Toru Dean (183-PG, college: Langston) is a 183cm guard from Miami Florida playing his rookie season overseas with the TSV Bargteheide Bees (Germany-Regionalliga). He began his basketball career with South Miami High School and then played 3 seasons at Barry University (NCAA2) averaging 8.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.3apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 32.9%, FT: 65.1% and in his second season averaged 12.0ppg, 3.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 39.2%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 46.2%; and in his third season averaged 9.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 4.1apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 39.9%, 3PT: 31.7%, FT: 62.9%. He then finished at Langston University, OK (NAIA) averaging 10.3ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.5apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 46.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 81.0% and 9.4ppg, 4.3rpg, 4.1apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 29.3%, FT: 69.4%. He teams up every week with germanhoops.com to talk basketball.

Congrats Toru on the big 92-76 win against Lichterfelde. The team stays unbeaten. Does a win still feel as good as the first one? How do you guys keep it going?

Thanks! Yeah, winning never gets old. Every game is different, and we know teams are coming after us now, so we’ve got to stay focused. We just try to keep the same energy every week stay hungry, stay humble, and keep working.

Talk a little about the 40 minutes. Was the game as easy as the score makes it look?

Definitely not. Lichterfelde played tough and kept us on our toes early. We had to grind it out to find our rhythm. The score looks comfortable, but we had to earn it with defense and hustle.

How good does it feel not just to win, but to win by 15 when the team didn’t shoot great from three or at the line? Was this one won on defense and rebounding?

For sure. That’s what makes this win feel good-we didn’t shoot the ball well, but we still found a way. We locked in on defense, got stops, and crashed the boards hard. That’s how good teams win when shots aren’t falling.

What did you think of Emanuelk Mpacko’s performance? He dropped 29 and seemed unstoppable at times.

Man, he was on fire. He found his spots early and stayed aggressive. When a guy’s feeling it like that, you just feed him the ball and let him go to work.

The starting five had a great game, but the bench only added six points. Is that something the team’s thinking about?

Not in a negative way. Our bench guys are working hard every day and their time’s coming. It’s a long season-everyone’s going to have chances to step up. We’ve got full confidence in our whole roster.

You had another all-around game with 21 points, 6 boards, 5 assists, 3 steals, and a block. Do you think your versatility rubs off on your teammates?

I hope so. I just try to do a bit of everything to help us win. When everyone sees that kind of effort, it pushes us all to be more active and engaged. That’s when we’re at our best-when everybody’s doing a little bit of everything.

You went 1-for-5 from deep. Getting up some extra shots in practice this week?

Always. That’s part of the daily routine, but yeah, I’ll definitely get a few more up. It’s all about rhythm and confidence, it’ll come back.

Next game’s on Halloween against Charlottenburg both teams unbeaten. What’s the key to pulling out another win?

It’s gonna be a battle. They play hard and smart, so we’ll have to bring our best. Defense, rebounding, and staying composed will be huge. If we play our game and stay connected, we like our chances.

What was your favorite Halloween moment as a kid?

Probably running around the neighborhood with friends trying to get the most candy. We took it way too seriously back then! Just good times, costumes, candy, and a sugar rush that lasted all night.

Thanks Toru for the chat.