The preseason is always the first opportunity to view new players that come into the various leagues in Germany, Recently I was in Koblenz and observed a game between the EPG Baskets Koblenz and ex easyCredit BBL team Giessen 46ers. I could easily bet from the 8-10 Americans battling on the court that featured rookies and guys overseas for a few years, there would be a handful that have chips on their shoulders. There were guys on both teams that had had that ultimate Juco experience where they played in the fifth division and at that time the prospects of coming overseas then was as unrealistic it is now from proclaiming that Lonzo Ball will ever win a NBA scoring title. Of course, many guys make the next step from JUCO to the NCAA 2 or NCAA and then come overseas as both teams had those players. The talent on the court that day was immense, but one guy that really stood out for me was American Nigel Scantlebury (183-PG-2000, college: CCSU) of the Giessen 46ers. He had toiled in JUCO for a few years and then played at a lesser known basketball school and played his first 3 seasons overseas in lower leagues. He continues to grind moving up that basketball ladder and this season is ready to make the next step in Germany with Pro A team Giessen 46ers. “I feel like I had a chip on my shoulder since I was a kid. Grew up in environments where you had to be tough and you had to prove yourself. Having to go JUCO made the chip even bigger because I wasn’t heavily recruited in high school but the chip on my shoulder has helped me navigate through my career because I have a lot of confidence in my abilities I genuinely believe even now, I have not even scratched the surface on how good I can be. I believe I can play at the highest level I know the work I put in, and I believe in the tools God has given me to succeed”, stressed Nigel Scantlebury.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Nigel Scantlebury in Koblenz in August 2026

Nigel Scantlebury who lists ex Charlotte Hornet James Bouknight as his toughest cover in the NCAA was born on March 10th, 2000 in Rochester, New York. He got his first basketball experience playing with Greece Athena high school and played AAU basketball with the Rochester Area Players Stars. He reached the AAU final and picked up numerous honors in high school with HS First Team All-Monroe County -2016, 17, HS First Team All-Greater Rochester -2016, 17, HS All-State honors -2016, 17, and HS Monroe County Player of the Year -2017. However that success didn´t buy him a ticket to the NCAA, but instead had to pay his dues in JUCO. He played at Niagara County Community College averaging 6.0ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 48.2%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 75.6% and 14.3ppg, 4.1rpg, 5.3apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 47.6%, 3PT: 33.6%, FT: 75.4%. He made massive strides in his second season playing for head coach Bill Beilein. “Man, Coach B was what I needed. Just everyday building he was so important in my development because he understood me, him understanding me made it easier to challenge me everyday. I couldn’t imagine not have having him as my coach it was like a perfect match for me because we’re just alike, super competitive, hard working, and just want to get better every chance we get. Til this day he is still there for me, I love B”, stressed Nigel Scantlebury. JUCO is definitely an experience that he will never forget and have stored in his memory bank the way Bears do honey. “I loved the JUCO experience. It was tough but it was necessary I needed to go through it to get to where I am today. The relationships I built over those 2 years I will forever value. I still go up to my JUCO every summer I feel like it keeps me grounded because I have learned so much”, warned Nigel Scantlebury.

The New York native who lists Christian Jones, Ian Krishnan, Emir Kranijic, Hunter Anderson, and Matthew Lesch as his five best teammates of all-time then was rewarded for his tireless work in JUCO and played three seasons at Central Connecticut State University (NCAA) averaging 8.1ppg, 2.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 34.9%, FT: 76.4%, 13.4ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.5apg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 86.4%, and 10.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 3.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 41.9%, 3PT: 29.6%, FT: 85.7%. These three years were incredibly vital for his basketball development. “CCSU pushed me past my limits. I learned so much about myself and about life there. As a player I feel like I did not reach my full potential I left things on the table. I was still a good player but I know I could have done more. I was reliable player anything you needed done I would do it, came up big in big moments no matter what type of game I was having, but yes, lots of love for CCSU”, stated Nigel Scantlebury. In his first NCAA game, he battled top school UConn and lost 102-75 having a 4/2/5/1 game in 21 minutes. “I remember thinking to myself that I went from playing Eric Community College to playing UConn. We played great for the first 30 minutes of the game and then they made adjustments. Dan Hurley is a great coach that UConn team had some big-time players too, it was a good experience for sure”, said Nigel Scantlebury. He had so many massive games like exploding for 30 points against SFU, stroked FDU for 27 points and scored 25 points against Holy Cross. Was there a fondest moment at CCSU for him? “My fondest moment would be against FDU in the NEC tournament. I think we were the only game playing that day on TV so a lot of people tuned in. We were down 15 in the second half and we never had the lead in the whole game until the end. It was an exciting game, we had some big plays from our freshmen Trent McLaughlin, Dre Snoddy, Jayden Brown, Joe Ostrowsky, and our upperclassmen Tre Mitchell and Ian Krishnan made big plays as well. It came down to me hitting to free throws to win the game but without my guys none of it was possible”, remembered Nigel Scantlebury. He was also so fortunate to have been able to continue to develop his game further towards a pro career with head coach Patrick Sellers. “I am so proud of Coach Sellers what he has done for CCSU is amazing and it’s everything he said he was going to do and more. Coach Sellers introduced professional sets to me, so I was prepared when I came overseas. He made the environment as professional as possible. We had NBA personnel show up to practices, he always spoke about what it takes to become a professional”, commented Nigel Scantlebury. He was also lucky to have a great teammate in Zack Newkirk as their relationship went beyond the usual 1-1 battles in practice. “We didn’t play much 1-1 but our practices were so competitive. Zach made me a better player in 2 years, his approach to the game is what made him so special, doesn’t complain just gets the work done I try my best to be more like him”, expressed Nigel Scantlebury.

The speedy guard who lists Lebron James, Allen Iverson, Michael Jordan, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Durant on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore came overseas in 2023 and played his rookie season with BC Vera Tbilisi (Georgia-A League) averaging PPG-3 (20.8), 3.2rpg, APG-3 (7.2), SPG-2 (2.5), FGP: 47.0%, 3PT: 29.8%, FT: 75.0%. He had a shorter season coming in mid season and did he like most others Americans have a wake up call to being overseas? “I didn’t have a wake up call honestly, I knew what I was signing myself up for and no one forced me to do it. I just wanted to come in and make a good impression as a professional”, said Nigel Scantlebury. His second season was a real challenge with Slavia SPU Nitra (Slovakia-Tipos SBL) where he averaged 20.9ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 57.8%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 87.0%. The team began 0-9 and rapidly if a team isn´t winning, then an import can often become the scape goat. “It was tough and I felt like I did not fully settle in that is crazy to say given my numbers were good. As team we just were not ready to compete it was a tough situation. If anything, I think learned how to push through a rough patch, it was tough experience but controlling the controllable things is what got me through, regardless of the record my approach to the game was the same”, added Nigel Scantlebury. Last season he played with KK Zlatorog Lasko (Slovenia-Liga OTP banka) averaging PPG-1 (17.4ppg), 2.6rpg, APG-3 (5.9apg), SPG-3 (1.9spg), FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 30.2%, FT: 83.1%. He helped the club reach the playoffs, but they were swept by top team Cedevita. “It was a good experience to play against a prestigious club like that. I will remember how fearless we were especially being a young team. The difference was experience, high level players who played for a long time makes a huge difference. They know how to punish you off mistakes and make a ton of reads off one action”, remembered Nigel Scantlebury. He was teammates with top Slovenian junior player Gal Cop who recently won the 2026 U-18 Euro Gold. Both instantly formed a special relationship on and off the court. “I love Cop, that’s my little bro. He is as good as advertised and he’s only going to get better. What makes him special is ability to be coachable and when you add that with his talent and his fearlessness there is no limit for him. Overall, a great kid who comes from a great family”, said Nigel Scantlebury who didn´t see the sequel to the classic Coming to America, but knows that sometimes you have to leave classics alone.

The New York native who lists Lebron James as his GOAT is playing his fourth professional season in Germany for the Giessen 46ers and continues to live the special and unique basketball globetrotter life. “I think what I’ve enjoyed most about the overseas life is learning about new cultures and being in different environments. It has allowed me to be more open minded about trying new foods and things like that. Not really trying to be too cool for things trying to break out of my shell”, stated Nigel Scantlebury. Coming to Germany, he knew that there is a lot of talent that has come out of Germany and also had a friend play here with Dontay Caruthers. It wasn´t hard for him to join a historic organization like the Giessen 46ers who have incredible passionate fans and a great coach in Frenki Ignjatovic. “I heard nothing but great things about Giessen. From the fans to the city and culture everyone I spoke to about Giessen says it’s a great place to be. Really excited about the fans I am looking forward to being in passionate environment. Frenki is an old school guy straight forward approach it did not take much to convince me. I appreciate his vision getting Giessen back to the BBL and involving me to be as productive as I can be”, warned Nigel Scantlebury. So what kind of player will German basketball fans experience? He likes to add spices from many players in the NBA and outside, but if one had to make a comparison, he is a healthy mix of Jalen Brunson and Mike Conley. He is an explosive guard that cans core with the best of them, but also slip into the role of the classical playmaker, but is he more a scoring guard or a playmaker? “I am not sure what I would classify myself as I am more in the middle and I would also say it depends on the type of game I’m having but I can flip the switch at any time”, warned Nigel Scantlebury. He has no problem getting to the hole, but in what direction is his three pointer going to go in Germany? He shot 41% one season in the NCAA, but shot 30% in Slovenia last season. “I want to shoot better shots, having the ability to hit tough shots is nice but I think if I can start getting easier looks my percentage will be better”, warned Nigel Scantlebury. He has shown his playmaking qualities overseas and wants to continue to make strides in that areas with Giessen. “I want to find the perfect balance between being aggressive scoring wise and being a playmaker. I think I’m better all around when I’m aggressive not necessarily being aggressive to score but to be aggressive to be a threat. Having a lot of good players on the team this year will make it easier for me to play-make”, stressed Nigel Scantlebury. His offense may stand out in an instance, but he can impact a game just as well on the defensive end. “My defense is an underrated part of my game, even at my size I can do so much on that end of the ball. I would say I’m versatile I can switch 1-4 and guard the post, I’m smart enough to switch off at the right time, I can pressure the ball and play the passing lanes. I want to become a better communicator on defense I think that will improve my defense a lot”, added Nigel Scantlebury who will work most this season on catch and shoot as easy looks are good for the team. It will be interesting to see if he can make the next step in Germany. So far he has been able to be consistent everywhere overseas and it won´t be any different in Germany.