Anthony Watkins (194-PG-2000) is a 23 year old 194cm guard playing his first season with the Artland Dragons (Pro A). Last season he took a step back from the Pro A and played with BG Hagen (Germany-Regionalliga) averaging 21.6ppg, 6.0rpg, 4.0apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 54.5%, 3PT: 26.4%, FT: 65.1%. In the 2021-2022 season he played 14 games with the MLP Academics Heidelberg. In 20-21 he played with the Basketball Loewen Braunschweig (Germany-BBL) playing 13 games. He scored 6 points in 11 minutes in a loss against Ludwigsburg. He has the German/American citizenship and lived in Chattanooga and attended McCallie High School before coming to Germany in 2019. In 2019-2020 he split time with the Basketball Loewen Erfurt (ProB) playing10 games averaging 3.6ppg. He also played with the OeTTINGER Rockets Gotha 2nd team (Germany-2.Regionalliga) and in in Jan.’20 moved to VfB 1900 Giessen Pointers (Regionalliga) playing 8 games averaging 10.0ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 66.7%, FT: 58.8%. He spoke to eurobasket about basketball and his new book.

Thanks Anthony for talking to eurobasket.com. You’re playing your first season with the Artland Dragons. The team is 0-9. How tough has this season been for you mentally? Have you ever witnessed such a tough losing streak?

Hey, Miles, happy to chat. This has been by far the roughest start to a season I’ve experienced. A lot of bad injury/illness luck in there as well. My goal is always to stay level through it all and not get too high or too low, but, being the competitor I am, I’d be lying if I said it hasn’t been eating me up inside seeing the losses stack. That being said, even if it didn’t translate into a win last weekend, I think our game against Kirchheim was a valuable step that will hopefully lead us back to where we want to be. The road is long, but that’s the weight we have to take on our shoulders now in this situation.

The team had 3 close losses but the rest were all pretty tough and by many points. Can you pinpoint why the team hasn´t been able to put together more consistency and get wins?

I think those three close losses were major missed opportunities for us to gain some momentum this year. If we had done a few more of the little things on those nights, I doubt those other games would’ve been decided as definitively as they were. In the end, though, the only way to salvage the situation is to pour everything we have into the games to come and get those games back elsewhere.

A big problem has been the defense. Why hasn´t the team been able to develop some kind of

indentity yet?

We allowed our opponents to set the tone far too much in the start of the season and dug holes we couldn’t climb back out of to start games. Tough to win games like that. If we can hang our hats on starting games with intensity and physicality on the defensive end, I have no doubt that we can turn this season around.

The club has received 2 new players with Temple Gibbs and Buzz Anthony. How do you feel will these 2 players be able to help the club best?

With Buzz and TJ, we brought in some new energy to the organization. Buzz came in and became a great floor general for us. He played in an offense similar to ours last season, so he’s seen what works and what doesn’t. On top of that, he’s someone who comes in day in and day out to compete, and I’ll always have a lot of respect for guys like that. TJ gives us another scoring option on the perimeter to help our spacing with his shooting from the outside. He also has a knack for getting into the teeth of the defense and creating, so I think he can definitely help us be a more efficient offensive team.

What has it been like being teammates with ultimate veteran Brandon Thomas? What has been the most key piece of advice he has given you about basketball?

Man, where do I start? We’ve had many long talks that we’ve jokingly called “podcasts” since joining the Dragons. I’d say the biggest thing he preaches is staying present and making the best out of where you are in the moment, not worrying about the future too much, because in the end, no amount of achievements will fulfill you. It’s more about the impact you have on others, and I can see that in his work with the youth players from the area.

The coaching duo of Flomo and Griffin have much experience in Germany as players. What have you learned to appreciate most about their coaching ways?

Very unique situation having two young American coaches, whose playing days aren’t so far behind them. It’s unlike anywhere I’ve been previously from an atmosphere standpoint. They’re both very approachable and take the time to talk to each of us one on one, breaking down film and giving us nuggets of information to keep in mind. I believe all the time they put in alongside our work as a team has no choice but to show in the coming games.

You have made a massive jump in your game from 2 years ago in the BBL at Heidelberg. There you

averaged 1,9 minutes per game and now it´s 18 minutes. What exactly is your role this season?

I learned a lot in the BBL in Heidelberg and played with players who prepared me for the opportunity I have here with Artland. My role here is to be aggressive on both ends of the floor and create for the team, whether that’s me scoring, assisting, or getting extra possessions. I have several tools in my arsenal, and I’m asked to bring them every night. Everything I do on the floor is done with the aim to win, and, regardless of our situation, I have faith that the results will follow that approach.

How vital was your season in Hagen in the Regionalliga. Did you take 2 steps back to take new steps forward?

I didn’t see Hagen as a step back. Every step is a step forward for me. They invested in me and put their trust in me to accomplish their goal of reaching the playoffs with a youthful roster, and I fully concentrated on that all year. I still feel like we could’ve accomplished even more, but I’m proud of what we did together last year. I think that mindset of staying in the moment while in Hagen is what allowed me to make the unconventional jump to the Pro A.

How did game grow in the Regionalliga? You demonstrated that you can´t only be a explosive scorer, but an overall stat filler.

Last year was fundamental in me showing myself again that I can be the driving force to wins. I was put in many positions to decide games, and, while not every one went in our favor, I felt myself growing each game as a closer. I’ve always relished big moments, but last season was proof that I can be that guy at the pro level as well.

You have also proven that you can be a very versatile defender. Is becoming a 2-way player a type of goal for you?

I’m a competitor to the highest degree. I want to win on both ends of the floor. I feel like each year I take more and more pride in being just as good a defender as I am an offensive player. That competitiveness was a major motivator in me transforming my body a bit to be able to go all out for as long as necessary in a higher-paced league.

You were a walking bucket in the Regionalliga. What did you learn about yourself in your regionalliga year?

I’ve always considered myself to be a natural scorer, but last year showed me how much of an impact I can have on a community. It was really bigger than basketball in Hagen. There were so many people I didn’t want to let down on a nightly basis when I was out there competing. Sometimes that’s the extra push you need to get the job done. That sense of being a franchise cornerstone was new for me, and I enjoyed every minute.

You had many great games but was one of your fondest the victory against Bonn 2 where you scored 33 points?

That was a fun night for sure! We debuted our VIP area, so the gym was full, and I remember wanting to make sure I did everything in my power to make sure they saw a W. I guess, judging off that stat sheet, I did a pretty good job of that.

The playoff series loss to Ibbenburen was tough. What will you never forget about the 85-80 loss in game 3?

How close we were to getting the job done. I believe we led that game for over 35 minutes. So it was definitely tough to lose that on the road to end the season. But they have a great fanbase that made it a tough environment to play and win in down the stretch so I have to give it up to them.

You are coming out with a book called The Hidden Planet (The Master of Ghya Series). This sounds so interesting. It is isn´t often that a basketball player does this. How did you come up with this idea?

Growing up, I actually used to make little movies on my IPod Touch. My friends and I would do it to pass time in the summers, editing in cheesy action effects and just letting our creativity roam free. But, eventually, the ideas grew to such blockbuster proportions that there was no way to film them without having a Hollywood-type budget. Knowing that that wouldn’t be falling from the sky anytime soon, I resorted to writing the stories out, rather than filming them. It´s become a great way for me to train that creative muscle that I need as I pro athlete.

Has writting always been an interest of yours? Talk about how your love for writing came about? Is this something you could see yourself doing more often?

I’ve always been a pretty good writer and always loved being as creative as possible on written assignments in school, but I never really thought about writing books until I discovered that my grandfather had authored a few books. He showed me that being an author/artist isn’t reserved for a select few. Anyone willing to put in the time and be vulnerable enough to share the product of that work can create art, and that’s the message I want to spread especially to the younger generation. Loving one thing (in my case basketball), doesn’t put you in a box that doesn’t allow you to expand your horizons. So, this is only the beginning of my journey as an author. I’m already halfway done with the sequel to this novel and plan to release that this coming spring.

The summary of the book is also very interesting. It has nothing to do with basketball. Talk a little about the creature and what happens in his world?

I don’t want to spoil too much, but I will say this. This is a story that will keep you on your toes from start to finish, leave you wanting more, and reward you if you’re paying attention. The creature the guys meet is named “Ulrich” after my grandfather, who inspired this journey. His world is on the brink of war, and, in order to save it, he has to put his faith in two outsiders from Earth.

What did you enjoy most about the writting process of this book? Did you ever have writters block or did you have that good flow from the start?

For me, I love seeing how the story evolves and how things connect beautifully in ways I didn’t even imagine when I began the process. Even if this book hadn’t have sold one copy when I announced it, it would still be a success in my eyes. There’s nothing more rewarding than saying you will take on a project like this and following through on it. It wasn’t without ups and downs, but that’s just made publishing it in the end all the sweeter. I actually started a complete re-write when Kobe Bryant died in 2020. That tragedy showed me how short life can be and brought me to tears because I knew he had so much more to give the world. That motivated me to lock in and get the job done. Writer’s block came and went, as it does for most writers, but after that I finished the book pretty quickly, considering I was doing it alongside being a professional basketball player.

Could you ever imagine writting a book about basketball? How could you imagine the plot being for a basketball book?

It’s not out of the question! I have some ideas in my notebook for a few basketball books. Knowing me, I would find a way to integrate magical elements into the game to maybe better communicate to non-hoopers how magical it can feel to do certain things on the court.

Germany won the World Cup and beat USA. Did you root more for USA than Germany?

I know Dennis Schröder personally and learned a lot from him over the years, so I was definitely leaning more towards my German roots that day. I know how much he wanted to win the Eurobasket for Germany in Germany, so it was great to see him and the team bounce back and shock the world by winning gold this past summer.

Will Lebron and co take care of business at the Olympics 2024 or will they disaapoint again?

I’ve seen some of the potential lineups and they look like they would be tough to deal with,to say the least. But there’s still a lot of time until the summer, so I guess only time will tell in the end.

Thanks Anthony for the chat