Devon Goodman (184-PG-1997, college: Pennsylvania) is a 25 year old 184cm point guard from Fort Washington, Pennsylvania playing his second professional season and first in Germany with the Dragons Rhondorf. Last season he played he was a rookie with S.C. Lusitania EXPERT (Portugal-Liga Betclic) averaging 14.6ppg, 3.7rpg, Assists-4 (5.2apg), 1.9spg, FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 31.0%, FT: 47.3%. he began his basketball career at Germantown academy and then played at the University of Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2016-2020 playing a total of 114 NCAA games and in his last 2 seasons averaged 13.9ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.3apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 56.4%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 68.7% and 13.8ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.0apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 58.2%, 3PT: 27.8%, FT: 58.8%. He spoke to germanhoops.com after helping lead the Dragons Rhondorf to a 80-65 in over the EN Baskets Schwelm to go 2-0 on the season
Congrats on the massive 80-65 win over the EN Baskets Schwelm. How good does it feel being 2-0 with 2 road wins?
It feels good. We hope to keep the momentum up next week when we finally play our first home game.
How did the club get better in the last 2 weeks after having a week off from playing games?
We definitely got better in the last 2 weeks. We fixed a few things from the last game and our chemistry got better. We have gotten more comfortable as a team and also bring more energy on the court and on the bench. The support has been great from all.
The Dragons Rhondorf won the first 3 quarters. How content were you with the 40 minutes of play?
I was pretty content for the way we played for 40 minutes. Schwelm went on a little run to start the second half. But we didn’t panic, but stayed together and then went on a little run. We were able to close out the game well and played good team offense and defense.
The team allowed 65 points. What steps did it make on the defensive end?
I felt we were more aggressive an d our 1-1 defense improved. We didn’t let guys in the paint as easily as before. I felt like our team defense also got better. We made them take tougher shots.
The team let it rain three’s, but allowed 20 offensive rebounds and had 23 turnovers. Does that worry you?
Brett Reed was a work horse. Even when we had 1 guy on him, it wasn’t enough. He was everywhere. We have to do a better job of getting rebounds. It isn’t just the responsibility of the 4-5 guys, but also the others have to help. We definitely have to clean up the turnovers. Sometimes we play to fast, but I’m very confident that we will limit them more in the future.
What was your impression of Brett Reed who had a monster game of 29 points and 17 boards. Was that a good wake up call on how to get better on the rebound?
For sure it was a wake up call. Our goal each game is to win the rebound battle. Reed can do it all. We have to focus on rebounding more and just keep improving and helping each other better. I’m confident that we will get better.
Zaba Bangala continues to make great strides. I saw that dude for the first time recently. I mean he is 4 times as big as me. Wouldn’t he be better suited for football?
He has for sure a big body. He is also very agile, but yes he could play football.
He continues to make strides. But he still gets too many fouls.
He needs to find a way to know and how to play aggressive without making fouls. This goes for the whole team. We have to know how to play aggressive while staying solid on defense.
What has it been like playing with Jonas Falkenstein? Has he given you the needed push in practice?
He is a great player and shooter. We compete against each other a lot in practice. He brings valuable energy and helps teach the other young guys a winning attitude.
You had another great game like in the first game being the scoring go to guy for the Dragons. Could the team rely too much on you?
It was just one of those games where my shot fell so I kept shooting and helping my team. Some of the other teammates shot’s weren’t falling, but they did other valuable things to help us. I’m very confident that other guys will shoot better in the next games
Is it tough having to stay consistent now when you had 2 great games? Can you heighten your scoring even more if needed?
I love being aggressive and am always confident. It isn’t about how many points I score, but how I can help the team be better. My first focus is always to win and when that happens, my stats will be good.
You shot 80% from the field and outside. Has the good shooting adjustment surprised you?
I really worked hard this past summer and my work is paying off for me now. I’m confident and expect my shot to fall which also has helped me be successful.
You next play in another gym in St Katharin that is a home game. Do you feel like despite it being a home game you will still have an away game feel?
We haven’t practiced there yet. It will feel like an away game going there, but once we hear our fans rallying for us, it will feel like a home game.
You next play top Pro B team Wolmirstedt. What will be key to building off the Schwelm win?
We want to take the good things from the Schwelm game and apply it to Wolmirstedt. We want to continue to build chemistry, remain aggressive and get better each day so we will be playing our best basketball at the end of the season.
Thanks Devon for the chat.
German Hoops 