Pic Credit: Zibart.de

I have to be honest the excitement that I possess for the new Skyliners season is at an all-time high. The last years have been real tough times for the organization that even led to a season having to play in the second division Pro A. The ambitious for club owner Gunnar Wobke have always been sky high as he has never stopped striving for his dream of a fabulous state of the art arena since 20 years. The club formed a real deep and talented roster what they need to be able to compete in Eurocup, an international tournament that they last took part in in 2018. The build up to the first cup challenge against Science City Jena was big and the club that won the 2000 BBL cup, 2004 BBL title and 2016 Fiba Europe Cup didn´t disappoint overpowering them 94-63. It was a good start even if Science City Jena wasn´t themselves on this day. Fans were able to see how well the new players performed and one that didn´t disappoint was guard Judah Mintz (190-SG-2003, college: Syracuse). It didn´t take long for fans to see him score his first easyCredit BBL points as at the 9,54 minute mark of the first quarter, the Skyliners led 2-0. Mintz was super alert on the jump ball and showed that a big focus the Skyliners will practice this season is running. “Race Thompson and I made some eye contact shortly before the jump ball happened. We saw that Jena set up a wrong way. Race tipped the ball to me and Tommy Klepeisz just yelled go, go, go and I drove to the hole for the easy basket. It was a great way to start the game”, smiled Judah Mintz.

The Washington native who lists current Washington Wizard Jamir Watkins as his toughest opponent in the NCAA was more than content with how the Skyliners presented themselves in the overwhelming 31 point victory over Science City Jena. “It feels really good to win so big. The first half was a little rough, but we did a great job improving our will in the second half. I´m really excited for the season”, stressed Judah Mintz. Science City Jena somehow were only down by 5 points at the break despite having countless turnovers and didn´t impress anyone with their lack of team play, but in the third quarter came the Skyliners turn around and break out. I was about 5 minutes to early as I had predicted that Frankfurt would lead by 20 plus points by half-time, but instead they led 73-55 after 30 minutes. They produced a lethal 26-5 run and it seemed like a nasty basketball hurricane had swept through the arena. “We did a good job picking up our defensive intensity. We were disciplined on defense and got many stops. I think that if we can be able to consistently string along stops, then we will be good enough offensively to make teams pay”, warned Judah Mintz. He displayed many nice plays including showing his dangerous drive twice in a row during the 26-5 run scoring with massive authority getting to the rim. “I had some bad turnovers before that. I think I looked to much to pass when I should have been more aggressive. I think I showed just how well I can get downhill. I´m lucky that the players and coaches all trust me. That allows me to use my athleticism as best I can”, stated Judah Mintz.

He celebrated a stellar 2 year career at Syracuse (NCAA) averaging 16.4ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.5apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 46.7%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 76.1%, and 19.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 4.4apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 48.2%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 76.1%. He turned pro in 2024-2025 and had a productive rookie season with the Delaware Blue Coats (NBA G League) averaging 18.4ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.8apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 81.1%. Despite finishing his rookie season with explosive 45,40 and 36 point games in his last 6 games, he was never rewarded with a NBA call up. Maybe he should of tried one more year for the NBA, but instead he came overseas in 2025 and continued his development overseas and played with Glint Manisa Basket (Turkey-BSL) averaging 15.1ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 76.3%. He had huge scoring games with 32 points against Trabzonspor and 28 points against Petkim and showed that his game could be compatible to the overseas style. “The Turkish league was some adjusting to get used. I was usually one of the youngest on the court and played against former NBA players. I remember the style being very physical. The pace in the easyCredit is a little different. This league is also physical. I think that I learned to play through physicality in Turkey. I think that the BBL fits my game”, stressed Judah Mintz. He finished his first game in a Skyliners uniform having a stat line that read 14/2/4/4/2 and shot 50% from the field. He will get back to his roots again with the Skyliners as last season he had a different type of role in Turkey. “I was a two guard in Turkey. That was a lot different to what I was in college. I was a point guard at Syracuse and in the G-League. I learned to move more without the ball last season. My role this season is to run the show. I will have vets to help me like Ryan Archidiacono. I have enough veterans to lean on and am very excited to run the show”, commented the ambitious and aggressive defender Judah Mintz. He already showed his toughness and simplicity of being able to get to the basket, but there is another aspect of his game that he wants to improve this season. “I want to be able to hit shots at a higher clip. I want to score at all three levels. I showed that I can score in Turkey. I also want to get everyone on the team involved in order to elevate my career”, warned Judah Mintz. He has shown his tricks on the court, but how has he come to terms with off court life in beautiful Germany? Has he tried any of the incredible food and drink like apple wine? “My coolest experience so far was going to a festival in Frankfurt that was along the Main river. I haven´t tried the apple wine yet. I actually do a lot of cooking myself. I like to cook pasta like spaghetti and lamb chops”, smiled Judath Mintz. He may be a chef in the making in the kitchen, but his biggest priority is being the best chief possible in the Skyliners offense.