Thomas Miles (190-G, college: WPU) is a 190cm guard playing his rookie season overseas with ZuS 59 HammStars. He began his basketball career at Jefferson High School and then played a season at the College of Southern Idaho (JUCO) averaging 6.8ppg, 2.2rpg, FGP: 38.3%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 71.7%. He then played a season with Midland College (JUCO) averaging 12.5ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.1apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 31.7%, FT: 79.2%. He played a game with Wayland Baptist University (NAIA) before finishing at Warner Pacific University (NAIA) averaging 9.4ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.1apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 42.7%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 86.3% and in his last season averaged 19.2ppg, 5.7rpg, 2.0apg, 2.3spg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 37.8%, FT: 88.3%. He got his first pro experience with the Vancouver Volcanoes (TBL) averaging 16.9ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.2apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 57.4%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 83.6%. Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Thomas Miles team up weekly to talk basketball.

Congrats Thomas on the 71-68 win over Wulfen. How did it feel making your rookie debut and then getting a win?

It felt extremely good, the atmosphere in the gym was insanely good and little nervous I was but that comes with the game. Hamm has a great fans and making someone from the states feel like home.

What is your first summary of how Regionalliga play is? How would you compare it to the NAIA?

I believe that competition wise it wasn’t to bad, I do feel like it’s a lot different from NAIA just like the pace in the game and everything moves at a quicker pace, but NAIA is also good competition.

Talk about the 40 minutes and the last minutes leading up to the win. What was key in crunch-time for getting the win?

I don’t think we played a whole 40 minutes, I do believe we did what we had to do to win. What was big for us though was rebounding. Coach was on us about the rebounding the ball and being one in done, that’s what he was emphasizing.

How key was being aggressive as a team and winning the rebound battle? How key was being able to control these areas?

It was big for us, that’s one part in the area where we see we need to get better and we will but the fact that we won the rebounding was impressive even though we can do a lot better I’m glad on how we played.

Holding a Regionalliga team to 68 points is massive as there is a lot of scoring at this level. How content were you with the defensive effort?

I believe defense this year will be a big part of us and I’m ready to work with the team to make the next step on our defensive side. I believe if we all lock in and buy in we can be a dangerous defensive team.

You had a great rookie start with 25/6/3/3/1/0 stats. What grade would you give yourself?

I would say it was a good showing more so because we won, I’m not sure what id grade myself just happy we won.

After a game like this, what do you do next in the lab on your own game?

Everything there’s not one area in my game that doesn’t need to improve I go back watch film and continue to work it will be a long season.

You next play DTV Cologne who are a experienced with 3 ex Pro B Germans. What will be key to getting the win

The same thing that was key this last game which was winning the rebounding war and making sure we show up with a chip on our shoulder.

Thanks Thomas for the chat.