Many may not know it, but the old school die hard fans and basketball lovers know that this Saturday will be a special occasion in the living room of the Fraport Skyliners. For one the Artland Dragons can remain in the Pro A with a victory, but what is even more special is that fans will be able to see the magnificent player Brandon Thomas again. He hasn´t been able to visit the last 2 seasons because he was playing for Pro A team Jena, but before that he played against Frankfurt for 8 seasons dating back to the 2009-2010 season when he played his first of 2 seasons in Braunschweig. The American is without a doubt the last American Dino that played BBL from that season as the last 2 from that time retired the past 2 seasons with Rickey Paulding and Quantez Robertson. Thomas has had an incredible professional career as he has played more than 500 professional games and 303 easyCredit games for Braunschweig, Artland, FC Bayern Munich and Giessen. Over this course of time, he had some incredible and memorable battles against Frankfurt. Who could forget the defensive battle in the 2010-2011 season where the Artland Dragons beat Frankfurt 49-44 and alone with Giessen he had nail bitter 91-90 and 75-74 wins over Frankfurt and a gruesome 82-81 loss. All in all, his record going into this game against the Fraport Skyliners was 8-10. He averaged in scoring double figures for a season in 8 of 9 BBL seasons and gave the word consistency a new meaning. For a guy who is approaching 40 in August, you just don´t know how much longer his wheels will continue to roll. The way he is playing, it looks like this work of nature could play another 3-4 years. “It really depends how we finish the season. I would be willing to add another season if we remain in the Pro A”, stressed Brandon Thomas (198-SF-1984, college: UMass, agency: Interperformances) The guy has carried the Artland Dragons this season at age 39 especially in the last wins against Nurnberg and Vechta 2 where he had big scoring games. He has no real secret to how he has been able to play so long and so consistently. “ I have an amazing support system. I have worked extremely hard. I love the process of self improvement and I love the process of working towards a goal with other driven and talented individuals”, stated Brandon Thomas

The Texas native began his basketball career at Judson high school and then played 2 seasons at Long Island (NCAA) and averaged 12.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.1apg in his second season. He then transferred to UMass that gave the world Marcus Camby and played there from 2005-2007 and averaged 6,0 and 4,0ppg while being teammates with future BBL players Tony Gaffney and Ricky Harris. He came overseas in 2007 and had to pay his dues in his first 2 seasons playing first with Team FOG Naestved (Denmark-Basketliga) leading the league in scoring averaging 24.5ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.2apg, 2.0spg, 1.0bpg, 2FGP: 61.2%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 71.0% and the next season with Wels (Austria-A Bundesliga) averaging 20.2ppg, 3.2rpg, 2.5apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 66.6%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 68.5%. Both seasons he was an allstar and these 2 years got him ready for the next step. In 2009-2010 he made the jump to Germany and played with the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig and one can say the rest is history. He developed into a high level player with Braunschweig and would carry his consistency over to every team he would play with after that. That was 15 years ago and times have really changed. “The game has evolved around the world. I think Germany has consistently provided an entertaining and internationally competitive brand of basketball which is also attracting young future professionals that further strengthen the brand”, said Brandon Thomas His time in Braunschweig was very special with unique players like Kevin Hamilton, Marcus Goree and Kyle Visser just to name a few. “My time was so amazing there. We had improved from the previous season and barely made the playoffs with 8th place. We would beat the 1st place team in the first round before losing in the semis to the eventual champions”, remembered Brandon Thomas In his first season he averaged 10.6ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 57.4%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 74.6% and in his second season he averaged 14.3ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 60.5%, 3PT: 41.2%, FT: 78.7%. He also was teammates with a young Daniel Theis who would make the NBA in 2017. “Daniel changed a lot. He has had so much success at the highest levels and it makes me proud to have once been a teammate on his journey”, added Brandon Thomas

In the next 4 years the scoring guard who remembers battling Tyrese Rice in the Eurocup except for a brief time in Italy and France would remain mainly in Germany playing 3 seasons with the Artland Dragons and one season with FC Bayern Munich. This may have been his best stretch as a pro with Artland in terms of consistency as he averaged in double figures every season in the BBL and twice in the Eurocup which is the second highest competition in international club play behind the Euroleague. A big secret to the success then was just the Dragons always having an amazing deep roster that simply produced great team chemistry something which isn´t always self-evident with so many talented guys. Some of those teammates included high quality players like Darren Fenn, Adam Hess, Bryce Taylor, Demond Mallet, and Anthony King just to name a few. He remembers Florian Hartenstein and David Holston very fondly and also saw a young Isaiah Hartenstein running around the grounds as a 13 year old. “The Hartenstein is a beautiful family. Flo was a great teammate and is still a great friend. I knew Isaiah would be a pro when I came back to Quakenbrück for my second season. I felt like he was a boy when I left and a man when I returned a year later. At that time he was playing every position on the court. David´s of the best players I have ever shared a court with. He has established an impressive legacy in France and internationally. I hope he continues to represent for the oldies but goodies for as long as the game brings him and his many fans joy”, explained Brandon Thomas He also played a season with FC Bayern Munich averaging 9.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.3apg, 2FGP: 56.0%, 3FGP: 39.0%, FT: 82.1%. It was the only time in the BBL where he didn´t average in double figures scoring, but his time there was a time he will never forget. “I remember feeling like a main attraction when traveling to away games. Our home games also delivered a professional and entertaining experience that did not feel common at the time. We were a special group. Many impressive people in that organization”, commented Brandon Thomas He had a little Germany break between 2015-2018 playing in Spain, Lebanon and Argentina and sampled some more exotic stamps in his passport. In Spain he played with Movil Estudiantes and only played 16 games, but will never forget his last game in the ACB against Real Madrid and a young Luca Doncic. “Estudiantes is also located in Madrid, so playing against Real Madrid was an experience I will never forget. It was a game dedicated to Star Wars and our shared home arena was full. At the time Luca was still so young. I was more concerned with guarding Jaycee Carroll and Rudy Fernandez. I was also a fan of Sergio Llull‘s game. Crazy that Luca would go on to be one of the best in the world”, added Brandon Thomas He returned back to Germany and the next chapter in his illustrious career would be Giessen where he played from 2018-2021. Once again he was consistent and in his first season had those sniper qualities shooting 49% from outside. Like in Artland, he had incredible teammates including BBL legends like Jared Jordan, John Bryant and David Bell. “Those seasons were pretty cool. I have been very fortunate to have played along side some incredible talent. Those three guys in particular would often show what separated them from other players allowing them to have long and accomplished careers. It was also a joy for me because they were wonderful people”, remembered Brandon Thomas In 2021, he moved again this time to Jena where he had to get used to Pro A basketball, but as usual had superb consistency averaging 14.6ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 64.7%, 3PT: 44.5%, FT: 64.7% and 11.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 65.0%, 3PT: 39.5%, FT: 89.1%. “Jena was my introduction to eastern Germany. Thüringen is beautiful and I managed to make some lifelong friends in Jena. We had everything that we needed from the organization regarding training and recovery. The team managers were the absolute best in the business and the physio staff were also some of the best. I remember thinking we would win a championship in my first season. A buzzer beater in the semifinals unfortunately ended that goal”, said Brandon Thomas

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Brandon Thomas in Frankfurt in 2019

The American who remembers Kevin Hamilton (Shout out to the culture he is building with the champion Eagle Academy Brooklyn basketball program) beating him in 1-1 duels in Braunschweig returned back to the Artland Dragons for the 2023-2024 season. He obviously found big love for the small town of Quackenbruck in his first tour of duty and almost 10 years later doesn´t need big words to sum up why he came back. “„Kleine Stadt Große Liebe”, smiled Brandon Thomas The season has been a tough one for the Artland Dragons as they began awful sustaining a 10 game losing streak, but found themselves in the last 2 months having a 6-4 record and putting them into position to stick in the Pro A. They had many personnel changes that have shown to have been the right ones. “I assume any club would first show patience for the original vision to realize. After acknowledging that a change is necessary there is likely a sense of urgency to stop the decline in performance, but also a careful determination to find the right player that will complement the others”, stated Brandon Thomas He is like a third coach on the court as well as off for head coach Patrick Flomo and assistant coach Chase Griffin who he battled against in the BBL and as a mentor for his teammates. “Chase was always confident and a dangerous offensive threat. He is still the best shooter in the gym. I have gotten to know him in the next chapter of his life as a humble and hard working family man. I respect and appreciate that he built his legacy with an exemplary work ethic. It is strange at times when I really think about being so much older, but my teammates keep me young. I really just want to be a reliable and trustworthy presence. Any insight or mentorship as a result of sharing my experience along the way has been a pleasure for me and a subtle gift of love back to the game”, warned Brandon Thomas He is returning back to Frankfurt this weekend and the memories will surely come back to him rapidly when he looks up to the rafters and observes the retired jerseys from Pascal Roller and Quantez Robertson. “There were so many games and good players it is difficult to choose a single moment. I have always looked forward to playing in that arena. I was not able to play much against Pascal Roller before his retirement, but I know he was a winner and a fan favorite. Quantez could do everything on the court, but his ability to do everything while also being an elite defender will always stand out to me”, stressed Brandon Thomas The Artland Dragons have the destiny in their own hands and could remain in the Pro A with a victory. “It will be a tough task and we will have to play well, but I believe when we play well we are a very good team”, warned Brandon Thomas I am really looking forward to see Brandon Thomas play again. I last saw him play in the 20-21 season and it would be a shame if this would be his last game. But there is hope for me. I was never good at math, but adding is something I can still do. The American is currently in his 17th season and always had a big goal as a player. “I always thought it would be cool to play 20 seasons”, warned Brandon Thomas Now those are words that I like to hear. Perhaps He will continue into his 40´s. I would definitely support it like so many other basketball fans in Germany.

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