Going into the 2024-205 season, it will be the second season already where the Frankfurt Skyliners will be without their legend Quantez Robertson who retired in 2023. How time flies. This season fans will be able to reminisce during a time out or a break in play about the good old days when Tez was doing his magic. Wheather it was feeding Dashaun Wood for a back door lay up, hitting the game winner against Oldenburg or just flashing that winners smile. That won´t be forgotten for sure. The Skyliners live on and much have happened since Tez left. Last season the organization had to pay their dues in the pro A. They played a very strong season just missing winning the pro A title which PS Karlsruhe won simply playing a better finals and wanting it more. The Skyliners biggest goal is getting back to the BBL, a place they had been at since the 1999-2000 season. Denis Wucherer has remained, but the club has added very interesting new parts for this season´s challenge. The biggest question isn´t if they can stay in the league which is their goal, but moreover can they take a further step and reestablish themselves again in the BBL? The playoffs will be a reach, but where can this team land in May 2025? This season once again will be an exciting one. One thing is for sure, the Frankfurt Skyliners don´t want to see the Pro A again.

One of the more difficult summer time jobs for head coach Denis Wucherer was building a BBL roster that would be competitive, but also be affordable from what the budget has to offer. That is easier said than done. The club held onto 5 players and also brought back another one with Einares Tubutis who had played with the club 2 seasons ago. The team has enough 3 point weapons, so he will be able to concentrate more in the paint and being that added rebound force. The club held on to Booker Coplin (191-G-1997, college: Augsburg, agency: BIG) and David Muenkat who last season were vital performers in the Pro A. Coplin is a player every coach loves simply because of his no prisoner attitude and effort that he gives on the court. The ex Augsburg (NCAA3) player plays with non stop energy and just does all he can to help the team win, if it means scoring, dishing, rebounding or making an impact on the defensive end. Muenkat who likes to play in the CEBL in Canada during summer vacation was another one of the big hero´s from last season that was known for big dunks, but just was so versatile on the offensive end and on defense belonged to the best defenders on the team. He was a mismatch nightmare and is extremely hungry to make the next step in the BBL. The club also held on to ex NBBL champion Lorenz Brenneke who began the pre season injured, but once fit will be a vital big in the paint area. Give him the ball near the rim and you´ll get an automatic bucket. He is a presence at both ends and is simply fearless with all the elbows being thrown around. The team also held on to versatile inside out player Jacob Knauf. He is a forward with extreme elegance on the court and a solid three pointer. He will give added stability at the big positions. Bruno Albrecht was also kept, but played no role in last years team. The talented German who was a walking bucket 2 seasons ago in Hanau will have it very difficult to break the rotation this season.

Many new faces were hauled in during the summer and the 2 most potent were rookie Trey Calvin and veteran Malik Parsons. Both showed in the pre season that they are a lethal scoring duo that have no problems putting points up on the board. Parson´s came to Frankfurt after winning the double with Danish top team Bakken Bears last season. The ex scoring machine from Northwestern Oklahoma State University (NCAA2) is a freak athlete and could bring back memories of a young Tez with his fast break spurts and leaps to the rim. But it isn´t just hiss coring touch, but he has also proved to be a fine playmaker. Calvin is a talented kid from Wright State where a certain Dashaun Wood learned his craft 20 years ago. Calvin knows perfectly when to score and when to dish out the dime. He was mostly a catch and shoot player in the NCAA and wants to become more of a threat from the parking lot this year. Defensively he is a pest and wants to become one of the best defenders where ever he plays. The team also added undersized big man Ed Croswell from Providence College who was a beast in the Turkish second league. He is a great rebounder and even more important teammates just love him. A positive check mark for Wucherer in the character department. The club brought back Garai Zeeb who had previously played 4 seasons in Frankfurt and was part of the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winning team. He is a calm point guard who has great leadership skills, There won´t be a better German point guard coming from the bench in the BBL. The team also brought in 2 other talented Germans with the experienced Christoph Phillips who has 6 years of BBL experience with teams Ulm, Hamburg and Tuebingen. He is a defensive orientated player that can get hot from outside, but also likes to give out assists. 23 year old Timo Lanmuller is another talented German that still has a lot of potential. His shot is his weapon, but he is extremely hungry to become a better defender once his athleticism improves and he can be more physical. The last new addition Kamaka Hepa perhaps the most interesting signing. He has great length and will really bolster the front court with his rebounding work. After an up and down rookie season in Poland and Latvia, he is hungry to show what he can do after being injured in pre-season.

The staple of the Fraport Skyliners was always defense during the tenure of Gordon Herbert and last season was also the big focus in Wucherer´s system. Last season they were the top defensive teams in the Pro A and want to keep it up their upward trend in the BBL, but will they have the personal to achieve that? The BBL is faster and more athletic and the players will really have to want to defend. Offensively play good team basketball as well as having the transition game on display as much as possible. The team have no BBL veteran that has played many minutes consistently and been a force offensively as guys like Zeeb, Philips, Lanmueller and Brenneke are still looking for that real break through. The team picked up talented players, but guys that have no BBL experience. It will be interesting to see how quickly the new imports get adjusted to the BBL. A lot of responsibility will lie on the shoulders of Calvin and Parsons. So far in the pre-season, both players were great, but how well will they play in the second half of the season when teams know the scouting report better? Guys like Brenneke and Philips have to step up and be consistent on a regular basis. But the deciding factor as to how well the team can compete on a nightly basis is how well do Muenkat and Coplin get adjusted to the BBL. They team will need more consistent input from them as well. The win in Trier was incredibly important for the self-confidence. Getting off to a good start from the start will be vital. I see the Frankfurt Skyliners somewhere between 11-16. It always depends how many injuries occur. The team has talent and character and showed in pre-season that team chemistry was being built. Finally there is BBL basketball in Frankfurt again. Now the team has to keep it in Frankfurt.