If you have lived in the United States it is as good as impossible never to have seen the famous breakfast cereal commercial Wheaties ‘Breakfast for champions at one point of your lives. Almost since the start, sports personalities have been associated with the General Mills product. The list is unending as the company has featured athletes from all kinds of sports like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, , Shaq, Pete Rose, Mario Lemieux, Michael Johnson, Mia Hamm, Pete Sampras or Arnold Palmer just to name a few. Wheaties came up with the super catchy and logical slogan as being a cereal that is a healthy breakfast option and having well known athletes promote it. I mean what is better than having a young athlete eating the yummy cereal and then seeing his or her favorite athlete on the box and dreaming of one day being like them thinking if they eat it, they can be that next champion. Obviously Wheaties has sold many many boxes for centuries and having the sports figures on the box has also helped the selling cause. For incredible American player Chris Carter, he also has had a recipe for success in his career in Germany and it isn’t the Wheaties Breakfast of champions, but moreover in his case the to do list for champions. His basketball resume doesn’t lie in Germany as he has had a special knack of helping teams move up to higher levels like Rasta Vechta, the Niners Chemnitz and most recently the Rostock Seawolves. He relies and believes on his own version of the to do list for champions. Before the 21-22 season as always he prepared his own to do list with goals for the season and it helped him again have success. ‘I always make a goals list in the beginning of every season to keep myself accountable throughout the year. It has worked my whole career because I believe in manifesting along with hard work to make goals come true’, warned Chris Carter (193-PG-1992, college: Florida Tech) It is no secret that moving up from the Pro A to easyCredit BBl is no cake walk and very difficult. There have been many clubs like Bremerhaven, Phoenix Hagen or the Romerstrom Gladiators that have remained stuck there for a number of years now. It isn’t only his track record, grind, belief and heart that is so refreshing, but also his humbleness that has been respected for years in German basketball. ‘There is no special magic. I didn’t perform my first chance that I got at the first league for personal reasons and have been fighting and betting on myself to get back and prove that I belong there ever since. It has been difficult to play in the second league and keep moving teams up , but now that I finished all my German requirements to get my passport, hopefully things will be in my favor moving forward’, stated Chris Carter

It is a cool day at the end of May as I reach Chris Carter in Rostock who feels that Dallas Maverick player Luka Doncic is a top 3 player in the NBA now is in great spirits. The Euroleague final is over and the Boston Celtics did the unbelievable winning a game 7 in Miami and now will battle the splash brothers and Golden State Warriors. The American who was born in Brooklyn, New York and is headed to Miami soon for the off season is relaxing after another successful season as a professional basketball player where he helped the very ambitious Rostock Seawolves accomplish the dream of moving to the easyCredit BBl after 7-8 years of hard work going step by step. What made this season’s jump up to the easyCredit BBL even sweeter was that they finally made it after Covid having played so much havoc the last two years. ‘It feels great to move this organization to the first league. I’m very grateful how everything worked out even with the Corona virus set back’, said Chris Carter Rostock had been one of the top teams all season long, but had some question marks going into the playoffs suffering a little losing streak. ‘We had a team meeting and had to re-establish our identity as the best team in this league. We made everyone commit to winning a championship’, remembered Chris Carter They regrouped and went 8-1 the rest of the way. They had to fight off the feisty PS Karlsruhe guards Stanley Whittaker and Ferdinand Zylka two guards that he definitely won’t forget as they were his toughest guards to control this season. They definitely also won’t forget him as he swiped an impressive15 balls in the 4 game series. The Rostock Seawolves played a memorable semi-finals against Jena that was capped off with an unforgettable buzzer beater by American guard Tyler Nelson in the monumental 77-76 game 4 win. ‘We just were on a mission to win 3 games. They were a well coached team and we knew we had to protect home court and steal a game in a hostile environment’, explained Chris Carter In the final they faced the top team of the season Tigers Tuebingen and had only 2 games to win the title. They won the first game 81-73 at home and then went on the road and won again in exciting fashion 77-76 hoisting the title. ‘Grit and determination was key. Credit to Tuebingen for a great season. They were a well coached team. We had a bit more veterans and experience on the team and I think it showed in the playoffs when adversity hit’, added Chris Carter Obviously players knowing their roles and being unselfish were massive for the success, but also other components. ‘I think we were a family on and off the court. I think the fact that we had 7 guys returning from the last year helped a lot. Most importantly, everyone accepted their roles’, stressed Chris Carter

The American who balled at Florida Tech (NCAA 2) and believes that all the bashing NBA superstars James Harden and Kevin Durant have gotten the last months is just part of the territory that they have when your in the spotlight was surrounded by great teammates. Every player 1-12 gave their part to the success, but it also is no secret that his guard colleagues Jordan Roland, Tyler Nelson and Brad Loesing were a very instrumental part in the club’s success. ‘These guys were all great men and I am blessed to have shared the court with them this season. Everyone does something special whether it be play making or shot making. I’m thankful they were on my team’, warned Chris Carter Other key contributors on the club was versatile forward Nijal Pearson who supplied constant scoring and rebounding and the efficient German duo of Til Gloger and Sid Marlon-Theis who supplied experience, consistency and physicality. ‘Nijal did everything for us. He defended team’s best players, rebounded, and made big plays for us when we needed it. These guys were the best Germans in the league this season. Both gave us different looks from the 4 and 5 position. Till was a beast in the post and Sid was a fantastic shooter and defender’, explained Chris Carter

The versatile guard who played his rookie season in the Ukraine with Bipa Basket had another outstanding season. Despite getting older, he continues to be that ruthless floor general that is a pest on defense. He played 41 games averaging 8.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 5.2apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 54.3%, 3PT: 32.8%, FT: 65.9%. He also knew that it was his worst season shooting free throws since his freshman year at the Air Force (NCAA). ‘I was terrible with free throws this year. But with this team being so deep I didn’t have to play 30 plus minutes like other guards in the league. I had to make the most of 20-22 mins and be efficient. It got the job done this year but next year at a higher level I have to be better’, warned Chris Carter In his first 3 pro seasons he was a reliable scorer, but since then hasn’t had to be that simply because he always had prolific scorers on his side. He averaged 5,0apg for the sixth time in his career and allowed other guys to do the bulk of the scoring. ‘We had a lot of guys that could really score on the team and it was my job to keep everyone happy. Yes I had to sacrifice some shots but it paid off. One thing to note is whenever there was a big game I always had a good night and we found a way to win’, said Chris Carter Shooting, defense, and flexibility are things he will be working on this summer to keep improving his game, but also knows that taking care of the ball is another crucial aspect of his game that will have to get better. ‘I think 1.8 turnovers which was pretty high for me. I think I had some games where I wasn’t focused as much and made some poor decisions. I will learn from it and move forward’, stressed Chris Carter As usual he belonged to the top defenders in the Pro A and is thankful that he was able to learn under an expert like Dirk Bauermann last season. ‘I thought I learned a lot from Bauermann in terms of defending and I thought I did a solid job this season playing smart and solid. There is always room to improve’, warned Chris Carter But what stands out most in his game is that he is the ultimate team player that sacrifices his own stats for the good of the team. He has had this approach where ever he has played in his career. ‘I would just say I am a winner. And whatever it takes to win I will do. I definitely have a ‘We’ over ‘Me’ mentality and just keep working hard. Some days it may be my night to be a scorer and others may require good playmaking’, commented Chris Carter He definitely wants to return to Rostock and if not return back to the easyCredit BBL next season. I have a feeling his next to do list for 22-23 will like usual have the right words on how to not only remain in the easyCredit BBL, but how to reach the playoffs. The to do list for champions never lies for Chris Carter