federation is following and contacting me for a while now. Besides coaches of the U20 NT , but also the President of the Polish Federation Mr. Radoslaw Piesiewicz himself called me to make sure that I play for Poland. This nomination for the Polish A NT was the crown of my basketball career so far, and I have no doubt for who to play for”, added Igor MIlicic. This very humble and friendly guy has huge goals for the future. “We are valuing options and what is best for me to do in the next years. College is also a strong option. I have contacted a few colleges that are making strong interest to recruit me. It is not easy to decide what road is best for my development. I definitely have big goals. NBA or Euroleague is a dream, but I know, I have to do lot of work and improvements to go there. That is why I am concentrated on the present time, and focus on the work to be done now. A good future will come along the way”, stressed Igor Milicic. It will be interesting to keep observing this young Polish gem in the next years with his decisions and how his game develops. He has showcased that huge smile already and that will definitely continue as he garners more success. He may be 20 years younger than easyCredit BBL legend Ricky Paulding and still be very far away from his success, but when it comes to displaying that championship smile, he is already on a good way to being able to compete against Paulding in who has the more charming reward smile.

Billy Wampler is a 198cm forward from Eau Claire, Wisconsin that signed withTeam Ehingen Urspring (Germany-ProA) in the summer of 2020, but then returned home because of personal reasons. He began his basketball career with Regis High School. He then played at Drake (NCAA) from 2015-2017 playing 59 NCAA games. He then finished his NCAA career at Wright State University (NCAA) averaging 14.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 49.7%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 81.1% as a junior and as a senior averaged 15.6ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 44.9%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 78.3%. germanhoops.com spoke with him prior to him coming to Germany last summer

Thanks Billy for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how was your summer?

Currently I am in the Schipohl airport on my way to Germany. Summer was interesting, was completely different, but got some needed rest. 

You played your last NCAA game on March 9th losing against UIC scoring 14 points. How tough was it to abruptly end your college career and what did you learn to appreciate most about the game during this whole COVID-19 time?

It was very tough, because we all thought we had at least one more game, but it happened and it makes you think that every time you step on the court could be your last. I learned to appreciate family time, and what I had when there was no virus, a gym open to me 24/7 and consistent opportunities to work out. 

How did you experience the whole Covid-19 crisis in 2020? What was the most challenging thing about life and and finding ways to work on your fitness and game? 

I experienced it just like everyone else, in the dark, not really knowing what to do. The most challenging part was keeping up with weight training, it was incredibly hard to maintain the mass I had built up because a consistent weight room was not available. 

How do you feel did you benefit from COVID-19 and how did it make you stronger as a man in general? 

I feel like I benefited a lot from ball handling and floaters. I didn’t always have a hoop but I could always work on ball handling. It made me stronger because I had to grow up, and try and take care of others before myself. 

Congrats on signing with Pro A team Team Ehingen. What do you know in general about the country Germany and it’s basketball?I know the rich tradition of basketball in Germany, and I have a couple of friends who already play here, some in ProA and some in BBL. it’s executing to come to a new culture and experience everything for the first time. 

When I mention names like Dashaun Wood and Vaughn Duggins. What is the first thing that pops into your mind? Did you hear a lot about their legacy at Wright State when you were there?

Honestly, we didn’t hear of their legacy a whole lot. We knew who they were and would always acknowledge them at our games, but coach Nagy was never focused on the past, but how we could get better in the future. But when I hear them, I think of great basketball players, and even better men. 

What were the main reasons for joining Team Ehingen? What was your impression of head coach Domenik Reinboth in your talks with him? 

The main reason was the opportunity, I’ll be one of the oldest guys on the team and that can give me the opportunity to help grow young guys into better players. He was very open and honest with me the whole time, and we had a chemistry from our first phone call, it was exciting to talk to him, and he was excited about bringing me to Ehingen. 

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a 196cm forward that can score. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description? 

Hm, that is a tough one, I feel like my game would be comparable to a guy like Matt Thomas (Toronto Raptors), or Gordon Hayward. 

Your outside shooting, energy and effort really stand out in your game. What do you honestly believe is your biggest asset on the court? 

I believe my biggest asset is my ability to score, not just shooting, shooting helps me get to the spots I need to to be able to score. 

You eclipsed the 40% mark from downtown in your senior year. What is your main goal now as a rookie in terms of how you want to continue to develop as a shooter at the pro ranks? 

Just want to be more consistent, I feel like I am a better shooter to just shoot 40%, but that was also my first year with the FIBA three point line. 

How would you describe your defensive game? What do you take most pride in on the defensive end? 

Just being in the right spots, I would say I am a smart defender and I compete, I may not be the best on ball defender but I can make up for it with high iq. 

Your ex teammate Cole Gentry lauded your leadership and you majored in organizational leadership.? How has that developed so well and how much of a role has your connection and interest in mental health helped you? 

It has helped a lot, because we learned a lot of principles of how to teach individuals in unique ways, and how to beat lead a group. I think it helped me move forward to help others in their battle with mental health. 

On what area’s of your game did you work on most this summer so that you would be best prepared for your rookie professional season? 

Ball handling and floaters, and just maintaining my jumper. 

You began your NCAA career at Drake (NCAA) playing 59 games. You had a solid second season but opted to go. What kind of overall experience were your 2 years there and what positives did you get out of it? 

It was a good experience, I learned a lot and became a better player, I got my first experience with high level players such as Fred Van Vleet, Ron Baker, and other great players. I learned how to fall in love with the process. 

You then came to Wright State and had a major impact on and off the court. Especially your awareness of mental health which has been more of a topic in sports the last years. How has your whole time involved with this helped fight this problem? 

I think coach Nagy really enables me to be able to speak out and help, he tries to help anyone who needs it, so I was following his lead. 

Your tattoo says ‘The sun will rise and we will try again’. You have gotten a lot of feedback on your awareness efforts. Do you plan on continuing to battle this problem overseas? I know that mental health has been an issue with professional players overseas as well. 

Anytime anyone really wanted to talk about mental health I do, so this will continue overseas. Mental health doesn’t stop at borders. 

On the court you had 2 strong seasons at Wright State. How do you feel did your game grow at Wright State? 

I feel like coach Nagy and the staff developed me tremendously, and they enabled me to have the freedom on the court which gave me ultimate confidence. 

You had many great games in your 2 years at Wright State but where does the exciting 76-74 win over WKU stand with you where you scored 22 points? 

The WKU game was fun, they were a very high level team with an NBA prospect, and we were without our conference player of the year, so we really had to grind that one out to win, just a gritty team win. 

How did head coach Scott Nagy groom and prepare you bets for a professional career? 

Everyday he shows up with the same hard work and demanded the best from you every single day, he told me that as a pro if you don’t show up one day it could be your job, so he instilled the hard work aspect of basketball. 

Who won a one on one in practice you or Tanner Holden? 

We never really played one on one, but I’m sure it would be a good battle. He was actually my ‘freshman buddy’ so I spent a tremendous amount of time with him, he’s a great teammate. 

Who was the toughest player that you battled in the NCCA or anywhere that went to the NBA? 

Jaylon Brown, Dennis Smith Jr, Brandon Ingram, Ron Baker, Fred Vanvleet, Monte Morris. Just to name a few. 

Please list your 5 best teammates of all-time? 

Cole Gentry Adam Giles Lou Love Aleks Dozic Aj Rutter 

Please construct your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present players? 

Lebron, MJ, Magic, KD 

What is your personal opinion between the never ending debate between Michael Jordan and Lebron James concerning who is the greatest of all-time? 

I think Lebron is the greatest ever, but it’s hard to say, different style of basketball. Lebron longevity does it for me though 

What was the last movie that you saw? 

Joker!

Thanks Billy for the chat.

It was the beginning of April 2017 as Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners and the Nurnberg Falcons NBBL(U-19) teams met in a do or die clash in Frankfurt for the ticket to the quarterfinals. Luka Doncic was still 1 and a half years away from becoming a household NBA name, but on this day a future NBA player with Isaac Bonga was on the court and would lead his Frankfurt club to the victory courtesy of 30 points and 12 rebounds while many other young and talented players also competed. One of these was a tall looking player named Matthew Meredith who only had the tender age of 16, but had already made his Pro A debut at age 14. There are always guys that impress me and he was one of them. He was a player that played a lot older than his years like current Fraport Skyliner Len Schoormann already put on display as a 16 year old in the NBBL. Even if Isaac Bonga was the main attraction and where most eyes were on, Meredith was a guy I watched a lot closer during the game and became a player that I made a note of and would continue to follow in the coming years. It looked like Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners had the game easily wrapped up by the start of the fourth quarter as they led by 14 points, but they lost control of the contest and allowed Nurnberg back into the game. Even if Nurnberg had other valuable and more experienced guys like Niels Hassfurter and Moritz Sanders, Meredith held his own and made some big plays in the comeback to help his team claw closer as he made a lay in and traded free throws with Isaac Bonga to close the gap to only 60-57.  With less than two minutes to play, then came another example as to why Isaac Bonga´s middle name should be “Unselfish” as instead of continuing to dominate in the paint, he let his instincts go to work as he let his crisp passing strength work finding Alvin Oniya all open in the corner with the kick out pass as the German nailed the trey and Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners led 63-57. Even if Bonga was the star and seemed to decide the game, back came this 16 year old kid Meredith having the hot hand nailing a trey at 1,40 minutes to go and cut the Frankfurt lead to 63-60. However Nurnberg and Co couldn´t keep up the pressure as Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners closed out the game with a 7-0 run to win 70-60. Bonga and co once again had saved the day and prevailed in crunch time in a do or die game, but Matthew Meredith left a major impression on me and surely on others also on this afternoon. Now after playing his whole career in Nurnberg, Matthew Meredith has taken a new challenge and is playing for the Fraport Skyliners JUniors. Konstantin Schuebrt who has been in the Skyliner organization since 2014 has seen Meredith play since years. “One already saw back then the type of potential he had. Back then he was one of the youngest in his age group in the NBBL, but already a top performer for his team. Matt has a lot of potential. After his tough injury last season, I feel he will find back to his game this season and really help the Pro B team. Frankfurt offers him an optimal situation for a lot of minutes at a high level.  As well as giving him the chance to earn BBL minutes. An advantage is that coach Sebastian Gleim gives young players minutes early when they have earned it in practice”, warned Konstantin Shubert.  It was time for another Miles basketball Minute ex teammate scouting report with Ishmail Wainright(Strasburg) Vs Matthew Meredith.

Meredith was born on July 7^th, 2000 in Renton, Washington and possesses the American and German citizenship. He started playing soccer and began to play basketball at age 8. Since he was so tall for his age, his mom urged him to try basketball and the rest is history. He began his basketball career with the Nurnberg Falcons youth squads. His talent was observed quickly as he debuted in the German Pro A on January 24^th against Chemnitz at age 14 where he saw 4 minutes of action. He continued to rise up the ranks of the Nurnberg program playing NBBL at age 15 and played with men in the Regionalliga playing 10 games. In the 2016-2017 season as he was 16, and he made a huge jump becoming a key player for the NBBL(U-19 team averaging 12.3ppg, 4.4rpg, 4.1apg, 1.9spg, 2PT: 56.5%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 80.0% and for the Regionalliga team for TS Longhorns Herzogenaurach averaging 12.2ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.1apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 53.2%, 3PT: 33.3% and he also began to see more action for the Pro A team playing 12 games and averaging 9 minutes per game. In the 2017-2018 season he continued to be a big focus for the NBBL team and Regionalliga team Longhorns Herzogenaurach averaging 9.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.3apg, 1.3spg. His minutes in the Pro A also increased to 14 minutes as he played 20 games averaging  3.0ppg, 1.3rpg, 1.5apg.

            In the 2018-2019 season, he continued to play for 3 teams with the Pro A team, NBBL team and for the TS Longhorns Herzogenaurach . He also has the pleasure of being teammates with Ishmail Wainright. The American that learned his basketball trade at Baylor(NCAA) and was a raw rookie who had also played football at school and nobody could have predicted then the amazing rapid rise he would make in 2 years. As a rookie in Nurnberg, he belonged to the top players in the Pro A picking up Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro A Defensive Player of the Year -19, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro A 1st Team -19, Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro A All-Imports Team -19, and Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro A All-Defensive Team -19. He was rewarded by moving up to the German easyCredit BBL to Rasta Vechta and he didn´t disappoint as he proved he can be a valuable player in that league and picked up 3 more awards with Eurobasket.com All-German Bundesliga 3rd Team -20, Eurobasket.com German Bundesliga All-Defensive Team -20, Eurobasket.com German Bundesliga All-Newcomers Team -20. He continues to climb the basketball ladder and is playing for SIG Strasbourg (France-Jeep ELITE ProA) this season. It is no secret that often Americans will hang with their own, but every once in a while an American and German will bond and that was the case for these two. “Matthew really became like a little brother to me. He had a new question every day. About basketball. About life. And basketball in the states. It was something new every day”, stressed Ishmail Wainright.  

            Wainright compares Meredith´s game to Michael Carter Williams of the Orlando Magic. “He is a tall guard that can play the ball and off”, added Ishmail Wainright. It is no secret that he thrives off the penetration when he is creating his own shot, but that three pointer is in the works. “ I’m going to say he’s more driver than shooter but I’m sure he’s been working on his shot. That’s one thing he worked on a lot during our time as teammates”, expressed Ishmail Wainright. The ex Vechta player feels that Meredith became more patient at times in the season where they were teammates, but his decision making still needs improvement as a point guard. “.It can get better. It will get better as he ages”, stressed Ishmail Wainright   Wainright is the kind of guy that every team has and needs, a great player that also has that special character that can get a long with everybody. It was no problem for him recounting a special moment with the German during their season in Nurnberg. “He threw me a lob in a game and I think after the game he’s said , “Hey Ish, I didn’t think you were going catch my lob, I suck at throwing lobs. Thanks for making me look good.” Hahaha that was funny. and that game, it was natural ! He looked and belonged out there. And he showed it. Hagen had a tough team”, stressed Ishmail Wainright.

            In the 2019-2020 season he played 15 Pro A games averaging 3.4ppg, 1.3rpg, 1.6apg. In his Nurnberg career, he ended up playing 78 Pro A games scoring in double figures against Phoenix Hagen with 14 points. Over the years he also played for the German national youth teams and played at the European Championships U18 in Slovakia in 2017: playing 7 games averaging  2.9ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.9apg and at the European Championships U18 in Latvia in 2018 playing 7 games averaging 6.9ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 46.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 84.2%. It seemed like he couldn´t get over the hump and become that consistent Pro A performer with good minutes in Nurnberg, so he sought a new challenge with the Fraport Skyliners where he can challenge for BBL minutes and gather further experience and minutes in the Pro B with the club´s farm team. The Fraport Skyliners have a renowned youth program and Wainright thinks that his Pro A experience will help him. “He’s seen a lot so it all should just come together. He should take a little knowledge from each player that he’s been with the past years”, commented Ishmail Wainright. The American also knows that the German will have no difficult adjustment time and just in case he wants to see water again, he can always visit the Main river. “We walked all the way out into the ocean on some tree trunk. I still have the video I think. I was hoping he would fall in to be honest because I would’ve been dying laughing. I believe he will fit in just right and the team and organization will push him even more to become the person and player he’s supposed to be”, warned Ishmail Wainright. He is more than confident that the German will go his way in the Skyliners organization and continue to develop as a player, but also knows on what he has to work on to become an easyCredit BBL player. “ He’s going to blossom into what he wants to be. He wants to be one if the top German players at his age and I’m sure they will help him get to that.    He needs to improve his mindset. Learn to not be afraid to make a mistake. Learn from it and keep playing”, warned Ishmail Wainright.  Who knows if Wainright and Meredith will ever cross paths on the court again, but one thing is certain, for once it wasn´t necessarily an American that left a lasting impression on a German, but here it was vice versa. “I’ll never forget Chuzzy!! He’s a player that’s going to strive and learn every day. He’s a player that wants to learn”, warned Ishmail Wainright. That should be a good omen for success in Frankfurt and beyond in Meredith´s career, because if there was one guy who always wanted to learn, it was Isaac Bonga and everybody knows where he is today.

Todd Withers is a 24 year old 203cm forward from McLeansville, North Carolina that is playing his third professional season and first with Lavoropiu Fortitudo Bologna (Italy-Serie A). He played his first two professional seasons with the Grand Rapids Drive (NBA G League) playing 47 games averaging 7.0ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 54.7%, 3PT: 31.8%, FT: 71.8% and in his second season played 42 games averaging 10.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 59.8%, 3PT: 36.5%, FT: 76.7%. He played at Queens (NCAA2) from 2014-2018 playing a total of 106 games and as senior played 36 games averaging 13.6ppg, 8.0rpg, 1.6apg, 1.7bpg, FGP: 49.9%, 3PT: 40.2%, FT: 75.3%. He spoke to eurobasket before a basketball Champions League game against Brose Bamberg. 

Todd thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Your playing a Basketball Champions League game against Brose Bamberg. Is this your first time in Germany? What do you know in general about the country and it’s basketball?


This is my first time in Germany. I don’t know much about Germany. But I remember when we played Bamberg the first time, I was impressed by their team. I imagined that the BBL was a very good league.

Your ex Queens (NCAA 2) teammate Shaun Willet is balling in Germany at the moment. Have you been following his Basketball career?

Shaun has been killing in Germany on the court. I actually called him today asking how far Bamberg is from him. He told me about three hours. I have been following his game and seeing him getting double doubles. I am very proud of him and how far he has come coming from a D-2 school. 

If someone had told you as a freshman at Queens that you would play for an NBA team farm team and play in Europe down the road what would you have thought?

I would probably have thought that he was lying or that it was a joke. I took the game seriously as a freshman, but I just didn’t know the potential that I had at that time. I was very motivated, but just didn’t feel up to par with other players. 

Your playing your first season in Europe with Lavoropiu Fortitudo Bologna (Italy-Serie A) after two years in the G-League. You have needed no real adjustment period to the Italian Serie A. What has been the most challenging part on the court?

I think the spacing on the floor. In Europe the bigs can be in the paint more than in the States. It has been a real adjustment finding the space.

It has been a tough season for the team as it has been struggling in the Serie A and in the BCL. What have been the main reasons for how the club has played?

I think the biggest problem has been that it has taken longer for everyone to get used to each other. There are new players and coaches and we have had injuries. I feel like we are starting to feel more comfortable and that there could be a change in the second half. There was a lot of growing at the start and guys finding each other.

What kind of an experience has it been being teammates with Italian veteran Marco Cusin who has played at 4 European championships. He hasn’t played so much this season but does one feel his vast experience?

He is one of our most vocal guys on the team. You always know that he is there. He really has helped me see things on the court that I couldn’t see. If I mess up, he is always the first guy to get my head up. He is a real big motivator and I love playing with him. 

Let’s talk a bit about your game. You’re a 203cm forward. If you had to compare your game to a NBA player who would best fit the description?

I like to model my game after Trevor Ariza. I like being that role player three and D guy. I do the little things on the court. I like making the right play and guarding the other team’s best player. I also have the ability to be able to switch from guarding a team’s best guard to a team’s best forward. And I take a lot of pride in making the tough plays.

You’re a player that really fills the stat sheet with ease. Would you call yourself a modern day forward?

I like to believe that I am. I like to stretch the floor for others guys so they can create for others. When guys throw me the ball, I like to be able to knock down shots with confidence.

Detroit Pistons head coach Dwayne Casey said that you have an unbelievable motor. Is that something you were born with?

No I wasn’t born with a motor. I had to work very hard to getting that motor. Queens helped me get that motor. In my first two years at Queens, I wasn’t the most fit guy. We had boot camp at Queens where we woke up at 4am and had to run. I learned to be in shape there and also during the off season. The motor has helped me a lot by having the right energy at all times. 

You have been a good three pointer in College. How have you seen your development as a three point shooter?

I have become a more consistent shooter. I have more confidence now in my shot and more trust. In college, I would turn down shots if caught the ball wrong or my footwork wasn’t right. Now I have a lot more confidence and have taken many reps in the off season. In the G-League we shot a lot, but in Europe you shoot all day. 

How much pride do you take in your defensive game? What kind of a defender do you strive to become in Europe?

I love defense. It is my pride and joy. I want to become one of the best defenders in Europe. I take a lot of pride of not allowing my man to score on me. I have the ultimate respect for guys like Luis Scola or Tony Douglas, but in my eyes it’s my job not to allow them to score on me or have a break out game against me.

You played the last two seasons with the Grand Rapids Drive (NBA G League) improving your stats each season. How do you feel did your game develop in the G-League?

I learned a lot in the G-League the last two seasons. It made me slow down my game. In college I was full speed and ran around like a chicken that had lost it’s head. Being around NBA vets in the G-League really helped me slow down my game and see the floor better. In school I had too much energy and often ran myself out of plays. I became more consistent in the G-League. I began to focus on making plays that would help my team win instead of making the hero plays. 

You put up solid stats in your second season. Do you feel like you would have had an NBA call up had a guy like Sekou Doumbouya not been around?

I don’t know. I can’t really say. I’m a guy that is always looking at the positives. The fact that he was there helped me and I would hope the fact that I was there also helped him. I learned that even if I came off the bench, I needed to be productive. I had no control about what the coaches decided. I saw his style and that he was NBA material and tried to the same things as him to help my game. 

You had many great games in the G-League, but was your 30 point explosion in the win over Windy City one of your most memorable?

Yes it was. A lot of people talk down the G-League for being a league where there are only selfish guys playing for their stats. This game made me realize that my team was out for my best interest. It wasn’t only a great day for me, but also for my team. I realized my team wanted me to do well. 

You played in the G_League and saw how the NBA functioned. What was the best example that you saw in the two years where you saw that the NBA will always be a business first?

When long time NBA player Marcus Thornton came back from China, he became my roommate. I was always asking him about the NBA and what it took to get there. The first thing he always said was that the NBA was a business first. I saw him killing every night and he still didn’t get a NBA call up. It always depends what a team needs. Teams like to protect their franchise players. Teams need guys to play hard. Not everyone can score 30 points a game. For many guys that is a hard pill to shallow. 

Dwayne Casey said that you need to get stronger and improve your ball handling. Could you see yourself going back and giving the NBA another chance?

I have not given up on the NBA or playing for a good G-League team. I remember during a team meeting getting these cards where everything was written about what we had to work on. That has always motivated me to get better. I need to get stronger. I don’t want guys bullying me on the court. I need to feel comfortable playing against bigger guys. 

You played at Queens from 2014-2018. Was wining the 2017 SAC tournament or was it reaching the 2018 NCAA 2 final 4 one of your biggest achievements there?


‘Reaching the NCAA 2 Final 4 was my biggest achievement. I loved that team to death. It was such an amazing experience being able to go to the tournament. 

You had many great games, but where do you rank your 26 point game in the tournament win over Cal Baptist

I never ask about stats. I just go out and play. But that game was a huge accomplishment for me and the team. We had never played against a school that big or skilled. They were going to division 1 the season after. We gave it our all. I will never forget Daniel Cage’s steal and my dunk at the end. Just seeing everyone go crazy at the end was great. We had amazing support from all. That game was one of my top three moments in my life.

How did head coach Bart Lundy groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

He was real big about having the right mindset. He used to have this saying ‘I will fill the cup and knock it over and then see if you can pick it up’. There were days when we didn’t like our coach, but at the end of the day we needed him and he needed us. I went from being an immature player to being a captain who helped the young kids. 

Who won a one on one in practice you or Lewis Diankulu?

I’m beating him for sure. He is definitely my guy and one of the nicest guys that you would ever meet. He was amazing with his hands. I would take him to the three point line and see if he could beat me. 

Who was the toughest player that you battled in the NCAA 2 that made the NBA?


Emmanuel Terry of Lincoln Memorial. His motor was amazing and he was a walking double double. People think that he is arrogant, but he takes a lot of pride in his game. He was definitely my toughest competitor in D-2. 

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Ike Agusi Lewis Diankulu, Kenneth Smith, Marcus Thornton, Craig Sword

Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present players?

Jordan, Kobe, Lebron, KD, Shaq

What is your personal opinion of the neverending debate of who is the greatest Michael Jordan or Lebron James?


You can’t debate it. They played in two different era’s-. Jordan will never be forgotten and was the best in the world. Lebron is the best in this era. 

What was the last movie that you saw?

Stepbrothers.

Thanks Todd for the chat.

DJ Woodmore is a 28 year old 190cm point guard that is playing his first season with the EPG Baskets Koblenz. Last season with Morgenstern BIS Basket Speyer (Germany-ProB) he played 21 games averaging 15.1ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT-2 (50.0%), FT: 87.3%. In 2018-2019 13.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 60.2%, 3PT: 36.5%, FT: 71.6% in the Regionalliga. In his first two seasons with Speyer he averaged 14.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 44.6%, 3PT: 40.1%, FT: 72.1% and 17.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 3.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.5%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 76.4%. he played at Virginia Wesleyan College (NCAA3): from 2010-2014 and as a senior played 31 games averaging 20.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.4apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.3% (219/435), 3Pts: 46.0% (91/198), FT: 76.9% (93/121). Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and DJ Woodmore team up each week to talk basketball.

DJ thanks for talking to eurobasket.com. The EPG Baskets Koblenz lost a tough game at home 73-63 to Orange Academy How tough was it watching this ending? 

Extremely tough. I thought we did a lot of good things tonight. Especially on defense. But one or two very costly mistakes that hurt us at the end. 

The EPG Baskets Koblenz had a super first quarter leading 16-8. Was that that the best defense the team has played this season? 

Definitely. I thought we had 5 guys locked in the entire quarter. Their only points were off of broken plays and long rebounds. Couldn’t ask for a better start defensively.

However Koblenz was unable to hold it allowing Orange Academy to come back in the second quarter. What was key for the 14-5 guests run to cut the Koblenz lead to 35-29 at the break? 


Turnovers. We just gave them way too many opportunities. After a while, a good team is going to punish you when you give them multiple chances at scoring. Giving them confidence to crawl back into the game. When I thought we could have easily took the lead to 20+. 

The EPG Baskets Koblenz had problems with their set play. Obviously you were missing. What adjustments should the team have made on offense? 

I thought we did a great job executing in the first half but maybe we just ran out of gas in the second. Defending Orange Academy isn’t an easy task, so when we do get a stop, you have to attack them and put pressure on them to defend you. I think we should have been way more aggressive in the transition offense. Playing a little faster and creating mismatches. That way it would open up easier opportunities to score.

The EPG Baskets Koblenz suddenly lost total control of the game allowing a 12-2 run by Orange Academy to decide the game. Why couldn’t the team make adjustments on the slip screen that beat you 3 times in a row by Nicholas Bretzel?

Just a lack of focus at the end of the game. We kept giving them chances by turning the ball over in crucial moments. Frustrating when you played a great game for 38 minutes and lose it the last two. That slip screen was working so well because we were overthinking the rotation. They didn’t hit too many outside shots so we probably should have been focused more on the help side rotation instead rotating so hard to the guards.

At the post game press conference German Lukas Meyer said the team still hasn’t found a way to be able to play more consistent. Is the inability to be consistent putting more of a strain on the club each week with every new loss? 


Yes I think so, you can tell the energy is a little different each week after a loss. There’s still plenty of time to correct some things and hopefully go into the playoffs playing our best best basketball. Like I said, we made a lot of improvements defensively this week, but no we have to put two halves together. 

Orange Academy has a huge Polish talent with 18 year old Igor Milicic. What was your impression of him and how he presented himself on the court? 

Extremely talented. Long and athletic. Can stretch the floor and get to the basket. He’s going to be a good player for sure. 

The next game is on the road against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors whom you destroyed before Christmas by more than 40 points. How much of a must win does this game have to be? 

I think this is one of the most important games of the season. If we can win this weekend, we can stop the bleeding and maybe get back to how we were playing in the first half of the season. A loss would be deviating but not the end of the world. 

You missed your second game. How is your rehab going and what is your status for next weekend? 

Rehab has been going extremely well. Cleared to start practice again on Tuesday so hopefully I’ll be fit enough to play in Frankfurt. I’ll ease my way back into it and try not to force anything, but sitting out isn’t an option anymore. 

James Harden’s scoring has gone down in the last games as he has accepted more of a playmaking role. How dangerous will the Brooklyn Nets be if the trio of Durant, Harden and Irving can accept each other and somehow cut down their egos for the good of the team? 


I think they have all the potential in the world. It would be hard for me to believe that the 3 most talented/skilled players in the world can’t make it work because of egos. They’ll figure it out eventually but I think they’ll still run into some trouble against teams like the Lakers, Clippers, Philly, etc… They just don’t play enough defense for me.

After ending 2020 with a bang winning their last three games, the EPG Baskets Koblenz are still searching for their first victory in 2021. They were riding a two game losing streak having lost to Karlsruhe and Oberaching when they welcomed Orange Academy. They continue to have problems finding that identity on defense not being able to put it together for a full game. Another problem is their walking wounded list as American DJ Woodmore and veteran Edin Alispahic were out. Despite the injury woes, the club has a deep enough roster to compensate the loses. They had their hands full with top German youth program Orange Academy who landed in Koblenz with a 9-5 record. They were coming off a brutal 85-82 loss in Frankfurt 96 hours earlier. EPG Baskets head coach Danny Rodriguez had a suitable game plan and as usual had his guys ready as they played a very strong first half, but then as usual let up in the second half. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had everything in their cards to win, but allowed an annoying 12-2 crunch-time run by Orange Academy to decide the game for the guests. ‘We started well. Ulm likes to play that high pick and roll. We changed our pick and roll defense hedging well. But in the second half we were less aggressive and had problems on the help side defense. We have problems with our set offense. We are good when we are in transition. We always start with good energy, but then loose it’, stressed EPG Baskets head coach Danny Rodriguez. Orange Academy head coach Anton Gavel wasn’t happy with the first half, but he always stayed calm on the sidelines. In the second half, one could understand his excitement in crunch-time when his team produced a brutal 12-2 run to decide the game. ‘I congratulate my players. Key in this game was the second quarter where we could cut down the Koblenz lead from 15 points to 5 points. That gave us more self-confidence going into the second half. We began to rebound better and made good decisions’, added Orange Academy head coach Anton Gavel. 

The EPG Baskets Koblenz went into the contest with some key players out, but their lethal first quarter of allowing only 8 points showed that they had come into the game well prepared. The EPG Baskets Koblenz didn’t waste any time jumping all over Orange Academy taking a quick 9-2 lead. In the run, Koblenz as usual got their athletic freak Brian Butler involved early as he got two buckets and made a free throw. As usual the ex easyCredit BBL slam dunk champion Brian Butler used his physicality getting as close to the rim and then unleashing his fakes which helped him be successful. Ex Bayer Giants Leverkusen forward CJ Oldham also contributed scoring twice on transition as he used his athleticism to the fullest. The EPG Baskets Koblenz defended very aggressive taking away the pick and roll from Orange Academy and limiting the touches from 212 cm German big man Nicholas Bretzel. The strong Koblenz defense led to better offense. Orange Academy had problems with their set offense getting good shots as Koblenz limited them to taking very bad shots. Polish national player Jeremy Sochan and German Julius Ferber helped Orange Academy with two baskets. The EPG Baskets Koblenz continued to get vital support from Butler who made his patent turn around shot, ex Fordham (NCAA) guard Zaire Thompson used his quick speed for a finger tip role in and ex Giessen German guard Lukas Mayer scored on a drive. After 10 minutes the EPG Baskets Koblenz had the comfortable 16-8 advantage. ‘We lost control. We didn’t play our game. We didn’t follow the saying act and don’t react. We only reacted. We didn’t defend well enough’, said Orange Academy center Nicolas Bretzel (212-PF-99). 

In the second quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz were able to lead by as much as 15 points, but allowed Orange Academy to storm back and trail only by 6 points at half-time. The EPG Baskets Koblenz cruised out on a rapid on a 9-2 run like in the first quarter extending their lead to 25-10. In the run, the home team did a fine job spreading the scoring love around as four different players scored. The drive began with a Joshua Luebken dunk which was followed by a Oldham lay in, then Dutch forward Chad Wellian dropped a trey and German sniper Marley Jean-Louis made a runner. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had found a very sound offensive rhythm and continued to take away Orange Academy’s pick and roll. But basketball is always a game of runs and Orange Academy continued to fight and began to claw their way back closing out the second quarter with a 19-9 run to trail only 34-29. Orange Academy didn’t try to work too hastily, but remained calm and took it play by play. Orange Academy attacked the rim better and picked their spots more cleverer as Polish national player Igor Milicic and ex Vechta forward Nat Dialo scored in the paint and Jeremy Sochan made a hook shot as Orange Academy trailed only 29-19. Koblenz had done a good job limiting the guests three pointer, but couldn’t stop their drive or them getting to the free throw line. Orange Academy continued to chip away and got some more baskets inside from Milicic and Dialo scored twice. Orange Academy also did a better job working on the glass. ‘We did a good job forcing turnovers and getting stops. We also boxed out better on the boards’, stated Anton Gavel. 

The third quarter was a real dog fight as the EPG Baskets Koblenz were never able to lead by more than 5 points, but they kept the lead and didn’t relinquish it quite yet to Orange Academy. Orange Academy got on the board first as Nicholas Bretzel scored on an old school hook shot. After a Butler dunk, it was pass first point guard Marius Stoll that connected on a long trey and Bretzel made free throws to cut Koblenz’s lead to 37-36. The game now would take mini runs as Koblenz went on a 5-0 run to lead 42-36 as Mayer hit a three pointer and Thompson made a runner, but Orange Academy always had an answer battling back to go on a 7-2 run to trail only 44-43 as Bretzel scored inside and Sochan made free throws and a bucket. The EPG Baskets Koblenz held the lead getting baskets from Thompson, Jean Louis and Butler to lead 52-47, but Orange Academy countered with a clutch Milicic three pointer to cut the Koblenz lead down to 52-50. Milcic showed his calmness icing a beautiful trey as his inside out game was at full force on this day. Despite a pretty tip in by Ferber at the end, it was the EPG Baskets Koblenz that held the tight 53-52 advantage after 30 minutes. ‘On offense we played faster and played our plays better while on defense we matched the physicality of Koblenz’, stated Nicolas Bretzel. 

The fourth quarter was a nail bitter in the first five minutes as there were four lead changes, but in crunch-time it was all Orange Academy as the EPG Baskets Koblenz lost total control of their game. Butler began the fourth quarter scoring with a back door cut and bucket as Thompson fed him perfectly and then Ferber made a tap in as Orange Academy trailed only 55-54. But Orange Academy finally earned their first lead of the game as German Latrell Grosskopf scored . But that lead was very short lived as Butler scored again for the 57-56 advantage. But Orange Academy took the lead back with another clutch trey from Marius Stoll for the 59-57 lead. Athletic German Jacob Mampuya then gave Koblenz the lead back one last time 60-59 with a trey. A Thompson free throw was met by a Bretzel runner to dead lock the game at 61-61. But then came the ruining point of the game as the EPG Baskets Koblenz suddenly couldn’t execute anymore at both ends allowing a 12-2 run by Orange Academy to win the game. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had slowed down Nicholas Bretzel most of the game, but now when it counted most were beat three times in a row by point guard Stoll who found the big man each time for the 65-61. ‘We used the slip screen and Marius Stoll read it well. We know each other since 12 years and know where the other is’, stated Nicolas Bretzel. Koblenz got a spark of energy from Butler with a hard tip in dunk to cut the Orange Academy lead to 65-63. But Orange Academy didn’t let up, but slammed the door in the EPG Baskets Koblenz face with a 8-0 run. Orange Academy stayed calm and did a great job getting to the free throw line and producing key stops. Stoll, Sochan and Bretzel dropped free throws while Ferber made a lay in to seal the victory. It was another disappointing loss for the EPG Baskets Koblenz who are 0-3 in 2021. They once again proved that they show glimpses of defensive greatness, but can’t hold it for 40 minutes as a game has more than 10 minutes. ‘We didn’t get stops and it was hard to come back when we had to gamble’, stressed Danny Rodriguez. ‘We created stops and rebounded well. Bretzel was very important for us with his inside out game’, said Anton Gavel. Orange Academy was led by Nicholas Bretzel with 17 points and 8 boards. Jeremy Sochan added 13 points and 6 rebounds while Julius Ferber added 11 points and Igor Milicic 10 points. The EPG Baskets Koblenz were led by Brian Butler with 21 points and 6 rebounds while CJ Oldham had 10 points and 7 rebounds. Orange Academy shot 42% from the field and 24% from outside and had 42 rebounds and 19 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 38% form the field and 18% from outside and had 33 rebounds and 17 turnovers. 

 Patrick Lyons is a 25 year old 187cm point guard from Ireland that is playing his first season in Germany with TuS Bad Aibling Fireballs (Germany-Regionalliga). He began his basketball career with Moycullen (SuperLeague). He also played with Medway Park Crusaders (United Kingdom-EBL D1) and played 7 years with SSE Airtricity Moycullen Galway (Super League) and last season played 17 games averaging 9.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.1apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 48.1%, 3PT: 21.1%, FT: 71.1%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.

Patrick thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how do you like Germany?

Thank you very much for having me. I’m currently in the beautiful Bavarian town of Bad Aibling. I have loved my time in Germany so far. The people are incredibly kind, the scenery is stunning and the basketball has been very enjoyable.

It is not often that we see Irish players playing in Germany. What does it mean for you to play in Germany and what do you know in general about the country Germany and it’s basketball?

To me, playing in Germany means I am taking another progressive step in my basketball career. It means I get to achieve a long-term goal of mine: to play basketball at a professional level outside of Ireland. Whenever I finish playing basketball, I want to say that I pushed myself to progress as far as I could, and tried to reach my full potential. It’s nice to be added to the short list of Irish players who have played here. I have competed against and looked up to all of those guys. Seeing those guys do it, helped me to visualise that I can do it. What I know about Germany is that it’s a proud nation that it is rich in culture and history. Germany produces some of the best beer, bread, wurst and cars in the world. In basketball, Germany has produced some world class players. Germany has strong, well-ran leagues with a healthy mix of domestic and international players. 

I remember some years ago this talented Irish lad by the name of Paul Dick who wrecked havoc in the German Regionalliga. Did you talk to him about Germany and get some tips?

Paul Dick is a tough and talented player. He is always a key factor of our scouting reports in the Irish SuperLeague. Yes, I caught up with Paul before coming over and he had some great advice for me. I also caught up with another Irish player and friend, Adrian O’Sullivan. He played at Ademax Red Devils Bramsche in the Regionalliga last year and is now playing in Spain at Aquimisa Carbajosa in LEB Plata. 

You played many years in Ireland and now have joined German Regionalliga team TuS Bad Aibling Fireballs (Germany-Regionalliga). What were the main reasons for joining this Bavarian team?

I’m grateful for the opportunity Bad Aibling Fireballs have given me. One of the first things I noticed was the strong community values the Bad Aibling Fireballs club has. My home club, Moycullen Basketball, also places a huge importance on community and place. At Moycullen, playing and competing is just one element of being a club member. I firmly believe in this culture and could tell this was the same at Bad Aibling. I’ve already enjoyed helping with coaching and helping on game day for the other teams. 

What has been your early impression of German basketball? How would you compare the Regionalliga to the Irish Super League.

We have only had a few preseason games so far so it’s hard to compare, but I think there are a lot of similarities. COVID-19 has caused a knock-on effect to clubs in terms of budgets, player availability, etc. It might result in a totally different league this year. 

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a 187cm point guard. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description?

Tough question, thanks to Rory Gilson for helping me with this one. If I had to compare my game to someone, I think I would go with Jrue Holiday. Holiday is versatile on offence and is solid defensively. He is strong in transition and does a great job at drawing the help and finding the open guy. Most importantly to me, Holiday is a leader and a fantastic teammate. He was recently awarded NBA teammate of the year. Holiday doesn’t need to be the top scorer or the loudest voice. He stays calm, leads by example and his teammates can rely on him. 

In the last years at SSE Airtricity Moycullen Galway you weren’t that explosive scoring point guard, but it seemed a player that could do a bit of everything. Is that a fair assessment?

Yes, I’ve been the team captain at Moycullen for the past few seasons where my role has been to be a player that does a bit of everything on a young, majority home-grown team. We had a decent spread of scoring across the team, and while not focusing on being an out and out scorer, I found my scores within the offence and when needed. (9PPG on 4.5FGA’s)

In the German Regionalliga there is a lot of scoring from import guards. Would you be up to the challenge if coach told you the team needs a lot of scoring?

It’s often the same in the SuperLeague with import guards, especially when they’re from the US. I’ve spoken with Coach Wichote and I am clear on what I need to do to help the team. We have a nice combination of experienced and younger players. I like how we have been progressing through preseason and I think I’ll be able to score the way coach wants me to. 

Talk a little about your strengths on the court. What do you feel is your absolute biggest asset on the court?

I feel like the qualities mentioned above in the comparison question speak to my strengths. I think my versatility on defence is one of my biggest assets. Defence is tough and it’s tiring but I like it. I like to defend aggressively and can guard multiple positions/players. I love how momentum can swing with good defence. 

What do you feel is a hidden strength in your game that doesn’t get noticed right away on the court?

I think a hidden strength that doesn’t get noticed right away is my ‘engine’. I have worked hard to condition my body which allows me to keep my energy output high for long periods. 

On what areas of your game did you work on most this summer so you would be best prepared for the new challenge in Germany?

Due to COVID, it was difficult to get into a gym from March onwards. However, I saw this as an opportunity to try new ways of training. I started training with an elite sprinting group at athletics club, Galway City Harriers, which I really enjoyed. The training was extremely helpful for basketball, (speed, power, endurance, strength, etc.), but I also loved the challenge of trying a totally new sport. My coach, Brendan Glynn and the entire group are amazing. It was fantastic to be around such a focused group of athletes, especially during such a challenging time. We trained independently and connected virtually when restrictions were high. As things lifted slightly, we started training together. I was really happy to finish the season by running in my first ever 200m race at the National Championships. Through the first full lockdown, I did the Insanity exercise program to help stay in shape. As restrictions lifted, I spent a lot of time working on my jump-shot.

How much of a challenge has it been having a day job in Ireland and also being a professional player? How do you feel were you able to help your game most despite possibly at times not having all the resources available due to having a normal day job?

It’s a challenge but for a lot of players, it’s all we know. Currently, there isn’t really money or a framework for players in Ireland to just focus on basketball. You have to be good at organising your day to get the most out of every hour. I found it easier to train when I was in university and had a part time job. It was when my career in marketing started to progress, things became tougher to manage. After some fantastic experiences, I decided to put my marketing career on hold to pursue some of my basketball and life goals. 

You played the last 6 seasons with SSE Airtricity Moycullen Galway winning one league title. How do you feel did your game grow most in these years?

I grew up in Moycullen. Over the past few years, I quickly went from being one of the young guns on the team to one of our most senior and experienced players. In my earlier years, my game developed by soaking up everything I could from our import and experienced players. Puff Summers and Salva Camps both really helped me establish myself as a point guard. More recently, my game has grown through having a good relationship with my coach, John Cunningham. John has helped the entire team grow and develop over the past few seasons. He helped me to look at certain areas of my game that needed tweaking or addressing and worked with me to improve them. 

Back in the 2015-2016 season you had the great opportunity to play Fiba Europe Cup. Was that the coolest experience that you have had as a professional player?

It was an amazing experience to play for Team Hibernia in the Fiba Europe Cup. Yes, as I think back on it I think it was the coolest experience I have had so far. 

You had some very tough loses being outscored in 2 games to top Czeck Republic team Nymburk by 227-90. What memories do you have form those severe blow outs?

The losses were tough but I was just focused on enjoying the journey. I was the youngest on the team and just wanted to take it all in and contribute as much as possible when I was on the floor. I remember Nymburk had some loud home fans, even when they were up by 50!

In one of the games you played against Czech legend and ex NBA player Jiri Welsch. Was it an overwhelming feeling seeing a player like that on your home court?

When the game starts I don’t really think about those things. It’s nice to say that we played against Jiri but it wasn’t overwhelming. He only played for 8 minutes in that game, perhaps he was more interested on enjoying his trip to Ireland. 

Back in 2014 you were set to play at Tennessee Temple University (JUCO), but didn’t attend. What were the main reasons for not playing in the United States?


I attended Tennessee Temple University but I joined a little late. The coach there reached out to me at the very end of the summer so we decided that I would join during the semester break. While my experience there was extremely positive, unfortunately, it was short-lived. The school closed down in the summer of 2015. After a summer of working in Boston I had interest from a few new schools. However, I decided to return to Ireland. 

In 2018 you played at the European Championship for Small Countries in San Marino winning the Bronze. What memories do you have of that and where do you keep your medal today?

This was a huge personal achievement for me. I’ve represented my country at underage level but have always dreamed of playing for the senior team. I wasn’t sure if I would make the final 12 but I got the opportunity and grabbed it. Playing against 229cm, (7’6′), Samuel Deguara from Malta is something I don’t think I’ll ever forget! 

How is the state of Irish basketball in 2020? How have you seen the development in the last years and what are the main problems why the sport isn’t as established as in the UK?

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the 2020 Irish basketball calendar. Without considering the pandemic, I think the current state of Irish basketball is quite good. I came through the underage system during the tail-end of some really bad financial times for the National Governing Body. Thankfully, these times are over. Since then, I believe basketball in Ireland has had a strong and healthy growth across all areas, including: general awareness & promotion; development & participation; and performance & success at elite levels, (nationally and internationally). To borrow from the Business Lifecycle idea, I think that Irish Basketball is still in a rapid growth phase. There is a long way to go, but the Irish basketball community is strong and passionate and there is a lot to be proud of. Regarding the UK comparison, I think it would be an interesting study. At an elite senior level, there’s no denying that Team GB/the UK is further ahead. However, considering just England instead of the whole UK, and looking at basketball as a whole, I think the level of establishment in both countries is a lot closer than people think. I might dare to say that in relevant terms, basketball in Ireland is more/better established, at least in certain areas. One to discuss with some of my peers in England maybe!

Who is the best player that you ever faced on the court that played in the NBA or in Europe?

When I was with Hibernia in the FIBA Europe Cup, we played against Chasson Randle with CEZ Nymburk. He’s currently with the Golden State Warriors. I played at the City of Palms Classic tournament in Florida in 2013 with Barking Abbey, (London). There were some big names at the tournament that year, D’Angelo Russell, Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Jahlil Okafor, Grayson Allen, etc.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

I have had some amazing teammates so it’s hard to name just 5. Not including all of my Moycullen teammates over the years; Pat Sullivan, Justen Best, Joseph Lockwood, Tomas Mitkus, Oisin Kerlin.

Please construct your own personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present players?

Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and for Germany, Dirk Nowitzki

What is your personal opinion of the neverending debate of who is the greatest of all-time Michael Jordan or Lebron James?

I don’t think it should be a debate until LeBron finishes playing. 

What was the last movie that you saw?

Murdair Mham Trasna. It’s a docu-drama about a gruesome and mysterious murder that took place in 1882 in an extremely remote area of the west of Ireland, not too far away from my home town. An innocent man was wrongly convicted and hanged for the murders. The movie is in Irish but here is a great podcast about it in English. https://irishhistorypodcast.ie/category/podcast/the-maamtrasna-murders/ 

Thanks Patrick for the chat.

Stopping at the Alster Lake in Hamburg is always a mandatory thing to do for me. Hanging out at the beautiful and tranquil Alster Lake is as normal for me as relaxing on the Charles River in Boston or roller blading on castle island when I´m home. The Alster Lake is that special place in Hamburg where people can just go for an hour and forget about their problems and just get engulfed with the beauty of nature in a small area in a major German city. If it´s doing laps around the lake while jogging, taking a boat trip or just proposing to your loved one, the Alster Lake is that magical place that can take you into your special own world. Kameron “i´ts Seton Hill not Seton Hall” Taylor is in his fifth professional season which has taken him to exotic land Hungry, but he has also had the luxury to be able to call Germany home for the other four seasons. He has lived in many places and each place had it´s own unique identity. His first stop as a rookie was the 24,000 city town Ehingen that was the typical pretty town with old architecture. In his second year he took a step back to make two forward dominating the Pro B with the Dragons Rhondorf. The tiny town Bad Honnef is situated on the famous Rhine River and only a 30 minute drive from Cologne. He finished that season in the BBL with s.Oliver Wurzburg which is another old city best known for the Residence on the hill. In his third professional season he called Pecs, Hungry home where that big city atmosphere with it´s 145,000 people gave him more of a challenge with traffic on the streets. He lived in one of the oldest cities in Hungry and could of learned something new each day with it´s vast amount of sights like the cathedral of St Peter and Paul. Last season he came back to Germany and played for Brose Bamberg. In Bamberg there were only about half as many people living there as in Pecs and he could go have a coffee and piece of cake in one of Germany´s best known old historical part of the city. The American from Maryland has lived in so many amazing places in his basketball career, but none as stunning as the place he calls home this season. The ex Seton Hill(NCAA2) guard is balling for the Towers this season and can call Hamburg home. Of course Bavarians from Munich will argue and say no city in Germany is nicer than their´s, but Hamburg natives can also argue that they are living in one of Germany´s most beautiful cities. Granted Hamburg may have 1,8 million inhabitants, but there are so many area´s in the city where you would never have thought that it is one of the biggest cities in Germany. From the massive harbor, to the beautiful historic architecture like the Michel church to the beautiful Alster Lake that can be that enchanting get away for anyone on a warm summer day. Hamburg is one of those unique cities where your never bored as there are always things to do. Of course now during the annoying COVID-19 crisis, people are limited to doing things, but if you use your imagination, you can always get away and just enjoy the cities finer points like the Speicher Stadt which is the world´s largest warehouse complex. Usually in small towns where you have nothing to do, you can work extra hard and long in the lab on your game, but in places where there is always entertainment, it could be more difficult to focus on basketball. “The city is huge and  the big Alster lake is definitely my favorite spot in the city. There were some great restaurants I’ve been to like Dulls Burger, before everything closed down”, stressed Kameron Taylor. Despite all the Hamburg distractions, Kameron Taylor has been able to lock in, help his team be successful and continue to make strides in his game. This season his personal game focus is to become that complete offensive and defensive player.

                Three years ago the former DeMatha star Kameron Taylor experienced a real Cinderella story like basketball season moving from the Pro B Dragons Rhondorf to the easyCredit BBL team s.Oliver Wurzburg to finish the season under legendary German basketball coach Dirk Bauermann. He rapidly proved that he couldn´t only hold his own against other top players in the BBL, but that he could be that impact player. In the following years he continued to move up the basketball ladder having played in Hungry and last season had his true BBL break out season with Brose Bamberg. Him being a Cinderella story is long reality as currently he is an established BBL player that continues to perform at a high level and continues to develop further. After a successful first full season in the BBL  with Brose Bamberg, the American decided to set up camp in the north of Germany with BBL club Hamburg Towers. So far the decision has panned out as the club has a strong 8-4 record and with head coach Pedro Calles on board, the chances of continued success are good. The BBL regular season began with a bang for the Hamburg Towers as they won their first game at home. It was extra special because Kameron Taylor battled his ex team Bamberg and won. “It’s always nice getting a win against your old club but it was even more nice because we started out season off the right way”, stressed Kameron Taylor. He didn´t have a good shooting day as he shot 3/11, but he did a great job filling the stat sheet something that is as usual for him as it is NBA fans getting on Kyrie Irving´s back about his escapades with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a block. Plus he got to the free throw line and made his free throws. Every now and then ex NBA players will appear on the court, but Taylor has seen this kind of thing a lot in the BBL, so matching up against a high quality guy like Devon Hall is nothing special anymore. He knows what he is capable of and is just focused on always getting better no matter if it´s an ex NBA player in his face or that hungry NBBL player getting that first shot to shine. “I’m motivated for every game. I continue to improve my game not only because I want to become the best player I possibly can but also because I know guys such as Devon Hall are probably doing the same thing”, warned Kameron Taylor.

            Despite COVID-19 wrecking serious havoc around the world, the German easyCredit BBL is experiencing a very very exciting season. When was Alba Berlin and FC Bayern Munich only in fourth and fifth place?. The top three teams are Ludwigsburg, Crailsheim and Oldenburg who are giving the league an even better name making it more competitive as ever. And lurking in the shadows of Munich and Berlin and ready to pounce on them are the Hamburg Towers currently in sixth place with a solid 8-4 record. The team´s big goal in pre season was to establish the club in the BBL and that is exactly what they are doing. They have that focused attitude of knowing that the season isn´t over now, but know they still have a lot of work to do. They began the season on fire winning six of their first seven games. The biggest win was over Bamberg and the rest were all huge wins mainly because they were against opponents who they had to beat. They established an offensive identity quickly scoring more than 80 points in five of thé six wins. The team has talented scorers and the brutal offense was something that could have been expected. “There is no secret, we play together and we play for each other. Everyone is aware of what they bring to the team and as a team everyone tries to maximize what they bring”, added Kameron Taylor. The club has had a bit of a lull in the last weeks having won only two of it´s last five games. But losing to top teams FC Bayern Munich and the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg can always happen. They celebrated massive wins over pesky Rasta Vechta and top team Crailsheim wining by 17 points. Even good teams have their up and downs. “We aren’t changing anything. We understand that we aren’t perfect, so we go over our mistakes and what we need to work on and continue to work trying to get better individually and as a team”, warned Kameron Taylor. Hamburg next battle the always tough Fraport Skyliners who are coming off a disappointing loss to s.Oliver Wurzburg. They know that even if they can slow down sniper Matt Mobley, that that won´t be a guarantee for success. “Matt Mobley has been playing at a high level. But energy, team defense, and execution are our keys for the game”, said Kameron Taylor. One player Taylor will really be geared up for is BBL identity figure and Fraport Skyliner legend Quantez Robertson. The ex Auburn(NCAA) star is 36 and one has to enjoy every new meeting not knowing when it might be the last encounter on the floor. “I would like to add his experience for sure. Tez is definitely a BBL Legend and just the experience alone I would like to add to my arsenal, knowing he has played and guarded so many different scorers, shooters, and slashers. He probably is prepared for every type of player”, stated Kameron Taylor.

            Kameron Taylor has been a big part of the current Hamburg Towers success, but it´s all about team and the club wouldn´t be where it is now without the support of everyone. One of those guys that has brought great leadership qualities is diminutive California native TJ Shorts who had a brilliant NCAA career at the University of California – Davis. He has been that scorer, creator and defensive spark that every team always wishes from their point guard. “It’s great to see him do well. He one of those guys that gets extra work in after and before practice and it clearly translates to the game. It’s fun being on the court with him because we both are guys that actually like playing defense and accepting the challenge of guarding the better players on the team”, expressed Kameron Taylor. Another player that has been a great addition has been the versatile 30 year old Jordan Swing who has played in countries like Belgium, Australia, Israel and Spain where he averaged double figures in scoring in the ACB with RETAbet Gipuzkoa BC San Sebastian. Just saying that he is only a shooter is an insult. “J swing is not shooter, he is a bucket. He is a tough shot maker. Guarding him in practice is a challenge I love to accept it, because he scores in variety of ways”, expressed Kameron Taylor. Having that game moment of battling against BBL legends like Quantez Robertson and Ricky Paulding only happens a few times per season so enjoying those engagements are mandatory. But luckily he doesn´t have to wait for those few special meetings each season, because he also has a BBL legend with Bryce Taylor on the team that has played with top teams like Alba Berlin and FC Bayern Munich. Having Taylor on the team is an enrichment for everyone. “Honestly the fact that he has been through it all is the best thing not only for me but for the team. He’s been on championship teams and he brings that pedigree/experience we need as a group. He keeps our team focused and prepared not only on the court but helping us learn from real life situations off the court as well”, stressed Kameron Taylor.

            The American who last watched the movie Green Mile has continued to make strides in his game again this season and continues to climb up the basketball ladder. Last season he put up very good stats in his first full BBL season with Bamberg playing 26 BBL games averaging 10.2ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.5apg, FGP: 57.0%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 82.8%, and played 12 BCL games averaging  9.5ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 41.2%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 86.2%. Last season he had very talented teammates, probably a bit more than what he has this season with Hamburg, but his game is still consistent with the Hamburg Towers. Besides filling the stat sheet, he has a very special role this season that he didn´t have with Bamberg last season. “I’m one of the older guys so I have to be the one who brings the energy, and to make sure my teammates are in the right places to be successful”, warned Kameron Taylor. He had some big scoring games at the start of the season scoring 19 points in a victory over Wurzburg and 21 points over the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but his game isn´t only about scoring. His scoring has been down in the last weeks, but he has been making up in other areas. “Playmaking has always been one of my favorite things because it’s gets yourself and your teammates going as well. It’s easy to make plays passing to teammates like mine”, said Kameron Taylor. He has been a very good three point shooter the last two seasons shooting 40% in Hungry and last season in the BBL and BCL, but is struggling currently at 26%. He stays positive and knows that if he can get his team going in other areas, then he will have success with his shooting again. “I´m just staying confident and getting my reps up. As long as I continue to positively affect my team I’m happy. The shots will fall”, warned Kameron Taylor. Not only on the offense end is Taylor a force, but also on the defensive end where his athleticism, long hands and intensity gets the Hamburg Towers transition baskets. Having defensive pit bull Max Di Leo as a teammate also is vital in his motivation to continue to get better as a defensive player. “Max is another guy that loves to accept the challenge of defending the best players as well. For me there’s no better feeling and playing with other guys who love to play defense”, commented Kameron Taylor.  Currently he is averaging 12,0ppg, 5,8rpg, 4,0apg and 1,8spg, but knows that despite being that versatile player at both ends of the court, his mission to greatness is a daily grind that he accepts. “As a player I try to improve every year. This year my focus has been trying to be a complete player offensively and defensively. Still have a lot of room to improve”, warned Kameron Taylor. It will be very interesting to see exactly where the journey of the Hamburg Towers will go this season, but with rising BBL coach Pedro Calles at the helm and his Vechta history still very much present, the playoffs could be a very realistic reality in May. If that does happen and the weather is warmer in Hamburg, nobody will get annoyed if Kameron Taylor takes a break from the lab and spends some more extra  time at the Alster lake. He can still work on becoming that complete player at both ends of the court even when he is off the court by scouting players on his lab top while taking in the stunning Alster atmosphere. And if he is in the mood for some exercise, then he can still take a lap around the lake while shifting from the pretty scenery to locking in about basketball in his thoughts

Maik-Kalev Kotsar is a 24 year old 211cm forward from Estonia that is playing his first season in Germany and first with the Hamburg Towers currently averaging 12,6ppg, 6,2rpg, 1,5apg and 1,1spg.. He played at the University of University of South Carolina (NCAA) from 2016-2020 playing a total of 130 NCAA games helping the team reach the NCAA Final 4 in 2017.. In his senior season for the University of University of South Carolina (NCAA) he played 31 games averaging 11.2ppg, 6.3rpg, 2.3apg, 1.5spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 49.8%, FT: 69.0%. Last year he took part at the FIBA World Cup 2019 Qualifiers playing 4 games averaging 8.8ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 46.9%, FT: 62.5%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his basketball career. 

Maik thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been despite the whole COVID-19 effecting the world

Thanks for showing interest in me. Currently I am in Hamburg, Germany working out and getting myself in the best possible shape for the season. The summer was full of working out. Because of COVID there really weren’t too many distractions so it was possible to put all the focus on getting better

How have you experienced the whole COVID-19 crisis in Estonia the last months How much did the last 6 months change your life and how much of a challenge was it finding the time and places to be able to stay in shape and be able to work on your game?

It was hard and unusual at first. Once I got to Estonia, I had all the opportunities needed to work out. The people ahead of the Estonian NT put together a ‘Basketball NT home’ where players had the opportunity to work out every day and I used it to its full extent 

How do you feel did COVID-19 make you stronger as a man?

COVID certainly showed how lucky I am to not be in a risk group and it showed me as well as the rest of the world that we all have to work together and be responsible to protect those with an immune system that is weaker and of course the elderly

Congrats on signing with the Hamburg Towers. What have you learned about the German basketball over the years. Was Germany a place you always wanted to play in?

Thank you! I never thought about where in Europe exactly I would play or would like to play. Growing up I always had the dream to play in the NBA and that is the goal that I have been and will continue to keep working towards. I have faced Germany a few times over my career. once or twice at the youth National Team level and once at the National Team level. 

The Hamburg Towers really love your game. What was your impression of head coach Pedro Calles? Did you find out that he is one of the top up and coming coaches in Germany?

One of the reasons of choosing The Hamburg Towers was head coach Pedro Calles. I saw a few of Rasta Vechtas last years games and I liked that he puts a lot of emphasis on the defensive side and I feel like that is where I excel. Overall from my perspective he is a very professional coach who takes his time to learn and study his players and make the whole team run as one unit. 

What was the biggest reason for you to come to the Hamburg Towers? Was them wanting a strong defender one of the real main reasons?

Yes, that was one of the main reasons. As I said before, Pedro was one of the reasons for me to decide to come here but that wasn’t the only reason. I really liked how much professionality I saw from the organization even before signing the contract and after signing it, they have stayed just as professional if not more. Also, I have heard only good things about the city and the fans.

You attended the University of South Carolina Darla Moore school of business. You achieved so much in the classroom being named to the Presidents list, was on the SEC honor roll, was on the honors court and was the University of South Carolina’s Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. Do you see yourself stimulating your brain this season when you have some time or will basketball be 100% on your mind?

I am interested in working on something on the side. Of course basketball is going to be my main priority and I am not going to let anything else distract me from performing my best. That being said, I want to educate myself further on the business side of things and I am also trying to connect with some people to try and bring awareness to mental health and overall the mental side of things for athletes. Overall, I am the type of person who always wants to stay busy and also help people 

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a 211cm power forward/center. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description?

I do not even know who I would compare my game to. I usually just like to be myself and not compare myself to others but just try and be the best that I can be. I’ll leave it up to who you want to compare me to 

Would be fair to say your more of an old school big man? You only attempted 3 three pointers in the NCAA. Is the three pointer a part of your game that you would like to develop further?

Yes, I am working to be more consistent at the 3pt line. In South Carolina being the one to create opportunities for others I really didn’t have many chances to get a catch and shoot 3 but I would say that I am capable of hitting 3 pointers. That is going to be one of my main focuses throughout the season that I want to work on

You have a strong offensive game and are a tenacious defender. What do you feel is your biggest asset on the court?


I think my best asset would be defense, being able to guard forwards that are fast as well as bigs who are really strong. I enjoy having a task given to me and to study the opponent, learn his tendencies and to lock the given person up.

On what area’s of your game did you work on most last summer so you can continue to grow as a player as a professional?

I put the most emphasis on being more agile. To be lighter on my feet on the court. I also worked a lot on footwork and new moves both in the post and facing up 

You played at the University of South Carolina (NCAA) from 2016-2020. Do you sometimes wonder where you might be today had you skipped the NCCA route and turned professional 4 years earlier?

That thought has crossed my mind but I don’t dwell on it. I am extremely thankful for the path that my parents advised me to take and eventually I chose to take. I really value the education I got at the university of South Carolina and the experiences that I received from there were really valuable and something I will remember for the rest of my life 

You reached the NCAA Final 4 as a freshman. You had huge wins over Duke and Florida, but then lost a heartbreaker to Gonzaga 77-73. What memories do you have from this Cinderella run back in 2017?


It was an amazing run. It was a pleasure to see all of the team come together as one unit. How. Everyone sacrificed everything for the good of the team. How the fans went out of their way to come and watch us across the country and supported us until the end.

You started 33 games as a freshman and in the NCAA Final 4 loss you had 3 future NBA players along your side with Thornwell, Dozier and Silva. Did you know then that these 3 guys would go to the NBA?

Seeing what they were like in practice I knew that they were going to make it big. I didn’t know if that was going to be the NBA or somewhere else but I was sure they were going to make it because they were great teammates and they took every day as a chance to get better

You had so many great personal games at South Carolina. You had MIssissippi State’s number having many good games against them or had a 25/11 game against Missouri. What was your favorite personal game for you?

I would say my favorite two games were the last 2 home games, vs Georgia and vs Mississippi state. I was extremely grateful that my family came all the way to South Carolina to support me in person and to win against Georgia in overtime and then against a really good Mississippi State team was truly special.

How did head coach Frank Martin groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?


Frank Martin did a lot for me. He always pushed me to become better and better. He never let me take any shortcuts. He saw that I was committed to getting better and so he pushed me even further every day

Who won a one on one in practice you or Chris Silva?

I’d say it was pretty even most of the time

In 2018 you played a World Cup qualifying game against Germany getting beat badly 86-43. Did it surprise you how poorly they played at the 2019 World Championships?


Yeah that game wasn’t the best for us, our shots were not hitting at all. It was probably one of the hardest games I have played because just a few days before the game I had come back from the US so I remember being extremely jetlagged during the game. But in the end Germany played great against us, and dominated the game until the end so hats off for that. When it comes to Germanys play in the 2019 world championships, yes, I was surprised about it. I knew they were capable of performing better.

Who was the toughest player that you battled in the NCCA or anywhere that went to the NBA?


Probably one of the toughest guys to go against was Grant Williams, he is a really smart player and capable of doing almost anything. He would always take what was given to him. He would always have a counter to my every move and as much as it was hard to go against him, I really enjoyed it and I like to think I gave him a hard time as well

Please list your 5 best teammates of all-time?

In no particular order
Chris Silva
PJ Dozier 
Sindarius Thornwell
Hassani Gravett
Siim-Sander Vene

Please construct your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present players?

Past

Michael Jordan
KAJ
Larry Bird 
Magic

Present

Lebron
KD
Kawhi
Curry

What is your personal opinion between the never ending debate between Michael Jordan and Lebron James concerning who is the greatest of all-time?

I would go for MJ pretty much any day, I just admire the way he was able to take over, his fierce competitiveness and how he always pushed himself and his teammates. That does not mean I don’t respect Lebron. I actually love everything he is doing, how he is an all around player that can do pretty much anything that is asked of him. How he cares for the community and is always active regarding social issues as well

What was the last movie that you saw?


I rewatched interstellar which is also in my top 5 movies 

Thanks Maik for the chat.