One easyCredit BBL team where Quantez Robertson has had much success against over the years has been the Basketball Lowen Braunschweig. This past Sunday he suffered a disappointing 80-68 loss, but 48 hours later he was already looking ahead to the Niners Chemnitz. But when a team like the Fraport Skyliners have had such a up and down season, one can always reminisce a bit about the good old days against Braunschweig. Over the years Quantez Robertson has seen some very exciting games including experiencing three one point games and played against very very talented players like Dennis Schroeder, Brandon Thomas, Kyle Visser or Kevin Hamilton. The ex Auburn(NCAA) standout has a massive wining record against the Braunschweig club and also remembers many of the games as if they were yesterday. “I remember them being a very good team my first few years as they always made the playoffs. But they haven´t been as good the last years”, stated Quantez Robertson. He didn´t remember the 73-66 loss in 2013 four months before Dennis Schroeder was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks. Dennis Schroeder came off the bench and led the Phantoms on a 15-4 run for the 36-24 lead as he steered 13 points in six minutes. Schroeder showed a display of calmness and aggressiveness and showcased how lethal he can be as a scorer. He scored twice with his quick first step leaving a Gibson and Robinson in the dust. On one play he dribbled all over the court then decided to shoot and hit over Johannes Voigtmann. He also nailed two three pointers and a pull up jumper before the Skyliners even knew what had happened, they were staring at a 12 point lead by the Phantoms. “They had some easy lay ups, uncontested three pointers and good looks at the rim. They made us pay”, said Quantez Robertson after the loss. But he did remember the thrilling 81-80 win in 2012 where he got the better of 17 year old Dennis Schroeder who netted 12 points and also remembered another one point win. “I remember wining a close game where I passed the ball to Mike Morrison for the win. We beat Schroeder in Frankfurt and I remember that he wasn´t much of a shooter then. He mostly got to the basket with the drive. But he really worked on his outside shot after that”, stressed Quantez Robertson.

            After wining a giant 103-98 shoot out at home this season, the Fraport Skyliners went to Braunschweig and lost 80-68. It was a typical game where the Fraport Skyliners couldn´t execute in the first half and then paid for it having to play catch up basketball in the second half and couldn´t get over the hump. “We couldn´t hit shots in the first half or rebound and they executed better on offense. Gudmundsson and I got into foul trouble early and we had to play young guys which took us out of our flow. We got it close in the second half, but we made some mistakes with live ball turnovers. That led them to finding their shooters and getting to the foul line”, stressed Quantez Robertson. A big problem on the afternoon was Frankfurt´s inability to control the boards losing the battle 39-22. “They got to the ball and beat us on many possessions. I feel like there were a few rebounds where they just wanted it more than we did”, said Quantez Robertson. Braunschweig has shown all season that they won´t back down to anyone and have had to be carried by many young German players. They have only one American player with James Robinson, but have to rely on a lot of consistent production from their German players. Karim Jallow and Gavin Schilling have been two key players that have carried the team in so many phases of the game during the season. “They have some pretty good German players that battle and shoot the ball well. It is great that they get a chance to really play. Karim Jallow is a bit taller than me. Sometimes taller guys give me problems, but that doesn´t matter because I battle against all. He really has improved his jump shot. You can´t sit back on him like before”, warned Quantez Robertson.

            The last weeks haven´t been easy for the Fraport Skyliners at the point guard position. Konstantin Konga has been out for a long time and Joe Rahon also has missed some games. A lot of the weight has been on the shoulders of rookie Jon Axel Gudmundsson who has been helping out despite being a natural sniper. The ex Davidson(NCAA) guard averaged 6 assists in the games against BG Goettingen, Giessen and Alba Berlin, but in the end that all means nothing when you can´t get the chip against Alba Berlin. He played solid in wins against Vechta and Giessen, but then showed the up and down rookie tendencies against Braunschweig with 0 points,3 assists and 3 turnovers on 0/5 shooting. “I don´t see Jon as a point guard. He can bring the ball up, but he has a scorer´s mentality. I would rather see him play off the ball. I think he has handled the situation well as a rookie. We still have games and time. I have sure that he will get over the hump”, warned Quantez Robertson. Early in Robertson´s career, he told me that he would love to play point guard. Over the years he has often brought the ball up and his playmaking has improved tremendously. He obviously can help the club much more with his overall game than at the point guard position, but one could always ask coach Sebastian Gleim about the possibilities of playing point guard. “I never have asked to play the point. He let´s me know in practice when were missing a point guard that I can bring the ball up. I also let the guys know in games that if they need a break from the pressure, that I can bring the ball up”, stated Quantez Robertson. American Matt Mobley had another good effort scoring 24 points, but at times he just tries to do too much. Can a scorer understand what good shot selection is? “When you’re a scorer like Matt, it´s tough not to try to get going and take shots that you normally wouldn´t take. It is just tough to get that out of your mind set. He is used to being able to make shot after shot. After a while all looks look good”, expressed Quantez Robertson.

            The Fraport Skyliners have Easter weekend double duty playing the Niners Chemnitz on Thursday and easyCredit BBL surprise squad Crailsheim Merlins on Easter Sunday. The Frapor Skyliners beat Chemnitz on the road 83-70 where they got good production from Matt Mobley and also had three other guys in double figures. Against Braunschweig, they only had two players in double figures. Keeping the scoring love spread around is something they will have to accomplish tThe Miles Basketball Minute: An Easter Basketball Sweep And Recess Peanut Butter Cups Would Suit The Fraport Skyliners And Quantez Robertson Finehis week if they want to make the Easter sweep. “We just have to stay confident and take open shots. We also have to make the extra pass and limit taking tough shots and we need to get to the free throw line”, commented Quantez Robertson. They also outrebounded Chemnitz and hit 12 three´s and took good care of the ball. “Chemnitz look a bit different now as they added some new players. They play hard and aggressive and don´t back down form anyone. They play hard against all teams and fight until the end. They just played against Goettingen while we will have had more rest”, warned Quantez Robertson. 72 hours later, Frankfurt will face off against Crailsheim where they lost 76-64 on the road. The team isn´t playing as great as in the first half as they have lost 4 of their 6 games and MVP candidate Trae Bell_Haynes also has cooled down a bit. They also lost American Tim Coleman in the huge 105-103 win over FC Bayern Munich and have been without versatile forward Haywood Highsmith in the last two games. “Losing Tim Coleman has hurt their offense. I also think that teams have figured them out better in the second half. Trae Bell-Haynes is definitely 1-2 in the MVP race. Even though he isn´t scoring like crazy like before, He is still playing at a high level and very well”, added Quantez Robertson.

            When Quantez Robertson was a rookie with the then Deutsche Bank Skyliners in 2009-2010 he was more than blessed to be have able to call Mr ballerina and BBL legend Derrick Allen as a teammate. Allen played until he was 40 and Robertson is on a good way of doing the same. He may copy Allen in playing until he is 40, but what about also going the coaching route? A few days ago Derrick Allen was promoted to head coach with Rasta Vechta getting his first head coaching gig. “I just saw the news that he was named coach. I will have to call him and congratulate him. That is a big step for him. He played with Vechta and they know exactly what they have with him. He gives me motivation to go into coaching after my playing career. I have given it some thought”, stressed Quantez Robertson. On Easter Weekend, the American will unfortunately be without his family, but he remembers his early easter´s as a kid with great joy, but also knows what he will be missing in Germany. “I remember having Easter Egg hunts at home. I loved finding the Chocolate Easter Eggs that had the Reese´s Peanut Butter Cups. I still love them today”, stressed Quantez Robertson. At least he will be able to kill some Easter time with the NCAA March Madness. He is quite certain that no team will get by top unbeaten team Gonzaga. “I haven´t seen anybody this year that has played as well as Gonzaga. I think that the only team that could give them problems will be Baylor. Michigan has a good team, but they won´t have enough to beat Gonzaga”, warned Quantez Robertson. This Easter in Germany won´t be as enjoyable as past ones where he had comical ex teammate Mike Morrison by his side. This season Mike Morrison is playing in the Turkish second division. You have to wonder if the big fellow would dress up as an Easter Bunny to entertain the kids. “I am sure he would dress up as a easter Bunny, but I don´t think that he would hop around though. But if I´m not mistaken, he once did dress up as bunny. We went bowling on Halloween once and he dressed up as a bunny and I was a scarecrow”, laughed Quantez Robertson. For the kids it would probably have been a treat to watch the comical duo of Robertson and Morrison dress up as a bunny and scarecrow, but the die hard basketball fans would rather have seen the Morrison massive dunks. If Quantez Robertson will get a visit from Mike Morrison the easter Bunny this Sunday with a basket of Reese´s Peanut Butter Cups will be more than unlikely. Sorry about that Tez.