If there is a man on earth who has always listened to his wife then I want to meet that man, because I doubt he exists. Men have always been known as having difficulty listening when she is saying something worthwhile. So often men have gotten problems for being somewhere else with their thoughts when she was speaking to him, but then when she mentions that there was some breaking news about his favorite professional team just happened or if she says with fear that there is no beer left in the refrigerator suddenly a man´s listening skills improve 180 degree´s. It was 10.40 PM when I reached Telekom Baskets Bonn sniper Ra’shad James in his hotel after a tough 102-91 loss to FC Bayern Munich where he contributed 14 points and I had learned that he could give me some insight on  to listening. Before I asked him about his new basketball home in Bonn and listening, I was a bit miffed why the club remained the night in Munich instead of traveling the 6 hours home on an early evening Sunday night game. Why they didn´t go home directly after the game didn´t interest me in the least, but moreover the interesting basketball career of James and his not usual character. He is one of those rare players that would rather spend an afternoon in Bonn visiting the Beethoven house or seeing the history of the Cologne cathedral instead of being locked away in his apartment and enjoying Play Station 5. The American traces his cultural curiosity back to growing up in tough White Plains, New York where he was raised by his mom and brother. “My life experience´s have made me the man that I am today. You have to be a special type of guy to survive in New York. You have that all for themselves mentality in New York. I saw the good, bad and ugly all at once. You come overseas and are put in a shell and you don´t trust anyone. But I´m glad that I have an outgoing personality and can adapt to new situations. I just love to see and learn about the world”, stressed Ra’shad James. I could of asked him right from the start about how he could help me cure my listening problem, but I waited until the end after learning more about his fascinating basketball career. James stated that one has to know that there is a difference between hearing and listening and did his best to assist with my problem. “I think that if you have a problem listening than you should just wait until the person is done talking. That is what I do. It is important to keep eye contact. A lot of people speak to react instead of responding”, stressed Rashad James. I took his advice and hope that it will help me in my future conversations with people. One thing is for sure the American most likely will never have any problems with head coach Predrag Krunic, because nothing that the Serb says will go in one ear and out the other.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Ra’shad James after he dropped 28 points in leading the Telekom Baskets Bonn to the 2018 Gezeiten Cup win over s.Oliver Baskets

Ra’shad James is a 28 year old 185cm guard who is in his sixth professional season and first in Germany with the Telekom Baskets Bonn. He has gained valuable experience in countries like Korea, Poland, Croatia and Turkey and once scored 51 points in a G-League game. He began his basketball career at White Plans high school in New York and began his college career in 2008 with St.Thomas Aquinas (NCAA2) where he remained two years. His college career was interesting and unusual as he started in the NCAA 2, then played in the NCAA and finished back in the NCAA 2. That he would go places as a professional player later on was something he knew early on. “Since I had a ball in my hands, I always had a chip on my shoulder. I always thought that I was destined for greatness. My drive for greatness was already brewing”, said Ra’shad James. After two stellar years at St Thomas Aquinas he made the next step up to Iona in the NCAA, but his stay was short and unfulfilled. One can sense that he had some issues with the former club and had no time to play behind guards Lamont Jones and Sean Armand. “There was room for me there, but I had to wait my turn. I was in no position to wait. I thought I was ready then”, added Rashad James. Sometimes one has to make a step backwards to make two steps forward as Kameron Taylor learned last season going from Ehingen to Rhondorf and then to Wurzburg in the BBL. For James going back to the NCAA 2 and Northwood was the best decision he made in his life. He was fortunate to play for legendary ex Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino who won the 1985 NCAA title and had a 816-462 record in the NCAA. He played 32 games as a senior averaging 23.0ppg, 6.8rpg, 2.5apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 41.7%, FT: 77.4% and will never forget Massimino who died in 2017 at the age of 82. “That year at Northwood was very rewarding. Coach Massimino taught me a lot about how to be an overall professional and how to approach the game. He also taught me to read the game better. I remember one thing that was mandatory with him was that you had to see him once a day. This really built the relationship. He taught me that there is a fine line between goodness and greatness. He always said no matter where you are in life, that you should always keep pushing and not to settle for only what is good”, warned Ra’shad James.

The American who lists guys like Isaiah Cannon, Isaiah Thomas and CJ Mccollum as the toughest guards he battled in the states began his professional career with the Reno Bighorns (D-League) playing 49 games averaging  7.6ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 24.7%, FT: 74.8%. That first season he scored in double figures in 17 games and showed signs of his scoring ability netting 21 points against Santa Cruz and 20 points against Ft Wayne. In the summer of 2014 he played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas with the Sacramento Kings winning the title averaging 7.2ppg, 1.2rpg, FGP: 44.8%, 3PT: 50%, FT: 80%. He played another season with Reno and this time took off as he played 46 games averaging 20.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.4apg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 31.0%, FT: 68.9%. He scored in double figures in 40 of 46 games and scored 20 points or more 22 times. He had big explosions against Texas with 51 points, 43 points against Santa Cruz and 42 points against Sioux Falls. “I thought that I was near to an NBA call up. I thought that I did a good job displaying my offensive abilities and I credit that to hard work. I did a great job that season, but it just didn´t work out getting to the NBA then. But I still have a lot more in the tank. I feel my future is bright as I continue to rise”, warned Ra’shad James. The American also remembers the 51 point scoring onslaught, but probably would only have been a side note had they lost. “It was one of those nights where I was in the zone. It really doesn´t matter how much I score and it is only important if we win. It was a great individual night, but it would have meant nothing to me had we lost”, added Ra’shad James.

In the summer of 2015 he played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas again this time with the Portland Trail Blazers) playing 5 games averaging 6.2ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 46.4%. Instead of playing a third season in the G-league with the hopes of reaching the NBA, he decided to go overseas and would later return back to the G-League. It was a whirlwind season as he began with Dongbu Promy (Korea-KBL) playing 15 games averaging 9.9ppg, 2.2rpg, 2FGP: 45.9%, 3FGP: 41.9%, FT: 63.4% and in Nov.’15 moved to AZS Koszalin (Poland-TBL) playing 14 games averaging 16.1ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.6apg, 2FGP: 46.7%, 3FGP: 34.6%, FT: 67.2%, left in Feb.’16, later that month signed at Westchester Knicks (D-League) playing 17 games averaging 15.8ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 54.4%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 73.2%. It was all in all a long season, but he remembers it as an important learning experience that he handled well. “The experiences I had in those places helped me understand the game better. I had ups and downs, but I stuck with it and came out on top”, added Ra’shad James. In the summer of 2016 he played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas once again this time with the Milwaukee Bucks) and shone in 5 games averaging 14.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.0spg. However he decided to go back overseas and played with top Croatian team KK Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia-A1) where he played in three leagues with the Croatian league playing 11 games averaging 11.9ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.6apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 55.1%, 3PT: 37.7%, FT: 89.5%; played 31 Adriatic League games averaging 9.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 84.1%; and played 11 Eurocup games averaging 11.6ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.3apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 47.7%, 3PT: 35.0%, FT: 75.0%. He made his European break through and played very well in the Eurocup. He was teammates with ex Uconn stand out Ryan Boatright another guy who should have been in the NBA and wasn´t. “Ryan is my guy. We had a good relationship on and off the court. I had a great time there with a first class organization. Ryan and I want to be in the NBA, but it´s all about timing. It is our job as a professional to keep working and see the light one day and get that opportunity”, stated Ra’shad James. Last season he played in Turkey with Yesilgiresun Belediye (Turkey-BSL, starting five) playing 30 games averaging 15.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 46.6%, 3PT: 41.6%, FT: 75.0%. It was probably stat wise his best season in Europe, but one has to wonder why a guy like James after his strong season in Croatia hasn´t got the opportunity to display his abilities for another Eurocup team or possibily even a Euroleague club. James knows it isn´t any different getting that opportunity in the Euroleague than it is in the NBA or any other desired job in life. “Getting the chance with a Euroleague team is all about timing. I think that Euroleague opportunity will come sooner than later, but I´m not wavering on it”, warned Rashad James. It was a memorable time in Turkey not only because he found a cat in his car engine saved it and called it engine and has brought it to Bonn. “The season didn´t work out the way I wanted it as my team moved down. But we had a great group of guys, my game was solid and it did get me to Bonn which I´m thankful for”, said Rashad James.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Telekom Baskets Bonn guard Ra’shad James who scored 51 points in a G-League game after the Bonn 105-63 win against the Dragons Rhondorf

Now the American who has been described to NBA players like Russell Westbrook, Eric Bledsoe and Monta Ellis calls Bonn home.  He also had no problems taking the job as he was more than impressed by the organization. “It was welcoming for me. It was eye opening for me and really helped me with my decision when coach Krunic personally called me at home. The teams are very competitive in the BBL and it is a great plateau for me to showcase my abilities there and in the BCL”, stressed Ra’shad James. Despite the addition of many new faces, the Telekom Baskets Bonn have held their own and are a force to be reckoned with this season. “Our success is due to being able to push the ball out on transition as well as having quick guards that can get up and down the court and we have good bigs. We have a solid roster where everyone is giving their all. Everything is clicking”, warned Rashad James. The American is content that head coach Krunic has believed in his abilities and given him an important role. “My role is just to lead. I have been around the block and just want to sue my abilities on offense and defense and help my team win. I like the up and down style that we play. The tempo we play suits my game. Coach has helped me find good positions to score in the right ways”, added Rashad James. Even if he is known as being a lethal scorer, he doesn´t want to have that label plastered on his forehead. “Every guard has to score. I don´t want to be seen as one dimensional. I offer so many other things on the court”, stressed Ra’shad James. Even if he is in his sixth season and has seen it all, he won´t shy away from his fellow teammate Josh Mayo and soak in as much as he can. He knows that having greatness can only be achieved by still being able to learn something new. “I can always learn from Josh. That is the great thing about basketball, because you can learn something new each day. I will take anything from a guy that will make the game easier for me. I´m a student of the game”, warned Rashad James. He is off to another big start as he was the last two seasons in Croatia and Turkey as in Germany he is averaging 14,5ppg in the Basketball Champions League and 17,4ppg in the BBL and shooting 36,7% from downtown. His recipe for consistent success is very simple. “My success comes from being consistent and working hard in the off season. I´m always trying to add new things to my game while sharpening the things that your great at. Every season there are guys trying to take your spot so I´m always in the gym”, said Rashad James. The BBL season is still young and Rashad James will surely land in the top 10 in scoring at the end of the season and be instrumental for the success of the Telekom Baskets Bonn. But in March 2019 is the BBL allstar day and there have been rumors that the league already has James inked as a slam dunk competitor as he can fly and dunk like no other, but becoming a dunk legend in Germany after one season would be nice, but being able to achieve greatness in his mind really only depends if you get that chip. “It would be humbling and honor to be seen as a dunk legend in Germany, but it really doesn´t mean anything to me. I am a competitor at heart and at the end of the day it´s about winning games and titles. That is my most important goal”, warned Ra’shad James. Winning titles in Bonn is a sore spot, because they are still waiting for that first championship and in a way are like the NFL´s Buffalo Bills as they have reached five league finals and three cup finals and still haven´t won. Even if the club stay winless again, fans will be content and have been enriched not only by the play of Rashad James, but by his worldly character and unbelievable will wanting to win as he will have proven that not settling for goodness but greatness has made Ra’shad James the player he is today

 Christian Held is a young German coach who has taken over the reigns of Pro A team Romerstrom Gladiators at the young age of 30. He was an assistant with Romerstrom Gladiators the last two seasons under Marco Van Den Berg. He first really got noticed as head coach of the Baskets Akad.Weser-Ems/Oldenburger TB (ProB) where he led the club to the Pro B title in 2015. He currently has the Romerstrom Gladiators in second place in the Pro A standings with a 5-1 record. He spoke to germanhoops.com  about his coaching career.

Christian thanks for talking to germanhoops.com You’re a 30 year old German and head coach of Pro A team Romerstrom Gladiators. Do you sometimes wonder where you would be in your career today had the EWE Baskets Oldenburg not fired Sebastian Machowski in March 2015 and promoted Mladen Drijencic which allowed you to finish the season with pro B team Baskets Akademie Weser-Ems winning the title?

I think that I have been fortunate to have had a little bit of luck throughout my career. I think that being able to coach the Pro B team when Mladen Drijencic was promoted was lucky, but also being able to learn in a competitive environment with other young coaches in Oldenburg was huge. Being able to show what you are capable of and having good people around you was also important. To be in a situation were you can take responsibility at a young age helped me to become a experienced coach despite my young age. 

Before we get to your current status with the Romerstrom Gladiators I want to look way back in your basketball career. Your last entry as a player on your resume was playing at a tournament in Vienna Austria in the 2005-2006 season with the Oldenburger TB U-18 team. After that you started to become active as a coach. Was coaching always in your blood or did you stop playing because of an injury?

I think I was able to get this love for basketball at a young age having a father that was a coach and always watching the games and having younger brothers who played the game as well. At this time I didn’t have the idea of becoming a coach yet, but just loved the game. The reason I didn’t continue as a player has to do partly because of an injury, but also because I wasn’t talented enough. It was always hard for me because I was always around better players and had to learn to solves things on the court in smarter ways which was difficult when your not as talented.

Many may not know it but you’re the son of basketball coach Ralph Held who was an assistant coach for many years with the EWE Baskets and now works for the German basketball federation. How thankful are you that you were able to get so many opportunities so early in your career doing seminars for coaches like Don Beck and Predrag Krunic.

I was very fortunate to have had this opportunity, because it has helped me in my whole career. It really helped me being able to see and learn from great coaches at a young age as well as being close to the team. A very important thing that I learned at a young age was that coaching isn’t only about the x”s and o’s, but treating people the right way. Also feeling this love for the game helped me then more than the x’s and o’s. I learned about the x’s and o’s later. I saw how coaches treated people the right way. 

Despite having all these wonderful opportunities at a young age did you ever feel like you were in the shadow of your dad? He was successful as an assistant for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Did you feel pressure or could you always rub it away focusing on making your way in the coaching world?

My dad was a great coach. Honestly I never felt pressure or having to compete with being as good or better than him. I have always had a competitive nature. I never care who is out there. I just want to be the best. This has always helped me deal with pressure. The most toughest thing about pressure is dealing with that within. My dad has always helped me and it is always fun to talk basketball with him to this day. 

Which coaches really inspired you at a young age? Obviously you were around your dad in Oldenburg and the coaches then Don Beck and Predrag krunic. Were these guys the most influential coaches for you in your late teens and early 20’s or were there others?

There were quite a lot, but Predrag Krunic was big. The one season where I was team manager for Predrag Krunic was the deciding moment where I knew I wanted to become a coach. Before my time with him, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be a coach. Also my time at Gonzaga with Mark Few was important. Also my situation in Oldenburg being around young coaches was also very important. I still talk to the coaches from back then to this day. So there where always a lot of influences throughout my coaching career. 

What key basketball things do you remember learning form your first basketball internships under Don Beck and Predrag krunic. Are some of these things some of the basic coaching concepts that you still use today?

Important for me is to learn something new each day. I try to learn from coaches I have seen and know, but also from players. There are still things I integrate into my everyday work from them.

In 2011 you spent five days with Dirk Bauermann in Trier as he was there preparing for the World Championships. He is known as a defensive master. What things do you remember soaking up from his defensive philosophy?

I think that he always made teams play hard and that was a big key to his success. When teams play hard that always helps the defense. That was what I most liked about his coaching.

In 2011 you also spent time in Belgrad with legendary head coach Svetislav Pesic. What really impressed you about him in this week? Is there anything particular that you remember about him that has stayed with you until today?

Pesic has had much success as a coach and I learned a lot form him in that time. What I liked most about him was how he treated players. Almost every player that I have spoken to about him talks about him with great respect. He lives basketball 24/7. He lives basketball even at his age now. Even when you walk into an arena today you feel his passion for the game. 

In the 2012-2013 season you spent 7 months at the well known basketball school Gonzaga. What kind of experience was it seeing how legendary head coach Mark Few worked? What elements from his coaching style and form how the game is played in the NCAA were you able to take home with you?

Being at Gonzaga was a great experience. I had to learn to live away from home and be without family and friends. I really got to see what NCAA players go through when they go away for the first time overseas. At least I knew English, but when players come here they are without family and don’t know the language. The way Mark Few works with the X’s and O’s is incredible. He is an excellent X’s and O’s coach. I saw that the NCAA is a lot different than here. My time there really helped me to understand and help players that come over here. The officiating is different and also the rules. I also noticed that even dominant guards in the NCAA come overseas and have problems at first to adapt to the style here. A reason why guards aren’t as effective at first here is because of the physicality under the rim and not on the perimeter. But also talking to the other coaches on staff helped me a lot to really understand the things they try to do and build a network. 

Gonzaga has always been a respected basketball institution having won 17 WCC titles and up to when you were there had only reached two NCAA Sweet 16 runs in 14 years under Mark Few. However since you left there the school has really taken off in the last five years reaching two NCAA Sweet 16’2, an Elite 8 and 2017th final. What has changed there in the last years that has given the basketball program under Few so much consistency?

The Gonzaga program kept working in the direction in that they were heading. A big part of their success in the last years has been their ability to find good recruits from Europe and Canada. They got the quality from there that they never would have gotten from American recruits. The great recruits from outside helped them make a name for themselves. Now they get great recruits from home. They needed that initial success just to be able to keep going forward.

Few was able to hep groom players like Elias Harris, David Stockton, Kelly Olynik into NBA players and Kevin Pangos into a Euroleague player. Did you take some of the young player development abilities that Few practiced back to Oldenburg as you started to work as head coach of the NBBL team?

It is always important to learn new things and see different things that you can later integrate into my philosophy. A good example from Gonzaga was seeing how Mark Few handled Kevin Pangos. I remember him getting many turnovers in practice. Pangos was always trying new things and it wasn’t working. Few worked very hard with him on the problem and it came to the point where he perfected it and hardly made turnovers in games. It is always a learning process. Your always learning new things and trying to integrate it into your philosophy to see if it fits and if not then seeing if it fits later.

In 2013 after getting first experiences with the Oldenburger Regionalliga team with Mladen Drijencic, you then became head coach of the Oldenburg NBBL team and was assistant for the Pro B team under Mladen Drijencic. How important was Mladen Drijencic in this time for your further development as a head coach?

I worked together for him for four years. That is a long time in the basketball business which works fast. It was great working with him. He is a coach that is great working with young players and helping them develop further. I was able how to set up practices the right way so the young players could develop and get better. He is also very good and teaching fundamentals and I was able to take that with me.

Was it a shock moment when Mladen Drijencic was promoted to head coach in Oldenburg in March 2015? You led the Pro B team to the title. What memories do you have of this run where you easily disposed of Wurzburg, Weissenhorn and Rostock and then had a tight final against Wedel.

I don’t think that it was a shock moment for me. It was just a new situation for me, but I think having been able to work two years as an assistant there was a big help as I knew the league. Plus I had almost two years of experience as a head coach of the NBBL team already under my belt. It also helped that we had a great team that helped me very much in dealing with the new situation. The players did a great job of sticking together and winning as a team. It is always fun to have new challenges in life and growing. We all make mistakes. It is all about learning from your mistakes and getting better. The way we finished the season winning the Pro B title was very special.

The next season you lost a tough three game series against Nordlingen. Does the fact that they got more than 50% of their points form Brandon Lockhart, Jordan Talbert and Janek Schmidkunz still annoy you that you couldn’t contain them better?

That loss doesn’t annoy me. We had a lot less experience that season and important in this season was getting players to the next level. They did make the next step that season. They left their hearts out on the floor in the Nordlingen series. At the end of the day we just didn’t have the needed experience and weren’t clever in one or two situations. When your team leaves it on the court than I can live with the loss. Nordlingen was simply better. 

You had many young players in Oldenburg, but how proud are you of the development of Robert Drijencic? How do you feel was he able to develop differently under you after his dad left to coach the BBL team?

Mladen did a great job with his son teaching him the fundamentals. What is great is that when you see him play now, you see that he is using all that what he learned when he was younger. He has really shown what he is capable of. He is a great and smart player that reads the game well. He also has learned how to help his team win. It is always great seeing guys have success that you worked with. I don’t know exactly how much influence I had on him. You would have to ask him.

You came to the Romerstrom Gladiators in 2016-2017 and was an assistant under Marco van Den Berg. How important was your role as assistant here. I have heard you weren’t the normal assistant coach, but a guy that actually did more than what an assistant coach should?

It was a great time working with Marco. He has the ability to let everyone on the team feel that they are needed and can have a great role for the success of the team. I feel this was also an important time for me to keep learning and developing. This time in Trier was also tough for me. I had a lot of work the last two years as I wasn’t only an assistant coach, but also was in charge of the youth program. We had no youth program when I came and I had to build it up form the ground. I used a lot of energy in this time and I feel that it helped me grow as a person. I also learned that you can only control so much. You just have to keep working and do the best that you can. It took me some time to learn that, but in the end it turned out well. 

Talk a little about your work as youth coordinator. Many don’t know but after TBB Trier went bankrupt and the new organization Gladiators was born there was no youth program. It was at the bottom. You played a huge role in getting the youth program off it’s feet and rolling again. How challenging was this for you and what was key in getting the youth program working again properly?

When I came to Trier there were no youth players, court time or coaches for the youth program. We had to build it up from the ground again. Key for me in this time was bringing everyone together in Trier that cares about the youth program. It took some time to get everyone on the same page. We all sat at a table and everyone was willing to get involved in some way in building it up. Important also was getting the support from the club and getting young coaches that were willing to help young kids move forward.

This season your head coach of the Romerstrom Gladiators and the club is on a positive way having finished in sixth place the last three seasons. You have helped lead the team to a 5-1 record. What has been the secret to the success despite having few imports and fighting injuries?

I think our secret is our hard work and that we stick together as a team. But we still need to learn a lot and grow as individuals and as a team if we want to make the playoffs.

In the Pro A you will usually see 4-5 Americans per team and you have done it mostly with little import help as you only have Jermaine Bucknor and Kyle Dranginis and recently got experience with Kelvin Lewis. What has driven guys like Till Gloger, Johannes Joos and kevin Smit to name just a few to take more responsibility?

At the moment young German players overall have noticed that if they want to become better that they have to find a position where they have to take responsibility. We have shown that we are willing and want to give German players responsibility to help win games. This is huge for players to develop their game while getting minutes. The way we have helped Germans work to develop and get better has shown us that we can have success without needing imports. We are willing to invest in the future with young German players and they are getting better during their time here in Trier.

Are young coaches like Thorsten Leibenath and Bjoern Harmsen who coached BBL teams at very young ages added role models for you as you continue to climb the basketball ladder?

Of course you watch them and see how they are doing. I just continue to try to what I am doing without getting crazy. At the end of the day you have to show what your capable of doing as a coach and you have to earn the chance to coach at that level. It is more about improving your self just the way it is with players. You have to be willing to work hard each day and learn new things. It is nice to see that they have had success. There isn’t one particular role model that I look up to. There are so many great coaches. I just try to pick the brain of as many coaches as possible and then try to implement it as much as possible into my philosophy and if works good if not then use it later. That is also the reason why I decided to apply for the FECC program. I was very fortunate to get one of the two spots from Germany, where I had the opportunity to learn from my great coaches.

What goals do you still have as a head coach and where do you see yourself in five years?

I’m not the type of guy that makes plans for the future. Sometimes it’s difficult for my wife to come to terms with this. I just take things as they come and make the best out of it. I like my situation in Trier now. My family and I feel very comfortable here. The club wants to improve and get better in all areas. There is a healthy way of growing here. I am so dialed in here now that there is no time to think about the future.

Thanks Christian for the chat.

So far this season whenever the Fraport Skyliners didn´t give their best performances in the BBL, they usually returned with pride and played with a different mentality and won in the Eurocup showing that they can compete with the top teams in Europe. Yesterday they traveled deep into Russia to Kazan with a 3-1 record and were looking for another big win, but instead their furious come back attempt in the fourth quarter wasn´t rewarded as the crucial little mistakes robbed the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner as they lost 83-80 on a last second shot. Many experts didn´t give the Fraport Skyliners much of a chance considering they had lost their big man Johannes Wolfarth-Bottermann to injury and will be out 10-12 weeks. But the Fraport Skyliners did a good job staying with the ex Euroleague team in the first half. In the second half, Frankfurt had more problems compensating the loss of their big man as they were lacking experience down low. Frankfurt was down by 12 points with 7.07 to play, but then made a commendable  comeback, but just couldn´t get over the hump. One always wants to win these games very badly mainly because a loss will make the next day trip home so much longer as the mistakes from the day before keep popping up during travel. “It was a tough loss for us. We put together a nice run, but just couldn´t get it done at the end”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Jason Clark. The Fraport Skyliner shot well at 61% from the two point range and 46% from outside and they dished out 18 assists. They were heavily outrebounded which was expected and they played good defense in spurts. All in all the club goes home with positives and negatives from the game. “I thought that we defended pretty well. We did a better job sharing the ball and sticking to our plays. But we did struggle at times with execution especially when they went to a zone. We had problems finding a solution, but it did get better towards the end”, warned ex Georgetown(NCAA) guard Jason Clark.

The Fraport Skyliners had a good first half down only by six points. A positive light was the inspired play by Erik Murphy who was present on offense and also on defense had the need to have to step up for the missing Wolfarth Bottermann. Jason Clark and Shawn Huff executed well on offense while Brady Heslip was being contained well. Frankfurt had to shift their game plan a little concerning the loss of their big man, but there wasn´t really so much that the Fraport Skyliners had to do, but it really just had to do more with effort and helping each other out more. “The size of Wobo was missing. Erik Murphy did a good job. He knows the five spot. We had to make some minor adjustments in our pick and roll defense knowing that we didn´t have the rim protector with Wobo on the court. It was tough without Wobo, but all on our team can play with anyone at any level. We came into the game knowing that we have to find a way to get through it and felt we did a pretty good job without him”, warned Jason Clark. The Fraport Skyliners most likely will have to react to the Wolfarth-Bottermann injury and find a big man. The question is will it be an import or German. Another import would force another on the sidelines with the 6 man rule. The question is always what good big man are available at this time that play into the Skyliner´s budget. Around this time four years ago head coach Gordon Herbert had some tricks up his sleeve and magically got Justin Cobbs for the guard position replacing injured Richard Williams and the rest is history. Cobbs led the club into the playoffs and Eurochallenge final 4. An interesting player that could be available is ex NBA player Tim Ohlbrecht. Currently he is hanging out in Texas waiting to make his next move. He last played with ratiopharm Ulm, but currently has a nasty dispute with them so his mind might be elsewhere now. The question is would he will be willing to help an ex team and how fit is he? “I honestly haven´t heard of him, but it sounds like he has a lot of experience. He has been around the league and could help us. We will fight it out with or without him. Either way we will be ok whatever happens”, warned Jason Clark.

In the third quarter Unics Kazan came out with more intensity and were able to control the 10 minutes and led in double digits for most of the time and seemed like they weren´t going to let the Fraport Skyliners come back. One could see that Frankfurt was losing some energy in the paint area as Wolfrath-Botterman´s presence was really needed then. The two bigs Maurice Ndour and Raymar Morgan started to be able to do more and get easy baskets. The Fraport Skyliners did a superb job keeping the once top BBL center Raymar Morgan to only two points in the first half, but sooner or later a guy of that skill level is going to break out. “Morgan is a very good player. He is the type of player that will find his points sooner or later no matter who he is playing against. Our goal wasn´t to shut him down, but to try to contain him as best we could and make him work for his points. He is a work horse, but I felt we did a pretty good job on him overall. Wobo´s length could of really helped us. But Erik Murphy had some huge blocks in the game and played well”, stressed Jason Clark. It wasn´t only Erik Murphy who returned with a solid performance with 15 points and 4 blocks, but Finish national player Shawn Huff who so often leaves the floor after 40 minutes as the unsung hero. He played the most minutes on the team with 37 and added 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals. In a way he is like a mini Tez, because he does so much on the floor like his teammate, but it doesn´´t always get noticed as much. “He made so many big plays. I remember his offensive rebound off a missed free throw which led to a three by me. That was a big turning point in the game. He does so many things that doesn´t show up in the stat sheet, but also so many that do. He does so much like a Tez”, warned Jason Clark.

In the fourth quarter, the game looked like it would be a lost cause for the Fraport Skyliners as they were down by double digits. But one has to know that under a Gordon Herbert you might still get crushed from time to time like last weekend in Oldenburg, but it is unlikely it will happen two times in a row and the fighting qualities and heart of the team are there most times. The team play and never give up attitude carried the team again as in a matter of minutes crunch-time had arrived and Frankfurt had fought back with undeniable passion tying the game at 77. “Key in the come back was getting stops. Brady Heslip hit huge shots. When you are down and need points then he is the guy that can get you back in the game. He hit something like three three´s in a row, then scored in the paint and scored back door. When he has the time and sees the basket well than there is always a good chance that it will go in”, warned Jason Clark. After Erik Murphy hit three free throws to tie the game, Unics Kazan had the ball and an offensive rebound by Pierria Henry gave them an extra opportunity which they took their advantage. “I thought that we had a good trap on the perimeter, but the point guard made a good play finding Jamar Smith in the corner for the game winner”, said Jason Clark. It was the little mistakes that cost Frankfurt the game again something that the club has to get a much better grip on in crucial moments of the game. “This happens when we lose focus and we have to do a better job with it. I think once everyone gets on the same page for 40 minutes, it will get better. In some games we show it well and in other games we are horrible. We have to get on a consistent basis”, warned Jason Clark.

Clark had another game and he dazzled fans in the first half nailing two deep bank shots. The first was from nine meters and the second a half court buzzer beater at the break. “I don´t remember hitting two deep shots like that in one half ever in my career. Both felt very good when they left my hand”, added Jason Clark. Clark finished with 16 points on 6/11 shooting grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out six assists. The only sore spot were his 3 turnovers. Taking care of the ball and defense are two area´s of his game that he is most adamant of tweaking. Many in Frankfurt still feel like that there is a point guard problem in Frankfurt, but Jason Clark is more than focused at showing everyone that he can be a good point guard for the Fraport Skyliners. “I have to get my turnovers down. I have really been struggling with this and I know it. There have been games where I had 4 or even 6 and that´s not good. I really want to get them down. I don´t think that I am overdoing it, but moreover I´m not making the right reads. It is a learning experience and I know it will get better. The other area is my defense. I know there were some plays tonight that I could have done better. The coaching staff is on me about this as am I. All I can do is to keep working hard on getting better”, warned Jason Clark. On the weekend the Telekom Baskets Bonn visit the Fraport Skyliners who have been up and down this season currently 3-2 in the BBL and 2-2 in the BCL. Last weekend they lost 82-70 In Jena and escaped Fribourg, Switzerland yesterday with a hard fought 83-79 BCL win. The Fraport Skyliners have already seen the Telekom Baskets Bonn once in pre season and probably haven´t forgoten their big man Charles Jackson who once hauled down 24 rebounds in a game in Turkey who will make life even more difficult without Wolfarth-Bottermann. “Bonn is a very good team. We have to come out with a lot of energy and the right intensity on defense and then our offense will come along. We have to get a good start and not let them run. We will give all we got with what we got. We have to take way what Jackson likes to do. We have to be physical on him and take him out of the game. We will do it together. Not with one man, but with five”, stressed Jason Clark. It will be interesting if there will be that Wolfarth-Botterman replacement on Sunday in the Fraport arena.

 Jamar Wilson is a 34 year old 188cm guard from the Bronx in New York that is in his 12th professional season and has played in 7 countries including Belgium, Finland, Australia, Serbia, France, Spain and now in Lithuania with Panevezys Lietkabelis (Lithuania-LKL). He has played 372 games leading up to this season. Last season he played with JSF Nanterre (France-ProA) playing 27 games averaging 9.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 61.8%, 3PT: 40.9%, FT: 76.1%; and played 11 BCL games averaging 7.9ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.5apg, FGP: 59.5%, 3PT: 35.3%, FT: 86.4%. He had a stellar four year career at Albany (NCAA) from 2003-2007 leading the school to two NCAA tournaments and finished career as school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,164 points and ranked second in assists (488). Other highlights in his career was leading the VTB league in scoring in 2011 and playing at the 2015 and 2017 European championships with Finland. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the Basketball Champions League game against Brose Bamberg.

Mike Morrison is a 29 year old 206cm center from St Petersburg Florida playing his sebenth full professional season and first with Panevezys Lietkabelis (Lithuania-LKL). He played the last four years with the Fraport Skyliners winning the Fiba Europe Cup in 2016. He played a total of 184 games including 137 easyCRedit BBL games. He also got experience playing in countries like Belgium, Cyprus and Finland. He began his basketball career at Lakewood High School and then played at George Mason (NCAA) from 2008-2012 playing a total of 127 NCAA games and as a senior played 32 games averaging 9.8ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.4apg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 59.0%, FT: 55.0%. He spoke to Germanhoops.com before a basketball Champions league game in Bamberg.

Mike Welcome back to Germany. You are in Bamberg preparing for a Basketball Champions League game against Brose Bamberg. If you had to make a prediction what your record against Bamberg with Frankfurt was in your 4 years in Germany what would it be?

I believe I was hurt 2 games against them and didn’t play. so I would say 2-4. 3-4 if you count a preseason game we beat them in.You missed two games and only had a 2-4 record. What was always the most difficult thing abouthaving to come to Bamberg and survive on the court?

(See. I was right!) Well it’s a combination of strong teams and a strong home court. They always have solid players but that home crowd really shows up to support.

After 4 years with the Fraport Skyliners you have a new challenge with Panevezys Lietkabelis (Lithuania-LKL). Have you even attempted to try to pronounce it or have you been able to pronounce it since it’s a tough one?

Yeah, it’s not as hard as it seems to pronounce once you hear it a few times.

Fans wanted you to remain in Frankfurt, Tez did, I did and many more. Why did you choose to go? I can imagine that Tez really tried to keep you in Frankfurt.

I loved Frankfurt, the players, and the coaches and still do. It’s just about choosing what’s the right opportunity for you. I love basketball and wouldn’t mind playing anywhere that’s a good opportunity and a great experience.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber covered Mike Morrison from 2014-2018 in Frankfurt as he played with the Fraport Skyliners

Before we talk about the Fraport Skyliners let’s talk about your new team Panevezys Lietkabelis (Lithuania-LKL). Has it been a tough adjustment to the culture and living? I can’t imagine you have the same conditions as in Frankfurt with the mall and training facility within walking distance of your apartment?

Of course moving to a new place is always an adjustment but it was a pretty smooth transition. I’m not in a mall but the city is much smaller so getting places is pretty easy. They do a pretty good job of taking care of us and whatever we need.

I saw you make a slick behind the back pass in an early game. I remember Joe Voigtmann having that in his arsenal. Did you pick that up from him when you were teammates or was that something you always had, but never had the audacity to perform on the court?

Jumbo Jo has all the moves for sure but I didn’t steal that one from him lol. I’ve always been a pretty good passer but It’s not flash, it was actually just the best pass to make that play to hold the defender. A regular bounce pass would have been easier to react to

Your playing for a team that hasn’t won much in their history, but finished third and fourth in the last two seasons. Does the team have the quality to compete with some of the big name teams in Lithuania this season?

Well we definately have the talent. Our goal isn’t to focus on other teams, but to get better every day and if we can do that then we will be in the right position at the end of the season.

There are only two Americans on the team with you and Jamar Wilson. Have you gotten a more close bond to him in the early going because there are so little Americans on the team?

I can relate with Jamar a lot more on some things but as far as getting along with guys we all have good relationships. These guys are cool and I can’t help but be social. I even got Phil (Scrubb) to talk to me a lot!

With only two Americans on the team do you see yourself having more of a consistent offensive role with this team in comparison to Frankfurt?

Americans has nothing to do with the quality of players. Its 2018 basketball is worldwide and guys can play all over the world.

Soon you will be battling your ex George Mason teammate Ryan Pearson. How much are you looking forward to that game and do you have any friendly wagers going on?

We don’t have any wagers but I look forward to that game a lot! Ryan is one of my best friends. He was in my wedding and all. Look forward to competing with him and were still working on being on the same team.

I figured you might follow Quantez Robertson and try to finish your career also in Frankfurt. There are little players in the BBL that have been more valuable to their team than he does. What do you feel was the biggest attribute that Tez has in his character that has had a big impact on his game being so consistent and successful?

Tez is a jack of all trades. He makes a coaches job so much easier because you can use him in so many different ways. His best attribute is his work ethic. Goes hard every day, forcing others to do the same. Plays so hard during games and can play 40 minutes.

You had many great memories in Frankfurt with the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup probably being your favorite team accomplishment. What was your sweetest memory from that amazing run?

Just finally watching the seconds run off the clock. knowing we finally did it after falling short the year before.

You had many memorable plays like your three pointer and countless dunks and the botched off the back board dunk attempt between you and Tez. What was your favorite play with the Fraport Skyliners?

Wow. Tough to pick 1. Maybe the dunk on Smeulders in Oldenberg. that was a pretty good one.

You improved your scoring each season with the Fraport Skyliners. How do you feel did your game develop further and what will you never forget from coach Gordon Herbert in how he tried to help you become a better player?

Player development is what coach Gordie and Klaus do so well. That’s why young Germans love to come play under them. They both helped me greatly. Not only with my skills, but also knowledge of the game. I see things developing before it does just because I’ve listened to them for so long. If coaching is in the future I will be using a lot of their philosophies.

You played with so many great players over your four years with the Fraport Skyliners, but if you had to name another player besides Tez that had a great impact on you who would you pick?

I couldn’t name one. John Little showed me my intensity could always be higher. Aaron Doornekempshowed me how to be a real professional on and off the court. Jordan Theodore showed me to keepyour confidence in self no matter what. Phil showed me how not reacting to uncontrollable things can help your focus. Sean Armand reminded me that sometimes you just have to go kill the guy
lined up in front of you and Shavon Shields reminded me a few years later.

The Fraport Skyliners are celebrating their 20th anniversary this season. What made it so easy and so enjoyable to play for this organization?

Just all around good people. That’s important to me. I spoke with everyone from players, coaches, to
the people in the office, and the workers at the arena. Everyone was cool.

Before coming to the Fraport Skyliners you had already been a professional for two full years. The year before you played with Joensuun Kataja Basket (Finland-Korisliiga) playing 55 games averaging 14.0ppg, 7.7rpg, 1.5apg, Blocks-1 (1.6bpg), FGP: 60.2%, FT: 57.7%; and 6 EuroChallenge games averaging 13.3ppg, 8.2rpg, 1.5apg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 49.3%, FT: 53.8%. You were teammates with Jared Newson who was the last cut of the Dallas Mavericks in 2007. He came half way through the season, but probably displayed the one or other nice dunk. Did his slam dunk qualities pass your test?

The guy is STILL athletic, amazing. We were having game dunk contests in Finland. I miss that.

You played your first full rookie season with Cytavision Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus-Division A) playing 28 games averaging 11.8ppg, 5.0rpg, FGP: 62.6%, FT: 48.1%. What was your wake up call to being a rookie in Cyprus where you knew that you were very far away from home?

Basketball is basketball. That’s the easy part. But you really have to learn to take care of yourself, your body, your home. Your on your own for real.

In 2012 after finishing at George Mason you came to Europe and played 7 games with Antwerpen. Do you remember any advice that Ralph Biggs gave you in terms of testing the market that summer and coming back to Europe the next season?

We never really spoke about that. My time in Antwerp was a blur. I had to learn a new team, new system, and a different level of game. Being thrown right into playoff basketball wasn’t easy. With all  of that I still had school work between practices so I could graduate. The guys were really just helping
me adjust to Europe and the game.

You played at George Mason form 2008-2012 reaching the CAA tournament final in 2009. When you look back at your four years what was your most memorable moment there with the school?

On the court the most memorable moment for sure was beating Villanova in the tournament. That game was an instant classic.

You also hold a school record 7 blocks in a game with George Evans who also played in Germany. Even though this is so long ago, can you still remember some of those blocks now?

I didn’t even know that. But to do anything George Evans has done is a metal of honor to us Mason Patriots so that’s pretty cool.

You only played one season with beast Darryl Monroe when you were a freshman. How important was having him on board in terms of getting that physical edge early?

Darryl was and is still so talented and really thinks the game. In that 1 year I soaked in as much knowledge as I could. physically I was 200 pounds, there was nothing I could do with him.

How did head coaches Jim Larranaga and Paul Hewitt help groom and prepare you best for a
professional career?

They both are very successful coaches but, more than that, great people. Those 2 and all the assistants played a big part in making me the man I am today on and off the court.

Who won a one on one in practice you or Erik Copes?

Erik Copes was a physical specimen ! He was much further along as a freshman than I was. But he got senior Mike Mo so I knew how to get the best of him most the time.

Who was the best player that you battled in the NCAA that made it to the NBA?

Jared Sullinger gave me trouble. He had skill and knowledge of the game. Add a loaded team and that was a rough game.

If you had to construct your very own NBA Rushmore which 4 heads would you pick?

No particular order. Kareem, Jordan, Kobe, and Lebron.

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

It has been a season to forget so far for the Dragons Rohndorf as they had a horrible start to the season losing their first four games and the loss of Kameron Taylor and just how vital he was for last season´s success is still on the mind of many fans in Bad Honnef. The club has had difficulty scoring points averaging only 69 per game and had problems playing consistently on defense for 40 minutes allowing 80 points per contest.  Unfortunately Kameron Taylor´s don´t grow on trees and the club just haven´t been able to compensate his overall loss and what he brought at both ends of the court or have they? The club may have started poorly, but finally saw a small light at the end of the tunnel last weekend as they got a rewarding win on the road in Erfurt and a big plus for them this season has been Lithuanian big man Zygimantas Riauka who is averaging double stats wit 18,0ppg and 12,0rpg and brings back some memories of the dominance that American Aaron Nelson possessed two season´s ago. The Dragons Rhondorf didn´t have any easy opponent with the ScanPlus Baskets who came to town as they were sandwiched between two tops teams the last weeks with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen and now the reigning 2018 Pro B champs from Elchingen. They didn´t start off hot, but 3-2 and have had to see 5-0 teams Frankfurt and Leverkusen steal the show form them. They did have a big victory last weekend defeating ambitious team Schwenningen costing them their first loss in more than a year. They had problems with the RheinStars, but pulled out a victory and won easily against the Lowen. They could also be 5-0 had they been able to buckle down and win crunch time games against FC Bayern Munich and Coburg. Rhondorf had had to say good bye to American Raekwon Miller and EU player Joe Mvuezolo, but had picked up experienced American Kwan Waller and are hoping that he can help turn around the losing season. The Dragons Rhondorf played a solid first half and fought hard for most parts of the game, but just couldn´t match the ScanPlus Baskets Intensity and their three point accuracy and easy baskets in the second half losing 95-74. After the club´s fourth win of the season ex Flordia International(NCAA) guard Dennis Mavin was content with the win and how consistent they stayed for 40 minutes. “We stayed consistent and stuck to our principles staying aggressive on defense and it paid off in the second half. The three Alispavic three pointer´s got us going in the third and built momentum to the end”, stressed ScanPlus Baskets guard Dennis Mavin. After the blowout loss Dragons Rhondorf guard Kwam Waller had a smile on his face despite the loss, but saw the experience as positive. “We fought well, but just not consistently for 40 minutes. We didn´t do a good job getting out on the shooters. We need to work on the little things being able to make good decisions under pressure and make everything difficult for the opponent. We weren´t always able to keep the focus, but I love this team. We will get better. As long as we keep defending well we will be ok”, added guard Kwam Waller.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing ScanPlus Baskets guard Dennis Mavin who contributed 11 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists

The Dragons Rhondorf were without German Yannick Kneesch who was sick and other German Julian Jasinski was playing at the same time with BBL team Telekom Baskets Bonn against Science city Jena. Both teams got on the board quickly as the two point guards Kwam Waller and Dennis Mavin traded buckets. Croatian Marco Jurica who balled in Austria last season hit a trey as the ScanPlus Baskets had the 5-2 lead. This quick start by the guests didn´t bother the Dragons Rhondorf as they were ready and had a high intensity and self confidence which helped them produce a 7-0 run and gain the 9-5 advantage. The home team got three baskets inside with two from Lithuanian Zygimantas Riauka and one from German Alex Moeller. Rhondorf made three consecutive stops as the ScanPlus Baskets were hurrying their sets and taking low percentage shots. Rhondorf kept the lead at 11-8 as Joe Koschade made a lay in. The Dragons Rhondorf were getting their work horse Riauka involved and many touches while Waller brought a lot of energy at both ends of the court. Then came an offensive spurt for both teams as Croatian Karlo Rozic dropped two trey´s while ex Telekom Baskets 2 player Philipp Gruber made a pretty spin move and lay in and three as the game was dead locked at 15-15. The ScanPlus Baskets would take the 20-19 lead with a Jere Vucica and Brian Butler lay in´s, but Dragons captain Joe Koschade kept the best for last nailing a buzzer beater three giving the Dragons Rhondorf a narrow 22-20 lead. “We played good defense, but they did a better job with the offensive rebounds”, stressed Kwam Waller. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 43% from the field and 14% from outside and had eight rebounds and one turnover while the ScanPlus Baskets shot 39% form the field and 27% from outside and had 14 rebounds and four turnovers.

The second quarter stayed tight for the first few minutes, but then the ScanPlus Baskets slowly started to get away as they were more consistent on offense and would get their lead to double digits. Hungarian point guard Stefan Fekete got the ScanPlus Baskets going early with a lay in, but ex Bremerhaven forward Bo Meister drilled home a trey for the 24-22 Rhondorf advantage. However the ScanPlus Baskets then demonstrated what their offense is capable of when it´s finally really on as they cruised out on a 15-5 run to extend their lead to 37-29. The 2018 Pro B champion spread the ball around and played stable inside out ball. 38 year old German Marin Petric had the hot hand as he drilled home a three as did Vucica who also scored on a put back. Fekete scored on a steal and coast to coast sprint and ex Leverkusen forward CJ Oldham scored in the paint. Rohndorf was bolstered by two David Falkenstein buckets on transition and on the penetration. Vucica was a real force in the run as he sparked his team with his intensity and buckets as well as defense as he served up a block and his club did a good job closing down Riauka. The ScanPlus Baskets kept the momentum and would go into half-time with the comfortable 46-38 lead. Along the way they got added input from Petric who dropped another trey and ex MBC center Kristian Kuhn used his typical aggressiveness in the paint and finished with authority twice while Oldham scored on the lay in. Waller remained aggressive and showed his leadership qualities hitting two big buckets and Moeller also scored. “They did a good job slowing down Riauka. They are a smart veteran team that stick to their principles and don´t sway from it”, warned Kwam Waller. The ScanPlus Baskets shot 42% from the field and 33% from the three point line and had 27 rebounds and 7 turnovers while the Dragons Rhondorf shot 39% from the field and 8% from the three point line and had 19 rebounds and 5 turnovers.

Post game interview with Dragons Rhondorf guard Kwam Waller who added 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals in loss

In the third quarter the Dragons Rhondorf fought back and cut the guests lead down to one point, but after three quarters trailed by five points. The Dragons Rhondorf came out of the locker room reborn and right away stuck it to the ScanPlus Baskets heightening their intensity on the defensive end getting five stops and eight points to trail only 47-46. In the run the Dragons got a bucket form Moeller and Waller free throws while Riauka was back from his second quarter drought getting two baskets. It looked like the Dragons Rhondorf had ripped back the momentum, but then out of no where it was 208cm 108 kilo giant Edin Alispahic who drilled a dagger into the heart of the Dragons connecting on three consecutive trey´s. That the big man can shoot the three is no surprise as he came into the game shooting 35% on 7/20 shooting and when is open will take it. The ScanPlus Baskets led 58-51 and would extend their lead to 60-51 after Vucica made an alley-op tap in off the Fekete feed. Moeller and Butler then traded buckets as Rhondorf still trailed 63-53. The Dragons Rhondorf then finished the third quarter strong on a 5-0 run as Bo Meister connected on a catch and pop jumper and little used 18 year ex kronberg(Regionalliga) forward Noah Litzbach hit a trey as the ScanPlus Baskets led only 63-58. “We didn´t come out well in the third and they quickly took advantage of it”, stressed Dennis Mavin. “We didn´t want to come out flat and let them set the tone. We had more intensity, but just couldn´t maintain it. When we start to strive for it the better we will get at handling it”, warned Kwam Waller. The ScanPlus Baskets Shot 40% from the field and 33% from the parking lot and had 37 rebounds and 10 turnovers while the Dragons Rhondorf shot 36% from the field and 15% from the parking lot and had 37 rebounds and six turnovers.

In the fourth quarter the ScanPlus Baskets served up a quick 15-0 run deciding the game in the first few minutes. In the massive run the guests received six buckets in the paint from Butler(two baskets), Alispahic, Mavin, Petric and sweet Vucica alley op as the Dragons Rhondorf trailed 78-58. The Dragons Rhondorf seemed to have lost concentration and weren´t as fresh anymore as they had no resistance in their one on one defense. Petric remained on fire nailing two more trey´s extending the ScanPlus Baskets advantage to 84-62. “It is a blessing to have him on the team. He is a great player”, added Dennis Mavin. With the game decided and a few minutes to, both teams closed out the game executing well. Mavin drilled another trey and finished with 11 points, five rebounds and seven assists. In comparison to his explosive scoring last season where he averaged 18,0ppg in the Pro B with Giessen, he came into the game in Rhondorf averaging only 9,4ppg. His scoring isn´t a concern for him this season. “We have a great team and it´s not about me. For me it´s more important to do more for the team so that we can get better as a team and defend the title”, warned Dennis Mavin. In the last few minutes both teams emptied their benches as Rhondorf got support and points from NBBL player Marc Klesper and 34 year old little used Lotola Otshumbe and the ScanPkus Baskets gave 19 year old Jonas Sauer 6,55 minutes and he produced a bucket. “They are a young team and a bit tired at the end and we capitalized on it. We pushed the ball and got our momentum going again”, stressed Dennis Mavin. “They are a smart team and didn´t let the animal out of the cage. They kept the same focus and never panicked. That is what good teams do. They played the same way for 40 minutes and never allowed the close game to bother them”, stressed Kwam Waller. The ScanPlus Baskets were led by Marin Petric with 14 points. Edin Alispahic and Brian Butler added 12 points a piece and Dennis Mavin and Jere Vucica added 11 points apiece. The Dragons Rhondorf were led by Zygimantas Riauka with 15 ppoints and 22 rebounds. Kwan Waller produced 13 points and Alex Moeller 11 points. The ScanPlus Baskets shot 44% from the field and 35% from outside and had 52 rebounds and 15 turnovers while the Dragons Rhondorf shot 34% from the field and 19% from outside and got 43 rebounds and had 13 turnovers.

Since arriving in the BBL in 2001 the EWE Baskets Oldenburg have stood for excellence as they have only missed the playoffs three times and in the last 16 years only once in 2012 where they most likely had the most talented point guard in their history with Bobby Brown, but even with all that ability, it doesn´t always translate into the positive leadership that will bring the club success. Over the years the team has had many good point guards like Doron Perkins, Jason Gardner, Bobby Brown, Julius Jenkins, Dru Joyce, Chris Kramer, Caspar Ware, Chris Kramer and Mickey Mcconnell. The club has won two titles in their 18 years with the 2009 BBL title where ex Arizona(NCAA) standout Jason Gardner had the reigns and the 2015 BBL cup title where Chris Kramer was calling the shots from the back court. Of course in the last 11 years one of the big reasons why the EWE Baskets have been so competitive and successful has been because of the presence and leader ship of EWE Baskets lifer and Mr Oldenburg Rickey Paulding who has been with the club since 2007 and helped keep the club on the map since then. With Mcconnell having departed, the club had to keep up the good point guard tradition and made a real coup with American Will Cummings. One has to give EWE Baskets manager Herman Schuller a lot of credit for being ab le to convince the American to come to Oldenburg to a team that wasn´t going to play in a serious international cup. In a way going to the EWE Baskets Oldenburg was a step backwards for Cummings because two seasons ago he played Basketball Champions League and last season won the Euro Cup with Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul (Turkey-BSL). It would only have been logical to play for a top Euro Cup team or even better make the next step to the Euroleague. After being ousted early in cup action, the EWE Baskets Oldenburg only have one more chance to win a title wiht the BBL league and with top teams Munich and Berlin battling for the glory, it will be very tough for them again this season to win a title even with a Will Cummings. But then again the American is hungry to do more than just upkeep the EWE Baskets Oldenburg long tradition of good point guards.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Aris guard Will Cummings after the 81-74 loss in Frankfurt in 2016 In BCL play

Will Cummings is a 26 year old 188cm guard  from Jacksonville Florida that is playing in his fifth professional season and first in Germany with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. After learning his early basketball steps at the Providence Christian School, the American headed north to Philadelphia and played at Temple(NCAA). As a freshman he averaged only 6,3 minutes per game averaging 1,4ppg per game and had top guards Khalif Wyatt and Ramone Moore in front of him. In his sophomore season he started 32 games and played 34 games averaging 5.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 1.9apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 43.2%, 3PT: 28.3%, FT: 68.5%. He scored in double figures six times including a 15 point effort against Rhode Island. His career really took off as a junior as he played 28 games averaging 16.9ppg, 3.5rpg, 4.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 30.7%, FT: 77.8%. He was a Second Team Philadelphia Big 5 selection and exploded against UCF for 31 points. He saved his best for last as in his senior season he helped the team reach the NIT Final 4 playing 36 games averaging 14.8ppg, 4.1rpg, 4.2apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 46.4%, 3PT: 22.9%, FT: 80.8%. He finished his career scoring in double figures in 28 of 36 games and had amazing streak in his last 19 games doing it 18 times. His best scoring game was 30 in a 73-67 win against Bucknell. He also scored 23 and 21 points back to back in victories against Uconn and Memphis. He more than held his own against future NBA player Ryan Boatright and Rodney Purvis. “Those back to back wins get thought about a lot. They are high on my list because I thought those two wins secured us into the NCAA tournament but we were robbed. Also, beating UCONN was on senior night. Having my whole family there was memorable”, stressed Will Cummings. As a result of his strong senior season he was selected to the AAC All-Tournament Team. A guy who was always there for him on and off the court was Temple(NCAA) head coach Fran Dunphy. “Fran Dunphy was the best thing that happened to my basketball career. He groomed me into a man and the tough player that I am today. I thank him for that”, stressed Will Cummings.

Before turning professional in 2015 he played at the well known Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Pre-NBA Draft) playing 3 games averaging  6.3ppg, 2.7rpg, 4.3apg, 2.3spg and then in July played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas  with the Houston Rockets playing 4 games averaging 10.0ppg, 1.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.8spg. After his promising showing at the NBA Summer League he was signed by the Houston Rockets only to be waived shortly before the start of the season after appearing in 6 pre-season games. “NBA training camp was definitely and eye opener and showed me this basketball is business so it made me a lot stronger and mentally tougher to deal with my new lifestyle”, added Will Cummings. He joined the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League) playing 52 games averaging 20.5ppg, 3.6rpg, 4.7apg, 2.0spg, 2FGP: 53.7%, 3FGP: 37.7%, FT: 78.5%. He quickly showed that he had the ability to not only shine in the G-League, but to show his talent in the NBA, but never got the opportunity. “I definitely believe I deserved an NBA call up”, warned Will Cummings. With Rio Grande he scored in double figures in all 52 games showing an amazing consistency. He scored 20 points or more 31 times including a 32 point explosion against Austin, a 29 point explosion against Bakersfield and 28 points apiece against Los Angeles and Reno. After that first season in the G-league, he got his first taste of Europe playing briefly with Dolomiti Energia Trento (Italy-Serie A) playing 4 games averaging  9.5ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0spg. He was swept in the playoffs by top team Milan scoring 13, 6 and 7 points and remembers this experience as one that gave him his introduction to European basketball. “My wake up call was playing against Milan in the first round of the Italian playoffs. Jumping right into an important and high level situation for your first experience forces you to learn quickly”, stressed Will Cummings.

He came to Europe in the late summer of 2016, but before he did that he wanted another go at the NBA dream and played NBA Pro Summer League in Utah with the San Antonio Spurs playing 3 games averaging 6.0ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.0apg, 1.7spg and NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas with the San Antonio Spurs playing 4 games averaging  4.8ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.3spg. After giving the NBA clubs another dose of his talent, he decided to further his career with top Greek team  Aris Thessaloniki (Greece-A1) where he played 31 games leading the Greek league in scoring with 14.5ppg, 3.6rpg, 3.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 77.6%, and he also played very well in the BCL playing 18 games averaging 15.2ppg, 3.8rpg, 3.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 47.3%, 3PT: 30.4%, FT: 77.5%. One had to wonder how the American came to terms with the tough Greek names at the start, but he quickly came up with a way to communicate with ease. “The names weren´t that difficult to pronounce but I developed nicknames for all of them to eliminate me having to pronounce them”, added Will Cummings. He needed no adjustment period to the tough Greek league learning the european style rapidly. “As a point guard I believe the biggest adjustment is learning the defenses that are being played in Europe. I played in the D league for a full season so you get accustomed to the amount of space on the court. In Europe everything is more compact so you have to find ways to still be affective with less space”, commented Will Cummings. His secret to playing so smoothly and consistently in his first full year in Europe had to do with his mentality. “ I just try to be affective and make plays in each game to help my team win”, warned Will Cummings. He scored in double figures in 26 of 31 Greek league games including a 27 point game against Koroivos and 25 points against Lavrio. He played five times against top Euroleague team Olympiakos and got swept in the playoffs, but held his own in each game giving his valuable two cents scoring in double figures in each game. Ex BBL player and European vet Michael Jenkins who was close to making the NBA a few years ago took Cummings under his wing helping him with the adjustment time. “Mike helped me a lot getting adjusted to life in Europe. Showing me the in and outs of just living on your own for a long period of time out of America”, added Will Cummings. In the BCL he scored in double figures in 17 of 18 games including 21 point games against Strassburg, Asvel and Nymburk.

Last season the American who lists Allen Iverson and Chris Paul as his biggest role models growing up and has mixes of both player´s games in his, but stresses he has his own identity made the next jump in his career to Eurocup team Darussafaka Dogus Istanbul (Turkey-BSL) playing 30 BSL games averaging 8.7ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 39.1%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 75.3%, and played 22 Eurocup games averaging 9.0ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 17.8%, FT: 83.7%. He credits ex Greek national team teammate Vasilis Xanthopoulos for helping him making the next step to Turkey. “Going against Xanthopolous in practice helped me because he has such a great feel for the game. He makes you figure out ways to try and out smart him”, warned Will Cummings. Last season wasn´t an easy one as he had dominant scorer ex Florida(NCAA) stand out Scottie Wilbekin parked in front of him as his minutes were shaved down drastically from the season before. In Greece he averaged 25 minutes in the Greek League and 26 minutes in the BCL while in the Turkish BSL and Eurocup it was only 17 minutes. But despite having less minutes, the season brought him the second biggest international title in Europe with the Eurocup. He saved his best for last scoring 19 and 10 points in the final against Lokomotiv Kuban. Eurocup MVP Scottie Wilbekin remembers his time with Cummings last season fondly. “In practice we have made each other better. I already knew Will when he came. We had been teammates back when we were kids in AAU. It was fun to be able to play with him again”, added Scottie Wilbekin.

This season Cummings has that more main role again that he had two seasons ago in Greece with the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Even though he is on a team that is filled with scoring power with the likes of Mr Oldenburg Rickey Paulding, Austrian national player Rasid Mahalbasic, Franz Massennat and Nathan Boothe, the American has set himself a part from them and been that scoring leader averaging 23,5ppg. This season the club opted not to play in a lower international cup competition with the Fiba Europe Cup and so he has at most one game per week and can focus extra well on his game and on his team. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg had an amazing playoff run two seasons ago beating Bayreuth and upsetting ratiopharm Ulm before succumbing to the last Bamberg title in the Trinchieri era. So why couldn´t another run happen this season with legend Paulding not getting any younger?  The American is still young at age 26 and still not in his prime and one can be sure that he will not only focus extra hard this season to help lead his team to wins as he showed  in the first two games with the blow out against Braunschweig and then the slugfest against ratiopharm Ulm, but also be very concerned about continuing to develop his game for another chance over the pond. “I don’t believe anything is really missing from my game to be in the NBA. I would like to be a more consistent pull up shooter but opportunity just has to be given”, warned Will Cummings. The EWE Baskets fans will have a lot of joy with the American as he will belong to the top five point guards this season in the BBL and be looking to hook on to his offensive consistency of two years ago in Greece along with upholding that fine EWE Baskets point guard tradition with success. Jacksonville Florida where he comes from has bred mostly NFL talent, but the 880,000 city did bred some NBA legends like Otis Smith and Dee Brown and when asked what he would like to know from Brown if he had dinner, the American knew exactly what he would ask him. “I would want to know most about his workout habits and what he did to take himself to another level”, added Will Cummings. He may not find any NBA players in Oldenburg, but with easyCredit BBL identity figure Rickey Paulding he could have the perfect dinner partner this season. After a dinner or two with Paulding and soaking up extra knowledge about basketball and life, he may not even have to go home to Jacksonville and need the Brown advice anymore.

I´m probably one of the only basketball journalists in Europe and for that matter anywhere on earth that doesn´t really know what a post game press conference room looks like. Going to a place where you have to glare at two totally drained 50 plus head coaches who looked like they have just been forced to run a marathon without getting water in between has never been my cup of tea. Plus what you later read in the papers or online is usually the same post game quotes that are scattered in all articles. Instead I prefer to meet high class players from the opponent´s team that I have only watched play and read about and continue to nurse my special relationships that I have with the home team players. After the big 95-78 Eurocup win against Montenegran team KK Mornar Bar which put the Fraport Skyliners to 3-1 in Eurocup action, I as usual hounded the players on and off the court for interesting post game quotes, but this was a night where I would have liked to have been at the post game press conference. In the 90´s and even only 10 years ago, this press conference would have been one that one could only have heard about via chatter and the press articles, but in 2018 thank God for You Tube. I heard about the heated press conference a few hours after I had returned home and was able to view it again. OK so the post game press conference with coaches Gordon Herbert and Mihailo Pavicevic didn´t have the glitz and comical passages that Allen Iverson did when he gave the word practice a special new meaning, but it showed a side of head coach Gordon Herbert that one only sees when he is really mad. One could of suspected something was brewing in the mind of Pavicevic who is a five time Finish league champion and coached Herbert´s ex team Honka Playboys  when he congratulated the Fraport Skyliners a few times instead of the usual one time. Pavicevic then went on to criticize the Fraport Skyliners organization for not being good hosts explaining his disappointment in not having been able to practice in the Fraport arena and having been put in a hotel 31 kilometers away from the arena. Without knowing the real details of why they were put in a hotel half way to German Siberia, Gordon Herbert was quickly to shoot back that his team hadn´t been able to practice in the Fraport arena for almost three weeks on account of activities being held there that didn´t allow court time. In a way both teams were handicapped in not having had had a feel of the court, but Pavicevic´s rude attack on the Skyliners organization was uncalled for.  “I heard that our manager had told them before that they couldn´t use our gym to practice. We weren´t able to use it either. Both teams used it for the first time in shoot around right before the game. I know that the Skyliners didn´t intentionally have this done. I also know they wouldn´t treat the opponent bad. I hope that this whole thing will be resolved. Whatever happens when we return there to play them, we will act in a professional way and work hard to get the win”, warned Fraport Skyliner Jason Clark. Mihailovic threatened the Fraport Skyliners in the press conference that they will get the same service in Bar when they arrive for the return game. It will be interesting to see if the Fraport Skyliners suddenly find out after their bus ride to their hotel is actually in Shkodra Albania when they are asked for their passports at the boarder because it is about a 48 kilometer drive from Bar. “If something like that does happen and we found ourselves in Albania that would just be a bigger motivation to go out and win on their home court”, joked ex Georgetown guard Jason Clark. After the latest experience with KK Mornar Bar, the Fraport Skyliners will surely make their own hotel reservasions in Bar so they don´t end up somehwere else where they don´t necessarily want to be.

Whenever Fraport Skyliner teams under Gordon Herbert have had poor games, they mostly return and give a positive answer and did whipping the butts of KK Mornar Bar 95-78. Head coach Gordon Herbert was very disappointed after the bad loss against BG Goettingen last weekend saying it was one of those games where you want to give up coaching. Despite the bad loss the Fraport Skyliners found a good answer and struck the Montenegran team hard with 63 points in the first half. “We didn´t necessarily feel pressure going into this game. We knew that we hadn´t played well and needed a good reaction. We knew that if we showed effort and played hard that that would take care of itself and we would be successful. The biggest thing for us is just coming out and playing hard”, warned Jason Clark. That first half was a scoring fest not seen so often at any level in Europe where defense is still something that is played unlike over the pond. KK Mornar Bar forget what defense was on this night and one could see quickly that as Frankfurt poured in the points more and more in that first quarter the more they knew that it would be a long long night and the more they wanted to have the game end as soon as possible. “Scoring 63 points was a whole lot. I don´t know if I had ever experienced that many points before in one half. I just hope that we have many more games like that on offense and defense”, smiled Jason Clark. One thing that really stood out in the game was the refreshing way the club played offense and how nicely the ball was being moved around. There were some instances where the ball movement reminded one a bit of the stellar 2015-2016 season where the club won the Fiba Europe Cup. Back then guys like Jordan Theodore, Aaron Doornekamp, the German twin towers of Johannes Voigtmann and Danilo Barthel now both Euroleague players and Philip Scrubb practiced the beautiful ball movement with a passion and might even have got a brief smile from Spurs coach Gregg Popovic had he been in the arena who has attempted to bring the European flair to the NBA in recent years. “I wouldn´t know what to call our brand, but I think that we showed our identity against Mornar Bar something that we have showed only in spurts this season. Our indentity is too play basketball that is tough, relentless and where we show togetherness. We want to bring this on a more consistent basis. We continue to work on that”, said Jason Clark.

The Fraport Skyliners let up a bit in the second half on the offensive end scoring only 35 points, but can you call it a let up, because scoring 63 points in one half doesn´t happen every day unless you’re the Golden State Warriors. Scoring 35 points is ok, but not great, but will still get you wins when your defense is working well. Even if the offense wasn´t totally consistent for 40 minutes, it wasn´t in any means weak. “When looking back at the second half, I don´t feel like we needed to correct anything. We were still getting good looks and shots off, but they just weren´t falling as regularly like in the first half. They changed their defense and switched up a lot between zone and man. Important is when you are struggling on offense, you need to continue to play together. Playing together and trying to stay consistent is key”, added Jason Clark. What really functioned well for 40 minutes was their defense. They played aggressive from the get go with a lot of intensity and hounded their guards well early in their sets totally disrupting their plays. The communication and switching was spot on again something that was totally lacking against BG Goettingen. Even if their Americans Carrington and Waller combined for 22 points, 70% of those shots at least were contested and one could only tip your cap to their individual effort. “It was a big challenge to stay consistent on defense. You will always have ups and downs in games. The important thing is that you remain consistent on defense. Even if you have an off night shooting, you should never let your offense dictate your defense”, warned Jason Clark. After the big win, Clark lauded the games of Brady Heslip and Richard Freudenberg and the day after lauded the games of Trae Bell-Haynes and Jonas Wolfarth-Botterman. Bell Haynes continues to play solid at the point guard position finding his spots well and even displaying a knack for making the trey. He finished with 11 points on 6/9 shooting including a three and dished out three dimes.  Of course he sill makes rookie mistakes, but what really has stood out is his efficiency at executing at the rim. “He does a great job getting into the lane. He does a great job for a rookie being patient in the lane and not rushing. Once there he knows how to finish or get the ball to a teammate. I feel his finishing skills are really overlooked”, warned Jason Clark. Jonas Wolfarth Bottermann had another great game finishing with 16 points and six boards and three blocks. He continues to be a beast at both ends of the court. He had already struck hard in the first few minutes of the game making Frankfurt´s first three baskets. His teammate Clark doesn´t doubt that the German big man can be a consistent player in the BBL. “He is very good on the offensive and defensive rebound. He has nice size and a nice hook shot. I think that he could be a dominant big man in the BBL”, warned Jason Clark.

Post game interview with Jason Clark who contributed 10 points in the win against KK Mornar Bar

Jason Clark has been up and down this season on the offensive end, but currently is shooting at 44% from outside in the BBL while averaging 9,7ppg, 2,7rpg and 1,3apg. In the Eurocup he is shooting only 37% from the parking lot, but averaging 11,8ppg, 3,5rpg and 4,3apg. He had another solid game in the Eurocup against Mornar Bar finishing with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and was perfect from downtown at 2/2. His teammate German Richard Freudenberg has also found his offensive game again and stressed he has let his energy, defense and rebounding spark his offense. Clark shares some of Freudenberg´s recipes for success. “I will continue to get into the game with my defensive intensity. Some guys like to get into the game with their offense which takes a bit longer for some guys. For me at the moment is too do it through my defense which allows my offense to flow better”, warned Jason Clark. The American can do it again this weekend when Frankfurt faces the 3-0 EWE Baskets Oldenburg. They have had interesting games so far in the BBL destroying Braunschweig, winning a shoot out against ratiopharm ulm and then surprisingly whipping struggling MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. They are currently second in points made with 96 and sixth at 82 points allowed. They boast a stellar roster with BBL legend Rickey Paulding, top point guard Will Cummings, versatile big man Rashid Mahalbasic and a core of nice role players with Nate Booth, Franz Massenat and Philip Schwethelm. Clark knows what will be the key to leaving Oldenburg with a happy bus ride home. “Defense will get us the win. If we can bring the defense we had in the first half against Mornar Bar then we will be in good shape. We need to play good defense and play together for 40 minutes”, stressed Jason Clark. The American is looking forward to battling Oldenburg lifer Rickey Paulding. “I know his game and have seen him play. He is similar to Tez in being a big figure in the BBL. It is always fun to go against guys like that”, added Jason Clark. The Oldenburg game will also be an added good opportunity for the American to improve his ranking with the coaching staff in that he can contain top point guard Will Cummings who is currently tearing up the BBL averaging 21,0ppf,2,7rpg and 5,7apg. But Clark has his game face on and won´t let any player in any league get in his head. “I look forward to every battle with every team and every player. I approach each game and each player I battle the same way. I want to come in with defensive intensity and let my offense flow naturally”, warned Jason Clark. One thing is for sure, Clark has the right mind set and has it down. Now all he needs to do is bring his game on a consistent basis which as the point guard will help the Fraport Skyliners to be that consistent team that they want to be at both ends of the court.