It was about 45 minutes after the siren had sounded in the Telekom Dome as the Telekom Baskets Bonn had defeated the Fraport Skyliners in an early season BBL game. The Fraport Skyliners were already on the bus and on their way home while the Bonn players had strengthed themselves with a delicious dinner in the VIP area. I was actually waiting for ex Arizona (NCAA) standout point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, but also wanted to catch Skyler Bowlin a player I had become aware of in 2015-2016 during the Fiba Europe cup season when he was playing for the Sodertalje Kings (Sweden-Basketligan). He finally came out and I yelled over to him with a word he had to be familiar with. Hey Skyjack! Bowlin’s head turned around rapidly and he greeted me with a big smile. I have been covering him since that Fiba Europe Cup season and have always enjoyed his high intensity play on the court. He was wondering where I had heard that word. I asked him to take a guess. His first reply was Jordan Talbert his ex teammate at Missouri Southern State another player I have been covering in Germany for ages. Then I gave him a hint saying that he was teammates with him with club Horsens IC. He didn’t hesitate and blurted out Marquis. Of course it was Marquis Addison (193-G-91, college: MSSU) his ex teammate who is balling with Donar Groningen this season in Holland. It really doesn’t matter which ex teammates of Bowlin you talk to, but the love and respect is mind boggling. ‘Being teammates with Skyler was great for my career, he taught me how to be a pro and really showed me the ropes. We remain close to this day. His game has came along way! Especially as a passer. In college we called him Sky Jack because he would Jack up so many 3s lol. His will to win was one of the biggest things I took from him’, remembered Marquis Addison. The love is mutual. ‘Marquis has turned into a very good pro. From our days back at Missouri Southern to his first professional year in Horsens with me, he has always been a hard worker and good teammate. More importantly, Marq and I have remained close as friends and keep in close contact to this day’, remembered Skyler Bowlin.

Marquis Addison who lists his five best teammates of all-time with Skyler Bowlin Nimrod Hilliard Chima Moneke Chris Cooper and Iffe Lundberg was born on December 16th, 1991 in Olathe, Kansas.. He began his basketball career at Olathe South high school and graduated in 2010. His further basketball path then took him to Missouri Southern State University (NCAA2) where he enjoyed a fruitful career for 4 years where he played a total of 120 NCAA games. He also remembers giving his teammate Cameron Corneilius buckets in one on one battles even if it was a tough match up. He was able to average in double figures of scoring in his last three years. Especially in his last two seasons, he turned up his production averaging 17,0ppg and shot over 40% from outside for a season twice. He had to wait until the end of his time at Missouri Southern State to achieve his most memorable moment. ‘My fondest memory was my senior year winning the conference championship with my team. That was my Coaches last season after 26 years so to send him out with a Ring was special’, remembered Marquis Addison. It is often the things on the court that remain in the minds of players, but also learning those life long lessons off the court that is a part of that whole school experience. ‘Coach Robert Corn was and is a great mentor for me. He taught me more about life and becoming a man than anything, I’m forever grateful’, stressed Marquis Addison. In his last two seasons there, he demonstrated his smooth game and vast versatility at both ends of the court as he averaged 17.4ppg, 5.3rpg, 2.7apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 35.1%, FT: 84.5% as a junior and 17.7ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.2apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 52.1%, 3PT: 44.5%, FT: 82.8% as a senior.

The active defender who can guard multiple positions and lists his NBA Mount Rushmore with legends like Kobe, Michael Jordan Shaq and Lebron James began his professional career in 2014 in Denmark with well known team Horsens IC and rapidly found out what it is like to taste victory in terms of hardware. He was a part of three titles as he needed no adjustment period to the game overseas playing a total of 79 games in his 2 year stint and as a rookie he averaged 16.3ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.5apg, Steals-1 (2.4spg), FGP: 55.6%, 3PT: 42.7%, FT: 79.7% and in his second year averaged 15.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.7apg, Steals-3 (2.0spg), FGP: 51.4%, 3PT: 38.7%, FT: 79.1%. Those wining teams helped many of his teammates and himself make the next step. ‘Those years will always be special to me! A lot of teammates of mine from those teams have moved into top divisions all around Europe. My coach Arnel did a lot for my development in Europe. I owe him a lot of credit’, expressed Marquis Addison. The club also proved in his second season there that in basketball it’s not always about the budget and which ex NBA players are on the roster, but often about the will and who wants it more that can get a club to the top. Horsens IC dueled top team the Bakken Bears in an epic 7 game playoff series where they came out as the winner. ‘I could never forget that. Those guys had so much more money and experience than us but we were just hungry dogs and we came out champions’, commented Marquis Addison. He scored in double figures in 70 games for Horsens IC including 30 points in a win over Naestved. In his third professional season he made the next jump going to Israel and playing in their second division and is also known as being a stepping stone for players to continue to climb the ladder. He played for Maccabi Rehovot (Israel-National League) playing 28 games averaging 15.6ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.9apg, Steals-2 (2.5spg), FGP: 50.2%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 78.7%. It really doesn’t matter which American you ask about their time in Israel, almost 100% will rave about their experience there. One could also guess correctly each time what each players three favorite things were in Israel without problems. It wasn’t any different with Marquis Addison. ‘ I loved the culture there in Israel! The food, weather and beaches were some of my favorites. Maybe in my last season or 2 I will have to go back and enjoy the weather’, warned Marquis Addison. He scored in double figures in 23 games including netting 25 points against Maccabi Raanana.

The very quick lateral guard who lists Kansas City’s finest Marcus Denmon as his toughest opponent in school was able to add on to his titles in Denmark with two more in Switzerland with the Lions de Geneve (Switzerland-SBL). These two years continued to be very prosperous with his game as he played a total of 59 games averaging 16.0ppg, 5.9rpg, 3.8apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 54.3%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 80.4% in his first season and 16.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.8apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 55.5%, 3PT: 41.1%, FT: 83.3% in his second season. He was rewarded with 2 Super Cup championships and he had no difficulty choosing a favorite. ‘Both super cups were a great experience in Geneva. I would say the first one was a lot of fun because I got to beat one of my favorite teammates, Markel Humphrey’, said Marquis Addison. It wasn’t all glory next to Lake Geneva, but there was also a hardship in his first season as his club lost a brutal playoffs series against Fribourg against ex easyCredit BBL guard Chad Timberlake. But sometimes there can be something positive wrapped within the grief. ‘That was a good battle, they had a talented and deep team. Favorite moment was having my only career triple double in game 3! Chad was a good, veteran player’, remembered Marquis Addison. He scored in double figures in 54 games including dropping 26 points in a victory over Massagno. In between his two years in Switzerland, he sought a new challenge in France playing for Denain ASC Voltaire (France-ProB) averaging 15.1ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.8apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 40.3%, FT: 81.8%. Here he again proved that he can put up consistent stats no matter what the country or league is. So far he has played in first divisions in countries like Denmark, Holland and Switzerland, but still hasn’t made to a top first division like in Israel, France or Germany. Not having had that opportunity hasn’t phased him at all. ‘France was a very challenging season. Our team went through a lot of imports and changes. I was blessed to have good numbers and compete in a good division. It doesn’t bother me. I know I can play at those levels. I just try to deal with the task ahead of me and let the rest handle itself’, stated Marquis Addison. He scored in double figures in 30 games including getting 31 points in a loss against Nancy. In 2020-2021, he was able to experience another new country and first division with BC CSU Sibiu (Romania-Liga Nationala) where he played 27 games averaging 16.2ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.9apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 54.8%, 3PT: 44.8%, FT: 81.2%; and played 4 FIBA Europe Cup games averaging 16.5ppg, 6.3rpg, 2.8apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 28.6%, 3PT: 48.4%. In Romania he was teammates with ex NBA player Xaver Rathan-Mayes and once again demonstrated his incredible consistency the same way the amazing baseball home run collector Zach Hampel does finding ways to catch them at ball games. But being consistent his season in Romania wasn’t easy as he had to contend with Covid, but he still found a way. ‘It was a great season for our team and also myself individually. Playing with XRM was a great experience, we worked together on our games often and had genuine conversations about things bigger than just basketball. Covid was a very tough season, wasn’t able to have visitors, crowds or normal life. In Romania my city was on lockdown several times. And the worst part was playing every single game in a ‘bubble’ last season. Not to mention weekly covid testing’, expressed Marquis Addison. He also learned to have to live life differently during the hard times and helped him grow as a man. ‘I was able to live a pretty simple life with little distractions. Made me a little more self sufficient’, added Marquis Addison. He scored in double figures in 30 games including 28 points in a win over Oradea. He also hot Besiktas for 23 points in a Fiba Europe Cup game.

So let’s fast forward to 2021. The very intelligent tall 195cm guard who is see’s Michael Jordan as the Goat over Lebron James is back with an organization called Donar Groningen where the chances to add on to his 5 professional titles is very good. Groningen had an incredible run form 2016-2018 winning 5 titles and is craving to get back on the winning track. He has great teammates and is very impressed by the professionalism of the organization. He knows the feeling of having won and already has that notion that very good things will happen this season. ‘Our team this season is special, I can feel it early. We have a lot of guys that are ready to make the next leap in Europe & a mixture of vets that have been there before’, warned Marquis Addison. His versatility as always is what stands out in his game, but his sniper talent and ability to shoot at a high clip from the parking lot has set him apart from other guys. He has delivered from down town having shot 40% or better in 5 of his 7 professional seasons. He doesn’t have any special recipe for success. ‘I would say I just put the work in just like a lot of people. The thing I feel that separates me is my confidence in my abilities. I’m willing to live with the results, either good or bad because I know I’ve put the work in’, said Marquis Addison. But for him it has never been about the stats as that is just a part of the game. Winning that chip is what it is all about. He isn’t even 30 yet and is as hungry as ever to add on to his title list in Holland. ‘Championships are why we play the game! I have been very fortunate to have great teammates & have played in great organizations in my career that have helped me win 5 professional titles and 2 in college’, stated Marquis Addison. It will be interesting to see if he can win more than one title this season. It has been a few years since he won his last chip and it definitely is time again. If one visits him next summer at home in the States and he is in a bad mood then one will know how his season had gone in Holland. ‘Picking the right spot is crucial for me because I’m not a great loser’, warned Marquis Addison. If I had to bet then I would bet on Marquis Addison being in a good mood next summer.