It had been almost six months since the Fraport Skyliners Junior last graced the BCM floor in Frankfurt as they had problems with Alba Berlin´s farm team Lok Bernau getting swept and thus ending their season. It was a long summer, but it was finally time again for the young team to battle again on their home court. Some things had changed as Germans Armin Trtovac and Garai Zeeb had departed as well as Swedish athletic beast Elijah Clarance who was loaned to Dutch team Den Bosch. Head coach Sebastian Gleim also had made the next jump to head coach BBL club Fraport Skyliners. However there were many familiar faces still around like big German talents Len Schoormann and Maxi Begue as well as the elder gentleman Tobias Jahn. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were home for their first game in their living room and met the Baunach Young Pikes who had played a dismal Pro A season and landed in the Pro B. Both teams suffered tough loses in their openers to Giessen and Speyer and were reeling for some kind of successful experience to get their season on track. It was a battle of young Germans as both teams had an average team age of 19 and the guests boasted four players from the 2019 NBBL final team of Breitengussbach with the Tischler twins, Elias Baggette and Moritz Plescher. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were severely weakened as their two Germans Len Schoormann and Maxi Begue were out as was American Nigel Pruitt while Baunach also had the injury woes as Nicolas Wolf, Kai Brunke and Daniel Keppler were also out. It was one of those games where the Baunach Young Pikes were always leading and the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were uncapable of getting over the hump being frustrated losing 77-67. “Losing Nico Wolf was tough for us. We wanted to come together and did. We defended well for the first three quarters. We always had good answers for Frankfurt. It was a good win for our guys”, stated Baunach head coach Mario Dugandzig. Jaz Bains from England made his professional basketball debut for Frankfurt and is confident that the team will turn it around. “We have a nice young team. Our chemistry is off a bit, but when we continue to play more together, it will get better. We need to pick up our defense. It will come. We didn´t do a good job keeping the game close at the start. If we can do that then we will be able to keep the game close and have have a better chance of them making more mistakes”, stressed guard Jaz Baines. “We did a good job minimizing our mistakes on offense and defense. We followed coaches game plan and defended solid even when we weren´t scoring so much on offense. We shared the ball and always had the momentum”, expressed ex s.Oliver Wurzburg guard Marvin Heckel.

                Baunach had a very physical team and Frankfurt wanted to get their big man going early with Aaron Kayser who made a nice tip in dunk and made a left handed lay in to cut the Banach lead to 5-4. Baunach had began to shoot well getting a trey from Heckel and a jumper from 2019 NBBL finalist Moritz Plescher. Baunach kept the lead thanks to their athleticism and quickness as they took advantage of the penetration as 2019 NBBL finalists Elias Baggete and Brandon Tischler scored for the 13-8 advantage. Frankfurt was not only having problems stopping the Baunach penetration, but also couldn´t match the Baunach intensity on the glass. Jaz Bains made his first professional basket with a running hook shot as he was perfectly fed by ex Ehingen German Tobias Jahn to cut the Baunach lead to 13-11. However the Baunach Young Pikes closed out the first quarter with a 8-0 run to lead 21-11 and they would never look back. In the run, the Bavarian club got solid support from Marvin Heckel who couldn´t do any wrong on this night as he scored six points including a jumper, lay in and free throws. Baggete scored the last Baunach basket as they continued to take advantage of the cracks in the zone. “Frankfurt didn´t do a good job getting into their sets and Baunach played good transition basketball”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Leon Kratzer. The Baunach Young Pikes shot 73% from the field and 100% from outside and had 12 rebounds and 7 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 29% from the field and 0% from outside and had 4 rebounds and 1 turnover.

                The Baunach Young Pikes continued to control the game in the second quarter and led by as much as 15 points. Baunach had a nice offensive rhythm and quickly got early baskets from ex Ludwigsburg forward Mateo Seric and Marvin Heckel while Frankfurt also was experiencing inconsistency from the free throw line as Baunach led 25-13. Frankfurt had problems with the Baunach on ball pressure and couldn´t hit the ocean while not having that much needed go to guy. Basketball wouldn´t be basketball with out a run and the Fraport Skyliners Juniors finally had one as ex FC Bayern Munich guard Bruno got going nailing a trey and made a lay in while Jaz Bains also connected from outside cutting the Baunach lead down to 27-21. Even if Frankfurt got some offense going, the Baunach Young Pikes always had the right answer to combat their runs. Baunach closed out the second quarter with a lethal 10-3 run to have the 37-24 advantage at the break. Frankfurt was inconsistent and couldn´t prevent the guests from getting easy buckets on transition. In the run, the Baunach Young Pikes got key transition baskets from Moritz Plescher and Brandon Tischler and Swedish big man Felix Edwardson who played 75 Pro A games with Baunach nailed a three pointer. “Frankfurt wasn´t getting into their sets well and weren´t moving the ball well- They also were unable to find the mis matches and weren´t aggressive on the boards”, stressed ex Auburn(NCAA) standout Quantez Robertson. The Baunach Young Pikes shot 48% from the field and 33% from the three point line and grabbed 24 rebounds and had 10 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 33% from the field and 22%from the three point line and grabbed 11 rebounds and had 6 turnovers.

                The Fraport Skyliners Juniors played their best three minutes of basketball of the game at the start of the third quarter as they raced out on a 9-2 run to cut Baunach´s lead down to 39-33. In the run the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by 19 year old 197cm guard Bruno Vrcic who added 5 points and made a nice assist for a Cosmo Gruehn lay in. ex Chemnitz center Aaron Kayser also played heads up catching an air ball and making the lay in to cut the Baunach lead to 39-33. Baunach was very sloppy in this phase not taking good care of the ball. Frankfurt stepped up their defense and Vrcic got going again. But every time where Frankfurt made a run, Baunach could counter it going on a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 46-35. Baunach got big time production from young 19 year old big man Leon Bulic hit a trey and scored in the paint while Baggette found his way to the hole again using his quickness to his advantage. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors found some day light in the last minutes and closed out the third quarter with a 8-4 run as once again Bruno Vrcic carried the team netting five points. The Baunach Young Pikes still had the comfortable 50-43 advantage after 30 minutes. “We did a good job never letting them get into an offensive rhythm. We were able to stop their momentum with time outs or defensive stops”, added Marvin Heckel. “We had a good start, but they always hit big shots when they needed to”, stressed Jaz Bains. The Baunach Young Pikes shot 43% from the field and 29% from the parking lot and hauled down 34 rebounds and had 16 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 38% from the field and 29% from the parking lot and hauled down 20 rebounds and had 11 turnovers.

                The Baunach Young Pikes began the fourth quarter with a bang with a 8-2 run to extend their lead to 58-45 and they would never look back. In the run, Baunach received hot shooting from Plescher and Seric who nailed three´s and Baggette once again made the paint area his very own playground as he split the defense and made an easy lay up. Baggette did a superior job leading the offensive charge as the Baunach Young Pikes offense was like a well oiled ship. Despite a Konstantin Schubert basket, Baunach continued to light up the score board as Brandon Tischler and Marvin Heckel dropped three pointers for the 65-49 advantage. But the Fraport Skyliners Juniors had one last gasp of energy as they went out on a 8-0 run to cut Baunach´s lead down to 65-57. It was typical of Frankfurt on this evening as they lived off offensive spurts the whole game, but couldn´t find more consistency over longer stretches of the game. In the run, Frankfurt got a turn around shot from Aaron Kayser, a lay in by Kontstantin Schubert and another trey by Vrcic. The Baunach Young Pikes stayed calm and just continued to execute well their offensive sets as Brandon Tischler and Mateo Seric scored giving Baunach the 69-59 lead. In the last few minutes Marvin Heckel closed the door on Frankfurt with 7 points while Frankfurt just couldn´t get over the hump which was the problem all night long. “We hit our three pointers well and that is when they broke”, stressed Marvin Heckel. The Baunach Young Pikes were led by Marvin Heckel with 23 points. Mateo Seric added 12 points and Brandon Tischler and Elias Baggette contributed 10 points a piece. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Bruno Vrcic with 21 points. Aaron Kayser produced 14 points and Konstantin Schubert added 11 points. The Baunach Young Pikes shot 50% from the field and 44% from outside and had 39 rebounds and 19 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 39% from the field and 32% from outside and had 26 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

You have to wonder how that first encounter was last summer when the Canadian national basketball team met and Fraport Skyliners head coach Gordon Herbert and Brady Heslip said hello? Did Herbert say in his dry tone “No hard feelings” or just give his charming chuckle and smile and ask if he played any defense with team Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyesi (Turkey-BSL) which he joined after being released by Frankfurt in early 2019. His offense was spot on as always as in 12 games he averaged 13.0ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 37.0%, 3PT: 45.6%, FT: 86.7%. In Frankfurt his defense wasn´t spot on which helped in the club not having the type of defensive presence and identity that Herbert would have liked to have had and had been used to in the last years. Only a few years ago, the Fraport Skyliners belonged to the top defensive teams in the BBL year in and year out giving up somewhere around 68-69 points per game, but last season it was a disappointing and pathetic 82 points. There were many factors that led to this as the team as a whole wasn´t on the same page and their late strength of having immaculate rotations had gotten lost somewhere between the players parking lot and the court. In his career with Frankfurt, Gordon Herbert has been very successful in reeling in players especially point guards like a Wood, Cobbs or Theodore, but one had to wonder what he was thinking when he picked up Brady Heslip in the summer of 2018. Was he blinded by his amazing three point shooting that hindered him from realizing that one doesn´t play defense in the G-League? The club missed the playoffs for the second time in the last three seasons and the last straw was having the German Bachelor in the squad which is something that he probably never really understood and even if he never said it publicly one could sense that he had had enough for now. He finally got his chance to be associate head coach of the Canadian national team at the 2019 World Cup and now will be head coach for the next window qualifying games, but will return back to Frankfurt in 2021. In the meantime, the question will be can the Fraport Skyliners rebound from a less than satisfactory season with new head coach Sebastian Gleim and find back to their old defensive success and reach the playoffs again. The good news is that Gleim is known for shaping defensive teams which he did at lower levels like the Pro B and NBBL, but will he have the same kind of success rate at the high level easyCredit BBL?

            It has been no secret that for years and years, the Fraport Skyliners have never been lucky with having sufficient money in their budget for getting the best players possible, but is something the club has gotten used to. Before the club set out to test the waters, they did a good job keeping some of their core players from last season. Most importantly having the Skyliner legend Quantez Robertson on board is always big and everyone will first realize what it is like when he one day is gone and only his jersey remains under the arena ceiling. He is the captain Mr everything and the anchor on defense and he will need to play extended minutes and fill the stat sheet for the team to be successful. EX German cup winner with Alba Berlin Akeem Vargas also remained and is known for his aggressive and pest like on man defense. He is limited on offense and will have to play consistent defense for the club to return back to their defensive ways. The biggest surprise last season and most improved player was German Leon Kratzer. He went from 3,4ppg an 3,3rp with s.Oliver Wurzburg in the 2017-2018 season to averaging 9,4ppg and 6,5rpg with Frankfurt which was 5^th best in the BBL. He can be unstoppable in the zone and now he has to become that always dominant player which he can. He shoots over 60% from the field and important this year will be to up that even more, reduce his fouls and practice more free throws. Marco Voeller also remained and will be going into his fourth season. He is the type of player that every coach loves and wants, because he leaves his jersey on the court every night. He isn´t the most talented player, but will fight, be physical and get rebounds and score on occasion while filling up space in the zone. The big question mark this season will be can German Richard Freudenberg finally make his break through. Everyone including himself was hoping for it last season, but once again it didn´t happen.  The kid is so talented and has the skill set to become a very good player, but his game is like night and day. One night he is on top and the next night makes mistakes that will give any coach grey hairs. He has to become consistent. If he can be that, then it will immensely help this team with their depth.

            With so many problem players last season plus not being able to keep scorers Jason Clark or Tyler Larson, it was obvious that the team would engage in a massive house cleaning this summer. The team hauled in seven players and with the quality did a pretty good job with the minimal budget that they have. Probably the best signing was scoring ace Lamont Jones who is a lethal scorer as he was third best scorer in the NCAA with Iona as a senior at 22,6ppg, was fourth best scorer in the BBL with MBC at 17,6ppg and second best scorer in Japan at 23,9ppg with the  Kumamoto Vorters. He will be the go to guy this season and be hungry to rebound from his satisfactory and not great season in Ludwigsburg. He will have to be infected with Frankfurt´s team play and remember that there are other scorers as well. The most important signing is always the point guard. In the past, the Fraport Skyliners have had probably more luck than misery with their signings. In the last years probably the most forgettable signing was Kwame Vaughn and now the club hopes that Anthony Hickey can continue to keep the good Frankfurt point guard tradition alive. Even if he is a very good scorer leading the Polish league was and second in Cyprus, he is probably best known as being a defensive steal specialist. His consistency started in the NCAA at Louisiana State and Oklahoma State where he never had less than 1,8spg and carried right on over into the pro ranks as he has been a top the steal leader in every league and led the Cyprus league. Probbaly the most interesting pick up has been rookie Matt Mcquaid. BBL teams don´t usually sign an influx of rookies, but when they do, it is well thought out decisions. The American played at Michigan State and one would have to search the Skyliners archives to find a player that came from a better NCAA school than him. He comes from the Tom Izzo basketball school and is very versatile that can shoot and was his school´s best defender helping them reach the 2019 NCAA Final 4. Plus he has an amazing basketball IQ for his age. He has adjusted slowly to the BBL, but will with time.

            The club´s first signing was Shaquille Hines who played at  UTRGV (NCAA,) and brings a season of BBL experience to Frankfurt with the Basketball Loewen Braunschweig (Germany-BBL) playing 34 games averaging 8.2ppg, 4.6rpg, FGP: 53.8%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 66.1%. He is a solid scorer averaging double figures in Sweden and Greece and is an excellent defender. He will be a very vital puzzle piece for the club having defensive success again. Especially if the rotations want to function again, he will have to be able to guard the bigger players. Another pick up was veteran guard Daniel Schmidt who has won the most titles from any player on the roster with 6 as he spent 9 seasons with Brose Bamberg, but never really made his break through there, but was able to gain valuable experience and play Euroleague. He is a good pick and roll player and can shoot and is a guard that just won´t do anything he can´t do. He will be the back up point guard and will be able to lead the team in the minutes he is on the floor well something he learned playing behind top guards in Bamberg. The most exciting pick up was German guard Bruno Vrcic. He came from FC Bayern Munich. He knows how to win having won two NBBL titles, a Albert Schweitzer International Tournament  title and a Bronze at the 2019 U-20 European championships. He played 32 Pro B games with Munich and at the age of 19 still has a lot of potential. He will have a double license and will see quality minutes in the BBL: His best attribute is his shot, but he has an overall good game that will only get better working on a daily basis with the leagues best individual coach Klaus Perwas. The last signing was veteran Adam Waleskowski who brings 9 years of BBL experience with him and played the last 8 years in Ludwigsburg. No one should dare to say that he is over the hill at age 36 as last season he still put up respectable stats of  8.0ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 45.8%, 3PT: 41.2%, FT: 53.5%, 3.3rpg, FGP: 56.3%, 3PT: 21.2%, FT: 83.3%. His best asset is his great character, a team player that every team needs. He is a versatile inside/out player that may not be the quickest anymore, but his experience and role model qualities will be huge for Leon Kratzer and Aaron Kayser.

On paper the roster looks really good. The question will be how well will they perform and how well can head coach Sebastian Gleim construct a team chemistry that will be potent and successful? A strength again will be the defense especially on the perimeter. Before the 2018-2019 season, Gordon Herbert preached those words, but was let down, but this season the duo of Quantez Robertson and Anthony Hickey could be among the top steal getters and guard defense tandem that the BBL will see. Not to mention putting the rookie Matt Mcquaid into the equation as an additional pest as well as the always aggressive Akeem Vargas will make the Frankfurt Skyliners a very very scary team to approach in the back court. The competent defense won´t stop there as down low, the club will make it very tough for opponents to get room and good shots when you have a potent shot blocker in German Leon Kratzer and a good off the ball defender and can match the quickness of smaller guards with Shaquille Hines. Freudenberg will bolster the defense inside as well as the physicality of Marco Voeller on the pick and roll will help from the bench. Defense won´t be the problem and they will definitely have their moments on the offensive end, but can they be consistent? One can´t expect consistent scoring from a Quantez Robertson, but guys like Jones and Hickey should be able to score consistently and carry the offensive load. The team will have enough other players like Mcquaid, Hines, Kratzer and Waleskowski who will be able to give their support with the scoring. The team also should be a better than average rebounding team. With Kratzer holding down the fort and having guy like Freudenberg and Hines giving support down low and guards like Robertson and Hickey crashing the boards, the team should be able to hold their own when controlling the boards.

So where will the Fraport Skyliners land this season. On paper they are a boarder line playoff team, but it all comes down to staying healthy and being able to build chemistry and as Gordon Herbert loves to preach, “it´s all about getting better each day”. There are some question marks that have to be addressed. Can Quantez Robertson continue to soak up massive minutes in the 30-40 range. It would be fatal for him to get an injury. Will Anthony Hickey not only be able to be that lethal and consistent scorer, but will he also be able to be a keen playmaker that will be able to make his teammates better? Possibly the club´s most important quality that they will need to possess is having Richard Freudenberg to finally find his game and groove and perform the way everybody has been waiting for. With German Niklas Kiel out for the season and his career on the line, Freudenberg gets the big opportunity to get more minutes. The German who played at St Johns(NCAA) and seemingly hasn´t been able to put his poor season in New York to rest needs to step up not only for the club Fraport Skyliners, but also for himself. If he has another average or below average season, then that could be it for his BBL career as the Pro A would be the next option. The good news is that the Fraport Skyliners have never given up on him and believe in him and his abilities. All the kid needs to do now is finally show some consistency on the court. A break out season by Richard Freudenenberg could be the difference between squeaking into the playoffs or not. The Fraport Skyliners will finish somewhere between position 7-13.

Jackson Trapp is a 27 year old 193cm guard that was born in Tallahassee, Florida and is playing his first season with the Uni Baskets Paderborn. He brought professional experience to Germany having played in Canada with the Island Storm and with the Yakima Sun Kings (TB). He played at Florida Atlantic (NCAA) from 2012-2016 playing a total of 118 NCAA games. His best season was his junior year where he averaged 10.1ppg, 3.2rpg, FGP: 53.9%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 83.3%. He spoke to germanhoops.com earlier in the summer

about basketball. 

Jackson thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how was your summer? 

Not a problem at all, I am currently In Paderborn. My summer was good, just did a lot of training with my brother who is a basketball trainer in Orlando.

Congrats on making it overseas after struggling as a professional in your first three seasons. How difficult was the grind in the past and what have you learned from the whole experience?

Thank you! And there have been many ups and downs the past three years. I have learned to always stay positive, no matter what life throws at you. When one door closes another one opens. After I left Canada I ended up being very happy with my move to Washington to play for the Sunkings, I met several guys that I will carry on to know the rest of my life. 

How tough was the struggle playing in a few games in your first two professional seasons in Canada. Were you totally overlooked getting a chance in Europe or was the correct representation missing? You had a solid career in the NCAA at Florida Atlantic that should have gotten you a chance a lot earlier.

Well I actually ended up getting hurt my rookie year in Canada. I broke my foot towards the end of training camp. The coach there, Joe Salerno, seemed to like the player I was, and decided to keep me on the IR for the few months I was out. Unfortunately I rushed back into things too quickly and was only able to play two games before being let go. I had an agent that was not the right fit for me, so after I got injured there were not many options at all that following summer.

Congrats on signing with the Uni Baskets What was different this summer in the search for a team? How thankful are you that you landed in Germany with the Uni Baskets?

Thank you! At the start of summer I did not have an agent, so I reached out to hundreds of them within a month or two, hoping for a few that would be interested in finding a spot for me. Fortunately there were 5-7 of them that were really interested in me, and helped me get looks all around the world. I am very thankful that I was able to land a spot here in Paderborn. 

What do you know in general about the country Germany and it’s basketball? Have you had any friends, ex opponents or ex teammates play in Germany besides Justin Raffington?

Honestly, I did not know too much about it, except for the fact that it follows the ‘European’ style of play, with a lot of screens and a lot of movement. They focus less on 1 on 1 and athletic ability, and use their basketball IQ to play better team basketball. Yes, I know several players playing in the BBL, ProA and ProB. 

How enticing was the offer from Paderborn and what was the main reason for you wanting to play for this organization?

It was an offer that was hard to turn down, in large part due to the fact that Pro A is such a reputable league around the world. I had many offers throughout Europe, but decided to turn down them for that reason.

Did Grant Benznger help you with the adjustment period? His dad was a well known baseball player and your dad was a professional football player so I imagine you guys could relate to each other well.

Grant has been a great teammate in this first month here in Paderborn. He has definitely helped with several things that I have had to deal with in this ‘adjusting’ period of moving to Europe for the firs time. And yes, I just discovered that his dad played pro baseball! My dad actually did too briefly along with football, but my dad is significantly older than his haha. 

How important has your dad been Richard for your overall development as an athlete? How do you feel has his experience helped you in becoming that special athlete?

Honestly my whole family has been a huge impact on me and the player that I am today. When I was younger, before I knew what work ethic was, it was both my mom and dad that on a daily basis made sure that I was working, no matter how much I did not want to, and I can’t thank them enough for that. In the past 5-7 years or so, although my parents are still a large influence, it has been my brothers, especially the one that currently is a basketball trainer, that have kept me on track. I would not be where I am today without all of them. So thank you TNT Hoops in Orlando and the rest of my family for making me the person and player I am today.

How have you experienced your short time in Germany with Paderborn? The team has a very nice point guard duo with the very experienced Demetrius Ward and talented youngster Kendale Mccullum and nice fitting parts with Germans and a strong shooter with Grant Benzinger. What kind of team is it and how competitive do you feel will it be?

I think we have developed a lot in the past month already. Demi is an experienced guard who knows how to control the pace of the game and never gets flustered by the defense or any runs the other team may make, which is huge for a somewhat young team like ours. Kendale is a very good point that plays older than he is. He is extremely fast and is really good out of the pick n roll, making him extremely difficult to contain. On top of that both Demi and Kendale are good defenders. Add that with the shooters and skilled, experienced big men we have, and we should be a really good team. In terms of how competitive we can be, I would just say that out of the four ProA teams we have played so far, there is not one that I don’t think we can’t beat when it comes time for the season.

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a 190 cm guard that has a nice versatile offensive game. For those that want to get an impression of your game, to what NBA player would you compare your game best to?

I like to see myself as a more versatile JJ Reddick. We are about the same height, weight, and neither of us are highflying dunkers. I love coming off screens and I have a very quick release. But when guys close out too hard I can drive to the basket and either finish or kick out. 

What kind of role do you have? You are also a very good shooter. How do you feel do you compliment your teammate Grant Benzinger best?

Right now we are still figuring out the roles. Coach has told me that I have the green light to shoot whenever I am open, whether it is in the half court or in transition. Unfortunately I have not been able to play with Grant yet because of his injury, but I know he is a good shooter. The more shooters you have the easier things become on the offensive end and even the defensive end. 

What other strengths does your game have besides shooting that will help the Uni Baskets be successful this season?

I believe I am good at penetrating to the basket when guys close out too hard. I also believe I have good 1 on 1 defense. On top of this I believe I am an unselfish player. 

You played last with the Yakima Sun Kings and was the best three point shooter in the league. How do you feel did you make extra strides in your shooting this summer that will help your shooting make the transition to the European game?

I am always shooting. As I mentioned before, I am very fortunate because my brother is a basketball trainer back where I live in Orlando. I believe the best way to become a great shooter is by repetitions. I would make sure that 5 days a week that I shoot anywhere from 700-1500 NBA 3’s a day, whether it be in workouts or on my own. On a daily basis, once I felt my shot had become ‘automatic’, I would continually shoot quicker and quicker until it became natural.

You’re a guy that can fill the stat sheet well, but what do you feel is a hidden strength in your game that still somewhat is off the radar for many?

I believe my defense is a hidden trait that many don’t know about. 

You played last summer at the well known Basketball tournament. What kind of experience was that for you and how did you do?

It was an awesome experience and got to play with a lot of talented guys. We ended up losing in the regional finals (Sweet 16) to the team that had won the previous four years, Overseas Elite. We were up 6 going into the 4th quarter but ended up short.

Your were teammates with Robert Nortman a guy who had to play many seasons in Canada before getting a chance in Germany. What memories do you have of him there?

Rob is a great guy. He actually was my Roomate during the time I was there. We had a lot of fun playing video games each day after long practices.

As a rookie you played two games for the Island Storm (Canada-NBL) and the next season didn’t play at all. Why didn’t your career take off in Canada?

I broke my foot towards the end of training camp. Next season I ended up joining the Yakima Sunkings in the TBL.

How important was it getting a chance with the Yakima Sun Kings and playing well there? How did this experience help your self confidence and get you ready best for that next step?

It was huge. The league, the TBL, is a brand new league and I would recommend any American to that needs a start to their career to take a look there. We had a great coach there in Paul Woolpert, along with a ton of teammates that I played really well together with. Helped me build my confidence and made me realize the type of player I can be.

You played at Florida Atlantic (NCAA) from 2012-2016.Despite not winning any titles there, what was your fondest memories there?


I also met a ton of great guys at FAU. I had some good coaches that I learned a whole lot from over my four years there. My fondest moment had to be our 24 point comeback against Louisiana Tech and my game winning 3 I hit with 2 seconds left. 

You played against powerhouse North Carolina in your first NCAA game losing by 24 points and netting 2 points in 5 minutes. You played against countless future NBA players. What will you remember most from that first NCAA battle?

That game got me prepared for the rest of my career at FAU. There’s a reason that coaches at mid majors like scheduling bigger schools to play against at the very beginning of the season (besides the money), and that is to set the tone for the rest of the season, and that’s what that first game did for me. The atmosphere in general is what I will remember most there. 

In your first senior game you lost to Michigan State but scored 10 points had 7 rebounds and three assists. How far do you feel had you come from that first game against North Carolina as a player?

It had been three years, So I had developed a lot as a player. But another huge difference in those games was my confidence. I knew I was the senior captain of the team and had to lead by example and go all out in order to set the tone for the rest of the guys

What kind of relationship did you have with German Justin Raffington? Do you plan on meeting with him again in Germany?

Justin is great guy. I have had a lot of great memories with him in our years at FAU. If we are ever near each other we will for sure be seeing each other.

You played for two head coaches in the NCAA for MIke Jarvis and Michael Curry. How did each guy help groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

Coach Jarvis taught me a lot about discipline and helped me a lot on the offensive end. Coach Curry was a defensive specialist and brought a lot of his knowledge from the NBA to us guys at FAU. 

Who won a one on one you or Nick Rutherford?

Haha we never got a chance to play each other 1 on 1!

Who has been the toughest player that you battled in the NCAA or in the gym that is in the NBA or in Europe?

That is tough. I have played against a lot of great players. I would say playing against Rodney Hood when we played Duke was very tough in large part because I was so young. Austin Rivers is a guy I grew up with and to this day is still one of, if not the toughest, players I have ever had to guard.

Please list your five best teammates of all-time?

This is tough! I would have to say Javier Lacunza from FAU and Lance Stokes who I played with in high school because they are some of my best friends today, but there are so many other factors in this that it hard to make a decision, so I will have to pass.

Please name your personal own NBA Rushmore. Which four heads would you pick past or present for your list?

Lebron, Jordan, Bill Russell, Kareem

What is your personal opinion of the never ending debate of who is the greatest of all-time Michael Jordan or Lebron James?

I would have to say Lebron because he is the most valuable player of all time. But, full disclosure, I am biased because I was too young to really watch Jordan back in his prime.

What was the last movie that you saw?

Just watched ‘Role Models’ because it was on Netflix.

Thanks Jackson for the chat.

Tanner Graham is a 201cm forward from Kingston, Ontario playing his rookie season in Germany with Pro A team Tigers Tuebingen. He contributed 5 points in 12 minutes in his Germany debut beating Artland 74-59. He began his career at La Salle SS and then played at Queen’s University (CIS) from 2014-2019 playing a total of 101 games. In his senior year he played 22 games averaging 15.9ppg, 8.2rpg, 3.0apg, 1.2spg, Blocks-5(2.0bpg), FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 74.4%. He spoke to eurobasket earlier in the summer about his basketball career.

Tanner thanks for talking to eurobasket.com. Where are you at the moment and how have you been enjoying your summer?

Thank you for reaching out to me. I am in my hometown of Kingston, Ontario, Canada at the moment. I have enjoyed my summer a lot thus far. During the week I train, which includes shooting, lifting weights, running and practicing with my University team (Queen’s). On the weekends I try to spend time with my friends and family.

Congrats on signing with German Pro A team Tigers Tuebingen. How did you experience your first professional transfer period? You signed very early. Did you have other offers?

Thank you, I’m looking forward to it! My first transfer period was a seamless transition and I owe a lot to Limelight hoops and my agent Ingo Wolf as Ingo made sure to explain every step of the process and answered every question I had. I feel like I learned a lot during this period, but I also realized there’s a lot more to be learned. Yes, I signed early. There were other German Pro A teams interested, however I felt the situation in Tubingen was ideal so I jumped at the opportunity to join this organization.

What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball? Have you had any guys ball in Germany that you know or have played against in the past?

I do not know that much about the basketball in Germany or the country itself to be honest. I have been trying to learn through the internet and by asking my agent questions that come up, however I imagine most of my learning will be done once I’m there and immersed in the culture. One of my coaches growing up (Nate Doornekamp) played in Germany as well as an alumnus of Queen’s that I have spoken to briefly. Everyone I have spoken to about playing in Germany has said great things about the basketball as well as the country itself so I am looking forward to this opportunity. 

Head coach Doug Spradley is really high on your abilities. What was the deciding factor that made you want to start your rookie season with the Tigers Tuebingen?

I wouldn’t say any one thing was a deciding factor, I think Tuebingen was an ideal location to start my career for many reasons. Speaking with coach Spradley certainly helped me make my decision as I had a conversation with coach Spradley and I believe our values lined up very well. I have only heard great things about coach Spradley and he has an impressive coaching résumé so I’m excited to be able to play for him.

You will be teaming up with German Sven Stammberger who you dueled once in a pre season game in 2017 which you won. He put up 29 points and you flirted with a triple double. Sven stated nice things about you. What does it mean for you to be teammates with the talented German?

Sven is a very talented player and his career in Canada speaks for itself as he attained a great deal of success. I am very excited to play alongside him as I always respected the way he played and his talent. However, I’m also excited for the impact that having another Canadian University player will have off the court. Moving to another country will be quite a shock for me as I’ve lived in Canada my whole life. Although I’m looking forward to embracing another culture it will be nice to know that Sven will relate to my situation as well.

Let´s talk about your game. You’re a very versatile 201cm forward that can fill up the stat sheet with ease. If you had to describe your game to an NBA player who would best fit that description?

If I had to pick one NBA player to compare my game to, I would have to pick Larry Bird. He was a versatile forward who could shoot, pass, rebound and defend very well. I think there are a lot of similarities between the way we play. I also look up to Larry Bird because he wasn’t the most athletic player by any means, but he is still one of the greatest players to ever play. I know I’m not the most athletic player but if I can use IQ and skill to my advantage than perhaps, I could take after Larry.  

What stands out quickly is that you a very good rebounder for 201cm. You really broke out in your second season at Queen´s with 7,3rpg. What has been your secret to being such a consistent and strong rebounder in Canada?

I have to give credit to my basketball and strength coaches at Queen’s. I came into Queen’s at 17 years old weighing 185lbs. With the help of the strength coaches at Queen’s I was able to gain nearly 40 lbs over my career. The strength and power that they helped develop has helped me in my rebounding. In addition, my basketball coaches really stressed how important possession of the ball is and there’s only two ways to gain or lose possession; turnovers and rebounding. I think my improvement in rebounding is also largely due to my coaches priority on rebounding.

You have been a solid three point shooter in Canada and shot 40% one time. Is there any thing special or different thing you will be doing this summer to continue to grow as a shooter?

I don’t plan on doing anything special. I have been, and plan on continuing, to take a lot of shots this summer. I’ve taken more shots this summer than I’ve ever taken before in this time frame. I want to be the best shooter I can be when I arrive in Germany.

You belong to the top shot blockers in Canada in the last three years. How do you feel did your defensive game grow in the last three years and do you feel like you can be that defensive stopper as a professional rookie?

I have always had good instincts for timing when to block an opposing player’s shot. However, I feel I was able to be one of the top shot blockers in USports because my defensive IQ grew while playing for coach Barrie at Queen’s allowing me to anticipate help-side blocks faster and know when to jump vs when not to. In addition, my development with the strength and conditioning staff at Queen’s also improved my athletic capabilities, which always helps when blocking shots.

I feel that my shot blocking may decrease at the professional level as the athleticism, knowledge, size and skill of my opponents will be higher, making it harder to block shots. However, I believe I will still be able to alter shots at the rim so although It may not get tracked on the scoresheet, I believe my defensive instincts as well as my development at Queen’s will still be valuable.  

   

You had a stellar 5 year career at Queens University. How would you sum up your career there and how do you feel did you profit most from having this experience?

I find it hard to sum up my own career, but I hope that my career as seen as an important in changing the culture of Queen’s Basketball. Before I came to Queen’s the team was consistently one of the worst teams in the league. With the guidance of Steph Barrie the program has now consistently been a top team in the best league in Canadian University basketball. I hope moving forward that the program can advance to be an elite team in Canada and that my career will have been a positive contribution to that process. I feel as though the most valuable aspect of my time at Queen’s was teaching me to be the best version of myself in all aspects of life. As this message was emphasized throughout the University and the athletics department.

You don´t only excel on the court, but were an ace in the classroom getting the Ken Shields award, but you also spent a lot of time volunteering for organizations such as Revved Up, which helps individuals with physical and mental challenges. Do you feel that your character would be what it is today had you not had this five-year experience at Queens?

My parents raised me exceptionally well and are people of amazing character. So, I believe they fostered me such that my character entering University was very high. For the most part my experience at Queen’s emphasized and prioritized the same messages my parents had instilled in me. During university I was more independent and was able to act more on these principles. So I think my character would be similar but Queen’s allowed me to improve and explore new opportunities. 

You really put up consistent stats, but your career wasn´t always great at Queens. There was a point where you were putting to much pressure on yourself as you were thinking too much about the future than the task at hand. How did head coach Steph Barrie guide you back to reality?

In my last year I was injured in the first game of the season. When I returned, I wasn’t playing as well as I wanted to. I’ve always placed a lot of pressure on myself to be successful, so this was difficult for me. I knew I wanted to play professionally after the season, and I kept thinking I wouldn’t be able to if I continued to play poorly. This made me play even worse and I wasn’t enjoying it anymore because playing was a stressor. Steph saw this was happening and we had multiple conversations about changing my mindset to return to playing for the joy of playing in the moment rather than the pressure of performing for the future. Steph gave me a book to read called ‘The Mindful Athlete’ by George Mumford. This book really emphasized the importance of staying in the moment and clearing your mind. This book as well as the conversations with Steph helped me turn my season around and enjoy my last season to a much greater degree.

You played together with brother Jesse for five years at Queens. You guys are best friends which can´t be said for all brothers. How vital was it having him as a teammate and brother and what do you remember being the most important experience you had with him in school?

My brother Jesse is my best friend and probably the most influential person in my life. I’ve been by his side for my entire life. I can’t remember a single experience as being the most important, I feel like just being around Jesse so often has been an important experience simply because his character and nature is so positive that just being around him has made me a better person. I will miss him while I’m Germany but we’ll be close no matter what.    

As a freshman you played against the great school Carleton. What memories do you have of playing then against the incredible Philipp Scrubb who has carved a nice professional career for himself?

When I played against Phil Scrubb I was a young player in the league and was amazed by what he was capable of. All I remember is that it seemed like he never missed.  

You had many great games at Queens, but was your 32 point and 10 rebound game against Mcmaster in the 88-80 win one of your most memorable games?

I wouldn’t say this game stands out as one of my most memorable games. Statistically it may be the best game of my career. However, my most memorable games came down to game-winning shots. In my 1^st year my teammate Sukhpreet Singh hit a game-winning buzzer-beating shot. In my second year we lost in the playoffs on a game-winning shot. My teammate Jaz Bains hit a game-winning buzzer beater in my fourth year. Finally, I was able to hit a game winning shot in my second last game of my career in playoffs. Those games are more memorable to me as the emotions in these moments are incredible 

You stated that it takes a village to raise a child. How vital was head coach Steph Barrie in grooming and preparing you best for a professional basketball career?

Steph was an amazing coach over my career at Queen’s and he will continue to be a role model in my life as I move forward. I owe a lot of my development as a player to Steph. I started my career at Queen’s strictly as a shooter. Steph was able to mentor and motivate me to expand my game into a well-rounded player. He also worked with me on my mental state while playing which may have been just as important as the skill development. Without Steph I don’t think I’d be in the position I am as a basketball player. However, more importantly than my development as a basketball player, Steph fostered my development as a man. Throughout my career Steph always used basketball to teach life lessons such as being grateful and the importance of GRIT in achieving your goals. Steph was not only vital in preparing me for a professional basketball career, he was vital in preparing me for everything as these lessons are applicable to all aspects of life. These aspects of Steph’s mentoring are more important to me than my development as a basketball player only.

Who won a one on one in practice you or Jesse?

Growing up Jesse won every game as he was 2 years older than me. However, at Queen’s once we were both mature it depended on what type of game we were playing. If we were playing in the post, he would win most of the time. If we played from outside the 3 then I’d say I won most of those games.

Who was the toughest player that you battled in Canada that reached the NBA or is in Europe now?

I’ve played against a lot of great players in Canada that are playing in Europe now. I would say that the Scrubb brothers (Phil and Tom) were extremely tough as they were relentless, and their demeanor was so focused and almost robotic. Manny Diressa is another player I think of as he was an amazing scorer and basically single-handedly eliminated my team from playoffs in my fourth year.  

Please name your NBA Rushmore with 4 heads past or present.

Lebron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Wilt Chamberlain

What is your personal opinion of the neverending debate of who is the greatest of all-time Jordan or Lebron?

When I was growing up my brothers and I would argue over these debates for hours at a time. I learned from this that there is no point to arguing over these debates. I choose to simply respect both players for their greatness and not even try to engage in this debate because there will never be a conclusive and satisfying end. Both are amazing and I’m just glad I was able to watch Lebron during his prime, I imagine it was a similar experience for those who were able to watch Jordan.

What was the last movie that you saw?

I believe the last movie I saw was a horror movie called hereditary, easily one of the weirdest movies I’ve seen!

Thanks Tanner for the chat.

Curtis Hollis is a 21 year old 198cm forward from Arlington, Texas that is playing his first season overseas and first in Germany with the Dragons Rhondorf. He began his career at Mansfield Summit High School. In 2017-2018 he played with Hutchinson CC (JUCO) playing 34 games averaging 6.9ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 27.0%, FT: 66.3%. In 2018 he played in Lavar Ball´s new league with the Houston Ballers (JBL) playing 7 games: Score-5(29.3ppg), 11.3rpg, 5.3apg, 2.6spg, FGP: 46.0%, 3PT: 21.2%, FT: 71.8%. He and I will team up every week to talk basketball in the Miles minute.

Curtis thanks for talking to germanhoops.com A big 94-85 win in Deutz. The Dragons shot very well, but lost the rebound battle, had 20 turnovers and you scored only 8 points. How big was this win for the self-confidence of the team knowing that you can still win games when you aren´t playing your best basketball?

It was good for our team and getting a win is always good for the teams confidence, but as you said I only had 8 points so that’s never a good thing. But we are just going to continue to try and get better & better everyday.

48 hours ago the team was 0-1 and now is 2-1. What have been the biggest improvements that the Dragons Rhondorf have made since the first loss?

Our defense and playing hard as a team for 40 minutes has been the biggest thing. We’re trying to limit as many mistakes as we can. We have been getting better in practice we just have to continue to work and learn.

You told me after the win against the New Elephants Grevenbroich that Anish Sharda does so much for the team. He exploded for 28 points. What have you learned to appreciate most about his game?

Honestly I appreciate everything about his game. He’s so mature and smart really knows the game. He also really helps lead us young guys. So I really appreciate everything about his game!

You had a great pre season and started off well into the Regionalliga season. What has been the biggest adjustments that you have had to make in the German Regionalliga

Really I’m just trying to learn and understand how they play in the league that’s been my main one. I know the league is very physical and I have to pick my spots and be more patient. I’m just watching a lot of film and learning more how to score and play also how to get my teammates more involved as well. 

You scored only 8 points, but had 4 assists while shooting 3/11 against Deutz. Did you sense that the opponent had scouted you well or was your shot selection a big off in this game? 

I think it was a little bit of both I couldn’t really find a rhythm today. I just have to watch the film and figure out what I have to do better. 

You don´t have many less than average games, but what do you concentrate on most in the next week of practice concerning your game and preparation  for the next game?

Just continuing to work every day. Nothing  specific I’m going work on all parts of my game and how to play in this league then be ready to play Saturday. I approach every day the same.

Have you had tasted the German veal dish Wiener Schnitzel yet? Your 37 year old teammate Anish Sharda has cut it out of his diet since 2014. If you had to provoke him to try a Wiener Schnitzel again how would you go about doing it?

Honestly I haven’t! Lol but I will have to try. I’m not sure how I would do it but I would for sure try my best! Haha

Thanks Curtis for the chat.

It had been more than five long months since the Dragons Rhondorf last played an official league basketball game in mid April closing out the season in fine fashion ousting the RheinStars Cologne in the rambunctious Dragon Dome, but couldn´t save their season as they stepped down to the Regionalliga. The long waiting was finally over as the club started a new chapter in the Regionalliga West. They didn´t come out of the starting gate well losing their first season game on the road in Wulfen 88-80. In that game, they were unable to consistently defend at an acceptable level and just had massive problems with timely execution. A good note was that they scooped down an impressive 24 offensive rebounds. Their opponent at home the New Elephants Grevenbroich also started the season on a sour note losing to Dorsten 87-81. They had absolutely no remedy how to stop Adam Picket who scorched them for 32 points and couldn´t take care of the ball coughing it up 22 times which was a big cause for leaving the court as the losers. The Dragons Rhondorf were ready for the challenge and both teams were reeling for a win and the Dragons had some short term history on their sides as they had won two of the last three home openers in the last years. Basketball was finally back in the Dragon Dome as the home town team didn´t disappoint as they came back from a tough defeat and had better execution on offense and cleaned up some things on defense and rolled to a 85-72 victory over the New Elephants Grevenbroich. There was that huge positive feeling again in the Dragon Dome and many had big smiles including import player Curtis Hollins who had much to smile about as he demonstrated his vital leadership qualities helping lead the team to the win with a Westbrook like filling of the stat sheet with 26 points, 11 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. It was just another normal day at the office for Hollis. “Key for the win was playing defense for the whole game. Playing good full court defense and playing help side was big for our self confidence. We knew that our offense would come with good defense. It was a normal day at the office for me.I try to do as much as possible for my team. They also did a good job finding me”, stressed Arlington, Texas native Curtis Hollis. After the loss a demoralized Jahad Thomas who was a star at Umass-Lowell(NCAA) had that look on his face that could have told a 1000 depressing stories, but he was professional enough and reflected on the game as best he could. “I felt that we fought well tonight. We were undersized. We need to play better together. When there is a mis match, all the guys have to be on the same page. We played defense well, but just couldn´t put the ball in the basket. I thought that we played well as a unit and stuck together which is important in a long season. I need to play better on offense and defense. When I do that then I can take the team to a new level. Once we clean up a few things all will fall into place”, warned Jahad Thomas.

                The first quarter was  dramatic and exciting as it was a back and forth grind between both clubs as there were 7 lead changes. The Dragons Rhondorf got on the board first and got Slovenian big man Jure Besedic involved quickly utilizing the mis matches as he scored twice giving the ex Pro B team the 4-2 lead, but the lead was short lived as the New Elephants Grevenbroich fired back as 37 year old Spaniard Enric Garrido Foz who is in his 20^th professional season having played 18 years in Spain and for 16 different teams let the ball fly nailing two three´s for the 8-7 advantage. One could tell quickly that the extra defensive preparations during the week were sowing seeds as the Rhondorf defense was more aggressive and making it very tough for the New Elephants Grevenbroich to get into their sets and they were forcing tough shots. It also helped that their defense was keying in a bit extra on their top player Jahad Thomas who wasn´t getting the ball and was blocked twice by Jure Besedic. Garrido Foz didn´t only have the playmaking duty, but also became that go to guy that Thomas couldn´t give early. Thomas became more the facilitator and found veteran ex Sacred Heart(NCAA) standout Ryon Howard on some occasions. The Dragons Rhondorf offense was well oiled and they were playing nice inside out basketball and using their bench. Young German talent Marek Mbaya Kotieno got early minutes and scored while veteran ex Hanau guard Anish Sharda scored inside with his quickness giving Rhondorf the 15-12 advantage. Rhondorf continued to control the game and closed out the first quarter strong as Curtis Hollis scored two baskets and ex Giessen guard Jeffrey Martin connected on a trey for the 22-18 advantage. The Dragons Rhondorf were caught napping with a second left as Howard snuck inside for a basket at the buzzer as Garrido Foz found him with the inbounds pass. The game was tight and exciting as the Dragons Rhondorf led 22-20. “Rhondorf was playing very aggressive and with a lot of energy”, stressed Telekom Baskets Bonn head coach Thomas Paech who was in the stands closely inspecting the game. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 58% from the field and 40% from the field and had 11 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the new Elephants Grevenbroich shot 42% from the field and 40% from outside and had 8 rebounds and 1 turnover.

                In the second quarter both teams remained at eye level for the first five minutes, but the Dragons Rhondorf then sped away gaining the more comfortable lead going into the break. Thomas had much misfortune on this day missing many shots, but also had his good moments scoring to begin the second quarter in traffic dead locking the contest at 22-22. Besedic continued to have Thomas´s number blocking him for a third time. The New Elephants Grevenbroich continued to be led by ex Bochum forward Ryon Howard who played 100 Pro B games for them in seven seasons getting a basket and also a trey from ex BG Goettingen guard David Markert.to cut the Rhondorf lead to 28-27. The Dragons Rhondorf then broke free going on a 10-2 run to extend their lead to 38-29. In the run, the ex Pro A club did many things well getting to the free throw line as well as getting a trey from Hollis and two handed dunk as well a nice offensive rebound and put back from Gabriel de Olveira. Rhondorf was the more composed team while the New Elephants Rhondorf played sloppy and had a bad spell of execution effectiveness. Rhondorf also continued to limit the offensive input of Jahad Thomas making him a non factor. The highlight play of the game came at the end where Curtis Hollins made a hard one handed dunk that gave the Dragon Dome an extra push on the decibel level and had the Dragons bench going crazy. “That was a normal dunk for me. I saw the air and took off”, smiled Curtis Hollis. After 20 minutes the Dragons Rhondorf led comfortably 41-32. “Rhondorf continued to play good defense that led to easy baskets. They continued to play with a good tempo and had intense focus on the court”, added Telekom Baskets Bonn head coach Thomas Paech. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 53% from the field and 42% from the three point line and hauled down 22 rebounds and had 7 turnovers while the New Elephants Grevenbroich shot 35% form the field and 33% from the three point line and hauled down 16 rebounds and had 4 turnovers.

                Despite some lackluster first minutes in the third quarter by the Dragons Rhondorf where they sat back and watched the Ryon Howard show who helped the team carve into their lead, they stayed composed and captured themselves and broke free again having a double digit advantage after 30 minutes. The New Elephants Grevenbroich came out strong and reborn after the break as Ryon Howard continued to be the go to guy and contributed 8 points to get his team within 4 points trailing 46-42. A big strength of Howard´s game is his great rebounding skills and his timing and anticipation is excellent, but he also has that wonderful jumper and he hit three of them. The New Elephants Grevenbroich would have been even closer if they hadn´t relinquished a three pointer to Anish Sharda. Rhondorf had lost intensity at both ends of the court in this opponents run and had unneeded turnovers to allow them back into the game. But the Dragons Rhondorf remained cool and composed which also had to do with the keen leadership qualities of Hollis who is as composed on the court as a ballerina is when doing her routine. Basketball remains a game of runs and now it was the turn of the Dragons Rhondorf who escaped on a 8-0 run to lead 54-42. In the run they got a huge three from Sharda which sparked the Dragons and they then stepped up their defense getting big defensive plays from Hollins and De OlverairIn this case the three sparked the defense, but often in the game it was the very much improved defense that helped get the offense going. Hollins who can do so much on the court also displayed his suaveness on the rim making an easy tap in using his long arms to his advantage. The New Elephants Grevenbroich never gave up and made a little comeback down the stretch getting two baskets from Jahad Thomas, but Rhondorf kept the intensity up and held on to their double digit lead. They got a vital transition bucket from ex FC Bayern Munich German Killian Binapfel getting the lob pass from Hollis as the Dragons Rhondorf led 59-49 after 30 minutes. “Howard got going at the start, but we then defended better and got stops”, added Curtis Hollins. “Howard got us going, but we then got down on ourselves. It was a game of runs. I felt that we did a good job on defense getting stops, but we just couldn´t score more. I have to be more aggressive”, warned Jahad Thomas. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 46% from the field and 41% from the parking lot and grabbed 32 rebounds and had 12 turnovers while the new Elephants Grevenbroich shot 38% from the field and 28% from the parking lot and grabbed 27 rebounds and had 7 turnovers.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing New Elephants guard Jahad Thomas after finishing with 9 points in the loss

                The New Elephants Grevenbroich continued to fight hard in the fourth quarter, but never could get totally over the hump and get closer than four points. Mid way through another Anish Sharda trey broke their backs which they couldn´t recover from giving the Dragons Rhondorf full control which they never gave up until the buzzer sounded. The New Elephants Grevenbroich had that same mentality at the start of the fourth quarter like the third quarter as they came out with a bang. They hit the Dragons Rhondorf with an annoying 10-4 run to suddenly be trailing only 63-59 and suddenly the Dragon Dome was a bit quieter as the guests were threatening. In the run, they got key input from ex Alicante(Leb Gold) guard Enric Garrido Foz who stole the ball at center court from the hands of Sharda and scooted forward for an easy lay in and soon after hit an incredible acrobatic bank shot trey from the corner. Rhondorf had lost some intensity again while the New Elephants Grevenbroich finally showed more consistency on their offensive execution, but also had some luck with that incredible Garrido Foz shot. The New Elephants continued to threaten and stay in the game after a trey from ex Herten guard David Feldmann cutting the Dragons Rhondorf advantage to 67-62. Then another Sharda trey broke the backs of the New Elephants Grevenbroich which led another charge by the Dragons as Martin hit a jumper and Besdic dropped a three for the 77-67 Rhondorf lead with a few minutes to play. Hollis continued to shine on the offensive end having full control of his abilities and had a keen sense knowing when to shoot and when to find his teammates. On the Martin jumper, Hollis could of shot himself, but made the intelligent extra pass getting the better positioned teammate a great shot. “I like to find the open man. I think making that extra pass will rub off on the team. I really try to make that extra pass as much as possible”, warned Curtis Hollis. After the Beseidc three, the gas tank of the New Elephants Grevenbroich was near empty as the Dragons Rhondorf slammed the door shut going on a 8-2 run to lead 85-72. In the run they got baskets from Hollis and Binapfel and another trey from Sharda. David Feldmann closed out the contest with a three pointer, but it was too little too late. “That three by Sharda was big. He does so much for us. That sparked us too lock down on defense and play hard”, stressed Curtis Hollis. “They played hard and smart. They played great basketball and hit shots. We missed too many shots and had turnovers which led them to transition baskets that we couldn´t stop”, added Jahad Thomas. The Dragons Rhondorf were led by Curtis Hollis with 26 points and 11 rebounds. Anish Sharda added 15 points while Gabriel De Olveira had 14 points and Killian Binapfel had 10 points. The New Elephants Grevenbroich were led by Enric Garrido Foz with 19 points. Ryon Howard had 18 points. Arbnor Voca and David Feldmann added 10 points apiece. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 515 from the field and 50% from outside and had 38 boards and 17 turnovers while the New Elephants Grevenbroich shot 42% from the field and 38% from outside and had 31 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

One of the great games you can play when checking out new players that come to Germany to play their first professional season is seeing where they went to school and how many players from that NCAA or NCAA 2 or NAIA school have ever laced up their sneakers on German ground. With energetic and his “I´m all over the court mentality like Draymond Green,  Stephon Jelks played at the highest level in the last years battling strong NCAA schools like Seton Hall, Memphis or a Florida with Mercer. Mercer which is located in Macon, Georgia only played in three NCAA tournaments in 1981, 1985 and 2014 and it´s most well known alumnist that reached the NBA is Sam Mitchell who enjoyed a solid 13 year career playing mostly with the Minnesota Timberwolves and seeing a young Kevin Garnett break out in 1995. In terms of guys that have played in Germany, the list is short with guys like Andrew Brown who played a total of 3 games in 2008 averaging 18,7ppg with the  P4two Ballers Osnabrueck, Sidiki Straub who played 28 games with SC Rist Wedel (ProB) averaging  7.7ppg, 5.7rpg, Issac Gordon who also played with SC Rist Wedel (Germany-ProB) in 2015-2016 averaging 12.9ppg, 5.0rpg, 3.8apg, Travis Smith who actually played two seasons in Germany for three teams leaving his mark with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (Germany-ProB) averaging 17.6ppg and averaging 13,1ppg with the Take-Off Wuerzburg Blue Baskets (Germany-ProB) and 23 year old German Niklas Ney is still active having played with the MLP Academics Heidelberg the last years and now will suit up for the Tigers Tuebingen. Last season Jelk´s ex teammate Jestin Lewis found new experiences in the Pro B with Giessen averaging 13.2ppg, 1.5rpg, 3.3apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 31.9%, FT: 63.2%. Now Jelks is the newest Mercer addition to the Pro A and has every opportunity to not only to continue the fine Mercer tradition of players leaving their mark in Germany as well as possibly being the best Mercer player to have ever played in Germany. When Lewis was a senior at Mercer, Jelks was a real young buck and a sophomore and despite having a strong season himself was able to soak up the strong Lewis stats as he averaged 14.0ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.8apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 53.9%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 76.8%. Lewis isn´t in Germany this season as he made his mark last season an dnow it´s time for Jelks to make his mark. There isn´t a second Draymond Green with the MLP Academics Heidelberg, but Stephon Jelks who is the team´s Mr everything and ready to leave his mark in the Pro A this season.

            Stephon Jelks who lists Jaron Blossomgame as his toughest cover in the NCAA is a 23 year old 198cm forward that was born in Valdosta, Georgia, and grew up in Marietta and played for North Cobb Christian High School.There he was a four-time All-Region first team selection and two-time All-State performer. In his senior year he averaged 14,1ppg, and registered 25 double figure scoring games. He also demonstrated that he can excel at another sport as he also played with the football team. In 2014, he moved to Mercer and as a freshman played 30 games averaging  5.3ppg, 3.4rpg, FGP: 55.1%, 3PT: 44.4%, FT: 67.6%. He scored in double figures in six games and scored 14 points against Wofford and E Tennessee State. He led the team in field goal percentage at 52% and was named to the SoCon All-Freshmen Team. He has his best scoring and rebound season as a sophomore playing 34 games averaging 11.7ppg, 8.4rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 78.5%. He scored in double figures in 22 games and was a rebound monster getting 10 double doubles. His rebounding made a huge jump during the season and would carry on through out the rest of his career. He has a simple solution for his sudden rise. “I take a lot of pride in rebounding. It’s just something that I feel like is the best part of my game. I just have a knack for the ball when it’s coming off the rim. And nothing special really happened, I just started getting 8 or 9 rebounds in a couple of games and I’d always just try to beat that number the next game”, stressed Stephon Jelks. He best games included a 24/17 explosion against Citadel as well as a 21/12 effort against Kenneshaw State and 20/15 effort against Arkansas. Other highlights included leading the SoCon in rebounding and getting 10 rebounds or more 13 times. In his junior season he played 32 games averaging  7.3ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 47.3%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 80.3%. He scored in double figures in eight games and had two double doubles. His best scoring games were against Samford with 17 points and 15 points against Georgia South. Other highlights was leading the team in rebounding and being second in blocks with 15. In his senior year he played 33 games averaging 9.4ppg, 7.2rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 57.1%, 3PT: 45.7%, FT: 77.6%. He scored in double figures 15 times and had 7 double doubles. His best scoring games occurred against La Salle with 22 points, 17 points against Drexel and Memphis and 16 points against Wofford.

            At Mercer the American reached two CBI tournament quarterfinals and one SoCon semi final and despite not winning any hardware, he did have long lasting memories of his basketball experience there. “I had a lot of fond moments, too many to mention. I would say my most fondest moment was my sophomore year when we played and beat Arkansas on the road. That was one of my favorite games because of the atmosphere and energy of the game. And we battled and pulled it out at the end”, stated Stephon Jelks. He also remembered his 24/17 explosion against Citadel, but that wasn´t his most memorable game at Mercer. “Stat wise yes, but like I mentioned earlier, I feel that my best game in my college career was against Arkansas”, added Stephon Jelks. Even though his best season in scoring and rebounding was his sophomore season, he did see himself make huge strides in his two last seasons. “I’ve improved on a lot over these past two years. My main improvement was being able to shoot off of the closeout. I was a catch and shoot type player and people would start running me off the line, so just developing that catch and make a play off the dribble has made me more of a threat on the court”, warned Stephon Jelks. Even with consistent hard work in the gym and on the court, he couldn´t of had all the success there and now as a professional if he hadn´t taken the guidance of his coach Bob Hoffman to heart. “Coach Hoffman prepared me in the way of knowing the details about the game. Communication being a thing he was very high on. And having to do it for 4 years made it a habit but it was a great habit because coaches love a guy who can communicate while on the court”, added Stephon Jelks.

                The American who lists his five best teammates of all-time as Jestin Lewis Desmond Ringer Jibri Bryan Demetre Rivers and Jordan Strawberry (I loved all my teammates though, I’d name them all if you’d allow me too) began his professional rookie career in 2018 with UU-Korihait Uusikaupunki (Finland-Korisliiga) playing 33 games averaging 11.7ppg, Reb-5(8.2rpg), 1.7apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 48.1%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 81.3%  He had no problem adjusting to the play on the court in Finland, but he did miss one important component that he remembered having at NCAA games. “My wakeup call was my first game. Usually I’d have my mom at all my games at Mercer but that being my first pro game and her being in the states, it was a wake up call that I was a long way from home but knew my purpose for being that far away”, added Stephon Jelks. He scored in double figures in 20 of 33 games and his best scoring games included a 31 point explosion against Pyrinto shooting 10/11 from the field and a 24/12 effort against KTP Basket. Often when abroad an American will be the lone American and if lucky at times have another one, but in the case of Jelks, he had three others that made the whole rookie process easier especially with teammate Bryan Coleman. “He was a great teammate that I asked a lot of questions about different situations I wasn’t accustomed to. Mario Edwards and Brandon Conley definitely helped with the adjustments too. We competed every day in practice and just made each other better”, expressed Stephon Jelks.

                Now the American who lists his own personal NBA Rushmore with legends Kobe Bryant, Dirk, Carmelo Anthony, and Allen Iverson is prepared for the next challenge in his professional basketball career and the task of developing further. He had a fruitful summer of working out hard at home as well as spending quality time with family and friends and even bumped into Boston Celtic Jalen Brown at a Pro Am in Atlanta who hails from his hometown  His main goal this year is to be better than he was as a rookie and he tweaked a few things from his game in preparation for the German Pro A. He was already lucky having the luxury of meeting new teammates Grant Teichmann and Adam Eberhard on the flight to Germany thus already getting some early off the court chemistry flowing. “Grant and Adam are great guys. We clicked from the moment we all met each other. Talked about just wanting to be on the court and help the team win so we are all on the same page when it comes to this season”, said Stephon Jelks.  It wasn´t a hard task for the American to make the decision with signing with ambitious organization MLP Academics Heidelberg. “I honestly didn’t have much knowledge of Germany basketball other than old teammates like Jestin Lewis playing in it. Kelvin Martin actually played on Academics in 2015 and he told me a little about it when I made my decision. The GM Matthias called me and we talked for like 15 minutes and his vision for the team and what he saw in my abilities made everything work out. I just felt that being in Pro A Germany can open up a lot of doors for me, on top of it being a respected team in the league who is about winning and playing team ball”, commented Stephon Jelks. Life of a professional player isn´t only about what happens on the court, but there is enough down time where a player can explore the country better and get a grip on the culture and people. The American didn´t know it at first, but now knows that he is living in one of Germany´s prettiest cities.  “Heidelberg is a very beautiful city. At first I didn’t think it would be anything special but the buildings and structures of the city is nice”, warned Stephon Jelks.

                After a very strong rookie season in Finland, he now is in Germany with a lot of self confidence thanks to a solid rookie season and will display his versatile game in the Pro A There will be quite many scoring options on the team this season. But despite the abundance of talent on the team, he is more than confident that he will become an impact player in the Pro A. “I´m very confident in my abilities as a player. If it’s to score then I will score, if it´s to rebound and play defense, then I will do that. I just want to have an impact on my team in a positive way so we can get a lot of W’s and compete for a championship”, warned Stephon Jelks. The American demonstrated at Mercer in his last three years and in Finland that he is a very potent rebounder and that is a big reason why the MLP Academics hauled him in for his services so the team rebounding will improve this season. But he is so much more than just an athletic rebounder. “I can shoot the 3 ball pretty well, I can defend multiple positions, I bring a lot of energy to my team which rubs off on everyone. German basketball fans are just going to see a grind hard hooper from the states who wants to win”, smiled Stephon Jelks. Even though his vital rebounding abilities will be vital for the success of the team, he will also be able to add another dimension to the game with another component of his versatile player. “A hidden strength in my game I’d say is being able to bring the ball up the court. A lot of the time I usually just give the ball off to the point guard but if needed too, I can grab a rebound and push the ball up the court to apply pressure on the defense”, warned Stephon Jelks. Oh and then there was something about Draymond Green in the title. Not only others have noticed that Draymond Green beast in him, but he himself also. “I’d compare my game to Draymond Green. I know a lot of people don’t like Draymond but he is a competitor that plays defense,rebounds, and does whatever it takes for his team to win. Definitely correlates to my game”, stressed Stephon Jelks. As long as the MLP Academics are winning this season, no one will have any problems with his fascination of Draymond Green. Nobody will see a second Draymond Green in Heidelberg, because there is only one, but people will witness Stephon Jelks “Mr Everything” for the MLP Academics Heidelberg doing everything possible on the court so his team can be successful.

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A few weeks ago at the Gezeiten Cup, there were many things still the same in the Dragon Dome as the BBL opponents Telekom Baskets Bonn and s.Oliver Wurzburg were still present as they are each season with the Bavaria squad continuing to showcase their guard terror and the Bonn team presenting a few new faces, but also keeping a good core from the last years with DiLeo and Polas. The same familiar fans were still there, but one thing was very much different. Despite having moved down last season from the Pro B in a season to forget where the biggest problem was their defense and the consistency rate of the German role players, the mood of the home crowd faithful was very upbeat. A big reason for this was the new focus of the Dragons Rhondorf in their cooperation with BBL team Telekom Baskets Bonn and new CEO of sport Yassin Idbihi who had come home after a long and fruitful playing career and some years in the Bamberg organization. Idbihi had began his playing career in Rhondorf in 2001 and now he is back and is extremely ambitious in bringing rapid success back to an organization that only four years ago played in the Pro A, but at the same time allowing young German players to develop in the Regionalliga while getting a real chance with cooperation team Bonn. Also seeing Dragons Rhondorf CEO Alexander Dohms roaming the Dragon Dome at the Gezeiten Cup was a sight for sore eyes as he was beaming with joy and a changed man from the disappointing last season. The big question though will be can the Dragons Rhondorf make the leap back to the Pro B after only one season?. In terms of player material, there is a big chance that they could, but one can’t underestimate the Regionalliga west as it is as competitive as ever. The playoffs have also been inserted this season so fans will witness something new and see many new players looking to not only make an impact for a team, but be hungry in helping improve their game and making the next step in their careers. In addition there is also massive excitement concerning new player Curtis Hollis (198-G/F-98, college: Hutchinson CC). In the last three years no matter how successful the Dragons were, they were fortunate to have one of the top players in the Pro B. Three years ago it was Aaron ‘big dawggg’ Nelson who was like a tank in the zone that barreled his way to baskets the way Tom Brady finds his targets with ease, two seasons ago, it was Cinderella story Kameron Taylor who took a step back only to take two steps ahead and now plays for well known BBL team Bamberg and last season it was Mr double double Zygimantas Riauka who played with a heart of gold and will never be forgotten by the fans. This season a lot of the success rides on the shoulders of Hollis. Can he be that mr everything like a Taylor and fill the stat sheet like a Westbrook, but at the same time be able to lead the team. Many have compared his game to a Kameron Taylor already with only a regular season game having been played. In seven months we will know more, but for now the excitement for success is there and will continue to build as the season progresses. 

Last season the Dragons Rhondorf lost and lost really depressing the hardcore Dragons fans, but this season things will be different. In the last years, there had been criticism about how the cooperation was working between Rhondorf and the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but with the arrival of lost Rhondorf boy Yassin Idbihi and Bonn head coach Thomas Pach, the signs for a fruitful working cooperation and better communication have been present. Two big goals of the club this season is to give that feeling of Club more an identity and putting more focus on the development of the young players. In the last years the development of players in the JBBL (16) and NBBL (U-19) age group had deteriorated. This is something that the club has big ambition in turning around. The club has had talented players over the years and developed guys like Florian Koch, or a Jonas Wolfarth-Bottermann, but that occurred years ago and have had a dry spell in the last years. A big difference this season to the last years is that this season with Killian Binapfel and Gabriel De Olveria have two established Pro B players that have had success at a very young age making the playoffs and getting valuable minutes at a young age and now are extra confident and are extra hungry in making the next step and making the most of their BBL minutes. Getting a player like Killian Binapfel is a huge gift as he is still raw and has huge potential while De Oliveira has a big powerful body and is finally ready for the easyCredit BBL while getting extended minutes in the Regionalliga.

The club didn’t conduct a massive house cleaning, but decided to start a new chapter in terms of their German role players and bode goodbye to guys lie Alex Moeller, Bo Meister, and Julian Jasinski. Last season the German role players just didn’t click and weren’t consistent enough. This season they hope that the new German role players will be able to get the job done. They took some extra time in finding the right new German role players. They didn’t exchange every player, but kept some with David Falkenstein, Samuel Horvath, Philipp Gruber, Lotola Otshumbe and Anish Sharda. The most vital was Sharda. The guy is 37 years old, but still has the body of a 28 year old and keeping great fitness and watching his diet (No Wiener Schnitzel) since 2014 has been instrumental in him still playing professionally. Not only his experience is key, but helping the youth on and off the court. Last season he averaged 6.1ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 18.2%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 70.0%. After never averaging less than 18,9ppg in the Regionalliga from 2014-018 with Mainz, his production will have to be consistent and better than last season for the success of the club. The big player misfortune has been Slovakian Samuel Horvath who missed most of last season and is already out for this whole season. Philipp Gruber also has remained, but like Horvath has captured the injury bug. Last season he played only 17 games averaging 6.1ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 18.2%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 70.0%. He has vital Regionalliga experience having played three seasons and 56 games with the Telekom Baskets 2. His input and valuable three pointer will be an asset when he returns. 35 year old Lotola Otshumbe is back for a second season of duty and brings much experience having played five seasons in the Regionalliga amassing 86 games and 55 Pro B games while also having four years of second Bundesliga experience with TV Langen. He won’t score much, but has that undying will to win and will fight until the buzzer sounds. Point guard David Falkenstein is also back for his fifth season and has played BBL, Pro A and Pro B. Last season he played 26 games averaging 4.4ppg. He is another guy that has to and should improve his stats in the Regionalliga. He has the sound fundamentals of being that controlled point guard and could even slip into the starting point guard position at times. 

A big strength of the Dragons Rhondorf off season work was taking it’s time in building the new roster. The most vital position for a Regionalliga team is filling the import position. With Curtis Hollis the club has the potential league superstar qualities. He is a guy that wants and will rock the Regionalliga as he continues to climb up the basketball ladder. He has no NCAA experience, but destroyed the JBL league founded by Lavar Ball. So far he showed how good he can be having big games in pre season and kept it going into the regular season netting 21 points in the first game loss against Wulfen. He will be a joy to watch and having him extend his leadership qualities also will be needed and helpful for the team being successful. The other import is Jure Besedic who is a 27 year old 207cm forward/center that brings vital experience having played 171 games for top Slovenian team Helios Suns Domzale. He can score and has a fine mid range and outside shot that will spread the floor nicely. He won’t be the next Riauka, but will be a consistent performer. The club also brought in German players and the most important was clearly Jeffrey Martin. Last season the club had massive problems getting consistency from it’s German players. With Martin the club hopes to fill that void. Martin is only 25 years of age, but seen many gym’s in Germany. Rhondorf is his 11th team as he played 16 BBL games combined with Bremerhaven and Giessen, 28 Pro A games and 90 Pro B games. He has been a consistent scorer in the Pro B and also will have to be a consistent performer. He is an excellent defender and will be vital in the defense finding some sort of identity after not having one last season.

Two key pick ups were young prospects Gabriel de Olveira and Killian Binapfel. Both are double license players and are expected to get a chance on seeing minutes with BBL team Telekom Baskets Bonn. De Olveira is a 21 year old 206cm forward that already has sampled important Pro B experience at a young age playing 92 games with Iserlohn. He was able to improve his scoring in each of his four seasons there and broke out last season playing 25 games averaging 10.6ppg, 5.4rpg, FGP: 56.8%, 3PT: 23.8%, FT: 69.9% He demonstrated in his first game against Wulfen that he has the potential to be one of the German rising stars in the Regionalliga showing his efficiency adding 17 points and 5 rebounds on 60% shooting form the field. He will get to the free throw line a lot and if he can improve his free throw percentage will be even more of a scoring force while on defense he will make an impact as well. Killian Binapfel also is young at age 19 and brings that winning mentality having been in the FC Bayern organization for the last four seasons. Last season he played 19 Pro B games averaging 5.0ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.2apg, and 12 NBBL games averaging 10.3ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 53.6%, 3PT: 15.0%, FT: 54.3%. His biggest asset is that he knows how to win with two NBBL titles under his belt, an Albert Schweitzer International Tournament Gold medal and a U-20 Bronze medal at the 2019 European championships. He plays with a lot of energy and has the potential to be that glue guy.The team also picked up two more young players with Pal Ghotra and Marek Mbaya Kotieno. Ghotra is a 22 year old 197cm swing man that began his basketball career with the Nurnberg Falcons and also has Pro A and Pro B experience with Cuxhaven and Sandersdorf where he played last season averaging 2.7ppg, 1.6rpg. He is a player that took a step back, but is seeking minutes and his break through. He is a talented kid with a lot of potential. The most raw player is 19 year old German Marek Mbaya Kotieno. He is a 206cm center who has 21 Pro B games experience with Wolfenbuetel. He is a guy that will be moved along slowly, but also showed that he can give that energy from the bench scoring 5 points, hauling down 4 boards and dishing out 2 assists in 19 minutes in the loss at Wulfen. The team also have a handful of young Germans looking for Regionalliga minutes with Jonas Falkenstein, Robin Danes, Aaron Isah and Noah Voelzgen.

So where will the 2019-2020 Regionalliga journey go with the Dragons Rhondorf? With head coach Markus Rowenstrunk have a guy that has Regionalliga and Pro B experience with Herford and Dresden and hungry to give his coaching stamp for the Dragons. The team didn’t have a good start losing in Wulfen 88-80. The defense isn’t on the same page yet,and their offense struggled with execution. A good sign was their effort on the boards hauling down an amazing 23 offensive rebounds. The club also demonstrated that the German role players will play a central figure this season as De Olveira and Binapfel stepped up. It will be important that the club has their German license players at their disposal for most games.This club will make the playoffs, but predicting the immediate return to the Pro B would be a foolish statement. Obviously it is the club’s goal, but the Regionalliga West is as competitive as ever and as Hanau head coach Simon Cote loves to say, it won’t be a cake walk for the Dragons Rhondorf, but a challenging, and very interesting and exciting ride. The Regionalliga will be fun to observe this season from the Dragons Rhondorf stand point especially the development of Curtis Hollis and the young Germans. Where exactly the club will land is unknown at this stand point, but they will be competitive and fight in every game to bring the needed success back to the club. 

David Dennis is a 185cm point guard from Canal Winchester, Ohio that will begin his rookie season in Germany with the wiha Panthers Schwenningen on Saturday against the Kirchheim Knights. He began his basketball career at Harvest Prep and then proceeded to play at West Liberty State (NCAA2) for two seasons totaling 64 games. In his freshman season he played 35 games averaging 14.0ppg, 5.7rpg, 5.8apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 28.9%, FT: 67.5%. In his sophomore season at West Liberty State (NCAA2) he played 29 games averaging 13.9ppg, 5.5rpg, 6.1apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 30.2%, FT: 66.9%. In 2017-2018 he moved to Nova SE (NCAA2) playing 27 games averaging 19.2ppg, 6.1rpg, 6.8apg, 3.6spg, FGP: 48.0%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 78.1%. In his senior year at Nova SE (NCAA2) he played 33 games averaging 15.8ppg, 5.0rpg, 5.8apg, 2.8spg, FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 66.9%. He spoke to germanhoops.com earlier in the summer about his basketball career.

David thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

Thanks for having me Miles . I am currently living in Fort Lauderdale Florida where I finished my college career. Training here with some of the coaching staff and individual trainers. My summer has been good so far. Very busy trying to prepare myself for the next level.

Congrats on signing your first professional contract with German club wiha Panthers Schwenningen. Do you honestly feel like you would have accomplished this and your success in school if you hadn’t made the step moving in with your dad in high school and playing for him at Harvest Prep?

Thank you. Very excited to get the first contract signed and reach my dream of being a pro. I honestly don’t think I would’ve made it this far without transferring over to play for my dad my junior year. He pushed me every day on and off the court to be a better player and person. The exposure was way better for me and the experience of traveling out of state so much prepared me for college basketball

Did you get any feedback from your ex teammate Seger Bonifant who has been a top German Pro A shooter with Team Ehingen?

Yes I talked to Seger a couple times when I first was in contact with wiha and just asked him about the league and the competition and if he was in my shoes what would he do. He was a very big key to my success my freshman year. He took me under his wing from day 1 and just stayed on me to stay focused and made sure I knew the amount of work it takes to be a high level player.

What do you know in general about the country Germany and it’s basketball. Do you know any guys playing here besides the deadly sniper Seger Bonifant?

From what Seger says Germany is a very big basketball country and the people are very supportive. Says it’s a fairly smooth transition when it comes to communicating with most Germans speaking or at least understanding English. I know Dan Monteroso who played with me at West Liberty my sophomore year. He played with seg this year. Then I also know Luquon Choice and Dorian Pinson who played in the same league. Seg and I played against them both my freshman year in the final four. When I decommited from West Liberty , Dorian called to try and get me to transfer to Lincoln Memorial with him. So we’ve gotten closer over the years.

Head coach Alen Velcic is high on your abilities and listed you as one of his desired players. What were the main factors besides his trust and team plans for you joining and what was the deciding factor?

He was very dedicated to talking to me and answered any questions me and my agent had for him. He really emphasized a high tempo transition game in which I feel I excel in. Creating for others and myself. The pieces he’s brought in he feels will really be fun and easy to play with so I’m excited to meet the guys and get to work . 

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a dynamic point guard that reminds me a bit of Mike Conley. To what NBA player would you best describe your game to?

A lot of people have described my game to Mike Conley so that is funny you say that as well. I feel I’m a point guard who wants to get out and run and make the game easy for everyone around me . I feel I’m a better than average finisher around the rim with either hand and can see the game before it happens . I also really understand the pick and roll and make the right decisions out of that. 

Your stat line and being near triple doubles also reminds me of Russell Westbrook. You were close to triple doubles as a freshman against Shepherd and Kutztown. Is there a little of Russ in you?

I feel I play with the same passion as Russ. There’s not a game or a possession that I take a play off. I’m going to play as hard as I physically can every second I am on that floor. The triple doubles and the stats are just a plus to that and as long as we win I don’t care much about my numbers 

You’re a versatile point guard that can score, rebound and get assists as well as being a menace on defense. What are other strengths in your game that Germany will see this season?

They will see a young rookie play hard and just do everything he can to help his team be successful. I feel I am a great leader by words and by actions. I will push myself to be the best I can be as well as my teammates. Diving on the floor, hustling after loose balls, taking charges all little things I’m willing to do.

You have been described as being a player that plays like a veteran and has a good basketball understanding. Is this something that you got early on from your dad?

Yes , I would say my dad had the biggest impact on me learning the game and just understanding how it should be played. Watching him play growing up to watching film on myself together. When we watch college or NBA games we don’t watch the ball we watch everyone else and their movements and how the defense is set up. He really focused me at a young age on making the right reads out of ball screens and reading the help side defense 

You also have a very good character on and off the court? How challenging is it to be a very fair competitor, but at the same time being an aggressive and ruthless pest on defense every night?

I pride myself on my defense. I don’t like when people score on me. My dad always taught me before I could put the ball in the hole. That if I can’t score I better be good on defense and not let my man score because the score would be 0-0. I laugh at that today but he was right. Also going back to being a veteran minded young player I feel my help side defense is very good as well because I communicate and have very good hands if someone drives by me I feel I can steal it 9/10

You’re a guy that can fill the stat sheet like no other, but what is a hidden strength in your game that doesn’t always get noticed right away?

I would say a hidden strength that doesn’t go on stat sheet is just making the hockey assist. If I make a pass out of a trap and then it’s a 2 on 1 for the bigs and they get an easy lay up that’s something I pride myself on making the game easier for everyone else 

You played two years at West Liberty State (NCAA2). Do you ever wonder where you would be today if you had stayed and not followed head coach Jim Crutchfield to Nova SE (NCAA2

Honestly I don’t think about it. They had two great seasons without Coach Crutchfield and I . And we both couldn’t have been more happy for them. I know I wanted them to succeed and I wanted the guys to win and be successful in life. They won conference back to back years and made the NCAA tourney. The tradition never died down and that’s a testament to coach Howlett and the guys he recruited. I still talk to some of the guys and catch up with each other 

You had incredible success at both schools reaching the NCAA 2 final 4 with West Liberty and NCAA 2 Elite 8 with Nova SE (NCAA2What were the two biggest advantages each school gave you in the time that you were there?

West Liberty it’s a very small city so there was nothing to do but be in the gym. I really found a new love for the game when I was there. Quiet nights quiet gym with just the ball bouncing and getting shots up and becoming a better basketball player. I didn’t want to be the guy to come in and mess up the tradition so that pushed me to become a good player. At Nova I had to come in and show the guys what it takes to be a champion. They all looked at me when things got tough and I had to have answers for them. If they didn’t understand what coach wanted. I had to explain in ways they could. I really grew as a leader at NSU and it’s helped me be a better player to this day.

How much of a pleasure was it being able to play with Seger Bonifant at West Liberty? Where does he rank with the best shooters that you have played with?

Like I said earlier seg took me under his wing right away. He knew I would be the starting guard and he had to make sure I was ready. He is by far the best shooter I’ve ever been around and most likely the best scorer as well. In college he scored at all 3 levels whenever he wanted. He pushed me every day and I can’t thank him enough for it. 

You have had some bitter loses in your career, but was the 103-102 loss in the NCAA 2 Final 4 to Lincoln Memorial where you put up 26 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists one of your worst in your career? Two of your opponents Dorian Pinson and Luquon Choice played in Germany last season in the Pro A with Hanau

I would say it is the most frustrating loss because we scored 100 points in a game and we didn’t come out on top. I was a freshman playing in the biggest game of my career and I knew I only had so many games left with those seniors. They led the way and I just tried to keep up. LMU played a hell of a game making big shots when needed. But yes that would be the most painful loss I’ve had in my career. One game from reaching the end goal. 

You then moved to Nova SE (NCAA2). You were very consistent here scoring in double figures in 52 of 60 games in your two seasons. How do you feel did your game grow in your two years here?

Coming from WL I was more of a pass first point guard and didn’t need to score as much but when I transferred I had to take on more of a scoring role. I was more aggressive trying to get myself easy looks and get to the rim when I could. I feel I have gotten stronger and have become a better finisher and shooter. 

You had so many great games in your NCAA 2 career, but if you had to name a game where fans saw the best of you which would it be?

My best game was most likely the regional championship this year where we beat Lynn to move on to the elite 8. I felt I was very aggressive and efficient scoring and also felt I made lot of little plays to help my team win. 

How did head coach Jim Crutchfield groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

Coach has been preparing me for this since the first day I stepped on campus my freshman year. We talked and I told him this was my goal and everyday he pushed me personally to limits beyond what he expected from the team. He knew I had potential and he just taught me everything he could in the 4 years I was with him. He is a huge role model in my life and I wouldn’t be here today without him as well.

Who won a one on one in practice you or Nick Smith?

Nick Smith may have beat me 1 out of 100 times in one on one.

Who was the toughest player that you played in the NCAA 2 that is in the NBA or in Europe now

I played against a lot of tough players in college to name a few that stick out . Elvar Fredrickson , Haywood Highsmith ,Pat Moseh , Thomas Wimbush , Matt Bingaya , Michael Baez and Johnathon Lawton 

Please list your five best teammates of all-time?

It’s very hard to pick just 5 teammates that I love because I loved them all so much. They made coming to practice fun and enjoyable. They all were like family to me! 

Please name your personal own NBA Rushmore. Which four heads would you pick past or present for your list?

Kobe, Lebron, MJ, and Kareem 

What is your personal opinion of the never ending debate of who is the greatest of all-time Michael Jordan or Lebron James?

I think Michael is still the greatest. He just had that edge to him and just played at a different pace than everyone else. Lebron is a great player and we might not ever see anything in the league again like him for years but MJ is still the greatest of all time to me

What was the last movie that you saw?

South Paw.

Thanks David for the chat.

Virgil Matthews is a 36 year old 188cm guard from Federal Way, Washington that completed his 12th professional season and fourth with the Niners Chemnitz averaging 7,4ppg,39rpg and 6,1apg. Two seasons ago he played with the Nuernberg Falcons BC (Germany-ProA) playing 24 games averaging 8.3ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.9apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 28.4%, FT: 71.4%. Three seasons ago he almost led Chemnitz (Germany-ProA) into the BBL playing 40 games averaging 9.4ppg, 4.2rpg, 4.8apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 63.0%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 86.7% He played at Montana (NCAA) and in his senior year played 31 games averaging 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.7spg, FG: 49.8%, 3PT: 48.4%, FT: 76.1%. In 2006-2007, he turned professional and came to Germany and played for KICKZ Muenchen Basket (Germany-2.Bundesliga) playing 29 games averaging 18.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 5.2apg, 2.6spg, 2FGP: 57.3%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 66.5%. In 2007-2008, he played for Tacoma Jazz (IBL). In 2008-2009, he returned back to Germany and played for Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga). In 2009-2010, he played for Olympia Reign (IBL) playing 28 games averaging 23.1ppg, 7.2rpg and for Seattle Aviators (NABL).In 2010-2011, he played his first season for Erdgas Ehingen playing 32 games averaging 11.6ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 71.3%. He would play until 2014 with Ehingen playing 126 games with three seasons in the Pro A and one in the Pro B. He resigned with the Niners Chemnitz in June and spoke to germanhoops.com earlier in the summer

about basketball

Virgil thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is your summer been going?

I’m good back in the states working out and doing a lot of golfing.

Before we talk about the future let’s briefly look back on last season? We last spoke in the second half of the season. You stressed the team would finish the season strong and did in first, but again lost in the semi’s. Was the playoff loss to the Hamburg Towers difficult to digest?

It’s still hard to digest. To have a season like that and then to have it end like that not sure I will ever get over it. 

You swept PS Karlsruhe quite easily. How was the focus and confidence level going into the series against the Hamburg Towers? Did you think back on that dreaded series against Gotha in 2017? 

We swept Karlsruhe but that was not an easy series. They were a good team with strong players. Our confidence was high we felt we were the best team. We didn’t think it would be easy against Hamburg but we were confident. The series with Gotha was in my mind but I tried to not think about it, this was a different year with different teams. 

Again Chemnitz was up 2-1 in the semi-final series this time against Hamburg and lost again. Was the game four 98-96 loss one of the toughest in your career? 

Actually game 2 I think was worse than game 4. We didn’t control game 4, but we controlled game 2 and lost it. 

When you look back at the five game series against Hamburg, what do you feel was the deciding factor at the end that ended your season? 

I think they just played better in the big moments. I think the pressure level was a bit different for them once they finished in 4th and as well as we were playing. I think people expected us to win. There was pressure on both sides and they just did a better job of performing in the face of it. 

Rodrigo Pastore continues to be one of the top Pro A coaches the last years. How hungry do you feel will he be this upcoming season to be successful? It is about time that he leads you to the BBL.

Yea he’s taught me so much over the years and I know he’s hungry to move up but he wants to earn it by winning. Its definitely that time and we hope this year is the year. 

The last few years, I have always been thinking about preparing that last retirement article, but so far it never happens, because you keep coming back. What do you feel has stayed younger your mind or body?

Haha! My body is not young at all my teammates keep my mind young. I think my mind keeps my body going and just the enjoyment of playing, I like competing in games and I still want to win. That is what keeps me playing. 

Chemnitz isn’t far away from Jena. How important have the BBL legends Derrick Allen, Immamuel Mcelroy and Julius Jenkins been for your continued focus and will to keep playing into your mid thirties?

I don’t know them personally at all just a bit from playing against them. They are amazing to still be able to do what they have done for all these years. They are all legends in Geman basketball. I don’t think I’ll play quite as long as they did but you never know.

Congrats on resigning with the Niners Chemnitz. This will be your fifth season with them. What were the main reasons for coming back for another season now at age 35?

There are many factors, the club treats me very well it’s a very close group its like family, that is nice. Coach Pastore is also a big reason, we get along well he does a good job I like the way he coaches. His passion and desire is unlike any coach I have ever played for. And last but not least the fans! The Atmosphere in Chemnitz is the best in the Pro A for sure! There is so much passion and they are always there and always supporting. Having that kind of support makes the decision easy. 

Can one say now that Chemnitz is your second home ahead of Ehingen where you played only four seasons? 

That’s so hard to say, I don’t want to have to pick one. I still have great friends in Ehingen and still get a great reception every time I go there. Chemnitz is great to me and I love being there. I like to think of it as I have two homes when I’m back in Germany. 

Of course Ehingen was a very important place because it was the first place after playing in Munich and Schwelm that gave you an opportunity to develop further as a player. What kind of a player were you then and what kind of player have you become? 

I think I am a similar player, I was probably still a bit more athletic in Ehingen, but I’ve learned so much in Chemnitz I think I’m a lot smarter. I think I’ve learned more and understand more now, I think that makes me a better communicator. That’s the biggest difference I think I understand how to communicate better, and I understand both sides like from the coach’s point of view and the players point of view 

How important was it for Chris Carter coming back to Chemnitz? How valuable is he as a player and how is he better today than a few years ago when you were teammates?

Chris is beloved by the city of Chemnitz and he’s a very good player. He’s better now he’s led a team to the BBL he is a better shooter and a better player, also a better leader. Getting him back is a great deal and a great acquisition for Chemnitz.

You guys still have some unfinished business to take care of for the Chemnitz fans. Back in 2017 you were up 2-1 in the semi’s and still lost not moving up to the BBL. Do you feel like there will be a special fire between the two of you to help make special things happen this season? 

I think the whole team will have a fire to finish the goal that we all want. I’m sure for him its important too after his past season he has something to prove and I think moving up helps get him back on track for his career. 

The last time you were teammates you averaged 9,4ppg. Do you feel like you can become more of a scorer again with Carter on board?

I don’t mind scoring or not as long as we are winning. I think I can do other things to help the team win. If I just make more open shots I think the scoring will or can go up so that’s the main key for me is just to be more efficient shooting the ball. I’m not worried at all though. 

Let’s talk about your game. Last season you averaged 7.4ppg, 3.9rpg, Assists-3 (6.1apg), 1.3spg, FGP: 66.9%, 3PT: 25.3%, FT: 75.4%. How content were you with your season? 

Like I referred to earlier that 3pt % is terrible I’m not content with that at all I’m in the gym trying to make sure that percentage is much better than that. Besides that I think the season was ok. We had a great team so stats don’t stand out as much as some other teams who play guys a lot more minutes and rely on them for heavy production. 

I can imagine you will have the backup role to Chris Carter this upcoming season. What will you be focusing on most this season with the back up role? 

Just to help any of the players. We have with my knowledge just seeing things may they don’t see and telling them about it. Sometimes it is better coming from a player rather than a coach. Sometimes it is also easier to see things from the sidelines, so that’s what role I’ll try to have.
Do you feel like it would be wrong to say that Carter/Matthews won’t be able to be the best 1-2 point guard tandem in the Pro A? How strong do you feel you guys will be? 

That would be a great situation, coming off the bench hopefully when we do get time we will be the best guard duo. I think his aspirations are to be the best pg in the league so I’m ok being the best bench pg in league too. 

You stated in our last interview that an important aspect to you will playing is that your body keeps feeling great. But adrenaline also plays an important role. How much longer do you feel can that continue to happen as your body continues to age? 

Not much longer. I would be very surprised if it goes much further as far as me on the court. 

You averaged 26 minutes last season and six assists. Passing and reading the game has been a big strength in your game in your career. Does age put some unneeded pressure on you having to stay consistent each new season? 

Not really I don’t put unneeded pressure on myself. I know what I can do. What I try to do more than anything is just stay consistent do my job every game without having big ups and downs. I think I can do that if I’m out there. When I don’t think I can do that anymore I’ll know its time to stop playing.

How will your off season program look like this summer? Will there be any new things that you will incorporate into your routine or stick to what has been working the last years? 

Just more shooting making sure to stay in pretty good shape. Lots more concern on maximizing my body and improving my shot. 

Who was the toughest point guard that you battled last season?

It had to be Scootie from Hamburg. What he did in that game 5 was amazing looking back on it we should’ve just been trying to deny him the ball he played great. I’m sure there were others but he stands out maybe also because it was the last game. 

How important was the Toronto Raptors NBA title for the NBA? Is the Warriors dynasty over or will they be back? 

The Raptors winning is good for the NBA just furthers their reach as a global game. There is already a strong Canadian basketball world out there but this has grown it. Plus with players like Gasol and Siakam their home countries gain exposure by them winning. So it is good for the NBA. I think the Warriors will surprise people this season. They have a very good coach and front office. They will make adjustments with the injuries and be competitive this season, and then the season after I think they’ll be right back at it.

How did you experience the 2019 NBA draft results? What were the surprises for you this time around?

Not really I don’t watch a ton of College basketball, I think it will be interesting to see how these players adjust and play in the NBA

What was the last movie that you saw?

Brightburn

Thanks Virgil for the chat.