In the days Leading up to the Quantez Robertson #23 Jersey retirement ceremony, I was wondering which ex teammates would show up in the arena to pay their respects. A lot of Robertson´s teammates are still active overseas, so it was tough to have them there. Many of his ex teammates that are Americans are retired and didn´t have the time to make the trip overseas simply because the date was only announced a few weeks ago. I was hoping to see some guys and did. I was pleased to see ex Euroleague player Danilo Barthel who won a chip with Tez in 2016. I also looked twice when I saw Rasheed Moore who played 2 seasons with Tez and now is playing in Jena. He had had a game the night before and had an off day on Sunday. Moore developed into a very good player in Frankfurt and it was obvious that Tez had had a big effect on him. “He was the ultimate leader. To be able to learn from him meant the world for me., I´m so happy I could be here. It is something that I will never forget”, stated Rasheed Moore. Then as I turned my head, a familiar face popped up and one I totally had forgotten about with Jermale Jones (185-G-1986, college: Tuskegee). He is 37 year old guard and is still an active player currently playing in Switzerland and living in the beautiful city of Luzern. He is also a guy that I have developed a good relationship over the years and also seen him play on occasion. He played 5 years in Lich, about a 50 minute drive from Frankfurt and he often would watch Tez play in Frankfurt. He knows Tez since their college days and it was only obvious that he would be there to attend. When I asked him how often he believes he had watched Tez play in Frankfurt, he mentioned more than 20. I was at most games of Tez in the last 14 years in Frankfurt and would of thought that he was there more than 30-40 times. “Coming back to see Tez was an exciting feeling not seeing number 23 on the court just felt different to me being in the arena. I last seen him over the summer in June”, said Jermale Jones.

Jones made the trip from Switzerland while Tez made the longer trek from Alabama. It had been some time since they had last seen each other. How do you congratulate a very good friend after such an illustrious career overseas? “I congratulated him with words from my heart and showing up for his jersey retirement”, stated Jermale Jones. Jones had a seat court side in the vicinity of where Tez and his wife were sitting. He was lucky to have a rare court side seat on this precious day. I can bet that many would have liked to have been sitting where he was. The jersey retirement was done very nicely by the Fraport Skyliners organization. It didn´t have the hoopla of the NBA and their weren´t any lavish gifts, but for an overseas production, it was made very professionally and direct from the heart. A well produced 60 second video clip was shown and Skyliners CEO Gunnar Wobke said parting words to Tez. Tez was never a guy that would give a 10 minute interview after a game, I should know since he had conducted more than a 100 post game interviews with me. He was one of those players that could sparkle with less words. His parting words were well chosen and came form the heart for the Skyliners organization, fans and for his loyal wife. When his #23 slowly was raised to the rafters, every single person in the arena was in their own world remembering those special moments that Tez had carved for 14 seasons including his good friend Jermale. “All I could think about was his hard work, dedication, and love for the Skyliners”, added Jermale Jones. Tez was one of those rare players that played with heart and showed his love for everyone off the court. When was this ability of having that special heart established in his life? “ It’s all about how you were raised. Sometimes it grows later but if you want to do something you start early to make it happen and have the right people around you especially when it comes to support”, commented Jermale Jones.

The jersey retirement was only the second one after Pascal Roller in the 24 year history of the Fraport Skyliners. It is something that doesn´t happen so often and honestly in today´s age might not happen again. If it does happen again then it probably will take longer than between the 12 years between Roller and Robertson. In today´s sports world, it´s a business and guys are always going where there is the most money. I can´t ever see another American staying this long with the Fraport Skyliners. So where does the legacy of Tez stand? There were players that had better seasons than him, but stayed only one season like a Jordan Theodore or Justin Cobbs, but when talking about doing it great every season for 14 years, there was never a player that was better than Tez. He is without a doubt the greatest player in the history of the Fraport Skyliners. “For me his legacy stands alone. 14 strong years with one club. The passion, energy and the no fear mentality, the leadership he brought to the team is unmatched”, warned Jermale Jones. Every fan will remember Tez in their special own way. “The fans will remember Tez as being their fighter & their captain. His sense of humor to everyone was always different and made people feel so comfortable being around him”, expressed Jermale Jones. Jones played 6 seasons in Germany and also has stamps in his passport from places like Luxemburg, Romania, Thailand and Iraq had to return back to Switzerland on Monday as he only had had 1 day off. Like Tez he has grinded out a long career overseas and currently is playing his 13th season. Wouldn´t it be great to play as long as Tez did or even longer? “It would be nice to do the same and I’m pushing for a few more years”, smiled Jermale Jones. How could he sum up the incredible day from Tez´s and his stand point? “I think he enjoyed all the support from the fans and the organization that put this together to make the Tez Day special. It was an amazing day. For me with one word I can say emotional”, stressed Jermale Jones. Emotional was the perfect word as everybody felt something on this day.