It was May 2005 and I had only been involved with German basketball for a short time. I had called my first full game between the Opel Skyliners and BG Karlsruhe a few months earlier and now was covering the quarterfinals between the Opel Skyliners and Artland Dragons. It was a series that Frankfurt would win and at that time I was busy gathering quotes from players for my post game article and after that posing for 1-2 fotos. I remember meeting the outgoing and always talkative Michael Hakim Jordan who had a hall of fame smile and then also taking a pic with the more reserved Bryan Bailey (185-SG-1980, college: Bucknell). He was a quick guard that could always give his team energy at both ends. He is a guy that would go on to have a stellar 13 year professional career and after got into coaching. 18 and a half years later we reconnected thanks to his ex teammate Jordan. I reach Bryan Bailey on a rather mild Tuesday shortly before he was to depart to the Little Caesars arena where the Detroit Pistons play. He is in his fifth year as an assistant coach in the NBA and after 4 in Utah is now having a new challenge with the Atlanta Hawks. I hadn´t talked with Bryan in at least 10 years, but he remembered me. “You were always around after games. You were always friendly and saying hello to everyone. I just remember everyone knowing you from eurobasket.com”, remembered Bryan Bailey. Bryan Bailey is another rare example of a former player that went from the easyCredit BBL to the NBA as a coach. One could say his basketball journey has been like a Cinderella story.

Bryan Bailey and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber in Frankfurt in 2005

Bryan Bailey who remembers having real 1-1 battles with teammate Dan Blankenship at Bucknell was born on May 13th, 1980 in Hempstead, New York. He also has the Jamaican citizenship. He took his first steps with basketball at Rockville Centre South Side High School. He was named to the HS All-Long Island First Team in his senior year. He then embarked on a NCAA career at Bucknell from 1998-2002. His time at Bucknell wasn´t easy at first as he was a walk on and averaged only 1,8ppg. But his game took off in his second year averaging 11.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.8apg. His game took another jump in his last 2 seasons as he averaged 17.7ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.9apg, ‘3’Conf-3 (43.6%) and as a senior averaged 18.1ppg, 5.3rpg, 2.4apg. “I just wanted to be on the team my freshman year. Then I became a starter my last 2 years. I always had a chip on my shoulder because I hadn´t been recruited. I always wanted to work hard no matter what”, remembered Bryan Bailey. He also will always be grateful for head coach Pat Flannery for his precious guidance during those 4 years. “Pat gave me a chance to play. He let me play my game and always believed in me”, stressed Bryan Bailey. He came overseas and played his rookie season in Germany with DJK S. Oliver Wurzburg (Germany-1Bundesliga). Right away in his first game he was put to the test facing then top team Alba Berlin who in that season would win their seventh BBL league title in a row. Bailey lost by 23 points and scored 6 points and already got a taste of future legends Marko Pesic, Jovo Stanojevic, Henrik Rodl and Dejuan Collins. That game was 21 years ago and it´s logical that his memories of those legends was scarce. “I remember realizing quickly that the competition in the BBL was very good. Every team had good players top to bottom. Each game was a fight”, remembered Bryan Bailey. Back in those days, life was very different to today where you had no you tube and social media to pass the time. “I remember the O2 calling cards. We would use those to call home. There was DSL and Skype, but the connection wasn´t always good. I remember being mad when my card was empty”, chuckled Bryan Bailey. He had a very solid rookie season in Germany averaging 15.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.4spg. He scored in double figures 21 times including explosions against Ludwigsburg with 34 points and 27 points against Cologne. Despite showing he could play in the BBL, he opted to play his second season on Holland with Landstede Zwolle (Holland-Eredivisie) averaging 17.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.1apg, 2.4spg, 0.2bpg. He took a step back, but in the end it paid off as his career would really take off in the years after. “This season was very beneficial for me, because it allowed me to expose my game. Obviously this league wasn´t as good as the BBL, but I played well there and was an allstar. I went back to Germany which gave me the opportunity to play better”, remembered Bryan Bailey who lists Michael Jordan as his GOAT.

Bryan Bailey in Boston in 2023

The team leader who remembers ex Miami Heat Carlos Arroyo as being his toughest opponent in the NCAA then had his nicest run as a pro with the Artland Dragons playing in Quackenbruck from 2004-2007. He reached the playoffs each season and reached the league and cup final in 2007 under head coach Chris Fleming. ”My fondest memory was the 06-07 season. We had so much success. We beat Alba Berlin and then the defending champion Cologne. We met Bamberg in the final. Our point guard Filiberto Riveria got hurt. It was a really close series and I felt we had a shot to win it all, but Bamberg was so tough”, stated Bryan Bailey. In those 3 years he had so many great teammates like Adam Hess, Tommy Smith or Filberto Riveria, but he also had others like Michael hakim Jordan. I just had to bring back the memory of Jordan´s bus antics and his sleeping pics that he brought the world. I was surprising just how many guys actually sleep with their mouths wide open. “I don´t think Mike ever got me. You had to be careful. I remember he got a lot of people”, said Bryan Bailey. Another great player that was loved by so many especially was Darius Hall a guy you just had to love. “He was the big teddy bear of the team. He got a long with everyone. He always sacrificed everything for the team”, added Bryan Bailey. In his 3 years at Artland, he averaged 11;0ppg once and 8,0ppg twice in the BBL. He didn´t play in Germany his whole career, but also needed to explore and play in other countries from 2007-2009 did playing in Bosnia with Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo (Bosnia-D1) averaging 10.3ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.5apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 20.8%, FT: 84.3% in the Uleb Cup and the next season played with PGE Turow Zgorzelec (Poland-DBE) averaging 8.0ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 32.4%, FT: 77.0%. “Bosnia was a great chance to play ULEB cup. I played at a high level and I loved Sarajevo. They had very passionate fans. In Poland I also was able to play ULEB Cup. We had a deep team and great coach with Sasa”, expressed Bryan Bailey. One of his most memorable games as a professional is one that many Alba Berlin fans won´t forget. Bailey traveled to Berlin and witnessed the historic 141-127 loss to Alba Berlin that went 5 Ot´s. “I remember we had something like 5 or 6 guys that had fouled out. I don´t remember ever being so tired after a game. I was cooked”, commented Bryan Bailey. Alba Berlin got 44 points from Bobby Brown and 33 points from Julius Jenkins while Bosnia got 33 from Lance Williams and Bailey chipped in with 20 points.

The New York native who lists Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Bill Russell and Kobe on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore returned back to Germany in the 2009-2010 season and played with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. It was a short season as he was only under contract for 1 month. But he made the most of it playing 4 Euroleague games averaging 8.3ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.8apg, and played 6 games averaging 9.3ppg, 1.3apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 89.7%. At that time, he witnessed a younger Ricky Paulding who had just helped the team win the BBL title and was only in his fourth season. Would he have expected Paulding then to play until the 2022 season with Oldenburg? “I would never have thought he would stay so long. Guys staying with 1 team was rare. He was the ultimate competitor and was a great teammate on and off the court. He was always prepared physically and mentally to play each day. Playing with him was a great opportunity to play Euroleague. I actually saw him and his wife recently in Atlanta as he was there for a AAU game of his son. It was nice reconnecting again”, said Bryan Bailey. He returned back to Artland where he would play from 2010-2012. There he was teammates once again with great players like Darren Fenn, Nathan Peavy, Brandon Thomas, and David Holston, but also others. One guy was Tyrese Rice who would go on to win the Euroleague a few years later. Was he playing at the wrong time to have gotten that NBA chance? “Yeh that could be. I mean so many guys can play in the NBA. It´s always a numbers game. He was already so good in his second year. He was crafty, quick and had a great three point shot. He was a great player”, remembered Bryan Bailey. He helped the Dragons reach the playoffs both seasons averaging 11.5ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 34.9%, FT: 77.2% and 6.8ppg, 1.2rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 18.9%, FT: 77.0% in the BBL. His best game was a 27 point explosion against Braunschweig. Another teammate of his in Artland was big man Florian Hartenstein. His son Isaiah is in his 6th NBA season and showing his staying power in the NBA. He witnessed Isaiah at ages 12-14 as he was a U-14 player. Would he have predicted then that he would go on to the NBA? “Not at all. I remember little Isaiah. I didn´t see it at that age. I remember him being quiet and the he grew to be seven feet. Now I compete against him as a coach. I saw him in Las Vegas at NBA Summer League. When we see each other we conduct small talk. I think he could be a starter in New York, but that´s coaches decision”, stated Bryan Bailey. He would play his last 3 seasons in Bayreuth with a short stay at the end of his first season there in Rome with Virtus as he helped out during their run to the Serie A final. Once again he was fortunate to play with big time players like Brandon Bowman, Ronnie Burrell and DJ Seeley, but also Kevin Hamilton who was the definition of a pass first point guard. He truly was a guy that you had to force to shoot, but made many pretty passes. “Kevin had a knack of controlling the game. He had a very high IQ and it was really easy to play with him. He was a great teammate”, said Bryan Bailey. His best season was his first season where he averaged 12.2ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.7apg, 2FGP: 48.9%, 3FGP: 39.7%, FT: 84.7%. He scored in double figures in 23 games and hit Oldenburg for 24 points and Phoenix Hagen for 20 points. He retired in 2015. How would he have done as a player had he began his pro career in 2023? “I think it would have been harder than 20 years ago. There is so much more going on. The game has simply expanded in all areas on and off the court. The players are more versatile and more athletic”, stressed Bryan Bailey who believes the classic Coming to America shouldn´t have been remade.

Fabian Beierlein and Bryan Bailey in Bayreuth

So what was going on in Bryan Bailey´s mind in 2015 who Lists Khalid El-Amin, Rickey Rubio, and Dennis Schroeder (He was elite at 17 I thought I was fast) as his toughest opponents on the floor. At that time coaching wasn´t on his mind. In 2011, he told me that he wanted to get into Real estate and train young kids. He has to admit he sort of got into coaching by luck. “At first I didn´t really want to become a coach. I was interested in other things. I then received a random text from a Boston Celtics scout. I interviewed for their G-League team, but didn´t get the job. I then got in contact with my ex coach Chris Fleming and he got me in contact with Mike Miller who at that time was with Westchester. I got the job and once I got the job, I loved it. When I look back, I have to admit it was the right decision. It really doesn´t feel like a job for me. The hardest part is being away from my family”, stressed Bryan Bailey. That first year in Westchester weas so vital for him just getting a feel for what the NBA is like and how the G-League works. He couldn´t have gotten a better teacher that first season than with Mike Miller. “Mike is great. He is super organized. You think you know it all, but then when your coach you can always learn. It is always a learning game. When your at the NBA level it is like learning a new language”, expressed Bryan Bailey. His stay in Westchester was brief as in 2017, he would move to the Utah Jazz organization and be an assistant coach with their G-League affiliate Stars for 2 seasons and be reunited with his ex coach at Artland Martin Schiller and teammate Nathan Peavy. These 2 years were crucial in his coaching development, because he learned that versatility is something you need to have at that level. “I got more opportunity to use my voice. It´s not just about coaching at the G-league level, but your exposed to so many different duties like scouting, Player development, or video work. It´s like learning a new language”, warned Bryan Bailey. After 2 years, he was promoted to assistant coach with the Jazz a position he held from 2019-2023. “The biggest difference from the NBA to the G-League is that the attention to detail is a lot greater in the NBA. You have to wear more hats in the G-League whereas in the NBA there are a lot more coaches”, said Bryan Bailey. With the Utah Jazz he was able to learn further under the guidance of head coaches Quinn Synder and Will Hardy. “Both are great coaches. Synder gave me the chance in the NBA. He helped me a lot in breaking things down. Hardy is a young and upcoming coach. He showed me new nuances with preparation”, added Bryan Bailey. The Jazz had great rosters in the last years and one would think he would have mentioned a Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert or Rudy Gay as guys he enjoyed working the most with, but they actually weren´t. “I enjoyed working together with Joe Ingles. He played overseas and was my guy. He is a great guy and one of those guys that worked hard to get better. He always has a chip on his shoulder. He belongs in the NBA”, warned Bryan Bailey.

Bryan Bailey and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber in Boston in November 2023

The ex guard who lists Lamont Mcintosh, Adam Hess, Darius Hall, Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and Tyrese Rice as his 5 best Artland Teammates currently has a new challenge as assistant coach with the Atlanta Hawks. “My responsibilities really aren´t any different then when I was with the Jazz. For example if we play a team like the Knicks my duties may be in the scouting and game plan. How should we attack them, or how can we get better on the court to look good against them”, said Bryan Bailey. He has worked with high profile guards the last years and this season is helping NBA superstar Trae Young. Isn´t this guy a bit underrated in the league and in the shadow of other top guards? “I agree that he is. He is one of the best offensive talents in the league and most gifted passers in the league. He can make plays and others better”, warned Bryan Bailey. With so many years being in the NBA and around so many personalities, he must of bumped heads with NBA legends? “I have met guys like Dominique Wilkins and D Wade. My second year in Utah I was part of the coaching staff at the allstar game. I was coaching guys like Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Luka Doncic, Lebron James and Nikola Jokic just to name a few”, stated Bryan Bailey. The NBA is like a reunion of ex BBL players. Ex BG Goettingen teammates Charles Lee and John Little are with Boston, Chris Fleming is with the Chicago Bulls and ex Paderborn forward Nathan Peavy in Utah. He will forever be grateful and have his ex coach Chris Fleming in his heart. The guy brought him to Artland as a player early in his career and 11 years later helped him get his coaching break. “His relationship with players was always good. He was able to get everyone on the same page. He had this ability to empower you to do well on the court. He was always calm and demanded a lot out of his players. He has paid his dues in the NBA. I believe he can be a NBA head coach. It´s always a numbers game”, warned Bryan Bailey. Who knows maybe one day Chris Fleming and Bryan Bailey will be head coaches in the NBA. That would definitely be a fierce battle and make Gunter Kollman the former sponsor for the Artland Dragons proud knowing 2 former employees are showing the basketball world how to be successful.