One of my standard questions that I ask all players in interviews is who won a 1-1 in practice. Since 98% off all my interviews are with Americans, I like to go back to their college days and ask them this question. I will study the college/university roster and see what player could have been that player that might have battled after practice in a friendly game of 1-1. Usually I take the guy that is about same in height which would seem logical as that 1-1 partner. It is hard to say what the percentages are of guys having dueled that guy and not, but I would say it´s about 60 to 40 for having made the right match. If a guy never played that guy in a 1-1 match, then usually the player will say, I would have won. It is always interesting to hear the comments. If you’re a player, it is about 99% normal that they will take themselves, but every now and then I will get an honest player who will actually give credit to the other guys as winning. Some guys are very neutral and say the games went 50/50. Usually I will get 2-3 sentences from the player describing the 1-1game, but very seldom a long paragraph which I got from D.J. Fenner (198-G-1993, college: Nevada). He is a player that has been grinding overseas now in his seventh season and in his eighth country in Holland. I got the full hot order from him in terms of how he matched up against his ex Nevada (NCAA) teammate Jordan Caroline a versatile player that played for the Lakers NBA Summer League team, ACB in Spain and currently is in Asia with the Nishinomiya Storks (Japan-B2 League). I don´t always pick the right 1-1 partners, but with Jordan Caroline, I was spot on. “Funny story about how Jordan and I became really good friends: He had just got to campus the summer going into my senior year, and we were playing 2v2, which seemed to quickly turn into a 1v1 between him and I. He beat me, but not only did he beat me, he was talking so much trash while doing it, so much so, that afterward, I sat under the basket in the empty gym with tears in my eyes and vowed to myself that I will never leave the gym before he leaves. In other words, I vowed to work on my game more than him! Then, the next open gym, my team was playing against his team, and he was guarding me, and I was busting his a** and talking so much junk that he got so mad he picked me up and slammed me to the ground giving me a huge knot on my head. We finished the game and I hit the game winner, and he wanted to fight, but he’s not anybody you really want to fight. Long story short, we became really good friends after that, and by the end of the season, we were sharing tears in the locker room after our final game together. I love Jordan and to answer your question, he pretty much won 1v1, but if we played today, I don´t know, it might be a different story”, smiled D.J. Fenner.

Derrick D.J. Fenner Jr who lists childhood friend Zach Lavine of the Chicago Bulls as his toughest foe in the NCAA was born on December 7, 1993 in Seattle, Washington. He got his first basketball experience at Seattle Prep where he averaged 17,0ppg and 18,0ppg in his first 2 seasons and then exploded as a senior averaging 27,0ppg. In between he was in Washington DC at Gonzaga College high school. He then had a stellar career at the University of Nevada (NCAA) from 2013-2017 playing a total of 133 games. He began his freshman season in typical fashion averaging only 14 minutes and averaging 2,5ppg and 1,8rpg, but that rapidly changed in his sophomore year as his minutes fluctuated to 24 as did his stats to 8,9ppg, 2,6rpg and 1,0apg. He won´t forget dueling Zach Lavine and UCLA in his freshman year losing 105-84 as his friend scored 21 points and he finished with 4/2/1 stats. “Later that night, if you turned on ESPN sports center, he was on there doing a windmill on a fast break and staring into the camera as a he landed. It’s amazing he is a 10-year NBA vet now, but he’s easily the best player I’ve ever played against”, said D.J. Fenner. His game really took off in his last 2 seasons as he averaged 13.6ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.9apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 40.8%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 85.5%n and as a senior 13.7ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 46.2%, 3PT: 43.5%, FT: 83.3%. Every school has a rivalry and the Nevada-UNLV rivalry is as intense as they get in the NCAA. “Playing in a college rivalry like Nevada vs UNLV was honestly a dream come true. UNLV usually had the upper-hand on us before I arrived to Nevada, but throughout my 4 years there, we dominated that battle. After erupting for 37 against them, I realized that all of my hard work truly was paying off. I also remember thinking that I was only 3 points short of having 40”, remembered D.J. Fenner. He topped off his senior year helping win the MWC title scoring 12 points and getting back to the big Dance where Nevada hadn´t been to since 2012. “That was probably my sweetest moment, yes! It felt like everything had come full circle. I stuck it out at Nevada through all of my 4 years of eligibility, and I wanted nothing more than to be a part of the group that sent Nevada back to the NCAA tournament. I was the only player/coach/team trainer that was there from my freshman year, so I felt like a “lone-wolf” to a certain extent, but I felt so proud that I did not transfer, stuck it out, and became part of that championship team. To this day, it is probably one, if not THE best moment of my basketball career”, remembered D.J. Fenner. In his last 2 seasons he played 72 games and scored in double figures in 48 games. He had other fine games like scoring 30 points against Air Force, 26 points against Morehead State and 24 points a piece against Fresno State, Colorado State, Oregon State and Montana. He was fortunate to get the exceptional coaching skills from David Carter and Eric Musselmann and help guide him to a professional career. “Coach Carter helped me realize the game was definitely more cut-throat at the college level, and that you have to spend a lot of time in the gym (we used to have 4 hour practices). Musselman was definitely one of the best coaches I’ve ever had. Not the nicest guy in the world, but nice doesn’t matter that much when it’s all about winning especially at the professional level, because players get fined or fired for not winning or producing. I definitely had a love-hate relationship with Muss, but I loved him because he turned our program around and helped make me a champion, something that I’ll love him for way more than anything I could dislike him for”, stated D.J. Fenner.

The Washington Native who lists Jordan Caroline, Cam Oliver, Marcus Lovett Jr., Zach Lavine and Trey Wade as his 5 best teammates of all-time embarked on a professional career in the late summer of 2017 to Europe. His start overseas wasn´t all roses and glory as he had to suffer growing pains right away. He began with top Hungarian team Alba Fehervar, but only stayed to the mid point of the season averaging 4,8ppg, 5,0rpg and 1,5apg in the Fiba Europe Cup and 5/4 in the Hungarian league, but at least found a job quickly after in the Greek first division averaging 5,2ppg and 2,2rpg. There at least he could see where he stood against top players like Bobby Brown, Brian Roberts and Serbian legend Vassilis Spanoulis. “I had quite a few wake up calls that year! One of my biggest was being cut from the team in Hungary and learning about it on Instagram, and another was not getting paid the money I had worked for in Greece. I quickly realized that not only is this a business, but if you don’t have the right support, you can find yourself in a very difficult situation. I remember being extremely proud of myself, however, once the season ended and I spent an extra few days in Athens, Greece, touring the city. I told myself, “I did it! I completed my first season as a professional athlete. I definitely remember playing against those guys, especially Brown and Spanoulis. I remember watching Brown in warm-ups from the other side of the court, and watching him pretty much make every shot. I remember thinking to myself how poised and patient they were. They did not play rushed or outside of themselves, and they made every possession count”, expressed D.J. Fenner. In his second pro season he split time with Salon Vilpas Vikings (Finland-Korisliiga) averaging 11.3ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.1apg, 2FGP: 43.9%, 3FGP: 30.0%, FT: 92.6%, and in Apr.’19 moved to HKK Siroki Primorka (Bosnia-Division I) averaging 9.7ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 46.4%, 3PT: 29.5%, FT: 81.8%. His stats improved and so did his whole European experience. ”The main positives I could take from that time in Finland was I remember working on my game every day before and after practice. I made sure to take advantage of my time there to build better basketball habits which mainly included creating pre/post-practice routines”, said D.J. Fenner. In Bosnia, he won his first chip something many guys can say they didn´t in a 10 + career as he did it in Bosnia with HKK Siroki Primorka. The team was down 2-1 to Spars Sarajevo and then still won 3-2. He came up big averaging 13,0ppg and 4,0rpg in the 5 game series. “Leading up to that playoff series, I was not playing well at all. I was struggling with my shot and I believe I was a difficult player to play with because I hadn’t quite grasped the European play-style. The last two games of the playoffs, however, it felt like something “clicked” and I ended up playing my best basketball since I had arrived in Bosnia & Herzegovina. My best memories was the celebration after we won. It was something I will never ever forget”, stressed D.J. Fenner. In the 2019-202 season he signed late with KK Tamis Pancevo (Serbia-KLS). He suffered his first real off season hardship as a professional player as his career was really in jeopardy. “ Before going to Serbia, I was in the states, without an agent, working at a consignment shop to make ends-meet. When I got an opportunity to go back overseas, I took full advantage. It was difficult because I was playing for little money, and my wife was back in the States pregnant with our first child, but I made the best of the situation because it was my way back in the European market, and I knew it would be a good opportunity to rebrand my game and start making progress again in my professional playing career”, remembered D.J. Fenner. His season was cut short on account of Covid, but he made the best out of the situation playing 9 games averaging 16.2ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 47.5%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 88.1%. He scored 28 points against Metalac and 26 points against Dynamic VP.

The ex Nevada (NCAA) player who lists Kobe Bryant, Steph Curry, Michael Jordan, and Lebron James on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore had his first tour of duty in Portugal in the Covid 20-21 season playing for Imortal Luzigas Albufeira (Portugal-LPB). It was at that point in his career his best season as he was third in the league in scoring averaging 19.4ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.4apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 37.7%, FT: 82.5%. He really landed in Portugal that season scoring in double figures in 30 of 32 games and had 20 points or more 17 times. His best game was against top team Benfica Lisabon scorching them for 33 points in a 93-86 win. There he was reunited again with ex UCLA player Bryce Alford who had beat him with Zach Lavine and later almost reached the NBA. This time Fenner was the best man on the court and out dueled ex NBA player Quincy Miller-Scott along the way. “That was definitely one of my fondest moments in my basketball career so far. I knew I could play at a high level and I knew I could compete against those caliber of players, and after that game I felt like I sort of proved to myself that I could do that. The best part about that game, however, was seeing the joy and excitement on my coaches’ and teammates faces”, smiled D.J. Fenner. In his fifth professional season he took the trek to Poland and played with MKS Dabrowa Gornicza (Poland-EBL) averaging 14.5ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 53.8%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 77.4%. It looked from a stats perspective as another successful season, but don´t let the stats fool you. “This was one of my more difficult seasons because we started off strong as a team, and then I tore my meniscus causing me to miss most of the season, and our team ended up falling out of the playoff race. I did, however, enjoy coming back from injury and finishing off the season very strong”, commented D.J. Fenner. He still had some huge games against King scoring 29 points and hit Legia for 22 points. Last season he found his way back to Portugal where he played for Sporting Clube de Portugal Lisboa (Portugal-Liga Betclic averaging 15.5ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.6apg, 1.5spg, 2FGP: 46.9%, 3FGP: 44.4%, FT: 90.2%, and in Dec.’22 moved to Arka Gdynia (Poland-EBL) averaging 13.6ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 43.5%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 78.3%. In Portugal he was back to his dominating form especially in the FIBA Europe Cup where he averaged 17,0ppg and scored 24 points against Antwerpen, 23 points against Anwil and 21 points against Kormend.He really had Anwil´s number also scoring 25 and 23 points against them in the Polish league. In Poland he continued to deliver fine stats and dueled against ex NBA players like Toney Douglas and as usual examined closely how he operated. “The biggest thing I noticed about playing against Toney Douglas was his constant communication on the court both on defense and offense. I noticed he was always communicating during the game, in huddles, and timeouts. Furthermore, he always played through his mistakes. No matter the mistake, he had such a short-term memory regarding the mistake that it was like he completely forgot about the mistake since he was already focused on the next play. I think the main difference between NBA guys and non NBA guys is the confidence and ability to make a play regardless of how the game has been going for them”, remembered D.J. Fenner who never watched the sequel to the classic Coming to America because he listened to the rumors about it being terrible and didn´t want the sequel to ruin the original for him.

. This season D.J. Fenner who lists Kobe Bean Bryant as his GOAT has taken on a new challenge with successful Dutch team Hero´s Den Bosch which is his 10th professional organization he has played for in 7 seasons and in 8 countries. One can say he is a genuine basketball globetrotter. “I really enjoy experiencing the different cultures and meeting good people. I love trying new foods, learning new languages, and submerging myself into the overall experience. Most of all, however, I enjoy being on the basketball court and competing in different leagues, gyms, and countries”, said D.J. Fenner. The season is only a month old and he has already noticed that this is a special club he is playing for. “This year’s team is definitely unique compared to the other teams I’ve been a part of. Besides having a lot of talent at each position, this team has a lot of chemistry off the court, which is beginning to translate to having a lot of chemistry on the court. The personalities on the team seem to mesh very well, and we are constantly building our relationships with each other. We are still growing as a basketball program, but I believe that we are close to reaching a breakthrough point where we sprout into a really really good basketball team”, warned D.J. Fenner. He is playing solidly in the new established BNXT league averaging 13,3ppg, 4,8rpg and 2,3apg that has been around a few years that combines the first league teams from Belgium and Holland. He has seen so many leagues in his career and wouldn´t necessarily rate it at the top at what he has seen on the court as a player. “Greece and Poland are definitely higher level leagues, but I don’t believe I have enough experience in the DBL/BNXT league to rank it amongst the others. It does, however, remind me of the Portuguese league because there are a few very high level teams, and then somewhat of a drop off with the lower level teams in the league”, stressed D.J. Fenner. He also has started off hot in the Fiba Europe Cup competition averaging 20,0ppg and 4,5rpg. His secret to having been able to adjust to any league and produce well is very simple. “Although I rely a lot on my ability to score, I believe it’s my overall work ethic that allows me to translate my game into the different leagues. Each league is unique in its own way, and some leagues are easier to score in than others, but it’s my work ethic on and off the court that gives me an edge to be able to translate my abilities throughout the different leagues I’ve been a part of”, added D.J. Fenner. He faces off against German team Niners Chemnitz on Wednesday in Fiba Europe Cupup action and will be pumped for another great performance by his team and himself. It will be interesting to see in how many more countries he will land in. Maybe I should construct a new special interview for him and ask him his top 10 favorite 1-1 duels with teammates and opponents. I´m sure he will be able to come up with some new funny stories about his experiences with guys on the court.