When you have interviewed as many players as I have in 20 years, you sometimes tend to lose track what happened to certain guys after interviewing them. There are tens of thousands playing in Europe and it’s just tough being able to keep track of everyone. Just the other day bright Mensah wrote me asking if he could do an interview with me again. It didn’t even take a second for me to remember who he was, but when I looked in my archive when I had interviewed him, I was shocked that it had been April 2019 when he was playing with KIT SC Karlsruhe. I would have predicted 2021. So much has happened in that time. I didn’t have the last seasons of his career in my head so I checked his Eurobasket.com profile and saw that he had played one more season in Germany and then in Portugal and Spain. And not to forget in between Covid shocked and rattled the world and now has left us again. Covid affected everyone’s lives and some had a harder time living through it then others, but for Bright Mensah, he is still living the dream overseas in 2023. But at the moment he is searching for a new team, but feels so blessed that he was able to grind through the last 4 years and have success and continue to grow as a player. ‘ It’s crazy how quickly four years have flown by. A lot has happened since our 2019 interview. I’m really grateful to still be pursuing my passion for the game. To be honest, when Covid initially struck, I had doubts about the possibility of continuing my overseas basketball career. I’m relieved to see the world making progress toward returning to its pre-pandemic state’, remembered Bright Mensah (193-G-1992, college: William Pater., agency: Helping Ballers)
So let’s rewind 4,5 years back to the 2019-2020 season as Bright Mensah who compares his game to Victor Oladipo played another season with KIT SC Karlsruhe. He produced remarkable stats again and the club had incredible team chemistry, but then came Covid and ended the season. ‘My second year with Karlsruhe was amazing. We accomplished our goal by winning the league even before Covid brought an abrupt ending to our season. My main focus was just to get home and be with my family’, remembered Bright Mensah He scored in double figures in 21 of 22 games and really had Fellbach’s number scoring 31 and 29 points. ‘Fellbach was a strong team that consistently brought out the best in both me and my teammates. I always felt the responsibility to perform and carry the team in games like those’, said Bright Mensah Then came March 7th, 2020 a day that many ballers will forever remember because it was their last game in the 19-20 season. Mensah contributed 15 points in a 85-73 victory against Giessen. ‘It’s crazy because I remember that game as if it were yesterday. The previous week, we had clinched the league title, so we came into that game feeling a bit flat against a young and hungry Giessen team. We ended up winning the game, but I do remember it being a difficult one’, added Bright Mensah In his 2 year career with Regionalliga team KIT SC Karlsruhe, he scored in double figures in 43 of 46 games and scored 20 points or more 26 times and exploded against Mannheim for 46 points.
The versatile guard who lists Kyre Irving as the toughest player he has ever faced on the court actually had a job the next season in 20-21. Many guys sat out the next season as Covid was in full swing, but he found a new challenge in Portugal, but he definitely felt the pandemic the whole season. ‘The season in Portugal was undoubtedly the toughest I’ve ever experienced. With Covid protocols in place, we had to play in empty arenas and undergo regular testing. Also, nearly all stores, except for grocery stores, were closed, which meant I couldn’t fully explore and experience the country as I would have liked’, expressed Bright Mensah He played for Maia Basket Clube (Portugal-LPB) playing 26 games averaging 12.6ppg, 4.7rpg, 4.0apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 27.7%, FT: 85.5%. After having played 2 seasons in Germany’s 4th division, it’s fair to say that this was his break out season as a professional. ‘I would definitely say that I had my breakout season that year in Portugal. It showed teams and agents that I could compete at a high level and that what I had been doing in previous years in Germany could translate to other leagues’, commented Bright Mensah He finished the season with a bang totally exploding in his last 4 games scoring a total of 109 points averaging 27,0ppg in that span. ‘I’ll say the last 8 games in Portugal, I started slowly feeling like myself both health-wise and mentally. I injured my shooting shoulder 4 games into the season, and it didn’t really improve until the last few months of the season. Once I began to feel like myself again, I felt unstoppable’, warned Bright Mensah He closed out the season strong scoring 38 points in a win over top team Benfica that had well known players on the other side of the court. ‘That Benfica game is definitely my favorite as a pro. Facing players like Quincy Miller-Scott and Bryce Alford, whom I had watched on TV, made it even more satisfying after having a performance like that. It being the last game of the season, I wanted to prove not only to myself but to the world that I could compete with anyone’, stressed Bright Mensah
The scoring guard who likes to train with Jordan Theodore’s trainer Leo Jones in New Jersey felt Covid the next season and decided not to sign with a team, but it was less Covid, but more family related. ‘Right after the season, I got married, and my wife got a job in California. So we had to relocate from New Jersey to California, and I didn’t want her to go through the transition alone. So, I made the decision to take a year off and be with her’, remembered Bright Mensah Being not able to strap on the jersey and lace up the sneakers was an experience that he won’t forget. ‘The year I didn’t play was challenging. I felt like I had lost my identity without playing basketball anymore. With Covid and the absence of basketball, I can honestly say I experienced a depressive state, but it also contributed to my personal growth, making me a stronger man and a better husband’, said Bright Mensah He came back refocused last season and played with La Antigua Tormes (Spain-LEB Silver) averaging 15.3ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.1apg, 2FGP: 53.2%, 3FGP: 38.2%, FT: 71.4%. ‘Leb Silver league is known for its talent and strong technical play. Unlike some leagues, it requires players to think strategically, not just rely on their skills. In comparison to Pro B Germany, Leb Silver appears stronger due to its rules. Spain’s allowance of more foreign players contributes to the league’s competitiveness’, stated Bright Mensah He had some massive games against Ponferrada netting 35 points and 30 points against Talavera, but also had some off nights. ‘During the Leb Silver season, I caught COVID-19 for the first time. It had a significant impact on my health and productivity. It took me several weeks to fully recover my strength and rhythm, and unfortunately, it did affect my performance in a few games’, expressed bright Mensah. He then made another step in his career signing with Melilla Baloncesto (Spain-LEB Gold) a team in the second Spanish league but averaged only 2.9ppg, 1.4rpg. ‘Joining a team halfway through the year is already quite challenging, but to add to the complexity, the coach who brought me in was fired during my first week there. This sudden change shifted the dynamics of the team significantly. However, I managed to turn this adversity into an opportunity for growth. It was a valuable learning experience that ultimately helped me improve my game significantly’, commented Bright Mensah
The 2023-2024 season has started and Bright Mensah who was surprised Germany won the World Cup and feels if USA brings it’s best 13 guys to the 2024 Olympics, then nobody will have a chance against them is looking for a club to play for. From the last time we spoke in 2019, it is only obvious that he is a different player now than then. ‘I believe my game has evolved significantly since my days in Karlsruhe. I now possess a better understanding of the game, and my skill set has greatly improved. While in Karlsruhe, I heavily relied on my athleticism, but with age and experience, I’ve found that the game has slowed down for me, enabling me to make more strategic choices on the court’, warned Bright Mensah So what is the next step for him? Would a new country be on his menu or possibly a return back to Germany? ‘I’m currently a free agent and I would love the opportunity to return to play in Germany, especially in the Pro A league. I’m fond of the style of play that the German league offers, and I believe that my skill set would allow me to have an outstanding season there. I also love life outside of basketball in Germany. Living there was hands down my favorite country to be in’, stressed Bright Mensah He has a message for all clubs searching for a talented guard like him. ‘I’m confident that I can make a great contribution to any team that signs me. I’m a scoring guard, with strong defensive abilities who can also pass the ball. I take immense pride in my relentless work ethic and maintain a high level of professionalism both on and off the court’, warned Bright Mensah I personally would love to see him in Germany, because I have never seen him play live before. After 4,5 years of knowing him, It is definitely time to see him work his magic on the court.
German Hoops 