Author: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Basketball journalist and play by play commentator

James Feldeine (Hapoel Jerusalem) Has Proved That It Doesn´t Matter Where You Start But Where You End

James Feldeine is a 30 year old 193cm shooting guard from the Bronx, New York that is playing his ninth professional season and first with Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel-Winner League). He began his career with Quinnipiac (NCAA) in 2006 and had a stand out career there and as a senior played 33 games averaging 16.5ppg, 5.8rpg, 2.5apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 42.5%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 79.7%. He began his professional basketball career in 2010 and always had to move his way up to the top. He had to prove himself in his first two seasons in the Spanish Leb Gold with Leche Rio Breogan Lugo where he was in top 5 in scoring both years. Then he made the jump to the best domestic league in Europe ACB to Mad-Croc Fuenlabrada where he was second in league scoring once. After a year with Acqua Vitasnella Cantu (Italy-Serie A) he made the jump to the top joining Panathinaikos Athens (Greece-A1) where he played two seasons winning 3 titles. Last season he played with Crvena Zvezda MTS Beograd (Serbia-KLS) playing 16 games averaging 12.6ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 41.1%, 3PT: 38.7%, FT: 81.0%;and played 28  Euroleague games averaging 11.6ppg, 1.6rpg, 2.9apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 39.4%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 86.5%; and played 26 Adriatic League games averaging 14.8ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 47.5%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 82.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a Basketball Champions league game in Bamberg.

James thanks for speaking to germanhoops.com. Welcome back to Germany. You have a positive 2-2 record against Brose Bamberg. I would imagine the most memorable game was the 84-83 win two seasons ago on the road. What memories do you have of that game?

I think that was that game where Nick Calathes hit the game winner. I remember it always being a good atmosphere in Bamberg and I remember having a good game there. It is always tough to play there. The fans get loud. They really get into it and are never afraid to bother the opponent.

What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball? Do you have any friends balling here?

I have had a few friends playing here over the years. Edgar Sosa played in Ulm years ago. Now my friend Lamont Jones is playing in Ludwigsburg. My current teammate De´sean Butler also played in Ulm. They all said good things about Germany and had fun here. It is a competitive league where fans love the game. It is a good place to play.

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The Fraport Skyliners Aren´t Rewarded With Massive Come Back Falling To Unicaja Malaga 84-78 In Eurocup Play

It was June 17th, 2010 and the tension and excitement couldn´t have been any more extreme in Bamberg as it was game 5 of the finals between Brose Bamberg and the Deutsche Bank Skyliners from Frankfurt and with a few seconds to go captain Pascal Roller who for years was one of the better free throw shooters in the BBL was unable to sink free throws to keep the game going and Bamberg won their third BBL title and first in the Chris Fleming era 72-70. There were two players on the court with one screaming pure joy out with Brian Roberts and the other experiencing his first big tough loss in his rookie season with Quantez  Robertson. Nine seasons later both guys are still grinding away and have had great careers as Brian Roberts made it to the big show playing five seasons in the NBA and registering 320 games for three teams with New Orleans, Charlotte and Portland while the other Quantez Robertson now 33 is in his tenth season with the Fraport Skyliners and has given the name lifer a new meaning and now belongs to the top identity figures with Rickey Paukding having played with only one team in their careers in Germany. Last season Roberts returned back overseas and played with Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus (Greece-A1) and this season is balling with Unicaja Malaga(ACB Spain) and still going strong at age 32. The two exceptional players that had many battles in the BBL returned and faced each other for the first time in more than six and a half years as their last meeting was on April 3rd  2012 in Frankfurt as the Fraport Skyliners whipped Bamberg 76-68 as Robertson finished with 12 points and Roberts with 13 points. Quantez Robertson may have won their last meeting, but Roberts has the 7-4 lead in overall meetings and more importantly won that BBL title that Robertson is still chasing. Both met again in Frankfurt on a mild autumn night and fans saw a game of runs and a massive Fraport Skyliners comeback that wasn´t rewarded as they fell to Spanish side Unicaja Malaga 84-78. Unicaja Malaga moved to 6-1 and Frankfurt to 4-3 in Eurocup play. “We talked a bit. It is crazy that he has been in Frankfurt so long. I joked with him asking why he doesn´t have a German passport yet. He has put in good work here. He still plays the same and hasn´t lost a step”, stressed ex NBA player Brian Roberts. “Tez did  a good job on Roberts. He didn´t score until late in the game”, added Jason Clark.  Frankfurt played out their hearts and saw the real break through of some of the young kids Garai Zeeb, Elijath Clarance and Trae Bell Haynes in the third and fourth quarter as the club was carried by them. “We showed growth tonight. Some of our main players struggled, so we put in our young guys and they showed that they can play. They showed a lot of heart and that was the reason why they were in the game. The young guys did what they were supposed to. A big congrats to them”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Jason Clark. Unicaja Malage came into the game remembering their big 90-64 rout at home, but this time it wasn´t as easy on the road. “We had our ups and downs and it wasn´t easy playing against them. Playing small ball was an advantage for them. They played good transition and we made too many turnovers which helped them come back. We moved the ball well in the second and third quarters, but they played more aggressive in the fourth quarter and were able to come back”, stressed Polish national player Adam Waczynski.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber with ex NBA player Brian Roberts who steered 8 points in the win

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Kyle Hines (CSKA Moscow) When I´m Nervous I Know I´m Ready To Play

Kyle Hines is a 32 year old 198cm power forward from Sicklerville, New Jersey that is playing his sixth season with CSKA Moscow and currently is averaging 8,8ppg, 4,5rpg, 1,0apg and 1,3spg in the Euroleague and in the VTB is averaging 6,8ppg, 4,0rpg and 1,0apg. He is a powerful player who loves to attack the basket. Has a good 1-vs-1 game and likes to go inside. He is undersized to play the power forward, but his great wingspan (7-1) allows him to guard taller players and to intimidate. He’s also a great leaper and reads the opponent’s game well. He played at NC-Greensboro (NCAA) from 2004-2008. In his senior year, he played 31 games: 19.2ppg, 9.1rpg, 1.4apg, 1.8spg, 3.1bpg, FGP: 55.6%, 3Pts: 12.5%, FT: 62.8%. He was invited to play at the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Pre-NBA Draft): 3 games: 17.3ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.3apg, 2.3spg, 3.3bpg, FGP: 78.6%, FT: 72.7%. He then had pre draft workouts with Sacramento Kings and the Charlotte Bobcats (NBA).  In 2009, he took part in the Orlando Pro Summer League (Oklahoma City Thunder). In 2009-2010, he stayed in Italy with Prima Veroli (Italy-Lega2) playing 40 games averaging 18.5ppg, 8.1rpg, Steals-2(3.5spg), Blocks-4(1.6bpg), FGP-3(64.0%), 3PT: 18.8%, FT: 57.8%. He played NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (New Orleans Hornets) in the summer of 2010.In 2010-2011 he played for the Brose Baskets Bamberg (Germany-1.Bundesliga) playing 10 Euroleague games averaging 12.9ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 64.3%, FT: 46.7%; and in the German League played 46 games averaging 10.4ppg, 4.6rpg, Blocks-3(1.2bpg), FGP-3(61.1%), 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 52.4%. He won the double with Bamberg. He played for Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus (Greece-A1) from 2011-2013 winning two Euroleague titles. germanhoops.com did it´s 15th interview with the 6 time Euroleague Final 4 player and three time Euroleague winner before the Euroleague game in Munich.

Kyle thanks for talking to germanhoops.com Where are you at the moment and how are you enjoying basketball life at the moment?

I´m at home in Moscow. This year has been so much fun. This has been one of the funnest season´s I have had in my career. The team we have this season is special. One of the reasons why we have been so successful is because we like to play with each other.

Before we get to your season, I have to ask you about your ex teammate Brian Roberts. After being away for more than 6 and a half years, he returns to Germany to play a Eurocup game in Frankfurt. What are you sweetest memories of him as a player and how important was his time in Bamberg for reaching the NBA?

Brian and I had a great friendship when we were in Bamberg. He was one of the closest I was with that year. Our families hung out a lot that season. He won a lot of games for us. When it was crucial times in a game he carried the team on his back. He proved to be a solid contributor for every team he played with in the NBA. Last season with Olympiakos he continued to show that he can carry a team on his back. I always cheer for him and check his stats. He is a great player and person.

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Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners Handle The Bayer Giants Leverkusen 82-61 In NBBL Play

It was the weekend of the unbeaten teams playing in the BCM as on Saturday night the Bayer Giants Leverkusen left the practice facility of easyCredit BBL team Fraport Skyliners with a commendable 8-0 record one that most experts most likely wouldn´t have predicted at the start of the season. And on Sunday the roles were reversed as the Bayer Giants Leverkusen was in da house again, but this time with their youth squad and they brought a solid 3-1 record from home and met the unbeaten team of Eintracht Frankfurt-Fraport Skyliners as they came into the contest with a perfect 4-0 record and have just been mowing away their opponents as if there is absolutely no mercy. They had found together quickly on both ends of the court as on offense had an arsenal that reminded one of an NBA team as they averaged 95 points per game and on defense reminded one of a powerful Euroleague like team that played hard nosed defense giving up only 49 points per contest. They took apart the Baskets Juniors and BG Goettingen allowing only 44 points apiece. Last weekend they destroyed Phoenix Hagen 111-32 as at halftime the score was 61-24. Eintracht Frankfurt-Fraport Skyliners have demonstrated an early bonding where everyone understands their roles and have been fortified by many as the two stars 2017 JBBL top 4 players Len Schoormann and Calvin Schaum have been solid, but not explosive yet. On a mild Sunday afternoon, Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners didn´t have a cakewalk with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen, but were never really in danger of losing the game as They erased a 11 point lead and won easily at the end 82-61 going to 5-0 while Leverkusen moved to 3-2. Frankfurt´s three stars of Len Schorrmann, Maxi Begue and Calvin Schaum combined for 55 points and the club played an overall consistent defensive game. “We played a good first half and played very good defense giving up only 18 points. In the second half we didn´t have a good answer against their zone press. The third quarter wasn´t so good, but we became stable in the fourth quarter. They scouted us well and played good zone. We did a good job all day long getting on transition and helping on defense. We gave up too many offensive rebounds”, stressed Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners 16 year old Calvin Schaum. The Bayer Giants Leverkusen played a strong first quarter, but after that couldn´t contain Eintracht Frankfurt/Fraport Skyliners the way they wanted to on defense. “We didn´t defend well in the second quarter giving up too many turnovers leading to easy points for them. We won the third quarter with less turnovers. Overall we didn´t have the right attitude for the whole game. That has to get better”, warned Bayer Giants Leverkusen guard Lennart Winter.

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The Bayer Giants Leverkusen Make Countless Neck Breaking Shots Keeping The Fraport Skyliners Juniors At Bay 87-70

If some wise man had predicted at the beginning of the Pro B South season that after seven games you would have the Bayer Giants Leverkusen and Fraport Skyliners Juniors at one and two, people would have not called you a genius, but a fool while fans in Elchlingen would have flipped you the bird as how could the multi talented and 2018 Pro B champion not be anywhere but at the top. Ok so the ScanPlus Baskets are near the top in third place with a record of 6-2, but are at the moment breathing up the backs of Leverkusen and Frankfurt waiting to prance on them like a famished cat waiting for their mistakes. It has been a very refreshing season for the German BBL title record holder Bayer Giants Leverkusen as they have built up an offense led by German Tim Schonb born and Frenchman Ron Mvouika and American Nick Hornsby that average 87 points per game and also have found chemistry on the defensive end allowing only 70 points per game. They also have gotten good support from their German role players and are also the best rebounding team in the league. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were born in 2009 and have put together their best start in their history going 6-1. They have continued to uphold the Frankfurt basketball tradition of having a strong defense and have sparked their offense along the way as they average 77 points per game. The young German´s know each other since years and have added the needed athleticism with Swedish shooting star Elijah Clarance, sniper power from American JT Roach and German young big men Aaron Kayser to make a deep squad that is hungry for success. The two top teams met in Frankfurt on a mild autumn Saturday night and the Bayer Giants Leverkusen demonstrated why they went into the game undefeated and why they returned home unbeaten. They simply did everything a tad better than the Fraport Skyliners Juniors like shooting and rebounding, moved the ball better, made the smarter plays, took Elijah Clarance out of the game and got the big shots from Tim Schonborn and Nino Celebic who also controlled the game for the guests. “We struggled at the start of the game on defense, but knew that they were a good scoring team and picked up our intensity. We did a good job on Clarance and also on Zeeb, but he still played a great job. Dennis Heinzman did a great job getting the rebounds”, added ex Giessen Rackelos forward Nick Hornsby. After the 17 point loss the players escaped to the dressing room, but returned and were horrified by their poor defense. “We weren´t happy with our defense. We gave up way too many easy baskets. They did a good job taking Clarance out of the game and hit many tough shots”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Junior forward Konstantin Schubert.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Serb Nino Celebic after scoring 16 points in win

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Could De´mon Brooks Be Medi Bayreuth´s Version Of A Lifer Like A Quantez Robertson Or Rickey Paulding

One thing that hardcore easyCredit BBL fans can forever be grateful about is that there have been certain league identity figures that have played longer than most and for some stayed faithful to the same organization for their whole career in Germany. If one was really bored on a rainy afternoon in Jena and wouldn´t have a nice view on top of the 160 meter Jentower to observe the beautiful hills around the city and one wasn´t in the mood to visit one of the many city museums, one could continue to wonder how much longer the three Jena amigo´s of Derrick Allen, Julius Jenkins and Immanuel Mcelroy will still continue to play as they are in their late thirties and combined have the magical age of 113 years. Some fans place a special mark on the calendar to especially see them and others will dread the day when the first of them hangs up his sneakers. Then again there are two other BBL identity figures and legends in the making with Mr Skyliner lifer Quantez Robertson of Frankfurt and Mr Oldenburg Rickey Paulding who combined are in their 22nd season in Germany and combined have racked up three titles and also have been combined on the floor in Europe in 961 games prior to this season. One also can´t forget German Per Guenther who could have left ratiopharm Ulm years ago for more lucrative offers, but remained where the heart wanted to be.  But who will be the future players in the easyCredit players that will have that amazing role model work ethic and discipline of a Derrick Allen and just keep playing seemingly forever and share that passion and loyalty to remain with just one team and not change teams as often as a Tom Brady has thrown to different targets which stands at 71 receivers. Ok so being with one team for so far only three seasons is nothing special as one could count more than a handful of guys who have been there that long and heck there was even Mike Morrison who played four years in Frankfurt and surely would have loved to have remained longer, but that B word always gets in the way called business. But for medi Bayreuth forward De´mon Brooks his first three years have been very special there and with the continued success of the club he might just stick around for a longer period of time. Could De´mon Brooks be Medi Bayreuth´s version of a Tez or Paulding?

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Post game interview with Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Demon Brroks after the 72-56 medi Bayreuth win in Frankfurt in 2016

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The Experience Of Winning Many Titles Has Helped Chase Fieler (Filou Oostende) Overcome Obstacles In His Career

Chase Fieler is a 26 year old 203cm forward from Parkersburg, West Virginia playing in his fifth professional season and second with Filou Oostende (Belgium-Euromillions League). As  aprofessional he has racked up a very impressive 9 professional titkes in Spain and Holland. He played two seasons with Donar Groningen (Holland-Eredivisie) winning 4 titles. He also won a title in his rookie season with Ourense Termal (Spain-LEB Gold). He began his basketball career with  Florida Gulf Coast (NCAA) in 2010 playing a total of 133 NCAA games as was able to improve his scoring and rebounding averages each season. As a senior he played 34 games averaging 13.7ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 59.4%, 3PT: 30.2%, FT: 70.7%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the Basketball Champions League game in Bayreuth.

Chase thanks for talking to germanhoops.com Welcome back to Germany. You have a 2-0 record against German teams against the Telekom Baskets Bonn. What memories do you have of the thrilling 86-84 win against Bonn last season in the BCL where you scored 13 points?

I remember we went into overtime. My current teammate Nemanja Djurisic was on the Bonn team. There are always competitive games in the Basketball Champions League. German teams always play physical and with a lot of energy so it was good coming out with a victory.

You are in your fifth professional season and have won 9 professional titles in three countries and also won two A-Sun titles in school. That is simply amazing. Do you feel like your game and leadership qualities infects your teammates?

I think that it is now slowly starting to infect my teammates. Important for me was that I was always on good teams that had experienced guys. The experience I have gotten the last years has helped me now to be able to lead a team and be helpful in stressful moments.

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A Slice Of Pizza And 33 Points From Erik Murphy Powers The Fraport Skyliners Past Fiat Turin 85-75 In Eurocup Play

The return Eurocup game between the Fraport Skyliners and Fiat Turin had two major stories involved that separated 50 years. The one major news story before the game was the return of 78 year old head coach Larry Brown who had been back in the states for a month on account of health issues and had been cleared to return and the other story was a buzzing one of 28 year old ex NBA player Erik Murphy who may never ever be close to being on the shooting level of a Dirk Nowitzki, but knowing the genuine character of the big German, he would surely have praised the American for his almost spotless shooting in the last two games had he witnessed it. “It was good to see coach Brown again on the sidelines. You never want to see a coach or player be out because of health problems. He looked healthy and had high energy. It is always nice seeing someone doing what they love”, stressed ex Chicago Bull Erik Murphy. Murphy hasn´t just been hot in the last 48 hours, but has been severely red hot. He led the Fraport Skyliners to the 83-79 win at home against the Telekom Baskets Bonn where he produced 22 points and then stormed on to the court in Turin and gave an unforgettable Eurocup performance dropping 33 points in the comfortable 85-75 victory. ”We came out ready to play and had a good first half letting the defense set the tone. We were focused and were able to take things away from what they do well. Despite some runs of them and shots made, we were pretty much in control of the whole game”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Erik Murphy.

His two game total stands at 55 points while shooting an amazing 20/26 from the floor.

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Julyan Stone (Umana Reyer Venezia) Magic Johnson Has Been The Most Influential Player For My Career

Julyan Stone is a 29 year old 198cm point guard from Goleta, California playing in his eighth professional season and third season with Umana Reyer Venezia (Italy-Serie A) where he helped the club win the Italian Serie A title in 2017. He played briefly with Royal Hali Gaziantep (Turkey-BSL), but other than that played most of his career in the NBA playing parts of four seasons there with teams Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Bobcats playing a total of 70 NBA games. He began his career with Dos Pueblos High School and then played at UTEP (NCAA) from 2007-2011 playing a total of 135 games and as a senior played 8.5ppg, 7.5rpg, 5.3apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 51.0%, 3PT: 25.5%, FT: 56.1%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his basketball career before the Basketball Champions League game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and ex NBA players Jawad Williams and Julyan Stone after a Fiba Europe Cup game in Frankfurt in 2016

Julyan thanks for talking to germanhoops.com Welcome back to Germany. You played in Germany once before in January 2016 in a Fiba Europe cup game. Do you have any memories of your first game in Germany?

I remember very little about the game actually, but remember a couple of the guys like Jordan Theodore, Aaron Doornekamp and Philip Scrubb. Scrubb had something like 30 points.

So now your in Germany for a second time playing a Basketball Champions League game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn. What do you know in general about the country Germany and its basketball?

I know that there is a lot of talent playing in Germany and there some guys from the NBA there. It´s a pretty good league and I know some guys playing there.

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Erik Murphy And The Fraport Skyliners Slam The Door Shut On The Telekom Baskets Bonn 83-79

As some kids were prowling the streets of Frankfurt in the late afternoon on October 31st looking to fling some candy into their Halloween bags while in the states little kids were still in school trying to dream away the last hours of school before getting wrapped into their lavish costumes and adults in Germany were at Halloween parties having smaller squabbles about which facemask of Trump or Merkel looked more scary, the Fraport Skyliners were 3,126 kilometers away in Kazan, Russia trying to secure their fourth win in the Eurocup, but instead their hopes were squashed by a last second game winning three pointer from ex Bamberg guard Jamar Smith in the corner as the outstretched hand of Quantez Robertson came a split second too late. The Fraport Skyliners could have used some extra energizing candy to get over hump, but at the moment the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner is struggling and need to find a way to get out of their slump. In Kazan they didn´t play bad, but just couldn´t play consistent and compensate the loss of big man German Jonas Wolfarth-Bottermann as well as erasing little mistakes in crunch-time that hurt them. The Fraport Skyliners arrived in the duel against neighbor´s Telekom Baskets Bonn having lost three of their last four games, but what as even worse had lost back to back games at home against 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goettingen and on the road against 2015 BBL cup winner EWE Baskets Oldenburg where the phrase “stunk up the house” was putting it mildly. The Telekom Baskets Bonn came into the game not playing their best basketball either losing last weekend on the road in Jena going to 3-2 on the season and escaping Fribourg, Switzerland with a real grind out Basketball Champions League win where they went in as the huge favorite but had massive problems with them. The Fraport Skyliners desperately needed a win, but had to finally show a good performance for 40 minutes and find a way not to get run over in the paint by American Charles Jackson and their sharp shooters like Rashad James and did surviving a Bonn comeback in the fourth slamming the door shut 83-79 as Erik Murphy hit big shots. The Fraport Skyliners found back to their sharp shooting ways shooting over 50% for 40 minutes and American Jason Clark continued to erase any doubt that there is a point guard problem as he dropped 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 6 assists. “My game is feeling good. I´m continuing to work on my defense and make it a big part of my game while remaining aggressive on offense”, stressed ex Georgetown(NCAA) guard Jason Clark. “We played well together, shared the ball well and didn´t give up many offensive rebounds. They are a tough team and we knew that it wouldn´t be easy. We did a good job fighting to the end. We are starting to learn how to win games at the end”, stressed ex Baylor(NCAA) guard Brady Heslip. The Telekom Baskets took off the second quarter and just were unable to get consistent stops in the last minutes of the game. “We couldn´t get anything going in the first half. In the second half, Mayo got hot early and James at the end. We couldn´t get stops and stop the Murphy pick and pop”, added ex Temple(NCAA) guard TJ DiLeo.

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Post game interview with Jason Clark who dropped 18 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and 6 assists

4,520 fans came out on a late autumn day and witnessed the Telekom Baskets Bopnn break out on a quick 8-0 run to lead 8-3 as they demonstrated fine inside out basketball as Ra’shad James and Josh Mayo nailed huge tree´s and center Charles Jackson who one hauled down 20 plus rebounds in Turkey made a massive dunk as the injury to Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann was hurting them in the paint. However the Fraport Skyliners had their own offensive ideas as they thought what they can do we can do as they responded with a 7-0 run to dead lock the contest at 10-10. Frankfurt found daylight in the paint getting lay ups from Clark and Finish national player Shawn Huff and ex Chicago Bull Erik Murphy hit his bread and butter the trey. The Telekom Baskets Bonn continued to go inside and Jackson continued to get easy baskets and got to the free throw line. Clark remained very aggressive getting baskets in the paint as he was leading the charge on offense. Both teams were at eye level as nobody could make a real run and get away as the game was dead locked t 19-19. “We came out and matched their intensity. Bonn came out physical and we did a good job staying together on defense and sharing the ball on offense. We did an ok job on Jackson”, stressed Jason Clark. The Fraport Skyliners shot 57% from the field and 50% from outside and hauled down 6 rebounds and had 2 turnovers while the Telekom Baskets Bonn shot 46% from the field and 33% from outside and hauled down 7 rebounds and had 4 turnovers.

In the second quarter the Fraport Skyliners stepped up their game at both ends of the court scoring 26 points and allowing only 11 points having the commanding 45-30 advantage at the break. The Fraport Skyliners didn´t waste anytime getting going as it was the aggressive Jason Clark who made the Bonn paint area his own personal playground as he owned the basket scoring two baskets giving Frankfurt the 23-19 lead. Basketball is a game of runs and Bonn roared back taking the 25-24 lead as the Bonn bench contributed as ex Sacred Heart(NCAA) standout Shane Gibson hit a jumper and then found Dileo open for the trey. Frankfurt´s offense then took off led by point guard Jason Clark as they went on a 17-2 run to get their biggest lead of the game of 42-26. In the run Jason Clark gave the perfect point guard knowing when to finish and when to dish as he scored in the paint twice and found ex Alba Berlin guard Akeem Vargas for a trey while secret extra point guard Quantez Robertson found Heslip for two trey´s. The Telekom Baskets Bonn made a little ground in the last minute heading into the break with a 4-0 run as they continued to be aggressive on the offensive glass and got buckets from Jackson and German Yorman Polas. “We were rolling on offense hitting shots. And we also were getting stops and got on transition. When we can do that then we play well”, stressed Jason Clark.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Bonn guard TJ DiLeo who dropped 8 points in the loss

The Fraport Skyliners held on to the lead in the third quarter, but could never really shake the Telekom Baskets Bonn. Both teams came out executing as Erik Murphy nailed a trey while Bonn got key buckets from Polas and a Mayo runner as Frankfurt led 49-34. On the Murphy trey, fans saw a nifty over the shoulder pass from Heslip as he showed that he can definitely do a lot more than just test the nettings of baskets. “That was a beautiful pass. I actually thought he would go the basket and lay it in. Passing the ball is one of his unlooked skills. He is a smart player that sees the floor well. I don´t know many guys that can make that pass”, stressed Jason Clark. Heslip almost seemed a bit embarrassed when asked about his pass and remained diplomatic on how he achieved it. “I just try to make the right play. He was hot and I like to find the open guy. I take a lot of pride on making the right play and not forcing it”, added Brady Heslip. Bonn started to heat up as they went on a 6-0 run getting back to back trey´s from James and Mayo cutting the Frankfurt lead down to 51-40. Frankfurt then started a trend which they would carry to the end for the most part consistently almost always finding a scoring answer when Bonn was threatening. After a Clark trey, Bonn got a runner from DiLeo who had just come into the game off the bench and a lay in from ex Ludwigsburg big Man Martin Breunig as Frankfurt led 56-49. But a Huff turn around shot gave Frankfurt a little momentum until James got the ball and drilled the ball home cutting the Frankfurt lead to 58-52. Bonn was threatening, but here came Frankfurt again getting a clutch three form Robertson as Frankfurt extended their lead to 61-52. DiLeo closed out the third quarter with a beautiful coast to coast run as Bonn was on Frankfurt´s heels trailing only 61-54. “We did a good job defending well and stayed poised while executing with our small ball”, stressed Jason Clark. “We brought the lead down from 15-7 points. We just continued to chip away”, stressed TJ DiLeo. The Fraport Skyliners shot 56% from the field and 46% from the three point line and had 19 rebounds and 10 turnovers while the Telekom Baskets Bonn shot 48% from the field and 46% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 14 turnovers.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Ra’shad James who finished with 15 points and offered a shooting clinic against Erik Murphy in the 4th quarter and lost

In the fourth quarter the Telekom Baskets Bonn made a big comeback to cut the Frankfurt lead down to one point, but couldn´t get over the hump. Brady Heslip got the Fraport Skyliners going quickly draining a catch and pop trey for the 64-54 lead. But the Telekom Baskets Bonn then broke out of their shell hitting Frankfurt with a 12-3 run as suddenly they were down only 67-66. In the run Bonn was aided by Frankfurt getting their fifth team foul at the 7.11 minute mark. They got 9 points on free throws from Polas, Jackson and Bojan Subotic. James Webb nailed a trey to add salt to the fire. But the Fraport Skyliners then played efficient basketball executing at a high rate and not allowing Bonn to get over the hump. Murphy would nail two vital three´s and hit three free throws staying in the way of the Telekom Baskets Bonn in their comeback attempt. The Telekom Baskets Bonn got a huge three of Subotic and two from James in their come back. After Clark hit only one of three free throws, it was James again nailing a deep trey tying the contest at 79-79. It seemed like all three were pretty much from the same spot. “He hit tough shots and I felt we played pretty good defense on him. We did a pretty good job on him in the first half, but he started to get hot in the second half. You can´t keep a shooter of his ability quiet for a whole game”, warned Jason Clark. Frankfurt then had some fortune as after Murphy hit only one of three free throws, Bonn couldn´t secure the rebound on the last free throw giving Frankfurt possession. It was only fitting that Murphy would fire home another three and did giving Frankfurt the 83-79 lead with 20 seconds to go. “Murphy was huge, but not only on offense, but also on defense making big plays with blocks and rebounds. When his shot is falling, he is hard to stop”, warned Jason Clark. James would have two more looks at the end, but on this day Frankfurt and Murphy clearly won the shooting duel over James. “We moved the ball well, played together and exploited their defense. We attacked them with our quickness and stretched the floor. It worked well as Murphy had many open shots”, added Erik Murphy. “We fought well until the end, but we were unable to make better decisions and be a little tighter of defense”, stressed TJ DiLeo. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Erik Murphy with 22 points. Jason Clark added 18 points, Brady Heslip 14 points and six assists and Akeem Vargas contributed 11 points. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were led by Ra’shad James and Charles Jackson with 15 points a piece while Josh Mayo added 14 points and 5 dimes. The Fraport Skyliners shot 57% from the field and 50% from outside and grabbed 26 rebounds and had 16 turnovers while the Telekom baskets Bonn shot 45% from the field and 50% from outside and grabbed 29 rebounds and had 18 turnovers.