Alex Hamilton (193-G-93, college: Louisiana Tech, agency: Wasserman) is a 27 year old 193cm guard from Chipley, Florida playing his fifth professional season and first with the Telekom Baskets Bonn after having started the season with Galatasaray Odeabank Istanbul (Turkey-BSL) playing 3 Basketball Champions League games averaging 8.7ppg, 3.0rpg, 4.0apg; and played 9 Turkish BSL games averaging 11.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 4.2apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 47.1%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 66.7%. He has a lot of professional experience having played in the G-League and in Europe in countries like Poland, Lithuania and Israel and teams MKS Dabrowa Gornicza, Juventus-LKSK Utenos (Lithuania-LKL) and Maccabi Rishon Le-Zion (Israel-Winner League). He spoke to germanhoops.com after the 85-73 win over the Fraport Skyliners.

Thanks Alex for talking togermanhoops.com. Congrats on the huge 85-73 home win over the Fraport Skyliners. How good did it feel to keep the winning streak alive?

Anytime you pull out a win it’s a good thing. It is always better to be on the wining side than on the losing side.

Even if the Telekom baskets Bonn aren’t going to make the playoffs, how exciting is the current standings dogfight between 14 and 9th place? Technically you could still reach position 9.

That has been one of the things that we have been talking about is finishing strong and as high as possible. We have to come prepared each day, work hard and finish strong

The first half was very tight as Bonn led 41-39. Why do you feel wasn’t any team able to break away?

We have to give a lot of credit to Frankfurt. They were shorthanded and had a lot of young guys, but they fought all game long and never laid down. We could have played better in the first half. We didn’t take advantage of the mismatches

What did head coach Will Voigt tell the team to concentrate most on in the third quarter?

We had the same game plan. He told us to keep pressuring them and keep going after them.

In the third quarter the Telekom baskets Bonn broke away going on a 13-3 run led by 7 straight points by Strahinja Micovic. How valuable has he been for the team and what adjustments did the team make on defense?

He can really make shots. Anytime a guy can make shots the way he does, it’s good for the team. We didn’t have the needed energy at first, but we then picked it up with our pressure. We forced them to turnovers and got out on transition.

In the fourth quarter the Fraport Skyliners made a 10-0 run to cut the Bonn lead to 76-70. What you guys get away most from in this run?

Our offense got stagnant and we stopped playing together and played more one on one. They made us turnover the ball and forced us to bad shots.

TJ DiLeo then made a bucket and big assist to help seal the win. How key was his leadership in this phase?

TJ has been great since I got here. He is a guy that you can depend on each day. You always need guys like that on the team and that’s why he is our captain. He has the same attitude each day and it never wagers. He leads by example.

What was your impression of 16 year old Joshua Bonga who scored 7 points in 11 minutes? Did you know his brother Isaac plays in the NBA with the Wizards?

You have to give the kid credit. He didn’t lay down and came to play. He didn’t play like he was 16. He played hard and came to compete.

The Telekom Baskets Bonn rebounded very well and took care of the ball well. What other strength of the team was huge?

We also did a good job minimizing their second chance points and not allowing open looks.

Young 18 year old German Simonas Lukosius added 7 points in 11 minutes. He really has profited from COVID-19 with getting a shot at the BBL level. How is this guy better today then 3 months ago?

Even if he is still young, you can tell that he has game. He does make young mistakes at times, but we all did. He stays in the gym and puts up extra shots. He gets better every day.

You scored 9 points and had 4 dimes. What have you enjoyed most about playing in the easyCredit BBL?

For me it has just been really good playing basketball. The lock down has been tough everywhere. Your really very restricted off the court, but that’s like that everywhere.

You’re a player that has put up consistent stats in many different countries and leagues. What has been your secret to being so consistent?

Every player has their ups and downs. For me I just try to control what I can control. I try to stay solid and locked in when things aren’t going well and just keep competing.

You were a lethal scorer at Louisiana Tech (NCAA) and have continued so as a professional. Is it difficult having to accept having a guy like Chris Babb as the firsts coring option?

It is a big plus to have a guy like Chris Babb around. It doesn’t bother me, because I like to have shooters around me. I am a point guard at first and am generous with the ball. Having more shooters makes life more easy for me on the court, because I don’t have to work hard on each possession, but also get a chance to rest.

Chris Paul recently passed Magic Johnson for fifth all-time in assists. Where do you rank him with the best point guards all-time despite never having won a ring?

He is one of the best. You have to give him the ball. In Houston he played more off the ball. You need to let him be a point guard. When you do that he will be good. Players can also take a break, because he can score.
How have you seen the development of Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum? He has scored 50 plus points this season. Where will he journey go as a player in the next years?

He is a problem. He is really good. He can be one of the best players in the league.

Dino Radja recently said he couldn’t see Russell Westbrook leading a team in Europe to success. Do you agree?

He obviously doesn’t know Russ. He may not come off as being a leader, but his teammates say he was one of their best teammates ever. When you see how he plays with energy and athleticism, it’s hard to agree.

Draymond Green recently said he is the best defender of all-time. Do you agree?

I was in training camp with him. He has a right to believe that. If he didn’t believe that then he wouldn’t be Draymond Green. I would hope that any player would believe that they are the best at something.

Have you seen the Coming to America sequel? It has had mixed reviews. Shouldn’t they just have left it alone?

I haven’t seen it. You need to leave certain classics alone. If your going to do a sequel, then you need to do it right, or you will get bashed.

Thanks Alex for the chat.