KJ Sherrill (203-F/C-1991, college: Augusta) is a 34 year old 203cm forward that enjoyed a 8 year pro playing career overseas. He played with the Bona Baskets Limburg, the SG Luetzel-Post Koblenz (Germany-Regionalliga), Dragons Rhondorf, Telekom Baskets Bonn 2 team, Herten and the Cuxhaven BasCats (Germany-ProA). He played college ball at Charlotte (NCAA) from 2009-2012 playing 75 NCAA games and also played a season at Augusta University (NCAA2). He was an assistant coach with the Dragons Rhondorf from 2023-2025 and now is an assistant with Pro A team EPG Guardians Koblenz. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his new coaching gig with the EPG Baskets Koblenz.

How refreshing is it for you to be reunited with Stephan Dohrn. Is the work more challenging at the Pro A level than at the Pro B level?

It’s a pleasure to be alongside Stephan and Kai once again. I’m learning a lot from these guys along the way. The work load is a bit more in Pro A than Pro B, I’d say everyday is a challenge for me just because I’m still in my learning phase as a coach.

The team looks really good this season. The club has little Americans and more Germans and experience. How is your feeling about this team especially after beating one of the top Pro A teams Giessen?

I think we have a great group of guys but of course we still need lots of work. It’s still early in preseason but we’re making the right steps in the direction we want to go. Improving day by day in practice so that we have better executions in games with our good roster. The win against Giessen was a confidence booster for us, but we don’t want to settle and we want to continue building from there.

Is the philosophy this season correct with hard nosed defense and free on the offensive end? That isn’t much different than what we saw in Rhondorf?

Yes it’s pretty much the same concept here in Koblenz. With Stephan, he puts emphasis on defense. So we want that to be our identity, not just an offensive team. We know we can score, but we want to have consecutive defensive stops. That’s what wins games.

The team had good bigs last season, but this season with Bacak, Moeller and Sonnefeld real experience. It seems like the bigs weren’t as fully involved scoring wise last season. Could there be a change this season?

Our bigs maybe won’t be our outstanding scorers, but their presence under the basketball is what we need. Rebounding and being physical down low. Controlling the paint and setting good screens. With their experience, they are able to contribute to the game a whole lot and we are happy to have them with us.

How fortunate is it for Jannis Sonnefeld to play with big veterans Bacak and Moeller? Could he be one of the big surprises this season?

Sonnefeld is young but I would say he plays just as hard as the experienced guys. He will be a big factor for us this season and he has the perfect group of experienced guys to help lead him along the way.

I believe Calvin Wishart was the best signing? I heard MVP chants from someone during RheinStars game when he scored 8 points in 1 minute. Is he MVP material?

With Calvin’s scoring ability, I think it’s possible that he could become MVP in the future, but all he wants to do is win and contribute to his team. So regardless MVP or not, he will be one of our main guys.

I really love the game of Aleksa Kovacevic. He was the team’s second best signing. Do you feel like he is on a mission to show all that he ‘deserves to be a BBL player with a great pro A season?

Aleksa could potentially be one of the best guards in Pro A. He’s capable of being a huge threat offensively and defensively despite his size. I love his aggressiveness and hard nosed defense. But offensively, I see him being very successful for us.

Badu Buck is a guy you know well from Rhondorf. He had some growing pains before Rhondorf but was reborn there. What kind of a role do you see him having in a stacked team this season something he adjusted well to in Rhondorf?

Badu’s biggest role is that he is a leader. He may be the most vocal guy on the court and his experience helps make the game easier for others simply because he has such high IQ. He puts players in the right positions, the young guys especially look up to him and he does a great job leading them. In my eyes, maybe the best addition to the team. He’s our captain for a reason.

Tim Smith Jr is the other guy you know well from Rhondorf. Is he going to be this team’s version of the guy doing the dirty work especially under the glass?

Tim is our slim reaper, similar to Kevin Durant. Tim may be one of the best shooters in the league, from inside and outside. He can score in so many different ways. His game is great to watch and I think he will have a major role on this team.

Garrett Hicks is a very special player. How lucky is the team to have him who can do it all on the court and can score in bunches?

We were very pleased to sign Garrett. His abilities on the court for his size is like no other. Not only can he shoot from deep, his ability to attack the rim is very nice! He is for sure the most athletic on the team. Even though he hasn’t played many years in Europe, he is very professional and we are beyond happy that he is with us.

Do you have any added duties as assistant coach this season besides working with the bigs?

Yes I have a bit more responsibilities than I had in Rhondorf. I am the skill development coach as well, so I’m in charge of all the group/individual workouts with all players, not just Big’s.

Are you like a mentor for Kai Schallenberg? What is it like working with him again?

I really enjoy working with Kai. He’s very enthusiastic and his love for the game says it all. I would honestly say we learn from each other and being that Kai is more experienced than me when it comes to coaching, I learn from him as well. We both are young and hungry to become better coaches and I think we have the perfect example to learn from, Stephan. I think I couldn’t ask for a better coaching staff to be a part of!

Who wins a 1-1 in practice you or Tim Smith Jr?

Well being that Tim is a light weight compared to me, I think it wouldn’t even be fair if we played 1-1. I’d treat him like a baby, he’s too little. Love you Tim but it’s the truth!

Thanks KJ for the chat.