Ok so current Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson did play at Michigan, but very few might recall that he actually began at a small NCAA 3 school and his stellar play at the NBA level has caught many people´s attention. Other guys like Devan George and Freddie Gillespie reached the big show as well. Even guys overseas who never reached the NBA have made reached the top level Euroleague like guard John DiBartolomeo who has won 8 titles with Maccabi Tel Aviv and still going strong as that sturdy reliable role player from the bench. In Germany the best example of a guy succeeding against all odds was Jeff Gibbs, a 188cm player from Otterbein (NCAA3)that looked like an undersized linebacker, but actually had to witness the laughs and sneers every weekend in the BBL when going against that guy for the first time who had never heard of him. The second time around there was no more laughing but the utmost respect as he belonged to the top centers in Germany for many years and was the best 188cm center to ever play in Germany and probably the only one ever. There are so many incredible players at the division 3 level, but don´t always get the credit right away that they deserve until they prove at the pro level that they are the real deal. One of those exceptional Americans balling in Europe thinks season is Buzz Anthony (180-PG-1998, college: RMC), a guy who won 4 titles in college, reached the magical 50/40/90 plateau at Randolph Macon College and already set the German pro A on fire last season winning the pro A assist crown with Paderborn. He has proven he is a very special player despite coming from the NCAA 3. “It was a very cool honor to receive. I did not have a goal of winning the assist title it when the season started. For me it shows how I was able to adapt to a new system and quickly be able to impact winning efficiently. I would like for the assists to stay high and the turnovers to go down more in these next couple seasons”, warned Buzz Anthony. When you have been able to achieve the monumental 50/40/90 mark in a season, you obviously have to put in a lot of time in the lab and put up countless shots. He has a special motto about how to achieve success at putting up good shooting numbers. “Be a shot maker not a shot taker is something I repeat a bunch in my workouts”, smiled Buzz Anthony.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Freddie Gillespie in Frankfurt in 2022

Connor Anthony who lists current New York Knick Immanuel Quickly as the toughest player he ever faced in his career and Lebron James as his GOAT goes by the first name of Buzz was born on September 4,1998 in Arnold, Maryland and grew up in Severn got his first taste of basketball at Archbishop Spalding High School. He then had a stellar 4 year career at Randolph Macon College (NCAA3) where racking up titles for him was as easy as recently it was for Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner to haul in 30 point games. He racked up accolades there like no other in school as he won 3 ODAC titles and topped off his senior year winning the Division 3 crown. “It was a great honor and somewhere that genuinely feels like home when we go back there in the summer. The school has a lot of supportive and engaged alumni. It felt amazing to win the national championship my last season for not only myself, but for all those that came before us”, remembered Buzz Anthony. Winning any chip is difficult and it wasn´t any different for him. “We had 3 teams in our ODAC conference that all have had coaches with a lot of experience that knew our team very well. We knew they would be some of our most challenging games. Beating those teams gave us ultimate confidence playing teams in the national tournament who had less time to prepare for us”, stressed Buzz Anthony. He played 5 years there and in his last 4 years averaged 16,0ppg, 4,0rpg and 6,0apg and twice shot 43% from outside in a season and once exploded for 48% from the parking lot. He learned many valuable things from head coach Josh Merkel and especially one thing that will help always at the pro level. “He is a great teacher about habit building. In D3 you do not have as much time with coaches in the offseason. Due to this our workouts are run by ourselves and we have to be in charge of our skill and physical improvements. I think that has translated well to the professional game because you always need to have your skills and habits sharp while you are working on efficient team activities”, stated Buzz Anthony. Other awards he picked up at Randolph Macon College were All-ODAC Player of the Year -2019, 20, 21, 22 All-ODAC First Team -2019, 20, 21, ODAC All-Tournament Team -2019, 20, 21, 22. NABC All-NCAA D3 Second Team -2019, 20, and All-ODAC All-Tournament MVP -2020, 21, 22. He played his pro rookie season in Germany with the Uni Baskets Paderborn (Germany-ProA) averaging 14.2ppg, 3.3rpg, Assists-1 (7.3apg), 1.6spg, FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT-2 (92.6%). Every player has that first experience in a new country where he feels that severe distance from home. “In October one of my best friends got married and that was the first big life event I had to miss because I am now thousands of miles away on another continent. Family and friendships are very important to me and that was hard”, stated Buzz Anthony. In his rookie season he scored in double figures in 22 games including hitting Giessen for 28 points and Vechta for 25 points and also dished out 16 dimes against PS Karlsruhe who remembers beating ex teammate Josh Talbert at 1-1 in school.

The explosive scoring guard who names Miles Mallory, David Funderburg, James Fleming III, Johannes Konradt, and Corey Bays as his 5 best teammates of all-time began his second pro season with KB Bashkimi Prizren (Kosovo-Superliga) playing 4 games averaging 11.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 4.3apg, 1.8spg posting a 2-2 record and then arrived in Artland in November and met a losing streak at 6 and that continued with 4 more loses. “Mentally it is very difficult. As a player you begin to question if you are a winner, no matter how much you may have won in the past. That battle with self-doubt and constantly looking in the mirror and taking ownership is not a fun one but it is the necessary step to try to learn from the losing and not blame or point fingers in the process”, said Buzz Anthony. A massive problem has been the defensive end where the club simply allows way too many points in a competitive league like the Pro A and are still searching for an identity. “We want to make the right play and it is not a lack of effort or choosing to make the hard play right now. We have been unsure in some of our scramble situations and at times being overactive in situations wanting to help a teammate. Now we have 2-3 guys helping which leaves us at a disadvantage once the ball is swung”, added Buzz Anthony. The club has a talented group of players and he was already confident before the Frankfurt game that a turnaround would follow soon. “I am confident we will find some rhythm this year. The league is very talented again this year and we are pushing to see small gain after small gain. Winning plays have been made the last 3 games, now we are working on making those plays habits that happen every single time”, expressed Buzz Anthony. That first win finally happened against 9-1 team Fraport Skyliners. Despite the early losing, it is obvious to see that he likes Germany otherwise he wouldn´t have returned so rapidly again. “My wife and I really appreciate the concerted effort made for the environment with returning bottles at the markets and the windmills everywhere. It has also been very fun just living in a city and walking most everywhere (very different than suburban America which was my life growing up)”, commented Buzz Anthony.

The Maryland native who lists Kobe Bryant, MJ, Lebron, and Steph Curry on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore has been very fortunate to be around great guards like real veteran Brandon Thomas who just won´t retire as his 40th birthday is looming close and ex Notre Dame player Temple Gibbs who supplied the needed scoring punch in the victory over Frankfurt. “BT is absolutely an ultimate veteran. He has a great discipline to who he is as a player and as a man. He shows up everyday continuing to ask questions and leads with humility. His discipline and humility are 2 things I have picked up from him. Temple is a very passionate player, as am I, which has helped bring intensity to the team”, warned Buzz Anthony. He has received the freedom from head coach Patrick Flomo to play his game and learned to appreciate the guidance from assistant coach Chase Griffin who was a feared sniper in the Pro A for 10 plus years and actually posted the insane 50/40/90 three times in the Pro A. “Flomo has a calm demeanor and is very interested in his players. I would say they both have a strong encouragement style to their leadership that I respect and appreciate. Griffin is very active with the skill development piece outside of the 5v5 practice time. This has allowed me to ask questions and learn new things to continue to work on my skills”, stressed Buzz Anthony. The scoring guard who compares his game as a mix of Steve Nash and John Stocton is currently averaging 9,8ppg, 1,6rpg and 6,6apg is a player that knows exactly when to score and when to dish. “I would say I am a pass first guard. I believe I am an unselfish scorer. The more dangerous I can be scoring the ball the easier it can be oftentimes to find teammates as well”, stated Buzz Anthony. But he has so many other attributes besides scoring, playmaking and shooting, but also is an underestimated defender. “I believe the adjustments in-game is something I do well. Seeing how a team guards baseline out of bounds actions or how they are guarding a certain ball screen action, I can then call something in our playbook and add a cut or screen in it for that specific moment to help gain more of an advantage for myself or other teammates.I am a defender who plays well in bursts and communicates at a high level with teammates. I am a physical lower body defender who can guard bigger players and force tough shots. I want to continue to learn to scramble and play angles better as a team defender.”, warned Buzz Anthony. One of his weak spots at the moment is his outside shooting as he is floundering at 17% at the moment. “I am working on improving my shooting off the dribble in ball screen action with range. I also want to be more dangerous with the floater coming off ball screens”, said Buzz Anthony. The season is still long and it will be interesting to see where the Artland Dragons stand in a few months. Who knows maybe he will be sniffing at the 50/40/90 mark this season especially with Chase Griffin watching his every move. If his outside shooting improves then he could be there. “Chase has a great attention to detail that you can see translates directly to efficiency as a player. I look forward to pursuing the 50/40/90 split that he achieved multiple seasons in the Pro A”, added Buzz Anthony. He couldn´t ask for a better teacher in Chase Griffin.