Pic credit Fiba

A 12 point deficit after 3 quarters is no road block to a last quarter comeback like say a 22 point lead. Of course teams around the world have shown over time that no deficit is to little to come back. In early December Pro B team Fraport Skyliners Juniors were in their living room and entered the last quarter with the 52-40 lead and looked like it would be a normal fourth quarter stroll as they had enough scoring options that night that was simply not allowing the Black Forest Panthers to get over the hump. But Frankfurt must not have had young 19 year old Icelandic guard August Kjartansson on their radar despite hitting Fellback the weekend before for 28 points. The youngster with major sniper qualities had been controlled well in the first 30 minutes having only connected on 2 three´s and having coughed up the ball 6 times. But he still had something left in his gas tank. He came out in the fourth quarter like a veteran and led the Panthers comeback dropping three´s from all over the court and his dazzling display of shooting got his team as close as 65-62 hitting 6 three´s. “For me it felt like I was hitting the ocean. I got into a very good rhythm. I just looked at the basket and believed that everything I shot would go in. This happens sometimes for a player where you feel you can´t miss anything”, stressed Agust Kjartansson (186-PG-2004). It was a real delight to watch this display of precision shooting from such a young player that simply took on total responsibility for his team. When your in the zone, you are able to block everything out. “After I made the first three, I felt the relief of the pressure. After I made the second one, I just felt like let me see can I make the next and the next? After 3 or 4 shots, there was no looking back for me”, stated Agust Kjartansson. But in the end Frankfurt simply had too much firepower as Jordan Samare and Trevian Bell answered with clutch shots. “We played solid defense, but Frankfurt is a very strong team. It was tough stopping guys like Adekunle and Samare making three´s. Congrats to Frankfurt for making tough shots”, said Agust Kjartansson. Look out it´s August Kjartansson because he can make it rain three´s and who knows maybe even Douse the volcano in Iceland. “Maybe my rainfall of three´s would help a little with stopping the volcano, but I think the power of the volcano would have the upper hand”, smiled Agust Kjartansson.

Agust Kjartansson who lists current North Carolina Tar Heel Eliot Cadeau who has American-Swedish roots where the ball seemingly sticks to his hands as his toughest opponent so far in his career was born on January 2, 2004 in Iceland. He can´t remember exactly when he had a basketball in his hands for the first time, but knows he began at a very young age. There was a basket set up in the garden where he could play around. He also had an understanding brother who was 5 years older who would play with him. He didn´t hesitate when mentioning who is childhood idols was and rapidly blurted out Rajon Rondo who at that time was with the Boston Celtics. His grand father was a big supporter of the Celtics. Players he looked up to from his own country where Euroleague player Martin Hermannsson and Kari Jonsson. He began his basketball career in his homeland for Haukar Hafnarfjordur. These early years were vital in his development as he changed his style. “In my youth I was a scoring point guard. But when I began practicing with the first team the coach told me to become a pass first guard. That was new to me. I took his advice and began to work on my passing. The program helped me to pass the ball more”, remembered Agust Kjartansson. He also had early experience playing with the youth national teams of his country. Basketball is definitely growing in Iceland. “We have a small country, but have many talented players. Many guys will be going places”, warned Agust Kjartansson. One of his most memorable games was playing against Germany last summer at the U-20 Euro and narrowly losing a 83-81 nail bitter to them. He did belong to the best players on the court amassing 21 points and 7 dimes. “It was a great experience. After 2 years in Paderborn, I knew most of the guys. I had a lot of confidence and it was fun playing against them. I missed the game winner, but thought we were better than them during the game. They had very good players with Benjamin Schroeder and Justin Onyejiaka. We fought hard. It was a great game”, remembered Agust Kjartansson.

The explosive guard who names Nico Decker, Kari Jonsson, Luke Lawson, Martin Linson and Travis Jocelyn as his 5 best teammates of all-time decided to leave his country in 2021 and play for the Uni Baskets Paderborn and currently called the Gartenzaun24 Baskets Paderborn. Iceland is a beautiful place, but like night and day compared to big Germany. His arrival in Germany must of seemed like a culture shock. “I was alone at the airport when I arrived and I was thinking, what am I doing in Germany. But luckily I met my girlfriend soon who was also in the same sport school as I. My second family where I lived was a big help in helping me adjust to everything in Germany. The gyms were warmer in Germany. A big difference was not seeing a Volcano in Germany. I can see it from my window back home”, remembered Agust Kjartansson. He right away became a main factor for the Paderborn NBBL (U-19) team putting up big stats in his 2 years averaging 14.8ppg, 4.9rpg, Assists-1 (6.8apg), 2.7spg, FGP: 45.9%, 3PT: 25.6%, FT: 78.0% in his first season and 15.5ppg, 4.0rpg, Assists-1 (6.9apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 43.8%, 3PT: 26.5%, FT: 74.3% in his second season. He also played 5 Pro A games getting some key experience with the big boys. A big factor in his development there was head coach Milos Stankovic. “He was so important. He showed me so much. He was one of the best coaches that I ever had. He treated me like family. He worked me hard, but gave me trust and took care of me. I really enjoyed playing for him, because he showed so much passion”, said Agust Kjartansson. He scored in double figures in 24 NBBL games and registered 4 double doubles. His best scoring games were 29 points against the Young Rasta Dragons and 28 points against Munster and he had 16 assists once and 14 assists twice. He beat the Young Rasta Dragons once and will never forget those battles. “They were always hard to play against as they have many great individual players like Johan Grunloh. They were always high intensity games and I´m happy we beat them once. The games were always close until the end”, remembered Agust Kjartansson. One teammate he will never forget is Adrian Petkovic who is playing with Pro B team Coburg this season. “He is a good friend of mine. He is one of the most complete players I ever saw. He always brings a practice to a new level. He is a very good scorer that can shoot. I learned to be more competitive being around him”, remembered Agust Kjartansson. His most memorable Pro A experience was playing in Rostock and scoring 6 points in 10 minutes. “Most of our team had Covid so they had to take 3 young players. We only dressed 8 guys. It was great playing against so many great players and the crowd was so loud. It was fun”, said Agust Kjartansson.

The ex Icelandic youth national player who lists Luka Doncic, Ricky Rubio, Milos Teodosic and Nikola Mirotic on his personal Euro Mount Rushmore sought out a new challenge this season moving to the Black Forest Panthers. He had no adjustment period off the court as one simply always feels comfortable in Germany no matter where you are. “People always welcome you so it´s easy to settle in. Schwenningen feels like home to me. Everybody has been open to me.”, commented Agust Kjartansson. He had a positive situation in Paderborn so why did he take a step back and move to the Pro B? “I´m still young and inexperienced. It is difficult to get minutes in the Pro A as a foreigner. I want to prove myself at a high level and show people I can play Pro A one day”, stressed August Kjartansson. It hasn´t been an easy last few years for the Schwenningen organization. Not long ago, they were a playoff team and now are struggling not to move back to the Regionaliga a place they left in 2017. They have already changed coaches, but have seen no change yet as they recently lost to FC Bayern Munich 2. “Our biggest flaws this season have been defensive rebounds and 1-1 situations on defense. We really work on defense each day, but we just haven´t clicked there yet”, stated Agust Kjartansson. A big problem has also been not getting their 2 bigs Daniel Mayr and Christian Okolie more shots. “They had a lot more shots at the start of the season. We shoot more and if you make shots then it´s difficult to change. We also follow coaches game plan”, added Agust Kjartansson.

pic credit Roger Müller

So how does the young 20 year old guard who once made 62 free throws in a row and lists Lebron James as his GOAT fit into the game of the Black Forest Panthers? The guard who compares his game to Milos Teodosic had high scoring games of 28 and 30 against Fellbach and Frankfurt and two 11 assist games against Rhondorf and Ludwigsburg. Currently he is averaging 12,1ppg, 3,5rpg, 5,4apg and 1,2spg. He has the knack to produce those crazy memorable passes. “My craziest pass was in a youth national team game when I drew 2 defenders and made a behind the back pass to my big against France”, remembered August Kjartansson. He has proven this season to be able to offer that mix of scoring and playmaking whenever the team has needed it. “I mostly pass first, but if the team needs me to score then I will. If my three gets closed then I will pass”, added Agust Kjartansson. He reads the game very well for his age, but also wants to be seen as more than just an offensive threat. “I´m quick and long for a point guard and can cover some space on the pick and roll. I have to become stronger physically. I want to be able to guard more under the basket.”, expressed Agust Kjartansson. He also knows that he has to make other strides in his game so he can continue to move up the basketball ladder. “I´m working a lot on my ball handling and have to lower my turnovers and keep the ball longer instead of passing right away”, warned Agust Kjartansson. The club recently hauled in young French-German point guard Alexandre Fanchini to take off some of the offensive load that was put upon Kjartansson. He is averaging 4,4 turnovers a game and playing less minutes will surely help his game to a degree. It will be interesting to see how this guard combo works together and if the Panthers can remain in the Pro B. One thing is for sure, Agust Kjartansson may not see an explosive volcano in Germany this season, but fans will surely see more explosive scoring and passing games from him.