It takes some guys time to leave an impression while for other guys the genuine character and positive attitude leaves an impression instantly as Diijon Allen-Jordan did in Rhondorf. His time in Rhondorf was way too short as COVID-19 struck the world ending his season in March 2020. Unfortunately the American also was way to short on earth as he passed away at the age of 27. How he died hasn´t been released yet, but there has been a large outpour of grief and sadness on social media concerning his death as well as nonstop prayers going out to his family. The American didn´t play the 20-21 season as his last place of employment were the Dragons Rhondorf in the 19-20 season after having began with the London Lions. Family and friends in the States are devastated, but not only there, but also in Germany. He wasn´t in Germany for more than a month and he left such a long lasting impression that one can see how much of an effect he had on people. “Diijon was a unique character. He was very polite and respectful for everyone. He had a great sense of humor and was smart. He was a very talented and athletic player. He also had the correct attitude each day. At the same time he was a team player and leader. He played with a lot of pride and strength on offense and always played fair on defense. When other players shone, he was truly happy for them and when he played well, he never showed it. Off the court he was helpful and had an open ear. He always found motivating words after loses. It was fun and an honor to play with him, because he never gave up. We all miss him much. I still can´t believe it and my tears are flowing as I write this. He left us way to young. He still had his life in front of him. He was a super role model for the young generation”, stressed ex teammate Lotola Otshumbe.

                 Allen-Jordan was born in Plainfield, New Jersey and attended Plainfield high school. He didn´t go the normal route of having the luck of showcasing his basketball abilities in the much coveted NCAA, but played at 3 separate levels JUCO, NCAA 2 and NAIA. He began at Western Oklahoma State College (JUCO) in 2013 playing 27 games averaging 16.3ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 45.6%, FT: 70.4%. In 2014-2015, he moved to Francis Marion University (NCAA2) playing 16 games averaging 16.9ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 43.8%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 70.2%. He would make one more move attending Campbellsville University (NAIA) playing 36 games averaging 17.3ppg, 9.5rpg, 2.0apg, 1.9bpg, 1.7spg, FGP: 54.1%, FT: 69.1%. Despite moving around so often, he was thankful for being able to have all three opportunities. “Starting at Western Oklahoma was a complete eye opener for me . First day of workout there were 25 guys on the team and I was so nervous watching everyone look more skilled than I was. But that didn’t stop me from working hard. Being there showed me how many people there are in the world fighting for the same chance that I was Francis Marion showed me that I couldn’t just be an athlete but I had to put in the work to be great. It also showed me the business side of basketball and how some coaches truly care about their job position more than helping out players And Campbellsville was my calling going to a Christian school and reconnecting with my Christian side that I left behind when my grandmother passed away in 2010. But it was always great because I got to play with my best friend Sekou Harris who I played with from 8 years old until my senior year in high school. We made it to the final 4 of the NAIA 1 level and was the first to do so in years . I also met some of my closest friends there from different ghettos in America and we all were respectful young men”, stressed Diijon Allen-Jordan in 2020.

            Despite playing in the NAIA, he didn´t remain unnoticed and was drafted by the Los Angeles Defenders of the D-League in the fourth round with the 77^th pick in 2016 and got an early taste of the NBA spending training camp with the club. He began his professional career overseas with the Cheshire Phoenix (United Kingdom-BBL) playing 18 games averaging 13.3ppg, 7.2rpg, 2.1apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 51.6%, FT: 68.1%. He scored in double figures in 14 of 18 games including 25 points in a thrilling 87-86 win over the London Lions. In his second season he remained with the Cheshire Phoenix (United Kingdom-BBL) continuing to give consistent stats playing 33 games averaging 14.1ppg, 6.8rpg, 3.7apg, Steals-3(2.1spg), FGP: 53.9%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 70.9%. He scored in double figures in 25 games including 29 points against Newcastle C and 26 points against London CR.  He began the 2019-2020 season in the UK again, but would only remain a few months as he balled with the London Lions (United Kingdom-BBL) playing 11 games averaging 12.9ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.9apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 39.6%, 3PT: 44.4%, FT: 59.6%. Despite having solid stats as he averaged double figures in scoring for the third straight season in the UK BBL, he didn´t remain and traded the big city and bright lights for the small town and pretty Rhein river with Rhondorf.

              The American came to an interesting situation with the Dragons Rhondorf. Just reaching the playoffs wasn´t enough, but their goal was to win the Regionalliga West title so they could move up a level again to the Pro B. A big problem that season for the Dragons was their defense where they allowed 86 points per game. Some games it looked like it was getting better, but then bang the next game they stunk up the gym again with inconsistent play. “Defense was an issue prior to me getting here and that is another component that Yassin has emphasized to me. He wanted me to come in and pick up the guys to play harder tougher defense. We believe we had a chance to win the title yes and we worked every day to make sure we had the right mindset to win”, warned Diijon Allen-Jordan in 2020. He played only 5 games with the Dragons Rhondorf, but in that short time, he showed exactly what kind of a player he was. He demonstrated his inside out game on offense at ease, grabbed rebounds with a passion and hit the trey. On defense his biggest strength is his one on one defense. He simply brings the whole package at both ends of the court with brutal versatility and coupled with a positive character can carry a team in tough moments. “I was always taught to be versatile and to be a man of many tricks so that I wouldn’t be stuck in one category. But defense and rebounding will be my main focus because I believe that’s were the team lacked before I got here. We have a deep rotation of guys who can score. That part of the game will work its way out because off the motor I carry. Defense just comes with determination to stop whoever is in front of you. Scoring usually helps the game become easy and comfortable so if I can make whoever I am guarding to be uncomfortable on offense they will not focus on defense as much. And lifting helps my body continue to be able to compete, I am a CrossFit coach as well as a CrossFit athlete and I believe that every athlete should get involved with it”, stressed Diijon Allen-Jordan in 2020.

            One guy who wasn´t only impressed with Allen-Jordan´s game, but also his character was Dragons Rhondorf CEO Yassin Idbihi. He left this tremendous heart felt tribute to a player he knew for only a short time, but obviously the American had a huge effect on him like so many others. “ Diijon´s death has caught me completely off guard. My condolences to Diijon´s family and his friends. We are all shocked and all of his teammates from last season are really upset. The world has lost a really good person who was trying to make this world a better place. We don´t have enough people like him which makes his loss incredibly sad. I feel bad because I was so focused on winning and building the Rhondorf basketball program that I didn´t really make time to get to know the person Dijon. The first time I realized Diijon was different when I saw he was reading a book on our way to a road game in the back of the bus. I was kind of shocked which is not a good sign for us US basketball players. I took some time to talk to him after that and he told me about all the community work he was doing in the US. He left me really impressed because he was trying to help young people through basketball. He was already doing so much at such a young age. The world has lost a beautiful soul. I can´t imagine the pain that his family is going through. Diijon always practiced hard, was a role model to the young players and friendly and respectful to everyone. He was a good person. Rest in peace Diijon. We will never forget you. It was a pleasure meeting you”, said Yassin Idbihi. I covered Diijon Allen-Jordan for a month and saw a few games of him. I interviewed him, but unfortunately had only a few short conversations with him that weren´t long enough. Sometimes you can realize what type a person is even if you didn´t have hours and hours of deep conversations. My conversations were brief, but I noticed with his gentle way that he was a genuine person and  a guy that had a real heart. I´m very sad that I couldn´t get to know him better. I´m really happy that he effected so many people in a positive way. R.I.P Diijon Allen-Jordan.

                               It is already tough enough for fans to be excluded from the arena´s this season, but even worse is when you can´t experience the top teams like FC Bayern Munich or Alba Berlin which is the top ticket each season or simply to sit back and enjoy a battle between two easyCredit BBL legends Rickey Paulding and Quantez Robertson. They share 26 BBL seasons between them and have had so many unforgettable duels over the last 12 years, that one can only pray at the end of the season that they will return next season as they have 74 years of age between them. Quantez Robertson would never miss a battle with Paulding and remembers his favorite moment with him. “He is definitely in my top 3 best opponents. I am always up for the task of guarding him. Especially a guy of that caliber that can shoot the three, mid distance and get to the rim. My best memory with him was last season when we did that interview. We had this stare down, but it didn´t last very long. After half a second, we started to laugh”, stressed Quantez Robertson. Rickey Paulding and the EWE Baskets Oldenburg won the first meeting 86-69 as Paulding had 16 points and Robertson only 2 points. Oldenburg came to Frankfurt in fourth place with a 22-8 record while Frankfurt was reeling off a loss in Bonn and had a 11-19 record. The EWE Baskets are fighting for third place with FC Bayern Munich and want to close out the season as best they can, but they were fortunate that Frankfurt was depleted with injuries and COVID cases, because they didn´t always play their best basketball, but their offense always had an answer when Frankfurt was trying to threaten. After the win, Mr Oldenburg Rickey Paulding was happy the team won and having had another meeting with Quantez Robertson. Both easyCredit BBL legends had a brief meeting after the game. “We always talk about family. I commended him on being a leader and how much I admired him for his work with the young guys. Frankfurt was in a tough situation and we worked on some things like our zone and helping Mahalbasic in the post when he was double teamed. Frankfurt really battled. You have to tip your hat to them”, stressed ex Missouri(NCAA) forward Rickey Paulding. The Fraport Skyliners were severely undermanned again for the fourth straight game and did they best they could, but just couldn´t put a dent into the Oldenburg offense. “Rickey and I talked about our situations. He told me he will play next year and I told him that I still have to talk to management about a new contract. It was tough for us, because we played 3 games in a week. We fought as hard and as long as we could. They hit a lot of three pointers and we gave up zoo many offensive rebounds and second chance points. I thought we executed and moved the ball well at times”, stressed ex Auburn(NCAA) guard Quantez Robertson.

                The Fraport Skyliners continued to be without three COVID cases with Michael Kessens, Len Schoormann and Bruno Vrcic while Matt Mobley was still out with an injury while the EWE Baskets were missing their defensive energizer Nathan Boothe. The Fraport Skyliners began high spirited  forcing Oldenburg to a turnover and then executed on their first possession on the pick and roll as ex Miami(NCAA) center scored a floater with the dime going to ex Braunschweig guard Joe Rahon. But the EWE Baskets Oldenburg didn´t waste anytime moping about their turnover as they hit Frankfurt with a 9-0 run. In the run, the 2015 BBL cup winner received a four point play from ex ratiopharm Ulm guard Philipp Schwethelm, a trey from ex Boston Celtic Phil Pressy and a pretty runner by Rickey Paulding. Oldenburg was forcing Frankfurt to contested shots late on the shot clock. Oldenburg continued to execute well as ex Bamberg guard Karsten Tadda who played his 500^th game hit a three pointer and Paulding remained aggressive making an incredible catch and pop turn around shot and then played some cat and mouse with Frankfurt as he went give and go with Rashid Mahalbasic and finished with a thunderous one handed dunk and 17-7 Oldenburg advantage. Oldenburg was displaying amazing ball movement that reminded one of the magical Skyliners team of 2015-2016 that played the same kind of game with Jordan Theodore and the two German twin towers Johannes Voigtmann and Danilo Barthel. Frankfurt just couldn´t keep up with the Oldenburg ball movement on defense as they were always a step slow and didn´t have good communication. In the last 4-5 minutes, the EWE Baskets Oldenburg had problems executing on offense, but it didn´t hurt them as Frankfurt couldn´t take advantage of it on offense. After 10 minutes the EWE Baskets Oldenburg led 19-9 as they had gotten some solid production form young German Norris Agbakoko who cleaned up on the glass. “We played a little better in the second half of the first quarter. We slowed down their offense. Taking more time off the offense limited their offensive touches”, stated Quantez Robertson.

                In the second quarter the EWE Baskets would gain their biggest lead of the game and led by 19 points at the break. 16 year old Joshua Bonga who is the younger brother of Isaac Bonga of the Washington Wizards really has profited from the Skyliner COVID cases and played his third BBL game in a row and scored a beautiful tap in alley-oop as Joe Rahon gave him the perfect pass. Frankfurt cut the Oldenburg lead to 19-11, but the guests struck back like a strike of lightening going on a swift 8-2 run to extend their lead to 27-13. In the run they got vital support from their bench as ex Louisiana State University (NCAA) guard Keith Hornsby made a lay in, ex Trier guard Sebastian Herrera drilled home a trey and ex  KK Cibona VIP Zagreb forward Tomislav Gabric also dropped a trey. As quickly as the guests would give a rapid dose of offense, they also were just as quickly able to be scoreless for a 2-3 possessions which gave Frankfurt the opportunity on offense to execute which they did as ex wiha Panther Rasheed Moore hit Oldenburg for a three pointer. But Oldenburg were simply too powerful as they let their ball movement go into total effect finding great shots as they went on a 13-5 run to extend their lead to 40-21. In the run, the guests got the three ball rolling as Hornsby, Mahalbasic and Pressy all connected. They also got a 15 footer from Paulding and a lay up from Herrera. Frankfurt spent a lot of attention on Mahalbasic making it tough on his touches in the paint, but being that he is an exceptional passer if not best big man passer in the BBL, Oldenburg always had open guys and they took full advantage making their shots. Joe Rahon continued to play a good offensive first half as he found Quantez Robertson for an alley oop lay in and then also made a three pointer, but the EWE Baskets Oldenburg still had the very comfortable 45-26 advantage at half-time. “We came into the game with a different defensive strategy on Mahalbasic sending another guy to him when he had the ball. We didn´t rotate well. They always had open players and they made their three´s”, said Quantez Robertson.

            The Fraport Skyliners played their best quarter of the game in the third winning it 16-14, but after 30 minutes the EWE Baskets Oldenburg still led 59-42. The Fraport Skyliners came out of the break red hot going on a swift 9-2 run to cut the Oldenburg lead down to 47-35. In the run the Fraport Skyliners received key support from Rasheed Moore who supplied 5 points on a trey and lay in while Kamari Murphy made a runner and a big alley-oop two handed dunk as ex Davidson(NCAA) guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson served up the stellar pass. In the run, Quantez Robertson got his 2000 BBL rebound off a Paulding miss. “I didn´t even know I got it until the announcer said it in the arena. It was an awesome moment”, smiled Quantez Robertson. The EWE Baskets played extremely sloppy on offense playing totally untypical of what their capable of forcing too much and not calming down and simply allowed Frankfurt to hang around. But the EWE Baskets Oldenburg displayed their ability to produce instant offense whenever Frankfurt was trying to threaten as they rallied going on a 8-2 run to lead more comfortable again at 55-37. In the run the guests let it rain three´s again as Tadda and Hornsby connected and Mahalbasic made a runner. In the last minutes the Fraport Skyliners got some help from farm team player Philipp Hadenfeldt and Rasheed Moore with buckets while the EWE Baskets got some baskets inside on the penetration from Herrera and Schwethelm. “We got sloppy. Coach did get on us after the quarter. We tried to work on our zone. We didn´t move the ball the way we should of”, stated Rickey Paulding. “We didn´t fight hard enough on defense. When we did get closer, we then weren´t able to finish at the rim or make our open shots”, added Quantez Robertson.

            In the fourth quarter the Fraport Skyliners began well again, but then couldn´t get over the hump and cut the Oldenburg lead under 10 points. The Fraport Skyliners struck with a 5-0 run as Moore nailed a trey and Murphy scored on transition as Frankfurt showed unselfish basketball. Quantez Robertson made the steal and could of made a lay in, but dished the ball to young German Alvin Onyia who then made the extra pass to Murphy who finished with another dunk as Frankfurt trailed 59-47. Then as usual the EWE Baskets Oldenburg took matters into their own hands again after Frankfurt was somewhat pressing going on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 68-49. In the run, Oldenburg got important support from Phil Pressy who made a one handed dunk and three pointer while Paulding got into the offensive act once again with a finger tip roll in and free throw. The 183cm guard Pressy was thrilled with his dunk. “I had a nice dunk against Munich this season. I try to get 1-2 dunks per year. I have to save some for Oldenburg”, laughed Phil Pressy. Both teams kept scoring down the stretch. Keith Hornsby who had had a tough first half where his shots didn´t want to fall made up for it in the second half especially in the last minutes of the fourth quarter making 7 points. “Keith kept looking for shots. Nobody got on him for missing early shots. He has a lot of self confidence. I´m glad that he kept shooting”, explained Rickey Paulding. After Gudmundsson hot a three pointer to cut the Oldenburg lead down to 75-57, the guests closed out the game with a 7-0 run to win 82-59.. In the run, the EWE Baskets Oldenburg got buckets from young German Jacob Hollatz, Gabric and Herrera. German Leon Pullen of Frankfurt also scored his first BBL basket “We couldn´t execute and we did take care of the ball”, stressed Quantez Robertson. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg were led by Rickey Paulding and Sebastian Herrera with 14 points apiece. Phil Pressy and Keith Hornsby supplied 12 points apiece while the Fraport Skyliners were led by Rasheed Moore with 13 points while Quantez Robertson and Jon Axel Gudmundsson had 10 points  apiece. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg shot 47% form the field and 37% from outside and had 43 rebounds and 10 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shot 37% from the field and 31% from outside and had 32 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

Virgil Matthews (191-PG-83, college: Montana)s a 37 year old 188cm guard from Federal Way, Washington that is playing his 14th professional season and sixth with the Niners Chemnitz. Last season he helped lead them to the easyCredit BBL playing 27 games averaging 7.1ppg, 3.4rpg, 4.6apg, 1.1spg, FGP-2 (73.2%), 3PT-3 (46.2%), FT: 77.1%. In 2018-2019 he averaged 7,4ppg,39rpg and 6,1apg. Four seasons ago he played with the Nuernberg Falcons BC (Germany-ProA) playing 24 games averaging 8.3ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.9apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 28.4%, FT: 71.4%. Five seasons ago he almost led Chemnitz (Germany-ProA) into the BBL playing 40 games averaging 9.4ppg, 4.2rpg, 4.8apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 63.0%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 86.7% He played at Montana (NCAA) and in his senior year played 31 games averaging 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.7spg, FG: 49.8%, 3PT: 48.4%, FT: 76.1%. In 2006-2007, he turned professional and came to Germany and played for KICKZ Muenchen Basket (Germany-2.Bundesliga) playing 29 games averaging 18.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 5.2apg, 2.6spg, 2FGP: 57.3%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 66.5%. In 2007-2008, he played for Tacoma Jazz (IBL). In 2008-2009, he returned back to Germany and played for Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga). In 2009-2010, he played for Olympia Reign (IBL) playing 28 games averaging 23.1ppg, 7.2rpg and for Seattle Aviators (NABL).In 2010-2011, he played his first season for Erdgas Ehingen playing 32 games averaging 11.6ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 71.3%. He would play until 2014 with Ehingen playing 126 games with three seasons in the Pro A and one in the Pro B. He spoke to germanhoops.com after the tough 85-70 loss against ratiopharm Ulm.

Virgil thanks for talking togermanhoops.com. A tough 85-70 loss at home against ratiopharm Ulm. The club was shorthanded. A few months ago it wasn’t any different. How annoying has this season been for you concerning the whole COVID issue?

It is what it is. I don’t think it has been annoying, but more sad. The fans are so important for the team and not having them has been tough for them and us. In a way having so many guys out was also our fault. We had to suffer the consequences.

How tough was playing with in 48 hours and then being severely undermanned? How much did this game effect the body?

We didn’t do too much yesterday. Just some of our normal recovery. I heard some guys talking about their bodies. We had some guys playing big minutes. But we couldn’t take fatigue as an excuse. I felt like we fought harder than on Friday.

Despite being undermanned the Niners came out on fire scoring 27 points. What was key for the offense beginning so well and what adjustment did Ulm make in the second quarter?

We came out and surprised them playing zone. Malte Ziegenhagen and Marcus Thornton hit many big shots. We did a good job moving the ball and taking good shots. We missed more shots in the second quarter. Ulm is a tough team that played Eurocup and have good players. They slowed us down on offense.

What did head coach Rodrigo Pastore tell the team to do better in the third quarter?

He told us to keep fighting and playing hard and see where we end up.

Ratiopharm Ulm exploded for 31 points in the third quarter. How annoying was the duo of Troy Caupain and Thomas Plepeisz who combined to score the first 9 points of the second half?

Both players are tough. Caupain has been tough all season and is one of the best players in the BBL. He is a talker and was talking from the start. If your going to talk, you have to back it up and he did.

The NIners scored only 26 points in the second half. Was it more the Ulm defense that effected your play or was the team just pooped?

Ulm made adjustments on the defensive end. They trapped and sped us up and got us out of our rhythm. We didn’t have our flow from the first half. We couldn’t find Marcus Thornton anymore.

This season you have battled against ex NBA players on a regular basis. What made it most difficult to stop Troy Caupain?

He is a very solid player that plays many minutes. He is a strong guy that needs the ball and finishes with contact. He doesn’t really do anything extraordinary, but is a player that can do a bit of everything. Those are usually the toughest players to guard.

How much was Terrell Harris missed? Isn’t he a good candidate for season MVP of the team?

Yes for sure. He is our glue guy. He always keeps us together and in a good mood. He can explode at anytime. Usually when he plays well we win.

Were the 10 team offensive rebounds and 20 points of German Malte Ziegenhagen 2 of the real bright spots?

It is always a good thing when Malte has a good game. But I think our brightest spot was having 16 year old Brenden Gregori get in the game and score. He is always working very hard in practice and we wanted him to get in the game. He is a good kid.

Your playing 14 minutes this season compared to 19 minutes last season. How do you feel has the club profited most from your game?

Reading the pick and roll. Each guy can do something well. I also help make sure guys are in the right spot and know when to call the right plays on the court.

Coming from the Pro A to the easyCredit BBL, what has been the biggest adjustment for you?

Just the speed. The teams and players at the BBL level are so smart that they don’t need much time to recover from mistakes. At the Pro A level you can expose players a lot easier. In the BBL every player can play.

You are an unbelievable unselfish player and like to pass the ball as does scorer Marcus Thornton. How do you believe have you both profited from each other this season?

Marcus doesn’t need me. I’m better for him for things off the court. He is so special. I help relive him from being on the ball and just let him be a scorer. That is what he does best

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?

Chris Paul is up there. You don’t need a ring to be considered one of the best. He is up there with his longevity and having always played for winning teams. He won’t pass Magic Johnson, but he is top 5.

How have you seen the development of Boston Celtic Jayson Tatum? He has scored 50 plus points this season and recently 60. Where will his journey go as a player in the next years?

He is very special. He is a different version of Kevin Durant. He is close to top 5. Once he rounds out his game more besides just scoring, he will be able to show more. The Celtics are too inconsistent. Once they win more, his game will show more.

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

No I disagree. It would be different for him in Europe. He isn’t a dumb player, but so dynamic and athletic. Once he adapts to the game and reads in Europe, he would be ok. The guy is so underappreciated.

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

I don’t know. That is tough. He is a versatile defender in this new age NBA. He has a right to say that. But there have been many great defenders like Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone. He defiantly gets to be mentioned in the conversation. He is up there.

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

I think the movie was made so kids could see the fun their parents had. The sequel is more child happy, but it’s still pretty funny. The sequel had it’s own special style.

Thanks Virgil for the chat.

Alex Acker (196-G-83, college: Pepperdine) is a 38 year old 196cm guard from Compton, California that is playing his 15th professional season and first with SAFCO Engineering Gallarate (Italy-Serie C). He played at Pepperdine (NCAA) from 2001-2005 and began his professional basketball career in 2005 with the Detroit Pistons. He also would play with the Los Angeles Clippers. In his career he played with Euroleague teams Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus and Fc Barcelona. He also played in countries like France, Italy, Poland, and Turkey. He spoke to germanhoops.com about a matter has had with Greek team AS Apollon Patras (Greece-A2) that declined to pay him for his services.

Alex thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you at the moment in Italy?

Basketball life man it’s been an amazing ride all the way up until this point. I’ve been very blessed to play the game that I love for so long and Bring my family and friends along this journey of mine. I couldn’t have done it without God without my family and without the support of the fans and the organizations that stood by me.

It is a very difficult time now in the world with COVID-19 and there are a lot more important issues than money, but then again money rules the world. How difficult is it for you as a man in general to continue to battle this non payment issue you have had with Greek team AS Apollon Patras (Greece-A2) in a time where there are way more pressing issues in the world?

A lot of things have happened in such a short period of time not just for me not just for the people around me that I love and care about the most but the whole world. It really has set back a lot of people’s lives, finances and businesses. Patras the team that I signed with 4 years ago promised to pay in full with no problems. They lied, they lied in my face and to my agent. I didn’t complain I didn’t show emotions even when they were three months late I still played I still performed I still put on that jersey out of respect for the organization for the fans because I was set out to do something to fulfill my obligation. I didn’t want anybody to see the Alex Acker was the bad seed, that he didn’t want to perform or he was the problem. I wanted to make sure my name was clean all the way till the last game. Now, me knowing the circumstances of them not paying, the question I keep asking myself is ‘Would I have done the same thing back then, now that I know the way Apollon Patras handles business? The answer right now would absolutely be no. This has been really affecting me and my family and I’m not talking about $2,000 or $6000 dollars. I’m talking about a lot of money, close to $90,000

COVID-19 or non COVID-19, it is a fact that it has been more than 2 years since you began to fight this breach of contract issue with your former club. A player deserves to get his salary just like any other person in their profession. What has annoyed you most about this experience besides not having been paid?

The thing that has annoyed me the most is that I’m not the same person I was as an athlete 2 years ago. I consider myself a businessman, and entrepreneur. With the capital Patras owes, I could have invested a substantial amount In different business ventures and diversified my portfolio with the knowledge I have gained during this pandemic of COVID-19. I’ve educated myself and understood this was the perfect time to learn a skill set that would secure my family wellbeing forever. The capital Patras has held from me has set me back 3x the amount that is due.

You have played in so many places and leagues like the NBA, Spain, Turkey and many years in France. You played early in your career with Euroleague team Olympiakos Pireus. Greece has been known for being a place where guys don’t get paid. Did you ever think that something like that could happen to you (not getting paid) when you took the job?

I’ve been blessed to play all around the world on some of the best teams in the world. I started my overseas journey with Olympiacos in Greece Athens. Me coming from the NBA I never knew a team can actually hold and not pay you for months at a time. That was stressful but I was always reassured that I was going to get paid in the end with Olympiakos. Even though they were late they always paid all of the money that was owed to me. I have nothing but great memories with Olympiakos which made me consider retiring in a team in Greece, that’s why I chose Patras. I knew money was going to be late but I did not know that they were going to lie to my face for two months leading up to playoffs. The possibility of it happening was there, but that’s why I made sure the contract I signed with Patras was Fiba certified. Without that stamp of Fiba’s logo on the contract I was not going to sign.

*You weren’t been paid for the months of March and April 2018. Often clubs will do this and pay the player at first, but then in the second half of the season suddenly stop paying. How do you remember the CEO reacting to your asking where your salary was?

The CEO at the time had a meeting with me and the rest of the team we all came to agreement that we were going to still play due to the fact that they were late because we were in playoffs. They said the last playoff Championship rounds they were going to pay all of our money upfront so we got to the last playoff Championship rounds they didn’t pay. For whatever reason we lost in the playoffs final round to a good team. I stayed an extra week to see if they were going to pay and they said everything was fine we will pay you, don’t worry, go home we will get everything resolved. I fly home to Italy and wait. They stop answering my phone calls they stop texting me they don’t respond to my agent they don’t do nothing at all they act like I never even played for them and that’s what frustrates me the most. Finally we contact my agent to see what our next steps would have to be. We had to both pay $5000 in order to even have them look at the whole ordeal, and once Fiba looked at it and we gave them all the paperwork and our contract they understood that Patras was not upholding what we agreed upon. So we took them to court and won our case. Now we’re stuck for almost going on three years and still have not resolved this matter.

* AS Apollon Patras (Greece-A2) owes you 150,000 Euro’s from your 2017-2018 season. It was a long battle, and you won the case after two years. You still haven’t seen a cent. How difficult is this for you knowing you should have 150,000 Euro’s in your possession, but don’t have it to this day?

It’s very difficult every day I think about it that’s a lot of money on the table especially in the current times. I’ve done every single thing FIBA asked me to do, they asked me to pay, I paid, they asked me to wait, I waited (for two years now) I’ve done every single thing they asked me to do. they said they’re going to take this matter into their own hands, they assured us they were exploring every possible solution, but nothing has been done, and the communication has been little to none on their part. Every time we ask them for updates they give us no answers, hiding under the fact that the Covid virus is playing a huge role setting everything back, but it really doesn’t matter because even when the virus wasn’t a problem they still didn’t do anything to help this matter. I am very frustrated my family is very frustrated my agent is very frustrated because there’s nothing we can do due to the fact that we won the case, we paid our money, sat and waited patiently for action and we still have nothing that’s given to us in our favor. My Agent Contacts FIBA every single day waiting for some type of action to happen waiting for some type of response and they give us the same excuses that things are going to happen, things are going to get resolved, be patient be patient every single day but how can I be patient when there’s 150,000 on the table that’s due to me? How can I be patient if I’m really using my finances to actually help my family, my future career? I’ve retired from playing basketball and that’s a hard enough transition as is. I need every single penny that’s accountable for the work I’ve done, so I can provide for my family and my family’s future.

* A big problem is that your not the only player that suffers not getting paid, but there are many more in other leagues and countries. There are many many BAT cases each season. And when you go to FIBA to battle a club for your salary, you have to pay a lot of money something in the range of 10,000 Euro’s. They get paid, but nothing happens in the end. Could one say that this is a criminal act?

I wouldn’t say so much is far is a criminal act but the justice of it all is not fair. If they’re supposed to protect the player and have a union as far as anything that’s going on, and have them be the law they need to uphold the law. it makes no sense to have a federation and all these cases that are against these clubs keep going on and not get resolved. We are called to do a job, we expect to get paid for it. The same way they want us to perform to their expectations and are quick to fire us on the spot if those ideals are not met. I did my job as a basketball player I stayed healthy I played when I wasn’t getting paid, I didn’t show any kind of remorse or any type of attitude towards the organization I didn’t slander their name in the newspapers, I did my job. I did not get paid I got to FIBA asking them to help me and my agent have to pay $5000 each. Patras didn’t show me that same kind of respect, making sure my name gets slaughtered like I am the one with the serious problem, and is tarnishing my name and newspapers are talking bad about me only because I ask for my money and what’s due to me.

* The FIBA is a higher federation then the Greek federation. It is law that if a club can’t pay a player, then the Greek federation can’t allow that club to play in the league or sign new players. But the Greek federation still lets the club play. Fiba doesn’t react and doesn’t do anything. What do you think has to be done that something like this can be resolved and the player gets paid?

For me this is simple: Patras owns the gym, they have the rights to it so they have equity, they have real estate, they have ownership so there must be a way to get them to pay. Regardless of the fact that Patras has been changing ownership trying to get away from paying me, and they think that it’s completely fine or that this is just water under the bridge and they can walk away from the debt that they owe but they have equity they have real estate so FIBA can actually act, and do something about that situation. For Patras to keep paying players and bringing players acting like they don’t have money that is outrageous. More so disrespectful of not even acknowledging FIBA and taking them seriously. They are doing whatever they want to do, and everything thanks to FIBA and Greek Basketball federation complicity that they continue to discharge the responsibilities without anyone making the decision to impose a court sentence. We are talking about a sentence of a world court and not about suppositions or gossip, and despite this we are still here talking about it.The point, besides all is what will happen if this situation creates a precedent and space for those who want to abuse in the future? And above all, what credibility would FIBA have if all this remained unsolved? At the moment, in addition to the economic damage to myself, there is also an image and credibility damage that FIBA is creating for itself.

*It is very difficult to understand why the highest federation FIBA doesn’t do anything. Do you feel like the politics of basketball in Europe are getting more corrupt?

I wouldn’t say corrupt but I would definitely say that it’s getting to a point where a lot of people are not doing their job. There has to be a way to protect the players in all of this.
It seems that the clubs are always protected in this kind of situation, and the players get pushed to the side while the clubs continue to do whatever they want. It’s not fair.
I don’t feel like my rights are being respected at all even by the organizations that are designed specifically to do that. FIBA has the legal duty and authority to impose its own judgments and must apply the sanctions as per the internal regulations of FIBA itself. I will keep it simple. FIBA, as per the regulations and legal proceedings, if notes that the local federation (in this case the Greek one) is unable or unwilling to sanction the Club in which a sentence was charged as already is happening, it must act directly against the Greek federation with huge financial sanctions and finally with the ban of the Greek national team from any world competition if these sanctions are not respected. Until now nothing at all happened,and FIBA after two years from the sentence is still inexplicably and unnecessarily firm giving space to the Greek federation to act in an unusual way. Besides the sanctioned Club continues its activities as if nothing had happened. I want to be and I am confident of the FIBA authority, but in the future how many players will be when other Clubs will be able to use this situation and will be able to do as they wish despite the fact that there is a BAT and FIBA decision in place? What value will the contracts have if FIBA itself is not able to impose its authority as a world federation, and finally, what sense would it be to turn to BAT by anticipating a lot of money if FIBA is not a guarantor? To me, my family and my agent, they assured us that they are monitoring the situation and since two years this money has been missing from the economy of our families. It’s frustrating

*
Have you had any friends, former teammates or opponents go through something like you have where they never got paid?

I know a few players a handful of them that are going through the same situation.Some have retired and some currently still playing currently for different teams. They even went the same route as me by going to FIBA to try to get the matters resolved. They are faced with the same dilemma as me, waiting for FIBA to intervene and act on the situation.

*Have you given advice to any other professional players who may still be young or naeve to the business side of finding an organization) What advice would you give them?

Well the first advice I would give them is pretty much making sure their contract is certified doing the same thing that I did, make sure it has the FIBA stamp. Making sure that they read the contract thoroughly and they have somebody re-read it over that’s very important. I think those are key steps to understand your contract before making it official. The second step Is to make sure your agent is reliable and aware of the circumstances, making sure that he is putting you in a good situation where you can get all your money. And that he’s doing what’s best for you. These are key steps into making sure you’re covered. Even though I didn’t get all of my money on time, I have an amazing representation that’s pushing every single day making sure we are seen and not waiting here relaxed. We want action. That’s what we paid for. At the end of the day this all you can do.

* Do you still have hope in getting the money that you earned with AS Apollon Patras (Greece-A2). What steps are you and your agent doing right now to somehow get this problem resolved?

I still have hope for sure I do I know in the back of my mind that this matter will be resolved because we won the case fair. I did my job to the best of my ability and my agent is doing his job right now. Every week we ask for an audience, an update, a clarification, but the answer has always been diplomatically the same since two years now. We have respected the legal deadlines, the COVID (despite the activities of the FIBA and the Club itself are at maximum capacity), now I ask to know what the next facts will be, talking with exact dates and precise actions wise . Whoever is in charge of my case needs to take action needs to really understand that they are holding a family man up to provide for his family. I wonder if anybody in the FIBA organization would sit still and wait for two or three years and not do anything if they were in my shoes, I think not.

Thanks Alex for the chat.

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.