After an incredible Regionalliga season, TV Langen´s arrival in the Pro B has been anything but sweet, but rather disappointing as they started the season 0-4. Twice their opponents hit them with 100 + points and were creamed in the first game by 51 points, but massive injury woes have accompanied their season until now. Things didn´t get any easier as 4-1 team Orange Academy came to Langen for a Saturday evening tangle. Orange Academy has an average age of 18 years old, but head coach Florian Flabb who is in his second season has an exceptional group of young guys where many have been teammates for many years. They have found a defensive identity early and are an incredible rebounding team. TV Langen definitely had their hands full and knew it wouldn´t be a cake walk and they wanted to win their first game at home, but that was easier said then done. Orange Academy began hot with a big run and took that momentum until the buzzer winning in top fashion 105-75. They annoyed TV Langen all night long with their aggressive defense and on offense shared the ball very well and shot at a high clip. Was getting the win as easy as the result showed? “This definitely wasn´t easy work. We drove 3,5 hours and knew that TV Langen wanted to beat us badly for their first win. We knew that they had a good team, but we prepared ourselves very well. We were able to follow the game plan which was stop their top scorers and defend well for 40 minutes”, stressed Orange Academy point guard Teo Milicic (180-PG-2008). They definitely had Alex Lagerman´s number who was held to only 2 points. TV Langen had massive problems on the rebound and couldn´t adapt to the guests aggressive defense which led to 26 turnovers. “It was a very quick pace that we weren´t ready for. We weren´t ready to play at all. We weren´t prepared well enough for their aggressive defense. We have to learn to play at our pace and not theirs”, stressed TV Langen forward Jacob Washington.

Teo Milicic at the FT line

Orange Academy jumped all over TV Langen rushing out to a rapid 13-2 lead something that TV Langen couldn´t adjust to. Orange Academy was led by 17 year old wonder boy Teo Milicic who ran the offense like a well oiled veteran and also showed his great scoring touch making 2 three´s while big French talent Meissa Faye added 5 points in the run. TV Langen was always a step behind on defense and way too passive in their offensive sets. They had to play catch up basketball right away which has been a trend for them this season. Plus Orange Academy´s will to get rebounds was gigantic as 3 offensive rebounds added to buckets. Ex Skyliner Niklas Pons stopped the run with a three pointer, but Orange Academy continued executing on offense going on a 16-6 run to extend their lead to 29-11. In the run, the guests who are led by head coach Florian Flabb continued to spread the love as Teo Milicic added his third trey of the game while Faye added 4 points while their oldest player Marco Dordevic at 22 also added a trey. Orange Academy were getting open shots while TV Langen had problems creating good shots. TV Langen was in the hole, but found some daylight in the last few minutes as ex MLP Academics Heidelberg guard Risto Vasiljevic got aggressive getting in the lane for 4 points while Pons also added a lay in, but Orange Academy had the commanding 36-19 after 10 minutes. Orange Academy was shooting 57% from the field and 60% from outside and had 13 rebounds and 1 turnover while TV Langen was shooting 47Y% from the field and 40% from outside and had 4 rebounds and 4 turnovers. “The first 5 minutes were the most important in the game. We had to hit them first so they couldn´t recover. We found our offensive flow right away and were strong on the rebound”, stated Teo Milicic. “We didn´t show enough energy or effort on the defensive end”, stated Jacob Washington.

Drago Crnjac from outside

Orange Academy continued to dominate the game in the second quarter as they were able to up their lead and lead 63-43 at halftime. TV Langen had a little run of 6-0 getting consecutive three´s from California native Jacob Washington and Pons and suddenly only trailed 40-27. TV Langen had sampled some extra self confidence, but were unable to hold that momentum. Orange Academy broke away again with a 11-4 run to lead 49-31. In their new run, they got some added energy from Swiss army knife Joel Cwik who has 1 easyCredit BBL game had 5 points while Dordevic and Dutch center Endurance Aiyemenkhue made an offensive rebound and putback. Orange Academy continued to do the little things better and just had more focus on the boards. TV Langen now was able to execute better, but couldn´t make any real ground as they couldn´t even string together back to back stops. On offense they got some key three´s from ex EN Baskets Schwelm guard Henk Droste and Washington and a running baby hook shot from Drago Crnjac. However Orange Academy simply had too many weapons as they got a trey from the other Milicic named Zoran who is 2 years older than Teo, but is also very talented. He nailed a three pointer while Namori Omog also scored who compares his game to Ja Morant has made the adjustment very well from Frankfurt to Ulm. In Frankfurt he was a bit in the shadow of Ivan Crnjac and Jamie Edoka, but in Ulm, despite being around more talent has found his niche and is one of the top 3 players with Teo Milicic and Meissa Faye. “I think key has been that everyone trusts me here. The coaches and teammates. A big change in my game is that I´m more patient here and not as impulsive. My balance of knowing when to attack and when to find my teammates is good”, stressed Namori Omog. Orange Academy shot 61% from the field and 53% from the three point line and had 18 rebounds and 6 turnovers while TV Langen shot 59% from the field and 53% from the three point line and had 7 rebounds and 12 turnovers. “We continued to have much pressure and didn´t let up. We remained aggressive and played well together. We saw good reads and attacked the weak side”, added Teo Milicic. “Faye continued to hurt us. He is a really good player at both ends”, added Jacob Washington.

Namori Omog with the runner

TV Langen had their worst scoring quarter in the third quarter and was punished by Orange Academy who erupted for 29 points and led very comfortably 92-56 after 30 minutes. Orange Academy began hot again going on a 13-3 run to lead 76-46. In the run, it was Teo Milicic who added 5 points and demonstrated his 3 level scoring with a trey and lay in while Faye added 5 points including a three pointer while Cwik also hit a trey. “Teo Milicic is very young and does a great job finding us. He has an incredible balance of staying calm and not forcing too much”, said Namori Omog. Teo Milicic had the Orange Academy offense in full control and did a great job finding his spots and not letting his team have any let downs. TV Langen made so many little mistakes as they had immense problems with Orange Academys brutal on ball defense. TV Langen then found some energy with 10 unanswered as Risto Vasiljevic scored 6 points and Drago Crnjac 4 as suddenly Orange Academy led only 76-56. TV Langen became more aggressive and attacked the paint area well while Orange Academy had their worst phase in the game losing a little focus, but it didn´t matter as they led by 20 points. Orange Academy showed how quickly they can steal the momentum back on their side as they put a clamp on the win for good early closing out the third frame with a brutal 16-2 run to lead 92-56. In the run, Orange Academy got continued aggressive play from Omog with 4 points while Zoran Milicic added 2 back to back three pointers to close out the quarter. “We continued to play our game and were in the flow. Even if they had a run, we were able to bounce back”, stated Teo Milicic. Orange Academy shot 53% from the 2 point area and 45% from the parking lot and had 30 rebounds and 9 turnovers while TV Langen shot 52% from the field and 47% from the parking lot and had 16 rebounds and 20 turnovers.

Risto Vasiljevic at the FT line

Even if TV Langen lost the game badly, they did close out the last quarter on a positive note out scoring Orange Academy 19-13. Jacob Washington had a strong phase scoring 3 baskets while Zoran Milicic scored inside and Milo Murray hit a trey. Cwik hit a trey for the 102-66 lead and had donut duty for making that feat. Meissa Faye had had a brutal dunk earlier in the game, but Teo Milicic definitely added one of the game´s most beautiful moments with a spin move and lay in for the 104-69 advantage. Is that something he can do in his sleep at age 17? “No no, I don´t do it in my sleep. I just read the situation well. It was a good move”, smiled Teo Milicic. “Teo is a very versatile player. He can make those types of plays”, said Namori Omog. TV Langen closed out the game strong with a 6-1 run powered by a Henk Droste lay in and free throws by Fabian Baumgarten, and by Vasiljevic. “We let up in the fourth quarter. We have to know that every point counts. We could of won higher. It annoys me that we played like that”, stressed Teo Milicic. Orange Academy was led by Teo Milicic with 26 points while Namori Omog and Meissa Faye added 20 points a piece while TV Langen was led by Jacob Washington with 24 points while Risto Vasiljevic added 17 points. Orange Academy shot 50% from the field and 47% from outside and had 37 rebounds and 15 turnovers while TGV Langen shot 49% from the field and 40% from outside and had 26 rebounds and 25 turnovers.