March 2021 seems like it was ages ago as COVID was in full swing, Franz Wagner was still far away from the NBA as he was putting on the final touches with his development at Michigan (NCAA) and masks was a normal occurrence in basketball arena’s. For 15 year Marko Rosic (175-PG-2005), he was playing his first season with Orange Academy and had highly talented players around him on a daily basis. One of those was Jeremy Sochan, a young Polish player who was having a solid pro B season, but not necessarily one that had me jumping around with excitement. I had another Polish youngster by the name of Igor Milicic on my radar and thought he was the real deal. He definitely was talented, butdidn’t go the route I expected, instead it was Jeremy Sochan who exploded having a great freshman season at Baylor (NCAA) and currently plays for NBA team San Antonio Spurs averaging 10,0ppg. I definitely was totally wrong about Jeremy Sochan, but Rosic saw close hand how special a player Jeremy Sochan was. ‘I knew that he would go far and reach the NBA one day. But I never expected him getting such a good role. I really liked his defense, because he can defend many positions’, expressed Marko Rosic. He will never forget his time during Lock Down and being able to experience Jeremy Sohan not only on the court, but also off the court on a regular basis. ‘We spent a lot of time together during lock down. The nicest memory I have of Jeremy was playing basketball outside in the yard in the winter. We connected together very nicely. It was nice seeing how everyone at the boarding school Orange Academy grow together as a family’, stressed Marko Rosic. Often guys that make it big become arrogant and unapproachable and live in their own galaxy, but that didn’t happen with Jeremy Sohan. ‘I remember Jeremy always saying never forget from where you came from. I’m still in contact with him today’, commented Marko Rosic. Not only is Jeremy Sohan a special player, but so is Marko Rosic.
Marko Rosic who lists Real Madrid’s Jan Vide, FC Bayern Munich’s Amar Licina and EPG Basket Alani Moore as his toughest opponents so far in his career was born on April 5, 2005 in Hamm, Germany and grew up in Werne and has Serbish roots. His parents come from Kralijevo, Serbia. He began his career in Munster where he played 2 years of JBBL (U-16) from 2018-2020. He then was up for a new challenge and came to Orange Academy for the 2020-2021 season. He feels totally blessed to be able to play for this ambitious organization that currently belongs to the top youth addresses in Germany. ‘Many young players would love to be in my position. The conditions at Orange Academy are excellent. I can practice in the gym at any time. This season was very important for my development in that I’m averaging 19 minutes per game and gaining more experience at the men’s level. Plus being able to practice as much as I want with individual training as well as my shooting and ball handling has been vital. I watch a lot of Euroleague and easyCredit BBL. I love to watch guys like Milos Teodosic and TJ Shorts. They really have helped shape me as a player’, stated Marko Rosic. It has been a tough season for Orange Academy as currently they are riding a 7-13 record and sit in 10th place 3 wins away from the last playoff spot. They lost 7 of their first 8 games and just couldn’t recover from that disastrous start. ‘We got into a hole early and just couldn’t get out. Many things didn’t go our way. We had many injuries. Losing Julius Ferber really hurt us. We didn’t have the best atmosphere in the team after that losing streak. But we are young and all want to prove themselves. We try to get the best out of every situation in practice and games’, expressed Marko Rosic. Every teammate he has has something special to offer and it isn’t any different with Tobias Jenson and the white Scottie Pippen Joel Zwick. ‘Tobias is long, quick and strong. He is the total opposite to me. He is more of a scorer, but if he has to can be a playmaker. We always play against each other in practice. He brings out the competitive nature in me when we battle in practice. Joel has a lot of talent, but I honestly think that sometimes he doesn’t show everything that he has. I think highly of him. He is a great defender. He worked very hard on his shot and you can see everyday how far he is coming as a shooter. You can see how much time he invests. He has a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see where his journey will go’, added Marko Rosic.
The lightening quick point guard who lists Jordan Mueller, Sebastian Pachucki, Joel Cwick, Jacob Ensminger and Jeremy Sohan as his best teammates of all-time played his first full NBBL (U-19) season last year after not being able to play in 2020-2021 as the season was cancelled because of COVID. Last season in the NBBL he averaged 16.6ppg, 6.4rpg, Assists-3 (5.8apg), 1.8spg, FGP: 36.1%, 3PT: 36.8%, FT: 83.3% and scored in double figures in 10 games and in the Regionalliga averaged 7.9ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.2apg, FGP: 41.6%, 3PT: 24.1%, FT: 73.8%. He had some huge games in the NBBL hitting Wurzburg AK for 35 points and Urspring for 31 points while in the Regionalliga he scored 19 points against Saarlouis and 15 points against Limburg. This season he has had triple duty seeing action in the Pro B, Regionalliga and NBBL plus going to school and looking for his degree and not everything has been rosy. ‘Going to school and finishing is very important for my parents. They want me to have something to fall back on. I have had my ups and downs on the court. I didn’t play as much in the Pro B at the start because there were many guys at my position and I asked Chris Ensminger that I wanted to focus on the Regionalliga. I also had some health issues, but I’m fine again. I found my flow again in my game. I hit a game winner against Bensheim in the Regionalliga and scored 18 points against Erfurt last weekend in the Pro B. I’m really happy how I’m playing at the moment’, said Marko Rosic This season in the Regionalliga he is averaging 12,8 ppg, 4,0rpg, 8,7apg and 1,9spg and in the Pro B is averaging 6,3ppg, 2,2rpg, 2,9apg and 1,1spg. Orange Academy next battle against top Pro B team EPG Baskets Koblenz that are 17-1. His stats are obviously stronger in the Regionalliga than Pro B, but it isn’t because of the lower physicality in the Regionalliga. ‘Many doubt me because I’m small and weigh 60 kilos. I don’t think that physicality is a problem. I use my quickness and court vision to my advantage. I don’t have many finishes but use more my floater and mid distance shot’, stated Marko Rosic. Orange Academy are seeking revenge in Koblenz. Orange Academy have nothing to lose and will have the first loss in their minds. ‘The first loss was close. They played zone at the end which surprised us as a young team. Koblenz is very experienced and it will be difficult to play there. We are coming in with the mind set not to lose. We are hungry to win. We will see what will happen’, warned Marko Rosic. He contributed 13 points in the loss, but coughed up the ball 5 times. It isn’t easy playing against top Pro B guard Alani Moore. Watching film has always been massive for him. ‘I talk a lot with my dad about my game. Those 5 turnovers is way to much for a point guard. I’m very critical with myself and rewatched the game right away. I need to be more under control with my ball handling. But I also watch good things in my game. I try to soak up as much from a guy like Moore. He is very quick like me. I saw his moves and I really learned a lot from his game. He is a tough defender so it is ideal going up against him’, stressed Marko Rosic.
Marko father Ivan Rosic coach of Hamm
The ex Munster player who lists Kobe, Shaq, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry and Michael Jordan on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore is a 175cm point guard who is very thankful that he has had his father as a mentor. Dad Ivan who currently coaches in Hamm has played a huge role in his son’s basketball development. He decided to remain in Hamm when he had other coaching offers. He sacrificed his career so that he could be around him and help him get to the next level. He can’t see his games live so they talk a lot on the phone and train together during the summers. He was a point guard in his playing days and Marko has kept a big piece of advice from his dad that he brings on the floor each day. ‘He wants the best for me. He told me that scoring isn’t the most important thing. You don’t need to look for yourself, but for your teammates. Getting an assist will make two happy and make the team stronger. He also has been instrumental in helping me with leadership qualities. Off the court I’m quiet. He really helped me come out of my shell’, warned Marko Rosic. He is more of a pass first point guard and I would have thought he would compare his game to a Ricky Rubio, but I was wrong. He hasn’t watched much of Rubio on film. He compares his passing game more to his favorite player Milos Teodosic and the whole package to Argentine national player Facundo Campazzo. He also watches a lot of American TJ Shorts who plays for easyCredit BBL team Telekom Baskets Bonn. He has shown at all 3 levels with Orange Academy that he can fill the stat sheet with ease. ‘I think that my biggest strength is getting my teammates involved. I also think that my leadership is strong as well as my organization, pushing the ball in transition and my mid range shot. I haven’t shown my 3 ball as much yet even though I did go 3/5 against Erfurt last weekend. I think that I also have shown that I can be that extended arm of the coach on the court and hold the team together’, warned Marko Rosic. He knows that if he wants to reach the next level, he will have to be even better with his flaws and strengths. ‘I work mostly on my ball handling and three pointer. But I continue to want to be able to hit my mid range shot as well as becoming an even better passer and also becoming an even better leader’, said Marko Rosic. Often getting that extra experience with a national team is vital for the development of a player and at what level a player can still reach, but at the moment he isn’t with any national team. ‘Germany haven’t called me, because I’m too small. Serbia have too many guards at my position’, added Marko Rosic. He has a very precise basketball dream and for once it isn’t the NBA. ‘I want to play in the Euroleague and for Roter Stern Belgrade. I think that it is important to set small steps. My goal now is to reach the easyCredit BBL’, warned Marko Rosic. It will be interesting to see where Marko Rosic‘s journey will go. His teammates definitely think highly of him. ‘He definitely belongs to the best German guards in that he is always able to create an open shot for his teammates. He is also a very good scorer which he doesn’t always show because he is a pass first guy. He also reads the game well. He is already a very strong leader for his age and knows how to lead a team’, stressed Joel Cwick. I definitely will be rooting for him, because I always love very small point guards. I was always the smallest and know what it’s like to pretend your tiny Archibald and loves to make the assist.
German Hoops 