Foto Credit: Fraport Skyliners

Even if the Fraport Skyliners lost a hard fought battle against the mighty FC Bayern Munich where they really gave the Euroleague team a scare in crunch time cutting their lead down to 77-72 with a few minutes to play, there were 2 plays that stood out from the 2000 BBL cup team. It doesn’t always have to be the spectacular dunks or passes that can really make fans get the electrifying goose bumps, but it can also be pinpoint shooting. If legend Chris Mullin could shoot 14/15 from the parking lot at the Sacramento Kings training camp when he was 50 years old, then a 37 year old Quantez Robertson can still make three’s as well. Ok so Tez may not have the same shooting qualities of a Mullin, but he has had his moments in his illustrious career from the parking lot. It is no secret that the Skyliner legend has had to take on a lesser role under new coach Dutch man Geert Hammink, but yesterday against FC Bayern Munich, he definitely rebounded from his poor showing in Bayreuth scoring 8 points, hauling down 5 boards and dishing out 3 dimes. Near the end of the first quarter, he hit a massive trey to give the Fraport Skyliners the 13-12 advantage and the living room of Tez was buzzing. The cheers were enormous as one could easily comprehend how much the fans still love him. The second play that was monumental was in crunch-time as young German Joshua Obiesie (198-PG-2000) dropped a deep three from near the Hoechst train station cutting the FC Munich lead down to 77-72. The cheers were loud, but it was apparent that it didn’t reach the heights of what the easyCredit BBL legend Tez got in the first quarter. ‘My cheers were probably a bit louder, but his cheers will get louder as time goes on. The fans expect a lot from him. I feel that Josh belongs up with the top young Germans for his age’, warned Quantez Robertson.

I reach the Cincinnati native Quantez Robertson on a late Tuesday afternoon as the balmy weather is shouting for playground as he is on his way out with his family for some relaxing dowqn time. It has almost been 24 hours since the tough loss to FC Bayern Munich, but basketball life goes on. The Fraport Skyliners have to get back to the drawing board and analyze what went wrong against FC Bayern Munich and get back on the court highly spirited and focused for the next games as they will tell where their journey will go this season. The next 4 games starting with the MLP Academics next weekend are all must wins. But for once the Fraport Skyliners as a team isn’t on the menu for Quantez Robertson, but only teammate Joshua Obiesie. The first thing that Tez thinks about when he hears the name Joshua Obieise is big combo guard saw a fine performance by the ex FC Bayern Munich guard. After a tough Skyliner debut in Bayreuth where he shot 1/7, but overall filled the stat sheet well, he wanted to show the home crowd in his first game in his new living room that he could make a difference against his ex team and did. It isn’t always just motivation that can bring a player to perform at a high level. ‘Of course Josh wanted to play well against his old team, but I think key for him was just being aggressive and just having fun. He really enjoys basketball’, stressed Quantez Robertson. The ex Wurzburg guard played 21 solid minutes ending up being the team’s top scorer with 15 points and also dished out 6 assists. He did a fine job taking responsibility and picking his spots well. ‘He has showed that all pre season long. He is always hungry and aggressive and took full advantage of his playing time’, stated Quantez Robertson.

He had a lot better shooting night at home then in Bayreuth shooting 5/8 (63%) and really mixed it up being able to use his quickness and athleticism to getting some easy lay ups, while also taking responsibility and having the courage to attempt tough outside shots that fell at a clip of 67%. ‘He took some easy shots and we expect him to make them and also took tough shots. He won’t always make them, but more will fall as the season goes on’, warned Quantez Robertson. It was no surprise that he was keen on being audacious and seeking to take on responsibility in crunch time as he nailed that ridiculous trey from way down town. It is still too early to know if he could become that primary go to guy in crunch-time like say a Matt Mobley a few years ago. ‘I don’t know if he can become that guy. He had the ball in his hands at the end and had to take the shot. He did a good job keeping poised and making it. Anytime he has the ball with a few seconds on the shot clock, we expect him to take it’, warned Quantez Robertson. Especially in crunch-time, FC Bayern Munich was playing aggressive defense, but he was able to find solutions and react well. ‘He was very aggressive on offense, but also did a good job on the defensive end’, added Quantez Robertson.

The 22 year old who played 1 NBA Summer League game in 2021 with the Sacramento Kings and had played 81 easyCredit BBL games prior before coming to the Fraport Skyliners also did a fine job as a facilitator with 6 assists. One can see that his decision making isn’t totally there yet, but that will also get better with experience and continuing to get to know his teammates tendencies and reading the game better. ‘I thought he did a pretty good job with taking his time and trying to make good decisions. He does tend to overthink at times, but that will also get better with experience’, warned Quantez Robertson. He coughed up the ball 3 times, but taking care of the ball is an area where Tez sees his teammate making strides in the next months. ‘Basketball is a game of mistakes. He will make mistakes here and there, but he has to remain aggressive when feeding the big men the ball inside. As soon as he gets more polished, he will cut down on mistakes when playmaking’, added Quantez Robertson. The Fraport Skyliners, Quantez Robertson and Joshua Obiesie next battle the MLP Academics Heidelberg on the road and desperately have to celebrate their first victory there. It will be interesting to see how Joshua Obiesie plays in the next challenging and so vital weeks where the Fraport Skyliners have to win as much as possible. It is always a joy to watch Quantez Robertson battle and everyone needs to be aware that it won’t be so many more games for him. But for Joshua Obiesie, he is just at the start of his career. He loves the game very much and the fans will feel that more and more as he performs well as the love and cheers will surely get louder with time just as his game continues to always get better.

Tags : JOSHUA OBIESIE, FRAPORT SKYLINERS FRANKFURT, GERMAN BASKETBALL