Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Patrick Flomo in Frankfurt in 2008

Patrick Flomo (203-F-1980, college: Ohio) is a former professional player that enjoyed a 17 year pro career. After finishing at Ohio University (NCAA), he came overseas and played his rookie season in Finland with Korihait Uusikaupunki and in his second season played with the Eiffel Towers Nijmegen (Holland-Eredivisie). In 2005 he came to Germany and played with Herten (Regionalliga) and would never leave Germany again. He played with clubs like Duesseldorf, Ludwigsburg, Crailsheim and Essen. But he celebrated his biggest success with the Telekom Baskets Bonn where he played 5 seasons. He would play parts of 8 seasons in the easyCredit BBL and played a total of 254 BBL games. 14 years ago, he helped the Telekom Baskets Bonn reach the BBL final. He looked back on his career and the 2008-2009 season.

Thanks Patrick for talking to germanhoops.com. You retired in 2019. You coached the Artland Dragons and also in the youth sector. What are you doing presently?

At the moment I am living in Quakenbrueck coahing the Artland Dragons. I have to say basketball life has for the most part been pretty good to me and continues to do so today.

How much of a joy has it been watching your son Jelani grow as a player with the Young Rasta Dragons? What would you like to believe did he get from your game?

I would be happy with anything my son chooses to do with his life but I am happy that he shares the same love for basketball that I do. Watching him grow and develop his game along with handling the many challenges that come with it has been great and I am so proud of the player and young man he is becoming. He plays a completely different position but has shown talent on the defensive side of the ball, so if he inherited anything from me it would be that.

You played 17 seasons which most guys can’t say they did. You played most of the time in Germany. What will you always remember from Germany the country and it’s basketball?

As far as Germany itself, the cold will never be any one thing that I find memorable. In the different places I played I met so many good people, ate a lot of delicious food and even learned other ways of speaking German. I will say that Germany does have the best beer I have tasted. Coming to Germany was the beginning of the great life that I have now. I met my wife, who helped shape the man I am today and gave me the beautiful family I have. This basketball life isn’t always easy and having a partner to support you in the ups and downs, is immeasurable.

You played 5 years with the Telekom Baskets Bonn. How special was this organization in your pro career?

My time in Bonn will forever be some of my most memorable. I played and worked with some great people. The support given to players by the club but especially by the fans is something to be modeled on in professional sports.

How would the 2009 team had faired against the 2022-2023 Telekom Baskets Bonn? Would the team have won without having to play against TJ Shorts?

Basketball has evolved and changed so much in that time, it’s hard to say how that matchup would go. I do know it would be a battle.

You played 3 years for Tuomas Iisalo in Crailsheim. If someone had told you in 2017 that this coach would become the best in Germany in 5 years what would you have thought?

Without question. In my opinion, the passion, focus & effort he puts into mastering his craft is the reason he has had the success he now has. He is a true scholar of the game and is constantly looking to improve himself.

You played for many eccentric coaches including Murat Didin. What is your most unforgettable experience with him?

A lot happened in my two seasons in Dusseldorf. The thing I will never forget is having a meeting with Coach Didin in a coffee shop at the airport. He traveled back and forth to Istanbul a lot. I still laugh today when I think about the asking me to meet him there like it was completely normal.

The game has really changed. How do you think would your career have gone now? The game is dominated by three’s and the bigs are all so versatile now?

NO way of knowing what kind of career I would have in today’s game, but I do know that I would have played with the same passion that I did in my time.

You helped the Telekom Baskets Bonn reach the final in 2009. Bonn is back in the final for the first team as they had an incredible season. Do you still follow your ex-team?

Of course, and I am so happy & proud of the success the club is having now.

The 2008-2009 Bonn was a special team that finished the regular season in fourth place. What do you remember being this team’s biggest strength?

That we had guys that wanted to battle and do it together every time we stepped on the court.

The team had 2 ex NBA players with Ken Johnson and Vincent Yarbrough and a third player by the name of Brandon Bowman who I felt should always have made it. How important was his play for the success of the team?

Bowman was one of the players that was ahead of his time. He was a forward with guard skills much like many bigs today. The variability he showed on both ends of the floor made him a big part of our success that season.

How will you remember John Bowler most? He was an unorthodox player that also had a original character and humor.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Patrick Flomo in Frankfurt in 2006
JB had a lot of character and was one of the funniest guys I played with in my career. But I remember his competitive spirit most.

What memories will you always have of EJ Rowland? The guy just completed his 18th season at age 40. I guess his wheels never fell off.

EJ’s playing that long didn’t surprise me one bit. He had a clear vision and goal for his career and worked on his game daily.

Bonn began the playoffs by sweeping Ulm. Could the series have changed for the worse had Bonn not won game 2 71-69?

That was a big win for us, and anything is possible in the playoffs. Ulm had some really good players and played good basketball then.

Is Jeff Gibbs one of those guys that you will never forget playing against? How does a 22-centimeter advantage that Ken Johnson still give a big man problems? Was he one of the greatest undersized bigs you ever saw?

I’ve known Jeff since we played AAU ball together for All Ohio Red back in Columbus, Ohio. His football background, and the fact that he had a 7+ foot wingspan with a 40inch vertical, made him a tough matchup for anyone.

The Alba Berlin series was crazy. Bonn won the first 2 games combined by 5 points and looked like the final was an easy bet, but then they strapped up the defense and allowed Bonn to average 40 points in the next 2 games. What did they change up?

Much like today Berlin was one of the tops teams in the BBL and were the favorites in that series. They simply turned up their defensive pressure and broke up our rhythm on offense.

Then came the crazy final against Oldenburg. Bonn was always up a game, but Oldenburg always fought back. Was the 71-70 loss in game 5 your toughest loss in your career? Talk a little about the last seconds. How do you remember witnessing them?

By far. After beating Alba in the semis, we had a lot of confidence in the finals. That last game was tough because until the last 43 seconds of the game I was confident in our win and becoming German champions.

What was the difference in the series? Could Bonn had won the series keeping Ricky Paulding better in check? When you think back on that season, what will you always remember as being your fondest moment on the court?

Ricky was a great player and his game 4 performance in Bonn was something special. Slowing him down surely would have helped but you can never truly be certain of victory in this game. One of the fondest memories of that season was beating Alba because we did something together that very few thought was possible.

What made it so special to play for Michael Koch? He was a player’s coach. You did show in Ludwigsburg that you could function under other coaches?

Playing for Mike was special because he did understand and could relate with what we experienced as players. It also helped because anything he asked us to do we knew he did himself.

Please name your starting 5 of favorite Bonn teammates?

I could never name just 5. I care about and respect all the guys I battled with in Bonn.

Who won a 1-1 you or Moussa Diagne?

The competitor in me would like to say I would win but Moussa was a special player and probably had the advantage.

Who do you remember being the toughest forward that you battled in Germany?

So many to name, but I will say that Derrick Allen was always a tough matchup

The Telekom Baskets Bonn are down 2-1 in the best of 5 series against Ulm. What is your prediction?

The Baskets have shown many times this season that they possess the ability to find ways to win. I predict an interesting game 4.

Thanks Pat for the chat.

Tags : PATRICK FLOMO, ETB WOHNBAU MINERS ESSEN, GERMAN BASKETBALL