Christopher Miller (192-G-1993, college: Salem) is a 29 year old 193cm guard from Brooklyn, New York who is playing his eighth professional season and first with VFL Bensheim. He played 3 seasons with the Giessen Pointers (Germany-Regionalliga) and last season averaged 17.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 3.2apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 17.5%, FT: 78.6%. He has had experience in countries like El Salvador and Bosnia. He recently played for the South Shore Monarchs (TBL) playing 8 games averaging 22.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 4.3apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 35.0%, FT: 83.3%. He began his basketball career at Clinton Community College and also played two years at Salem University (NCAA2). This season he teams up with Miles Schmidt-Scheuber with weekly chats about his basketball season.
Bensheim suffered a tough 101-95 loss to Lich. What was it like playing a team that you have battled so much over the last years in a Giessen uniform and now playing against them with Bensheim?
I honestly feel like every other day I wake up I play against Lich. We have had so many battles over the years . I always look forward to compete against that club.
Talk a little about the 40 minutes. Was this a game that quickly crystallized into a shoot out?
This game was very fast paced with a lot of 3s resulting in a high score. We enjoy pushing the tempo and Lich seemed to like to do the same.
Were there any moments in crunch-time where you could have won the game? What was key in crunch-time for not getting over the hump?
I think for us anytime when making a major comeback it’s the little things that you need to get over that hump. For us it was a few miscommunications on defense that resulted in a open shot or a missed rebound here or there. I think the team showed toughness being short handed and still competing and almost pulled off a major comeback.
Could one go as far as that the game was lost at the free throw line? They made an incredible 23/24 shots while Bensheim missed 10 free throws.
I think this could be a part of the loss of course. We have to do a better job at free throws. They are free points we are leaving on the floor. When you look at the fact we only lost by 6 it makes those free-throw misses hurt more.
What was it like playing against ex German national player Johanes Lischka? He had his typical strong game showing his inside out skills, but also sparkled as a facilitator with 6 dimes.
Lischka had a strong game he played a big role for his team. Scoring inside and out and when we doubled him he made the correct plays. It was fun competing against him and looking forward to the next match.
You played only 16 minutes. Did early foul trouble hamper your minutes?
I fouled out of the game in the second quarter unfortunately due to technical fouls. It was embarrassing on my part . I feel as if I let my team down this game and that won’t happen again. They played a great game and showed character and I applaud then for that.
You only scored 8 points. Was it difficult finding a groove?
I had 8 points in 1 and a half quarters before fouling out. I was getting into a groove and got too over excited and made some mistakes. Credit to lich for the defense they played. I feel they got the best of me and I am looking forward to hearing the next match up .
Felix Becker really picked up the slack scoring 29 points. What has it been like playing with him who showed last season that he can be a valuable scorer?
I have always been a fan of Felix. I believe he is a valuable piece of this team. He is a gifted scorer and I always knew he could perform like this. I hope this sparks a flame in him to continue to be aggressive in our future games. With him doing this I think we will be hard to beat.
You next battle Kronberg who are 0-3. This is a must win. What will be key for getting the win?
The key is us. We feel like all 3 games we played were winnable games. However we made mistakes causing us to lose. We have yet to put a full game together. I believe the keys to our success is a bit more focus on the little things while decreasing our unforced errors.
What kind of a role do you see Dennis Schroeder having with the Lakers this time around?
I think Dennis will have the same role he has had in past years. I would like for him to be aggressive and show why he is a top player in the league. If he does that he has 6th man of the year potential for sure.
Thanks Chris for the chat.
German Hoops 