pic credit FIBA

The first German point guard battle that I witnessed back in 2004 when I got into German basketball was Pascal Roller-Steffen Hamann. As an American who grew up in Boston, I was used to the names of Dennis Johnson and Tiny Archibald. However for an introduction to German point guards, I couldn´t have picked 2 better ones at that time to get mesmerized by. These were 2 talented guards who not only battled in back to back BBL finals in 2004 and 2005, but were also teammates with the German national team that scooped up a Silver medal at the 2005 European Championships in Belgrade and in their career shared 253 international caps. Roller was a great team leader that led Frankfurt to the 2004 BBL title and had a pull up jumper off the dribble that many won´t forget while Hamann was a player that could lead a team from the point guard position and was an annoying defender that won 2 BBL titles with Bamberg in 2005 and 2007. It is obvious that a guy like Pascal Roller who played against him so many times as an opponent and battled him in practice with the National team time in and time out wouldn´t ever forget this pesky guard. The last time that the 2 played against each other was in the 2009-2010 season as Roller was with Frankfurt and Hamann with Alba Berlin. “Steffen was a player that was able to influence the game with his effort and athleticism and initiate the team defense”, remembered ex Skyliner legend Pascal Roller. It really seems like ages ago when they belonged to the 2 best German point guards in the BBL, so it´s even more refreshing when a point guard in 2024 of the 2007 German basketball generation knows who Steffen Hamann is as does Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg player Julis Baumer (196-G/F-2007). But then again when you have a coach like Dirk Bauermann for the U-17 German national team, the name Hamann probably will pop up every now and then. Bauermann coached Hamann for more than a decade with Bamberg, FC Bayern Munich and the German national team. “One of my greatest moments so far in my career was playing at the U-16 Eurochampionships last season for Dirk Bauermann. It is great knowing that he has coached in so many big games and coached Dirk Nowitzki. He expects a lot of discipline and I like that he stressed physicality and that defense comes first. He is a mentor and is always vocal. Off the court he is a cool guy. He has told me to watch old Bamberg games and how Steffen Hamann played”, smiled Julis Baumer.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Steffen Hamann during the 2005 BBL finals in Frankfurt

Pascal Roller and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber in the BCM training facility in Frankfurt 2004

The point guard who lists FC Bayern Munich guard Ivan Khartchenkov as his toughest opponent so far in his career was born on January 4th, 2007. He began to play soccer and then switched to basketball when he was 11 years old. His interest to basketball rose when he started to watch NBA videos on You Tube and became interested in the history of the game. His early basketball inspirations were Kobe Bryant and Milos Teodosic. Plus his brother also played basketball which also helped his desire for the game. His first team was in Ettlingen and he then played with the youth teams of PS Karlsruhe. He then made the next step in his career moving to the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg where he played with the U-16 team in 2022. “I´m really happy and thankful that I made this step. I wanted to come here, because they are known for their physicality and playing defense. I can identify my game with that. They have a superb coaching staff and this is a place where I can develop my game further”, stressed Julis Baumer. He is one of the younger guys on the NBBL (U-19) team, but has held his own averaging 7/3/3/1 in 27 minutes. He has had the fortune for being able to play for ambitious head coach Khee Rhee and play behind older point guard Travis Davis. “Coach awaits a lot from his players and to always give 100 %. When you do that, he gives you trust. I love to play for him. Travis is a guy that I have been able to learn a lot from. He is a physical and creative player that always finds a way to find us. He had a bigger offensive role while I have the bigger defensive role”, stated Julis Baumer. He scored in double figures in 5 games including having a masterful game against Bamberg with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

The German youth national player that lists Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and Kareem Abdul Jabbar on his NBA Mount Rushmore and Milos Teodosic, Vasilis Spanoulis, Mike James and Nick Calathes on his Euro Mount Rushmore also has had the great opportunity to get Pro B minutes. When you look at the incredible 2023-2024 Ludwigsburg Pro B roster that had talented players like Aenas Jung, and Nico Mojica who were 5 years older and others that were up to 2 years older with Luca Steubel and Esli Edigin, it was a massive challenge to be able to compete against guys like these. “It is vital in my development that every practice is a challenge where I have to prove myself. I know that if I practice well, then I have the opportunity to get minutes. It was a huge step going from JBBL to Pro B, but I feel that defensively I can stick with everyone. I was playing the 3 more at the start, but now have switched to off guard”, explained Julis Baumer. When your very young, there is always a player above you. In the NBBL it was Travis Davis and in the Pro B it was Luca Stuebel who was key in him becoming a better player. “Luca is a big time competitor. He always gives 100% and awaits the same from me. It is always a big battle against him. He gives me good advice and he is always truthful. I really respect him. He didn´t play much last season, but this season has really increased his minutes. I love playing with guys like that”, stated Julis Baumer. His 2 best Pro B scoring games were 8 points against Rhondorf and FC Bayern Munich 2. Playing against an incredible young player like Ivan Khartchenkov can only help bolster his game. “Ivan´s skill set now at his age is amazing. He is so difficult to defend and has great defensive instincts. He is so clever at both ends and just reads the game really well”, added Julis Baumer. Recently the guard who lists national team teammate Jervis Scheffs as the player that impressed him most at the Albert Schweitzer Tournament played against the best youth players in the world there. Unfortunately Germany was unable to win any games there. “We knew going in that it would be a tough tournament. It was a great experience. We wanted to find ourselves as a team and develop further. Even if we didn´t win a game, we were able to get extra experience playing against the best players and prepare for the U-17 world championships”, warned Julis Baumer. He and Germany had to experience a very brutal loss to Serbia by more than 60 points, but one always learns from loses. “We know now what we have to do so in the future we can play better. It didn´t help our cause that we hit nothing that day. We have to play a lot more physical in order to be able to compete with someone like that. My goal is to add 1-2 kilos more”, expressed Julis Baumer. He recently took part at the U-17 World Cup averaging 7/3/2/3 stats. He showed his aggressive defense getting 6 steals against Turkey and 4 a piece against Australia and Egypt.

The ambitious defender who lists Michael Jordan as his GOAT is a player that likes to compare his game to ex MHP Riesen player Thomas Walkup who developed into a Euroleague player. “I like to watch his game. He is a team player that is a very good defender, but also knows how to create his own shot”, said Julis Baumer. Even if he prides his game on the defensive end, he is a player that excels at both ends of the court. “I think that I can read the game well on offense and create open shots for my teammates and continue to find the guy that is hot. I have good instincts on and off ball and am proud to be able to defend the other team´s best defender. You could call me something like an energizer that demonstrates to my teammates to always give 100% intensity for 40 minutes”, warned Julis Baumer. Even if he is a player that can fill the stat sheet well, it will most likely be his defense that will always give him the biggest opportunity for minutes wherever he plays. “I think that currently I can defend 1-3 very well and sometimes the 4. I have good size and play physical. My defense will always get me minutes and I want to always be that player that makes a difference on the defensive end”, stressed Julis Baumer. He also knows where he has to get better in order to keep improving his game and moving up the basketball ladder. “My ball handling has to get better and I want to play better on the pick and roll and limit my turnovers. On defense I have to get quicker and be able to defend smaller guards better”, added Julis Baumer. It will be interesting to see how his game continues to develop in the next years. One thing is for sure, in the Ludwigsburg organization there are enough guards that will always push him. The MHP Riesen organization is perfect for his game and development. He couldn´t have asked for a better situation.