Robbie Beran (206-F-2000, college: Virginia Tech) is a 26 year old 206cm forward from Richmond, Virginia playing his second pro season and first in Portugal with FC Porto averaging 8,5ppg, and 4,4rpg. He began the season with the Niners Chemnitz averaging 8,5ppg, 2,8rpg and 1,3apg. Last season he played his rookie season with House of Talents Kortrijk Spurs averaging 9.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.1apg, Blocks-5 (1.3bpg), FGP: 42.1%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 76.6% in the BNXT League. He began his basketball career at Collegiate school and then played at Northwestern Universtiy (NCAA) from 2019-2023 playing a total of 120 games. He played one more season with Virginia Tech University (NCAA) averaging 5.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 56.8%, 3PT: 31.2%, FT: 78.8%. He spoke to germanhoops.com last summer about basketball.

Thanks Robbie for talking to germanhoops.com. Congrats on signing with the Niners Chemnitz. What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball?

First and foremost, thank you. I am extremely grateful and excited about the opportunity presented by the Niners! A tid bit of information that many people might not know is that I have extensive German roots. My maternal grandfather was August William Steinhilber, Jr., whose family hails from Baden-Württemberg. While I have always known of my mom’s German heritage, it is just within the past few years where I have really begun to look into my lineage and discovered how much German blood I have. After signing with the Niners, I jokingly told my family that I might have to go by Robbie Steinhilber in the hopes of earning a more favorable whistle!

Beyond my personal connection through family roots, I have developed a strong appreciation for Germany—not only for its rich culture and deep history, but also for its growing influence on the global basketball stage. I know the BBL is widely respected as one of the top leagues in Europe. The level of competition, quality of coaching, and the development of local and international talent speaks volumes about the strength and professionalism of German basketball.

Another thing that truly stands out to me is the incredible fan base across the league. Even though I just recently became a Niner, I’ve already felt the support online and through conversation – it is clear that basketball holds a real and growing presence in the country. I’m genuinely excited to get to Germany, embrace the culture, and get to work to help win games and bring a championship back to Chemnitz!

You had many reasons for joining the Niners Chemnitz like playing for a great coach with Rodrigo Pastore, playing internationally, having great fans and living in a historic city. How important was to you to have John Newman on board?

As you noted there were numerous reasons for joining the Niners. This is a place that checked a lot of my boxes, in a good situation to be able to continue to develop both on and off the court. While John is a great player and dear friend, and it will definitely be fun to share the court with him again, his being on the team was not a deciding factor. In fact, I did not really make the connection until after I decided to sign. With that said, John and I have great chemistry together on the court, and I am looking forward to playing with him again this season.

You have that winning mentality. How big do you see your leadership having a role for a new team that has won well the last years?

For me, winning is not just a goal; it is what fuels me. And I try to contribute in whatever way necessary to win. Of course, it is great when it’s your night and you got things rolling. But on nights when shots just aren’t falling, I focus on what else I can do to impact winning. And that is what I plan on doing with the Niners. For example, I have been told that I have a high basketball IQ. Regardless of what it is called, I try to have it benefit the entire team. And, I have a pretty vocal voice. You do not have to be a vet or captain to lead. You just have to have the mentality and team focus. I know that I can lead every single day through actions as well as voice. Of course, I will want to figure out the ropes but, once I settle in, I see me just being myself.

How did the talks go with head coach Rodrigo Pastore? What did you instantly appreciate about his basketball philosophy?

From the initial conversation with coach Pastore I knew that we possessed a similar basketball philosophy. In a nutshell, basketball is a simple game that requires focus and discipline. We talked about versatility within the game and how he sees my ability to impact the game on both ends. Yet, along with my strengths, coach pointed out how I needed to improve to be successful at this level. I appreciated his candor – I am not a finished product; there is still a lot that I can learn, and I think coach Pastore is someone that can help me reach that next gear.

Scoring isn´t everything. An interesting stat I noticed was that from your first year of college until now, you never averaged more than 10,0ppg. What kind of a role do you expect having with the Niners?

As I mentioned before, winning is the only thing that matters when I step on the floor. My role can change from night to night- but what will not change is my energy and effort on a consistent basis. Those are two things that I can and will control daily.

Let´s talk about your game. You’re a 206cm power forward. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description?

I’m not sure there is one person that I attempt to emulate. While watching the NBA there are a few guys that I have particularly watched to see how they use their body to create space, footwork, and different positioning. If I had to throw out a comp, I would point to Dario Saric and Boris Diaw, given their versatility on both ends of the court. It’s a tad ironic that these are two Europeans but growing up I was always told that my game would thrive out here. I take pride in making right reads, not forcing on the offensive end, and being active/engaged. These things might not pop or scream out with just a glance at statistics; but, watch tape and you will see the aspects of my game that do not pop on the stat sheet.

You love to take the three and love to defend, but are so much more than just having that 3 and D label. What other strengths does your game have?

I would like to think that I am an underrated playmaker. Using my size to not only see over the defense but to also have the versatility at my position allows for more wrinkles and just more ways to keep the defense off balance. I also open up the floor for my teammates to take advantage of the space I created. On defense I think my ability to wall up and not only block shots but also alter them is something that might be overlooked. This includes my ability to guard any position of the floor. Using my size to contain and keep quicker defenders in front but then also length and speed to frustrate an individual who might have the raw size advantage.

Your three pointer is a huge part of your game. How have you seen the development of your three pointer up to now? What do you still need to do to become a stable 40% shooter from outside?

The development of my three ball is something that’s been in the works since I was a child. One of my earliest “three memories” is pulling up in rec ball and my dad (who was the coach at the time) would say “NOOO” but couldn’t say anything after I drained it. As a high school freshman, I was solely a catch and shoot guy. Every offseason I would try to add a new little piece to my game. For example, sophomore year I added a one dribble pull up for when the defense came with a hard close out. And, this step-by-step improvement has continued to be my philosophy – constantly add little bits to my game. I always aim to get 1% better every single day.

You have taken a little more than half of all your shots from outside in your career. How vital is being a 3 level scorer for you?

I think that’s something that I am always trying to improve upon. The moment you become one dimensional, you become easy to guard.

Talk a little about your defensive game. You were the fifth best shot blocker in Belgium last season. Where do you see your defensive game at the moment and where do you still want to take your defensive game to?

Fifth? I would beg to differ with that placement… haha. Early in the season, guys challenged me on the break and ended up regretting taking it to the rim on me. But, slowly overtime when the word got out, it seemed to me that guys would stop their break and not challenge me at the rim. Our style and my position did not warrant me sitting in the paint, hunting blocks. And that hurt my chances for the block crown. But I maintain that I halted drives and altered numerous shots -items that do not show up on the stats. But, thanks for pointing out that I was 5th because you further motivated me to improve that aspect of my game. I also want to be more active on the defensive glass. I often boxed out an area but want to be more aggressive on reeling in the ball.

On what areas of your game are you working on most now so you can continue to improve your game?

I am far from a finished product. In fact, I want to improve every aspect of my game by at least 1% every day. Yet, there are certain areas that need additional focus. For example, driving and finishing strong at the rim is something that I must better incorporate into my game day performance – not just at practice. Using my bounce to grab more rebounds is another aspect of my game that needs extra focus.

You played your rookie season overseas with the House of Talents Kortrijk Spurs averaging 9.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.1apg, Blocks-5 (1.3bpg), FGP: 42.1%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 76.6% in the BNXT league. What do you remember being your wake up call to being a rookie where you that you were far away from home?

You will quickly learn that I am very candid. While not related to my stats, laundry was a proverbial wakeup call to the reality of life for me. After leaving the bubble that is the NCAA, I realized just how extensive the hand holding was for almost every aspect of college life, as well as how spoiled we were in so many ways. And one of the biggest life wake up calls was, of all things, laundry! I went 5 years without doing a single loop. So, the rookie Robbie had to quickly adjust – I had to do my practice and game loops every day… with NO DRYER! It became part of my daily routine – practice, come home, put my laundry in the washer, eat, hang laundry up to dry and repeat and repeat and repeat.

You played at Northwestern University (NCAA) from 2019-2023 playing a total of 120 games. How did you experience your 4 years there? What memories do you of reaching March Madness in 2023?

I could talk endlessly about my time and experience at Northwestern. I cherish all the memories and relationships built in Evanston. I grew not only as a player but also as person. It was the first time being away from home- 800 miles away. It may sound cliché but it’s genuine – the NU community became my second family. Northwestern, and the bonds I established there, hold a special place in my heart.

How vital was head coach Chris Collins in your 4 years there? How did he help you become the player that you are today?

Coach Collins contributed significantly to my growth as a basketball player and person. The man I am today is a large part attributable to him – both on and off the court. He allowed and encouraged all of his players to grow. Early in my freshman/ sophomore years, we (as a team) were young. We had to learn how to “win games”- meaning learn the smarts of how to close games. How to put teams away so they don’t have life but then also resilience to battle back and apply some game pressure on the flip side. Numerous times there would be a possession or two that would cost us the game. Everyone always talks about the last 2 minutes of a game. But Coach Collins helped instill the importance of every possession. A defensive lapse early in the game can kickstart an opponent to have a career night. Sloppiness running a set is an opportunity missed. For the most part games are won or lost in the details. During my junior year we started to piece things together. But not quite enough. But for a few bad bounces here and there, we likely would have made the tournament. But that wasn’t the case- we missed the dance by a few games. That was also the year that I graduated undergrad. And I had some outside voices telling me to transfer and all that. But I truly believed in the vision and how far we had come. We were right there; we just needed to get over the hump by working hard, believing in ourselves, being there for each other, and trusting the coaches and the process. And I knew we could do it. So, I ignored all the transfer advocates, and worked hard, believed in my God given abilities, was there for my teammates, and trusted the coaches and the process, all of which was rewarded with a March Madness dance!

How much of a role model is Pat Spencer in general? You played a season with him? He played in the BBL with Hamburg and a few years later reached the NBA

Pat and I played one season together. A main thing I took away from that year with Pat was how passion can elevate one’s game. Let’s face it, Pat was the GOAT in college lacrosse and could have been the GOAT in professional lacrosse. But, his first love was basketball, so he gave up lacrosse to pursue a basketball career. Pat was passionate about every aspect of the game that year. And he pushed all of his teammates, including me, to be passionate as well. With Pat at the point, we played fearlessly with great conviction.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Pete Nance?

We never really played ones but regularly matched up in practice. In the early years, Pete would kick my ass. If I was late on a rotation or helped in too much, he’d make me pay by knocking down an open shot. But I was able to learn and grow, and ultimately his shots were more and more contested and made less frequently; and I hit my fair share of shots against Pete. I’d like to think we challenged each other, making the other one an even better player. Pete is a great person on and off the court. I will always be a fan of Pete; he is like a brother to me.

You then played a fifth season with Virginia Tech University (NCAA) averaging 5.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 56.8%, 3PT: 31.2%, FT: 78.8%. You reached the NIT Sweet 16. How key was this extra season for your basketball game?

The fifth season helped me grow in a unique way. Having been granted an extra year of NCAA eligibility because of COVID, it was a no brainer for me to use that in the states in a way to help me prepare for a professional career. I knew professional ball overseas would be there for me the next year. And I wanted to use the extra collegiate year to prepare for my transition to professional basketball. Candidly, I was comfortable at Northwestern; I had been there for four years. It’s what I knew. Yet, I also knew I needed to step out of that comfort zone- similar to how I would have to enter new locker-rooms and adjust to new programs in a professional career. So, that’s exactly what I did. I entered the Virginia Tech locker room with a great group of guys. Virginia Tech was wonderful, allowing me to come back to my home state of Virginia and play in close proximity to family and friends. I am grateful that Coach Young and his staff gave me that opportunity.

Who was the toughest player that you faced in your career that reached the NBA?

Most likely, the toughest player that I personally faced that reached the NBA would be Keegan Murray, Zach Edey, or Ayo Dosunmu.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Boo Buie

Brooks Barnhizer

Chase Audige

Pete Nance

Armando Bacot

Please list your NBA Rushmore of past or present heads?

Bron, Kobe, Jordan, Timmy D

Who is your GOAT?

Bron

Thanks Robbie for the chat.