Clevin Hannah is a 27 year old 179cm guard from Holly Springs playing his eighth professional season and third in Spain with Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB(ACB). Last season he split time with Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece Basket (Turkey-BSL) playing 5 FIBA Europe Cup games averaging 10.2ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.7apg, 2FGP: 68.8%, 3FGP: 48.1%; and in the Turkish BSL played 8 games averaging 9.5ppg, 1.9rpg, 4.0apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 45.8%, 3FGP: 36.1%, FT: 83.3%, in Dec.’16 moved to Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania-LKL) playing 26 games averaging 8.0ppg, 1.1rpg, 3.7apg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 81.6%; In the Eurocup, he played 6 games averaging 6.2ppg, 1.7rpg, 3.0apg, FGP: 56.5%, 3PT: 15.4%. He started his basketball career at Paris JC (NJCAA) and Chipola JC (NJCAA). He then played his last two college years at Wichita St. (NCAA) and as a senior played 32 games averaging 12.0ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.7apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 42.5%, FT: 90.4%. He started his professional basketball career in 2010 with BC Perla Harghitei Miercurea Ciuc (Romania-Div.A) playing 23 games: Score-2(21.2ppg), 3.1rpg, Assists-3(6.2apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 57.5%, 3PT-3(47.6%), FT: 86.3%. In the 2011-2012 season he played with Karhu Kauhajoki (Finland-Korisliiga) playing 44 games averaging 18.3ppg, 3.4rpg, Assists-4(4.5apg), 1.4spg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT-1(46.8%), FT: 89.0%. KIN the 2012-2013 season he played for ALM Evreux Basket (France-ProB) playing 39 games averaging 16.8ppg, 2.9rpg, 5.3apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 55.7%, 3PT: 47.2%, FT: 88.5%. In the 2013-2014 season he played for Sluc Nancy Basket Pro (France-ProA) playing 38 games averaging 10.3ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.3apg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 39.4%, FT: 82.5%. In the 2014-2015 season he played for FIATC Joventut Badalona (Spain-Liga Endesa) playing 35 games averaging 10.2ppg, 1.3rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 47.9%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 85.7%. In the 2015-2016 season he played for Dominion Bilbao Basket (ACB) playing 33 games averaging 12.3ppg, 2.1rpg, 3.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 51.3%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 85.2%; In the Eurocup, he played 16 games averaging 12.4ppg, 1.9rpg, 3.6apg, FGP: 58.7%, 3PT: 42.7%, FT: 90.6%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Basketball Champions League game against the EWE Baskets Oldenburg in Oldenburg.

 

 

 

 

Thanks Clevin for talking to German Hoops. Welcome back to Germany. How does it feel to be back in an old stomping ground?

 

 

 

It feels good to be back. I really like Germany and playing here. I like the fans and how they support their teams. I am used to the atmosphere now having played here so many times.

 

 

 

 

You were in Germany 4 times two seasons ago with Bilbao and had a 7-1 record against German teams Bonn, Oldenburg, Ulm and Munich. Could one say that you self confidence today is sky high?

 

 

Somewhat. I like the style of play in Germany. I think that it fits my style. I just go with the flow and how teams play.

 

 

You play many games, but you must remember the 34 point win somewhat in Oldenburg. You scored 15 points and little seemed to go wrong for Bilbao?

 

 

I remember that game very well. We were on fire and were hitting shot after shot early. That helped us get a good rhythm and carry it to the end.

 

 

 

The EWE Baskets Oldenburg are a changed team from then having reached the final in 2017 and are playing another good season. What kind of game can we await and what will be key to getting the win?

 

They have changed but continue to be a very good team. They play very aggressive defense. Key will be that we have match their energy and toughness on defense

 

After playing your six professional seasons for one team each season, last season you played with  Demir Insaat Buyukcekmece Basket (Turkey-BSL) and top team Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania-LKL). You did reach the Lithuanian semi-finals, but overall was it more a season to forget?

 

Last season was probably my most down year. I changed teams and my stats were down. I am happy that I got that behind me. I am happy being with my new team and having new goals.

 

 

Your obviously a season veteran, but how vital was it being able to play with fellow veterans David Logan, Drew Gordan and Corey Fischer? Did they make everything a bit easier coming from Turkey?

 

It was very interesting and exciting playing with those guys. They are all very good players and good people. I definitely got a lot out of the experience having them as teammates.

 

 

 

Let´s talk about your new team Murcia. This is their seventh season in the ACB since moving up form Leb Gold and they reached the playoffs just once. How much potential does this team have this season of getting their again?

 

Even though it will be tough, I think we have a good chance of reaching the playoffs. Key for our success this season will be focusing on the small things. We have to focus on finishing games strong. It is the small things in crunch-time like getting an offensive rebound or blocking out that we need to do a better job of.

 

 

Murcia is filled with many different nationalities. How enriching has it been coming together with many new players on the court and from so many different cultures?

 

It is fun and very exciting being around so many personalities. We have guys from Brasil, Spain, Argentina and from the Dutch national team. I think that we have been meshing very well. We enjoy each others company on and off the court very much.

 

One could say you are playing with a future ACB basketball legend Brad Oleson. What has impressed you most about his game since you became teammates?

 

 

 

His leadership on both the offensive and defensive ends has impressed me most. He is a great teammate and I try to learn as much as possible. I continue to pick his brain on how to become a better player on the court.

 

 

You told me in our last interview that you are a player that continuously has to prove himself again night in and night out. How has this mentality made you stronger as a player?

 

 

My need to continue to prove myself continues to be my fuel and how I go. Every team tries to use my size as a fall back. I know that I have to continue to go harder and be smarter than the bigger guards.

 

 

You have been a very consistent shooter your whole career and last season very well in Turkey and Lithuania. However this season you have started off slowly. What approach do you take when shots aren´t falling?

 

I have been a good shooter my whole career, but am down this season. For me it is important just to keep getting shots up before and after practice and in games continue to shoot the ball and not think about it.

 

 

 

In our last interview you stated “Shooting is like playing the lottery. You can´t control hitting or missing a shot, but taking the best shot possible”. How much has your shot selection improved over the years due to reading the opponents defense better?

 

 

I pick and choose the shots that I take. When your younger you can take reckless shots but as you get older you have to take good shots.

 

 

Your turning 30 in November. Do you feel that you are in your prime now and what do you still want to achieve with your play on the court?

 

 

 

My main goal remains winning that first Professional title.

 

 

We spoke about your ex teammate Toure Murray two seasons ago as he was on the jump to the Washington Wizards. Now he is on ratiopharm Ulm and not playing a significant role there. Are you surprised how his career has progressed away from the NBA?

 

 

I´m not surprised. Nowadays in this business you never know where you might end up. I am just happy that he can continue to play the game that he loves. I feel that he can be a good player in Europe as soon as he gets used to the style here and figures out his game

 

 

 

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

 

 

Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant

 

 

 

 

Lebron James failed to win his fourth NBA title and is still three away from Michael Jordan. Where does Lebron stand right now in your opinion in the never ending debate of who is the best of all-time?

 

 

 

Lebron is the second best of all-time behind Michael Jordan. Lebron has the chance and ability to surpass Jordan when all is said and done.

 

 

There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?

 

 

 

I think he is a good defender. He plays hard every possession. He has so much passion for the game and his focus is just to do as much for his team as possible so they are successful

 

 

 

How do you summarize the 2017 NBA Draft. What sleepers do you see playing a role in the NBA?

 

 

I didn´t see the NBA Draft as I was with the Senegal national team.

 

 

Where will the journey of the Houston Rockets go this season with Chris Paul and James Harden in the back court. Do they have enough to make a serious run at the title or is something missing?

 

 

The west is very tough. I think that they could reach the final with the Thunder or Spurs playing against the Warriors.

 

 

 

How do you rate the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade? Who got the better deal and which team will profit better in the long run?

 

I think Boston got the better of the deal. Kyrie is just an amazing player. Isaiah Thomas got hurt and who knows how he will come back. Cavs got good other players in the deal. We will just have to wait and see.

 

 

 

 

Where will the journey of the Oklahoma Thunder go this season with Westbrook, George and Anthony? Can they make a serious run in the west?

 

 

 

I think that they can compete with all in the west. It will come down to how well the three stars play together and how the chemistry is.

 

 

 

What was the last movie that you saw?

 

 

Narcos documentary.

 

Thanks Clevin for the chat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For six years a normal Tuesday night for Ruben Spoden usually composed of practicing with his BBL teams Walter Tigers Tuebingen where he played from 2010-2013 playing 56 games and 88 games with S.Oliver Wurzburg from 2013-2016 battling against big men like Kenny Wiliams, Anatoly Kashirov,or  Kenny Frease on a daily basis,  but on this Tuesday night, the 28 year old 202cm forward who grew up near Frankfurt playing with the  MTV Kronberg Youth and Eintracht Frankfurt (Regionalliga) and watching German basketball legend Pascal Roller bring the Frankfurt Skyliners their first BBL league title in 2004 was very far away from any real BBL atmosphere. Instead the German who last season played with the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau (ProA) averaging 4.5ppg, 2.8rpg was in a small school gym in Limburg battling against young German kids for his new team TV Langen in the Regionaliga. He had suffered a severe injury last season and had decided to take a step back from the rigors of the BBL and put his family and medical studies in the forefront. This season the German has helped lead TV Langen to a solid 4-1 record and helped the team win their fourth game in a row against Kaiserslautern 70-51 as he steered eight points, 11 boards and four assists to the victory. On Halloween night Spoeden and TV Langen faced the weak 1-4 Limburg side who have a very thin roster and are carried by American ex Pro B player Brandon Shingles and Lithuanian Julius Zurna. EVL Limburg could have used some extra witches and demons on this cool Halloween night to scare the TV Langen team, but a Ruben Spoden doesn´t get terrified quickly especially on the court. TV Langen controlled the game for a good 36 minutes in Limburg and survived a late fourth quarter Limburg run going home with a well deserved 87-81 victory. After the game a relaxed and satisfied Ruben Spoden reflected on the game and his new basketball adventure in the Regionaliga. “We had a good night where we got going early. Their zone brought us out of rhythm, but we were still able to control the game. Zurna and Stallbohm hit us hard with their shooting and we couldn´t find good solutions on defense, but in the end we came out with the win. I played in the Regionaliga early in my career with Eintracht Frankfurt so I had an idea what the gyms would be like. I could come out and try to score 30 points every night, but I have nothing to prove and nobody would profit from it. I just try to help the young guys with my experience and be a reliable player in tough times during a game”, stressed ex Tuebingen forward Ruben Spoden. After the game Top Limburg import American Brandon Shingles had it written all over his face as every one else in the gym knew that Limburg had let the game slip away at the end. “We had the odds against us and played catch up the whole game. They did a good job doubling our best players and not the other players at the end. Kudus to them”, added ex Leipzig point guard Brandon Shingles.

TV Langen jumped all over EVL Limburg taking the 7-2 lead as they got production from ex BBL player Rueben Spoden making a lay in and free throws and 23 year old German Leander Sielaff made a hard two handed dunk in transition. However EVL Limburg slowly got a rhythm on offense as high energy 31 year old Lithuanian Julius Zurna who has had Regionalliga experience with Schwenningen, Aschersleben and Bernau used his aggressive drive getting some buckets while Brandon Shingles nailed his first field goal with a trey giving EVL Limburg the 13-12 advantage. Both teams would trade run after run in the game and it started in the first quarter as Maxim Schneider who played 94 Pro B games with TV Langen drilled home a trey and rookie Nick Smith who learned his shooting at Belmont(NCAA) connected from the corner extending the TV Langen lead to 22-17. The runs continued to go back and forth like the Larry Bird-Dominique Wilkins playoff battle in 1988 as EVL Limburg closed out the first quarter with a 8-2 run. They got big production from their big men  Waldemar Gomer and 29 year old Finish Aron Thorell-Walker who last played at Trelleborg Basket Pirates (Superettan) scoring inside. After 10 minutes EVL Limburg had the slim 25-23 lead.

In the second quarter Nick Smith really got going scoring three buckets inside as he kept his three pointer on the back burner. Timothy Chabot who has been with TV Langen since his youth nailed a trey giving TV Langen the 33-30 lead. TV Langen had stepped up their defense and EVL Limburg were struggling with Shingles who was on the bench for a few minutes. TV Langen continued to be the more aggressive team going on a 10-3 run to take the commanding 43-32 lead. TV Langen had a deeper bench and got production form many players. Up now was 21 year old 180cm guard Tyrone Mclaughlin who played with Eintracht Frankfurt some years ago got active on both ends of the court making a steal and going coast to coast for the lay in and dropped a trey.  EX Fraport Skyliner Junior Lukas Beuschlein also got active on the defensive end making two steals and finishing on transition for easy baskets. TV Langen took advantage of the sloppy EVL Limburg game and let their defense take their game to another dimension as they got easy buckets on transition which in turn sparked their offense. Five year man Norman Klima scored in the paint and Shingles made a free throw cutting the TV Langen lead to 43-36 at half-time.

In the third quarter TV Langen continued to control the game leading in double figures, but were never totally able to run away with the game as they allowed EVL Limburg to hang around. Julius Zurna started off the third quarter showing his precise shooting nailing a trey from the corner cutting the TV Langen lead to 43-39. However TV Langen jumped all over EVL Limburg again going on a 9-2 run to extend their lead to 52-41. In the run, Nick Smith showed his versatile offensive game never hesitating for a second to shoot from outside when he was open nailing a three and scoring inside. Schneider also connected on a step back jumper from the right corner and Spoden made a lay in following a technical against Brandon Shingles. TV Langen would keep their lead up thanks to the consistent shooting of Smith and Schneider who continued to shoot at a high volume while Zurna kept firing away and keeping EVL Limburg in the game trailing only 59-47. A lightening 5-0 Limburg run powered by a Stallbohm lay in and Shingles trey brought EVL Limburg back to 59-52, but a Schneider to Smith alley-oop tap in and Schneider three kept EVL Limburg at bay as TV Langen led 66-54. Zurna gave the home team fans something to cheer about as he nailed home a buzzer beater trey to end the third quarter trailing TV Langen only 66-57. “Our goal is always to play extra hard in the first five minutes as that is the time teams tend to give up. We wanted to have a higher lead, but that didn´t happen, but we still controlled the game”, stressed Ruben Spoden. “We kept the pressure on and sped up the game as much as possible. They also sped up the game and forced us to turnovers. We couldn´t adjust and had miscommunication on defense”, added Brandon Shingles.

In the fourth quarter, EVL Limburg continued to feel that they had a chance and quickly took control of the game and stole the momentum from the guests as they opened up the fourth quarter with a 9-2 run as suddenly they trailed only 69-66. In the run, EVL Limburg shot the ball well and were just a bit more clever in crucial plays as Shingles showed sneaking inside grabbing an offensive rebound and scoring and getting Spoden with an up fake. Stallbohm also hit a trey and Thorell-Walker scored in the paint. TV Langen didn´t let EVL Limburg pass them yet as they kept the lead thanks to buckets inside by Schneider and Smith keeping the lead at 76-71. EVL Limburg had one last gasp and totally shocked the guests going on a 8-0 run to regain the lead 79-76. The run was started by Zurna who hit a pull up jumper and then it was the Shingles show as he scored three consecutive times in the lane including a pretty spin move on transition. “I try to be a team player first and involve everyone else and not be too selfish. In that phase I just knew that I had to make those shots”, stressed Brandon Shingles. The game was dominated by runs and unfortunately for EVL Limburg, TV Langen had the last run of the game which secured them the win. They closed out the game with a 11-2 run. In the run, TV Langen got important production from Smith who scored twice, Spoden who hit four free throws and from German 29 year old Chris Reinhardt who scored inside. TV Langen played smart defensively keying in on Limburg´s top players and forced guys to take shots that normally wouldn´t in crunch-time. They also benefited from Limburg´s poor free throw percentage helping them out. “We have a lot of potential and when we can run and get the ball inside then we can be really good. They missed many shots and we found better answers on defense and got the needed rebounds”, added Ruben Spoden. “They got the ball to the right players at the end and we missed shots. Smith hit big three´s. That is what guys from Belmont do”, stressed Brandon Shingles. “We should have won by more. We gave up too many points. Our inside game was missing and we dominated with our three point shooting. We led the whole game and deserved to win”, stressed TV Langen manager Jogi Barth. TV Langen was led by Nick Smith with 28 points. Ruben Spoden added 18 points and Maxim Schneider had 17 points. EVL Limburg were led by Julius zurna with 34 points and Brandon Shingles had 24 points. TV Langen shot 48% from the field and 32% from outside while EVL Limburg shot 44% from the field and 25% from outside. EVL Limburg won the rebound duel 35-32 and had nine turnovers while TV Langen coughed up the ball 12 times.

 

 

 

Marc Carter is a 32 year old 192cm guard from  Morganza, Maryland that is in his 10^th professional season and first with Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania-LKL). He started his basketball career at  NC-Wilmington (NCAA) in 2003 where he played four seasons playing a total of 121 NCAA games. He started his professional basketball career in 2008 with the Duesseldorf Giants (Germany-1.Bundesliga) where he played for two seasons. He also gained further basketball experience with Proteas Danoi AEL (Cyprus-Division A), Phoenix Hagen (Germany-1.Bundesliga, four years in Greece with teams A.G.O Rethymno Aegean (Greece-A1), Panionios ON Telecoms Athens (Greece-A1), PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece-A1), AEK Athens (Greece-A1) and last season he played with  BM Slam Stal Ostrow Wlkp. (Poland-TBL) playing 36 games averaging 12.2ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.9apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 52.9%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 82.6%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Eurocup game against Alba Berlin in  Berlin.

 

 

 

 

Marc thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome back to Germany. This is your fourth season of playing international club basketball and never played against a German team in that stretch. After playing your last game in the 2011-2012 season for Phoenix Hagen did you ever come back to visit Germany during a layover or is this the first time back In your professional career you had a 2-3 record against Alba Berlin including beating them with two different teams. With what kind of feelings are you coming back to Berlin?

 

 

 

I remember the wins against Berlin. My years in Germany they had a very strong team . I’m happy to come back to Germany . It’s where it started for me. Also the city itself I remember was great. I stayed a day after a Berlin game to visit monuments and Museums. Riding bikes through the city was fun

 

 

 

 

In the 2011-2012 season, Phoenix Hagen played an unforgettable game that probably ranks up with the top three games of their history beating Alba Berlin 98-91 in OT and you dominated leading all scorers with 33 points. What do you remember from that game?

 

The game against Alba at home in Hagen was crazy . Our fans were always very supportive and showed up to games. It was loud in there as you would expect it to be playing well against one of the top teams . I remember I scored a quick 5 points . After hitting a corner three I remember thinking to myself I have it going, but I didn’t know it would turn into 33 points. But the win was the icing

 

 

 

 

Since then you have played many years in Greece and in Poland and never scored more than 33 points again . When you look back at your career was that your best game since you came from Europe?

 

I think my best game statistically was against Neptunas while playing for Panionios. I believe I had 28 points 7 rebounds and 5 assists and we won

 

 

 

Your playing your 10^th professional season and first with Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania-LKL). Your 32 and still going strong. What has been your secret to being so consistent even through your thirties?

 

 

I count it as 9 years playing because I went to Cypress for 10 days and ended up being out of basketball for that remaining season. But I worked hard at maintaining my physical ability even though you decline as you get older. I think being able to do more on the court has allowed me to continue to play at this age. Being solid defensively , second ball handler and playing in the pick and rolls. Your knowledge can expand if you put in the time

 

You have played with PAOK a very well respected Greek team, but this season playing with one of Lithuania´s most famous basketball team Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania-LKL) that have won 5 country titles and two Eurocups. Do you feel a special kind of basketball tradition there that you have never felt before?

 

 

Lithuania is a basketball country . Fans know the game and love their teams . However I haven’t seen anything like the Greek fans in all of my years of playing

 

 

 

Your on a team that has a lot of talented players, but are averaging less minutes in the Lithuanian league than in the Europ Cup. How would you describe your role this season opposed to other seasons where you were more of a scoring option?

 

 

 

My role is different with this team. At 32 this is the first time I’ve been asked to play the point guard position full time . It’s been an adjustment trying to figure out how to run a team and score only when needed . It’s a part of the growth challenge that I’ve accepted and hope to get better at it

 

 

You have some very interesting teammates with sniper Jimmy Baron, experienced forward Travis Peterson and defensive pest Chris Kramer as well as other talented guys from Lithuania. Where will the journey of the team take you this season in both competitions?

 

 

We all hope the journey is a great one . We are talented and have many new faces to the team and the league . Being versatile with depth is a recipe for team success so we shall see

 

 

 

Your 32 years old and often it is stated that players don´t improve, but actually decrease in skills as they get older. How vital has Chris Kramer been in just pushing you harder in practice with his scrappy play enabling you to continue to be able to develop?

 

 

Players can improve skill wise. Sure physically you may start to regress . But don’t you see players becoming better shooters as they age? I guess if they work at it. Chris has been great. He competes and when you have to bring it every day it keeps you in a competitive state and pushing to improve. It’s given me a chance to handle the ball while having someone guard you pretty tough every day. Throughout my career that’s something that I’ve continued to work at especially being an off guard

 

Last season you played with M Slam Stal Ostrow Wlkp. (Poland-TBL) playing 36 games averaging 12.2ppg, 3.1rpg, 2.9apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 52.9%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 82.6%. How refreshing was it having an older teammate like diminutive 173cm point guard Aaron Johnson who after playing many seasons in Italy, D-League and Finland had his best offensive season. How did he push you to keep up your solid play last season?

 

Last season was like a Cinderella story . Being at the bottom of the league to forcing a tough game 5 with the Polish league champions . We had a great balance of shooters along with a dominate shot blocker and rebounder . It allowed me to make plays and having Aaron run past everyone got me many open shots. If you are a scorer you have to like that

 

 

 

 

You played four years in Greece for four different teams and reached the semi-finals all four years which is a huge achievement doing it with so many teams. What did you learn to appreciate the most about having this chance in Greece to continue to show that you can continue to play at a high level year in and year out?

 

 

 

I learned to appreciate winning because it’s not a guarantee every year . Those 9 -10 months are much more pleasant when you win games

 

 

 

In the Greek league you never beat top team Olympiakos and had a 1-7 record against Panathinaikos. Was the 71-54 win and you scoring 18 points your most memorable win in Greece? What memories do you have of that game?

 

 

It was one of the most memorable wins . I remember the gym being filled with the black and white army. 8-10k fans going crazy the entire game. We were a good team so it wasn’t a surprise for us players to have won the game . I don’t remember many plays from the game unfortunately. But I think the best win that year was against Aek being down 10 with 3-4 minutes left and Jake Odum hitting game winning three

 

 

 

 

You played with AEK Athens in 2015-2016 and played briefly with Mr Canada Philip Scrubb who had his first growing pains as a rookie there, but has moved on to Frankfurt where he was instrumental in winning the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup and is primed for superstar status. Did you notice the vast talent that he had in the short time you were teammates?

 

 

Phil is a great dude and very talented . It was tough to watch him go through it in AEK but happy to see he found a place where he can show what he can do at a high level . He had spurts with us in AEK where he showed us all that he could play this game

 

 

You played with long under the radar American Errick Mccollum at  Panionios ON Telecoms Athens (Greece-A1) who played at an NAIA school and scored 82 points in China and made to the Euroleague and really had to move up the ladder his whole career. Did you sense in Greece that he was playing with a chip on his shoulder?

 

Oh yea you could sense that he wanted to show that he could compete with the best on any level . He has an amazing scoring ability . Can get his shot off against anyone and draw contact to get to the line . I knew he would score at will in China with NBA spacing and rules it’s almost impossible to guard someone that quick than can shoot from anywhere

 

 

 

You lived two years in Athens. For a boy coming from Maryland, what was the most difficult thing to get used to living in a gigantic city besides finding ways to get around the annoying traffic?

 

It wasn’t difficult to adjust to the city at all . I lived in Atlanta prior to being in Athens . Traffic was awful but Nea Smirni was a great location because it was close to downtown and close to sea side in Glyfada, but the Greeks drive badly.

 

 

 

After two solid seasons in Germany with Duesseldorf, you had an unforgettable experience in Cyprus. Did you feel like your career might be over?

 

Going to Cypress showed me another part of basketball I had not seen. When I walked away from that situation, I felt I would be done playing at 25 years old and contemplated retirement. If that’s what overseas ball was going to be for me I wanted no part of it.

 

 

 

You rebounded and came to Phoenix Hagen playing 32 games averaging 14.5ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.5apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 49.2%, 3PT: 28.5%, FT: 85.4%. Was this the season where Marc Carter the professional was reborn? Was it more continued hard work through the season that enabled you to be so successful or a having the right teammates?

 

 

 

 

Going back to Germany was a fresh start. Close to Düsseldorf where I had lived previously . I knew in order to get to where I wanted to be at a higher level I needed to play well

 

 

Phoenix Hagen had many talented players in the last years, but when you were there not as much talent which speaks for how you were able to make the best of what you had to play with. How important was head coach Ingo Freyer in letting you have absolute freedom?

 

I stayed after practice a lot and worked worked worked . I think having freedom there along with putting in the time allowed me to have a bounce back season

 

In basketball Hagen everybody knew Marco Schmitz and I know you did as well. On September 21, he passed away after a long fight against cancer. What memories do you have of the ultimate Hagen basketball fan?

 

 

As you stated “ THE ULTIMATE HAGEN FAN” Truly loved to be around the game every moment he could .

 

 

 

You probably will never forget German Gordon Geib as a defender. He was a pest like Chris Kramer. How did you profit from his game as a very young player trying to find his game in Germany?

 

Gordon was a bulldog. I could remember laughing with teammates as we’d watch him hound someone full court and eventually they’d turn it over or quickly pass it to get him off of them. Defending I think earned me most of my minutes early in my career before I began to adjust offensively to Europe

 

 

You played at NC-Wilmington(NCAA) from 2003-2008 winning the CAA tournament and getting the MVP beating Hofstra 78-67 and has been your own title. Does this title stay longer in your memory simply because it´s the only one you won?

 

 

The Title win over Hofstra was special not only because it’s the only title but it was a tough 2 years for me as a player and a team to get back to the winning tradition the program had . We worked our butts off and their success as a school was a huge reason I wanted to go there

 

 

 

You played a few times against top school North Carolina losing each game. When you look back at those games and remember all the talented players who would go on to the NBA did you feel like there was so much difference between a guy like you and say Raymond Felton?

 

That NC team was the most talented team I’ve ever competed against . Playing in their arena was quite an experience . My heart pounding out of my chest as a sophomore but I had a solid game against them . Often times big NCAA schools have a rep from their name and you play against guys and you realize that aren’t better but Felton was clearly steps ahead of me as a player when we were that age .

 

 

How did head coach Brad Brownell groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

 

 

Brownell was tough but he and Billy Donlon showed me how to work at a high rate especially with individual workouts . As a young player in college I often got benched from missing defensive assignments . However as a professional , being able to be solid defensively kept me on the court

 

 

Who won a one on one in practice back in the day at NC_Wilmington you or John Goldsberry?

 

 

John was tough one on one . I can only remember us a playing a few times . I did beat him as I got older. One other time before that there was pretty much a wrestling match of a basketball game between Beckham Wyrick John and myself . You’d have to ask Beckham who won that war

 

 

 

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

 

Toughest player I can remember at the moment was probably Andrew Goudelock. He scored 29 against us as a freshman but we got the win

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson , Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett. This is by no means me saying these guys are the top 4 players ever with the exception of Jordan . These are the guys that fed my obsession with basketball and the NBA . Sunday’s after church I couldn’t wait to see these guys compete . Not to mention they were all phenomenal scorers and of catalyst for their teams success.

 

 

 

 

Lebron James failed to win his fourth NBA title and is still three away from Michael Jordan. Where does Lebron stand right now in your opinion in the never ending debate of who is the best of all-time?

 

 

Lebron for me is and will be one of the Greatest to play. Even if he captures 6 rings or even 7. I could never view him in my eyes as the G.O.A.T . Jordan won every finals he appeared in. In an era where there many greats still playing , many good teams . In his time of dominance he was responsible for some other legends not winning championships and it was clear who was the best in the game . Lebron is different and special in his own way. He stuffs the stat line and impacts the game in every way. You could argue that He will go to the finals every year regardless of what teams he is playing for . I think he will be top 10 possibly if he retired today. The game hasn’t seen someone like him before . Rings are a major factor in ranking players , however I don’t think it can be the only deciding factor.

 

 

 

There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?

 

 

 

This is the first I’ve heard of the Westbrook criticism. He plays the game with such passion that you ever want to miss a game he’s playing in. Stats in some ways ruin the game . You can look at someone’s numbers on ESPN the night after the game and say” wow amazing performance “ but you didn’t see his full impact on the game and crucial minutes , made plays or missed opportunities. If he is in fact focused on rebounding stats and pushing aside defensive assignments I can’t imagine how it would help his team more, but I don’t ever think we can say he doesn’t compete ! And that’s why I love to watch him play

 

 

How do you summarize the 2017 NBA Draft. What sleepers do you see playing a role in the NBA?

 

 

 

I haven’t been a big NBA draft guy mostly from being out of touch with college basketball. Time zones and having access to watch is different being abroad. We all know Lonzo and LaVar stole the show , and everyone wants to see the Lakers back to being SHOWTIME. I think Lonzo is a talent and will have a good career , don’t know if he has the ability to be an all time great. But I will stay tuned . I’ve watched a few Boston games and really like Jayson Tatum´s skill set . These guys are so young and athletic, but only time will separate the good from the great

 

 

Where will the journey of the Houston Rockets go this season with Chris Paul and James Harden in the back court. Do they have enough to make a serious run at the title or is something missing?

 

 

 

I didn’t understand the Chris Paul deal. But if you can get the best or one of the best pgs in the league on your roster I guess you do it and see what happens . He and Harden are scoring ball dominate guards and polar opposite personalities. I think with Houston’s shooting ability and 2 capable facilitators they will be fun to watch but ultimately I think they are missing something to be able to win a title. Let’s face it, GSW are really really good and now with KD, it’s just not fair

 

 

How do you rate the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade? Who got the better deal and which team will profit better in the long run?

 

The kyrie /Isaiah trade was a huge Shocker to me . With Isaiah still out until January or so there is no telling what his impact will be.  But if returns to form from last year, he and crowder will help Cleveland. I think Boston won in terms of planning for the future. As long as Lebron is in the east I think Cavs will be the team to beat ! I think Boston knows that too

 

 

 

 

Where will the journey of the Oklahoma Thunder go this season with Westbrook, George and Anthony? Can they make a serious run in the west?

 

As for the Thunder . I think it looks great on paper. They will have a good season but don’t think they can match the style and tempo of Golden State.

 

 

 

 

 

What was the last movie that you saw?

 

Last movie I saw was John Wick 2. I Loved it! I usually wait until things are out for rent , don’t go to many movie theaters often . But when something like X men comes out I go see it no matter where I am.

 

Thanks Marc for the chat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Basketball times haven´t been easy in the last year in Hagen. First the club had to step down from the EsyCredit BBL in December on account of bankruptcy, but have recovered and are playing in the German Pro A again, on September 21st long time Phoenix Hagen fan Marco Schmitz who was a walking basketball dictionary had to succumb to a long battle against cancer and this morning the club gave the sad announcement that their head coach Matthias Grothe had lost the battle against Lymphoma. The German was in his first season as head coach of Phoenix Hagen, but couldn´t overtake the duties yet this season on account of his fight against Lymphoma that had put him into the hands of medical care since the start of 2017. It looked like he could take over the reigns at the start of the 2017-2018 season in September for Phoenix Hagen as his treatment was running along smoothly in the first eight months. However suddenly his recovery took a set back and instead of be able to leave the hospital had to remain. The set back struck everyone involved very hard and in respect to him and his family the information concerning his further treatment period in the hospital remained very scarce the last two monhs. The club like everyone else in basketball Germany are shocked with his death and the club kept their first public statement short over their Face Book page. “Unfortunately we have to announce that our head coach Matthias Grothe passed away this morning. For this reason the game between Phoenix Hagen and Rasta Vechta will be canceled. We are speechless and in our thoughts with Matthias family and friends”.

Grothe was born on May 16th, 1978 and started his basketball career at TUS Iserlohn. He played with all the youth teams of the club and also played with German youth national teams and was a teammate in the U-22 team with Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki. From 1998-2002 he played 116 BBL games for Brandt Hagen. He then returned back to his old team Iserlohn for two seasons and just dominated the second Bundesliga as he averaged 25.7ppg, 10.2rpg, 3.5apg in the 2003-2004 season. In 2004 he returned back to Hagen and played with Phoenix Hagen until his retirement in 2010. He showed his consistency by playing 150 games in a row scoring 2,519 points and helped the team move up to the BBL in 2009. He dominated the German second Bundesliga like no other from 2004-2007 averaging 22.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 3.7apg,: 21.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 3 apg and 18.2ppg, 5.5rpg, 3.6apg in that time. He was rewarded with playing his last professional season in the BBL and his number 9 jersey was retired at the conclusion of the season.

The German didn´t waste anytime after his retirement and right away decided to get into coaching and took over Regionaliga team Iserlohn in the 2010-2011 season going back to his roots and also that summer got his first coaching experience as an assistant at the U-20 European championships inCroatia. It took him only four years to move up to the Pro B. In the Pro B, Grothe and Iserlohn were able to make an impact right away winning the Pro B south regular season in 2015 and 2016 losing in the playoffs in the semi-finals and quarterfinals. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma in November 2016, but was still able to coach Iserlohn for a third Pro B season. His ex player Terrell Harris who plays in Denmark this season was shocked of the news. “A sad sad day. Matthias was a great coach on the court, who wanted the best for his players. Personally he pushed me to the limits and I will always remember what he taught me. He was even a better person off the court. Family first guy. My condolences goes to his family. Wow life is unpredictable..makes you appreciate the small things”, stressed Terrell Harris.Grothe is a guy that you just had to love as a player, coach and person. He was a big man with teddy bear qualities and probably the best hugger a daughter could ever have. He was also a guy that knew when to be comical and had so many talents in his life. For instance he played in two movies concerning basketball called Hang Time and a great documentary about the team he coached Phoenix Hagen, but when he was a player describing the 2009-2010 season called “Phoenix in der Asche”. His ex teammate Michael Jordan who like him got into the coaching ranks and is an assistant at Colgate(NCAA) was shocked of the tragedy. “Matthias was a great competitor as well as a great teammate. I am blessed to have had the opportunity to have him and his family in my life. He will truly be missed”, stressed Michael Jordan. Matthias was simply a great human being who had the kind of charachter that many would love to have. He will be dearly missed and forever be talked about.

 

 

 

A week ago a new guard terror was born in Frankfurt that has a German/English flair as Garai Zeeb and Jules Akodo from England exploded for a combined 47 points sending the unbeaten Iserlohn team back home beaten for the first time this season. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors have been up and down this season and could easily have been 1-4 at this juncture had they not pulled out narrow three point wins in Coburg and Karlsruhe, but after the big win against Iserlohn one could sense as if some of the players were on cloud nine with the season really just having begun in the fifth game. Meanwhile not far from the Rhein river, the Dragons Rhondorf had come home torn and tattered from a brutal massacre at the hands of the ScanPlus baskets losing by a score of 103-72 as their defense totally collapsed after having only given up an average of 65 points in their first four games. Not only was the team not on the same page defensively, but had lost that usual aggressiveness on the boards losing the rebound battle with ease and coughed up the ball an uncharacteristic 24 times. The Dragons Rhondorf had been brought back down to earth with that tough loss in Elchingen as the team faced it´s first real hardship of the season and were looking to get back on the winning track in their own smug living room in the Dragon Dome while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors wanted to continue their win streak. Both teams have very solid big men, but it was the guard play that was in the focus in this game as the Dragons Rhondorf showcased their point guard ace Vikto Franl-Maus and scoring gem Kameron Taylor while the Fraport Skyliners juniors were totally shorthanded without Isaac Bonga, Garai Zeeb, Richard Freudenberg and Lenny Okeke who were in Munich for a BBL game and Tobias Jahn was out only had  their lethal guard Jules Akodo who was hungry to continue their terror after tearing apart Iserlohn with ease. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were more than hungry, but famished for success as they controlled the game for 40 minutes and left their hearts out on the court only to be cruelly beat by a buzzer beater by Kameron Taylor 82-80. After the win, ex Seton Hill stand out Kameron Taylor was ecstatic about the win and it didn´t take him long to summarize his buzzer beater history. “I hit three or four buzzer beaters as a senior at Seton Hill. So taking a last shot like tonight was nothing new to me. I told my team right away that I got to take it. I attacked Akodo and lost it a bit at first, but then found my footing and my few inches on him helped. It felt good making this shot for the fans and I was very happy to get it here”, smiled Kameron Taylor. After a long talk in the dressing room, Fraport Skyliner Junior Alex Fountain came back trudging slowly on to the court with his thoughts still on that last play and one could sense the immense disappointment in his eyes, but was proud of how his teammates battled for 40 minutes. “This loss is tough. I wish we could have got some of those shots and mistakes back. We controlled the game. We had an 8 man rotation and played very hard. Each guy played hard. The positive thing was that we had no let downs. We knew it would go to Taylor on the last shot. He lost the handle at first, but recovered hitting a tough contested shot. That is what good players do. You can´t do more than tip your cap to him”, added ex Houston Baptist(NCAA) forward Alex Fountain. “I have to give a lot of credit to Frankfurt. They came out and played so hard with more intensity than us hitting shots and having good spacing. We saw their 8 man rotation and underestimated them thinking it would be a cake walk. We tried matching their tempo too much instead of playing our own game. In the second half we slowed down the game, crashed the boards and picked up our half-court defense and press”, stressed Kameron Taylor.

The Dragons Rhondorf have had good starts this season at home in the Dragon Dome, but against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors came out as if they had woke up on the wrong side of the bed as their play showed allowing the guests to begin 8-2. Pro B rookie Alex Fountain proved right away that he can score in bunches and is like a fountain sprouting three point buckets as he nailed his first two shots, but he had to. “I have never had a coach like Sebastian Gleim who has given me so much confidence in my shot. He told me at the start that if I didn´t make my first two shots that he would sub me out”, smiled Alex Fountain. German 112 kilo big man Armin Trtovac who entered the game averaging 11,3ppg and 8,8rpg also made a lay in in the explosive start. Frankfurt kept up their impressive start continuing to attack the rim like there was no tomorrow as English national player Jules Akodo and ex Kronberg standout Felix Hecker scored to extend the Frankfurt advantage to 12-4. The Dragons Rhondorf seemed very surprised by the high intensity of Frankfurt and just couldn´t match it. However basketball is a game of runs and that would be demonstrated the whole game as Rhondorf escaped on a 7-0 run cutting the Frankfurt lead to 12-11 as German top Pro B point guard Viktor Frankl-Maus scored inside, Thomas Michel challenged his 50% three point percentage sinking a shot from downtown and Canadian Kevin Thomas  scored in the paint. Frankfurt stopped the Rhondorf run and rebounded with their own 7-2 run to extend their lead to 19-13. In the run, Frankfurt was aided by a Konstantin Schubert lay in, Trtovac free throws and another trey by Fountain. German Valentin Blass and Latvian forward Ronalds Elksnis responded with buckets inside while German fifth year man Jasmine Knothe drilled home a three giving Frankfurt the 22-17 lead after 10 minutes. “Frankfurt started off good scoring eight points in their first five possessions while we scored only two points in our first five possessions. Frankfurt did a good job with their ball movement and getting open shots. We just didn´t have as much luck hitting our open shots”, explained Dragons Rhondorf assistant coach Max Schwamborn. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were shooting 40% from the field and 36% from outside while the Dragons Rhondorf were shooting 44% from the field and 20% from outside. Rhondorf had the 12-10 rebound edge, but four turnovers while Frankfurt had one turnover.

The Dragons Rhondorf battled back in the second quarter keeping the score close, but still not being able to produce their first lead of the game. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors came out strong again scoring seven points and extending their lead to 29-20. Armin Trtovac who is playing his fourth season with the club got aggressive hauling down two offensive rebounds and making put backs while Jules Akodo made a three pointer. However the Dragons Rhondorf didn´t let that two minute offensive explosion by Frankfurt hinder their aspirations for success as they strolled out on a potent 11-2 run dead locking the game at 31-31 bringing the Dragon Dome back to real life. In the run, Rhondorf got important production from their German role players as Kneesch scored twice in the paint and Thomas Michel drilled home another trey. The club also got a free throw from Frankl-Maus and a lay in from Taylor. The Dragons Rhondorf defended more aggressively on the defensive end, made better decisions and rebounded better as Taylor was all over the place cleaning up the paint area while his teammates were taking care of the scoring. Frankfurt responded with a 25 footer from Fountain from the base line and a trey from ex Freiburg forward Cosmo Gruehn for the 37-31 lead. Both teams continued to trade scoring in bunches as Taylor and Thomas respond with buckets cutting the Frankfurt lead to 37-36. After Trtovac and Taylor baskets, Thomas tied the score at 40-40, but Trtovac made a pretty old school hook shot over Alexander Moeller sending the Fraport Skyliners Juniors into the break with the narrow 42-40 lead. “Taylor and Thomas were big for us in the second quarter and a reason why we signed them. We had more luck hitting shots, worked better together executing and made 16 fast break baskets”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf assistant coach Max Schamborn. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were shooting 42% from the field and 29% from the three point line while the Dragons Rhondorf were shooting 47% from the field and 27% from the three point line. Frankfurt had the slim 22-21 rebound edge, but eight turnovers while Rhondorf had seven turnovers.

In the third quarter, the Dragons Rhondorf finally got their first lead, but at the end of thirty minutes were down by eight points. The Dragons Rhondorf came back on the court with their chests held high and battled their way to their first lead 49-47. After Trtovac and Kneesch traded buckets to start off the second half, Fountain did what he does best nailing home three pointers as he connected giving Frankfurt the 47-42 advantage. Rhondorf struck back with nine unanswered points taking the lead 51-47 as Frankl-Maus found Thomas with an alley-op dunk, Kneesch nailed a three, Taylor hit free throws and made a lay in off the inbounds pass from Frankl-Maus catching the opponent napping on defense. The game of runs continued as Gruehn dropped another trey and Akodo made a nice left handed lay in and free throw for the Frankfurt 53-51 lead. Rhondorf big man Alexander Moeller tied the score at 53-53 with a step back jumper. Rhondorf lost some intensity allowing Frankfurt to be driven once again by Alex Fountain closing out the third quarter with a timely 9-1 run. The run was capped by two Fountain three´s and an Akodo finger tip lay in. “Coach told us at halftime that we had to guard our man better as we were beat too much off the dribble. We put better pressure on the ball, but lost a little intensity at the end allowing the Fountain three´s”, stated Kameron Taylor. “We continued to play very hard outhustling them and having good ball movement. We got players open shots and were in the flow”, stated Alex Fountain. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were shooting 43% from the field and 33% from the parking lot while the Dragons Rhondorf were shooting 46% from the field and 27% from the parking lot. Rhondorf had the 31-28 rebound edge, but 15 turnovers while Frankfurt had 11 turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, it looked like the Fraport Skyliners Juniors had the game wrapped up leading by as much as 14 points, but allowed the Dragons to crawl back into the game. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued their good ending to the third quarter where they went on a 9-1 run continued their run in the fourth quarter going on a 9-2 run extending their lead to 70-56 as they got two three´s from Fountain and a trey from Gruehn. Rhondorf then took advantage of a Frankfurt flagrant foul and some misses going on a 9-0 run to get back into the game trailing only 70-65. In the run, the home team was led by an Anton Geretzki trey, Taylor lay in and free throw and Frankl-Maus step back jumper. Knothe and Frankl-Maus then traded trey´s as Frankfurt still led 73-68. Both teams had suffered little breakdowns during the game and another one hit Rhondorf as Frankfurt could break away again as time was winding down. Frankfurt went on a 4-0 run to extend their lead to 77-68 with a Trtovac hook shot and Akodo free throws. Frankfurt would continue to give Rhondorf gifts with turnovers as not being able to throw the ball in within the allowed 5 seconds haunted Jules Akodo who was hit twice in crunch-time and ended with an unbelievable 9 turnovers. A Taylor steal and lay in and another Frankl-Maus trey cut the Frankfurt lead to 77-73. After a Thomas lay in, Fountain made free throws with Frankfurt leading 80-75 with 1,33 minutes to play. Taylor then scored again inside and made a free throw cutting the Frankfurt lead to 80-78 with 50 seconds remaining. After a Pons miss, Taylor found Michel for the lay in dead locking the game at 80-80. With 11 seconds left, Frankfurt had the chance to win, but once again Frankfurt was hit with a five second violation with the inbounds pass as Akodo was the tragic hero. Rhondorf had 11 seconds left and time for Kameron Taylor to write history with another buzzer beater winning shot in his short career. “The fourth quarter was our best in the game. We battled so hard and we were aware that we had to move even quicker on the press while keeping our composure. Frankl-Maus hit many big shots keeping us in the game. You couldn´t ask for more”, stressed Kameron Taylor. “We couldn´t close the door on them. Maybe they had a little more experience. We have to be able to finish better, but their press hurt us. We have to learn from our mistakes and improve”, added Alex Fountain. The Dragons Rhondorf were led by Kameron Taylor with 24 points, eight rebounds, six assists and three steals. Viktor Frankl-Maus had 12 points and 12 assists and Kevin Thomas had 12 points and 12 rebounds. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Alex Fountain with 30 points. Jules Akodo had 15 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. Armin Trotovac had 14 points and nien boards. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 49% from the field and 28% from outside while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 44% from the field and 36% from outside. Rhondorf won the rebounding duel 37-35 and had 18 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors coughed up the ball 21 times.

Carson Puriefoy is a 23 year old 183cm point guard from Wenonah, NJ that is playing his second professional season and first with the MLP Academics Heidelberg. Last season he played briefly with Valmiera/ORDO (Latvia-LBL). He played at Stony Brook (NCAA) from 2012-2016 playing a total of 128 NCAA games and as a senior played 33 games averaging 14.9ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.1apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 38.6%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 77.2%. In his senior year he hit Lehigh for 25 points and Vermont and Maine for 23 points each. He spoke to German Hoops after signing with the German team.

 

 

 

Hi Carson thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on signing with the MLP Academics Heidelberg. Do you have any idea what is significant about March 4, 2018? Well I clear you up. That is when you will reunite against ex teammate Roland Nymar. Are you making a special mark on that date?

 

 

I was unaware that, that was the exact date of our matchup, but now that you’ve told me I will most definitely keep it in the back of my mind. Can’t wait to get back on the court with my friend Roland!

 

Officially this is your second professional season, but doesn´t it really feel like your rookie year after playing only one game with Valmiera/ORDO (Latvia-LBL)?

 

 

Yeah it definitely still feels like I’m a rookie having only played two full games as a pro up to this point. I’m excited to see where this season takes me.

 

 

 

How hungry are you to get on the floor and show your abilities. Even though you haven´t really started your professional career yet are you playing with a little chip on your shoulder?

 

I always play with a chip on my shoulder regardless of the situation. I know how good I am and that I can help my team win.

 

You have arrived for the injured Jelani Hewitt. How blessed are you to be playing for the MLP Academics Heidelberg and what was the deciding factor that made you sign on the dotted line?

 

I’m very blessed to be able to have this opportunity to play here. It is very unfortunate for Jelani, but I was injured the same way and I know that he can come back better than ever. It was really a no-brainer to choose Heidelberg. A great city, team and atmosphere.

 

 

What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball? What are you most excited about getting to know here?

 

 

I know that Germany has a very rich basketball history and that a lot of American players have done well here. I’m excited just to get back on the court and showcase my abilities as well as explore Germany as a country.

 

 

Let´s talk about your game. You’re a 183cm point guard that put up very good stats at Stony Brook. Would it be fair to say from just examining your stats that you’re a score first pass second type of point guard?

 

I would say that I can adapt my game to whatever my team needs from me at that point in time. At Stony Brook my coaches and team needed me to score at a good clip so that’s what I did. I’m sure I’ll find my niche here a couple games in and see where it takes me.

 

 

If you had to pick a point guard in the NBA that most resembles your game who would you pick and what NBA point guards do you study and respect?

 

 

I would say my game mostly resembles a younger Tony Parker. Very quick and fast, I can get to the rim or pull up for a quick jumper.

 

 

 

Your a player that can fill up the stat sheet with ease, but what is a hidden strength in your game that doesn´t get recognized right away?

 

 

I would say that my defensive abilities sometimes go unnoticed and I have to make sure to make people see that I can defend very well too.

 

 

You were recently with Valmiera/ORDO (Latvia-LBL) as a rookie last season. Why was your stay so short and what did you learn from this experience?

 

 

 

 

My stay was short because I got injured in the second game of the season and decided to do my rehab at my college with the team doctors and trainers. My experience otherwise was great and am extremely thankful for it.

 

 

You had a stellar 4 year career at Stony Brook(NCAA) reaching the 2014 and 2015 AEC tournament final and finally winning it as a senior in 2016. What will always stand out most from this big achievement?

 

 

Definitely being the first team from my school to ever make it to the NCAA Tournament. No one can ever take that away from us and we will always be remembered as the firsts ones to do it.

 

 

You played 4 years with the highly talented Jameel Warney who made the Dallas Mavericks this season after a rookie season in the G-League. How did you experience his 4 year maturation at Stony Brook?

 

He was definitely a great player to be able to grow with and he’s definitely deserved all the attention from the NBA that he’s getting. He grew from a boy to a man in those four years and hopefully he continues to grow, which could blossom into a great NBA career.

 

 

 

 

How did head coach Steve Pikiell groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

 

 

 

 

Coach Pikiell was extremely instrumental in my maturation process. He never let me take a day off and always pushed me to be the best that I could be. I couldn’t have asked for a better college coach.

 

 

You obviously play against many talented guys but as a junior you beat Columbia twice and in the first game won 57-56 where you had 14 points and German Maodo Lo had 19 points who last summer teamed with Dennis Schroeder in the German national team back court and plays for Brose Bamberg the best team in Germany. Does a guy like him aspire you to keep working hard to make the next step to a higher league like the EasyCredit which is one above the pro A?

 

 

I definitely think that I can play in the top league eventually, I just have to prove that I am good enough. I have enough confidence in myself to feel that I can hold my own against anyone.

 

 

You ended your NCAA career reaching the NCAA tournament, but bowing out in the first game against Kentucky 85-57 against Kentucky where you faced a starting lineup of future NBA players like Jamaal Murray and Tyler Ulis and you held your own with 10 points. When you look back at that game did you take any things with you from that game that stayed in your mind to keep working on to reach the level of some of those guys or do you feel the talent level wasn´t so much better?

 

I felt as though we didn’t have the depth to compete for 40 minutes with a team like Kentucky. We held our own for a while and then they started making shots and we didn’t and pulled away. I didn’t think the talent level was that much different, but I see the kind of players that they are and took a little bit from each of them.

 

 

 

 

What is your fondest memory with Roland Nymar on and off the court at Stony Brook?

 

On the court he has the ability to light it up from long range and is extremely athletic attacking the rim. He had a couple games at Stony Brook where he was unstoppable. Off the court he’s a clown who just likes to joke around and have fun. Great person to be around.

 

 

 

Who was the toughest player that you battled in the NCAA that is in the NBA now?

 

I would say my toughest matchup had to be Kevin Ferrell who went to Indiana and is now on the Dallas Mavericks.

 

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Michael Jordan, Lebron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabaar, Magic Johnson.

 

 

Lebron James failed to win his fourth NBA title and is still three away from Michael Jordan. Where does Lebron stand right now in your opinion in the never ending debate of who is the best of all-time?

 

 

 

I fell that Lebron is the greatest all around basketball player of all time. Micheal Jordan is definitely the greatest winner, but I feel that there has never been a player like Lebron.

 

 

There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?

 

 

No I don’t think that this is a fair assessment. I think that Russ goes out every night and tries to help his team win. It seemed that last year the best way to do that was to get triple-doubles.

 

 

 

 

How do you summarize the 2017 NBA Draft. What sleepers do you see playing a role in the NBA?

 

 

 

I think this draft class is very good. Dennis Smith Jr. has a chance to be the next Russel Westbrook/Derrick Rose with his athletic ability.

 

 

Where will the journey of the Houston Rockets go this season with Chris Paul and James Harden in the back court. Do they have enough to make a serious run at the title or is something missing?

 

I still think they won’t compete with the Warriors down the stretch of the season.

 

 

 

How do you rate the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade? Who got the better deal and which team will profit better in the long run?

 

 

I feel like the Cavs got the better deal because they got multiple players for one leaving.

 

 

 

Where will the journey of the Oklahoma Thunder go this season with Westbrook, George and Anthony? Can they make a serious run in the west?

I feel as though they have the best chance, besides the Spurs, with competing against Golden’s State in the West.

 

 

 

 

What was the last movie that you saw?

 

 

 

The last movie I saw was the latest Transformers movie.

 

Thanks Carson for the chat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

At first glance, Braydon Hobbs looks like that nice guy next door fella that would rather take an afternoon and look after the neighbors child because their babysitter canceled instead of sitting plastered to his sofa and watching Lebron in a heated game seven against the Golden State Warriors. That is just the kind of guy that Hobbs appears to be and is off the court, but on the court, he is as ruthless and competitive as a player will get and nothing has been handed to him on a basketball silver platter, but like so many other players in the world has had to fight extremely hard to get to where he is today with FC Bayern Munich. Fellow competitor and opponent Michael Stockton of BG Goettingen can sing the same kind of song like Hobbs in that nothing was ever given to him for free  despite being the son of NBA legend John Stockton, he had to play for NAIA school Westminster and it took him a long and winding route to reach the EasyCredit BBL in 2013. For Hobbs, it wasn´t quite as bad playing at a division 2 school Bellarmine, but still his journey has been long and at times exhausting having to always prove himself at the professional level despite having strong stats in the NCAA 2. He started his professional career in 2012 with Caceres Basket (Spain-LEB Gold) having solid stats, but nothing to necessarily write home to mom about averaging 7.1ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.9apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 41.9%, 3PT: 34.7%, FT: 87.9%. In his second season he played with Alba Fehervar (Hungary-A Division) and made his breakthrough in the: Eurocup averaging 11.9ppg, 3.1rpg, 3.6apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 40.4%, 3PT: 52.3%; but in the Hungarian League didn´t have the eye popping stats that had German BBL teams fighting for him as he averaged  9.1ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.4apg, Steals-2(2.3spg), FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 72.7%. He had to continue to prove his basketball worth in 2014-2015 with rent4office Nuernberg (Germany-ProA) averaging 11.9ppg, 4.1rpg, Assists-4(5.9apg), Steals-2(1.9spg), FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 82.4% and BBL teams finally began to notice. Hobbs showed that he could run a team and that was the first step in his development that has helped him get to Munich. He wasn´t a teenager, but still benefited from top German youth coach Ralph Junge. “I benefitted tremendously playing for Coach. He put a lot of trust in me to run the team at the point guard position. He helped me grow in many ways as far as running the team. I think I had a solid year because of the understanding Coach and I had for each other and for the team”, stressed Braydon Hobbs. Denis Wucherer remembered how tough he played his team and snapped him up and gave him his BBL start and he didn´t disappoint averaging 10.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 4.8apg, Steals-3(1.7spg), FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 42.2%, FT: 86.8%. He proved he could be a solid BBL point guard on offense, but also improved on the defensive side. “Having great guard defenders on my team has helped me to learn from them. Tadda and Yorman were perfect examples to learn from. I am not always the fastest player, but I can be smarter and try to put myself in the right spot, on defense, to help my team”, warned Braydon Hobbs. The American continued to develop and made the next jump to ratiopharm Ulm where he averaged 7.1ppg, 3.0rpg, Assists-4(5.4apg), 1.3spg, FGP: 46.3%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 87.2%; In the Eurocup he averaged 7.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 39.3%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 91.7%and obviously with a stacked team of talent, it was no secret that they would be successful, but as the point guard Hobbs played a significant role in the success of the club having the best regular season in their history and finishing better than Bamberg. Having a mentor like Per Gunether also was a big plus for his development. “It was a big challenge guarding him every day. It’s helped my defense big time this season. He is one of the fastest players in the league. That makes him hard to guard. It’s a challenge for anyone to guard him in the league. Another thing that makes him hard to guard, is how smart he is when he has the ball. There is a reason he is one of the best guards in the BBL”, stated Braydon Hobbs last season. Now Hobbs is in Munich and with 2017 European finalist with Serbia Stefan Jovic trying to follow in the foot steps of the last Munich BBL point guard champion with current NBA player Malcolm Delaney. In the last three years, FC Bayern Munich has had a point guard problem and were punished with no titles as guys like Heiko Schaffartzik, Alex Renfroe or Nick Johnson just didn´t cut it. Hobbs wasn´t brought in because they need that scoring point guard or crunch time hero as others will have that duty and have enough offensive weapons, but because he is that perfect smart offensive organizer something they didn´t have to that degree in the last years. He will benefit enormously from Stefan Jovic who will help him make that next step in his development just by his presence on and off the court. He has won a league title in Australia and Pro A title with Giessen, but winning the 2018 BBL title is something he will definitely be able to call home to mom about. Even after a season in the glitz world of Munich and a possible title, the nice guy next door type Hobbs will most likely still take that babysitter gig if called upon, because that is just how Ohio boys are.

        One sees how important it is to have success with FC Bayern Munich football when coach Carlo Ancelotti gets fired after only a few weeks in the new season and it isn´t quite that serious with the basketball department, but their three season drought of winning nt titles hasn´t been an easy pill to swallow. After at least reaching the BBL final in 2015, the club has been embarrassed twice the last two seasons by arch rival Brose Bamberg being swept both seasons making each summer the last two years seem like an eternity waiting for that next season to start. As always they were a strong team in the regular season losing only four games and beating Bamberg and ratiopharm Ulm once and producing a 15 game winning streak at the end of the season, but as always in the last years the dreaded post season where they just couldn´t make the next hump past Bamberg. Averaging only 70 points on offense and not defending to their standard wasn´t going to get them a final shot at Oldenburg in the playoff semi´s. No season is a success in FC Bayern Munich country unless at least a title is won. The pressure keeps mounting in Munich, but with Bamberg having start problems and possibly a tougher season than most had predicted, this is the season where the Bavarians have to make a move and win the title again.

        FC Bayern Munich did a good job making another step in building their chemistry which they have had for 1-2 seasons and have replaced players with new ones that hopefully will be the right ones that will bring the team real success again. The club held 8 players like Nihad Djedovic who has been with the team since 2013 and Anton Gavel who has worn the red since 2014. They also held on two five players that had their first seasons last year with Devin Booker,Reggie Redding,Vladimir Lucic, Danilo Barhel, Alex King and Maik Zirbes.  Djedovic is a 27 year old 196cm 2-3 player that is going into his fifth season with FC Bayern Munich and played 200 games in that time. The ex Alba Berlin player shot 44% from outside last season in the BBL, his best since coming to Germany, but his big strength is getting to the hole and drawing fouls. Last season he played 39 BBL games averaging  9.9ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 57.3%, 3PT: 44.6%, FT: 82.0%; In the Eurocup he played 16 games averaging 5.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 56.1%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 71.4%The question now remains if he can still continue to develop on a team that is filled with much scoring punch. Gavel is a 32 year old 189cm guard that is going into his fourth season with the club. Last season he played 41 BBL games averaging 6.4ppg, 2.0rpg, 3.6apg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 39.0%, FT: 67.8%; In the Euroleague, he played 10 games averaging 3.2ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.7apg, 1.0spg; Eurocup: 10 games: 9.0ppg, 2.4rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 54.8%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 69.0%. The seven time title winner with Bamberg has been declining in scoring average the last three years as his offensive role declines, but his winning mentality and team focus is still a valuable commodity for the team. Devin Booker is a 26 year old 205cm 4-5 player that is going into his second season with Munich after playing three strong seasons in France. Last season the ex Clemson(NCAA) star played 40 BBL games averaging 9.8ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 59.7%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 72.5%; IN the Eurocup he played 17 games averaging 12.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 64.0%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 76.6%. He is a beast inside and very active at both ends of the court and can decide games on his own. Redding is a 29 year old 196cm swing man from Philadelphia and it seems only like it was yesterday that he entered the BBL with Tuebingen, but in fact that was six years ago as the American is going into his sixth season in Germany and second with Munich after playing two seasons with Tuebingen and Alba Berlin. The ex Villanova(NCAA) star has 46 Euroleague games experience. Last season he played 39 BBL games averaging 9.3ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.6apg, Steals-5(1.6spg), FGP: 59.4%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 78.3%; In the Eurocup, he played 17 games averaging 8.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.7apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 53.2%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 74.4%. He can play the positions 1-4 and is as complete as a player that you will ever see in the BBL and top character player.

Vladimir Lucic is a 28 year old 201cm forward that is going into his second season with Munich. The ex BC Partizan MT:S Beograd and Valencia player is a four time Serb league champion, three time Serb cup winner as well as four time Adriatic League Champion and won the Eurocup in 2014 with Valencia. Last season he played 39 games averaging 9.6ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 65.0%, 3PT: 40.3%, FT: 79.5%;In the Eurocup he played 17 games averaging 8.5ppg, 2.8rpg, FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 85.7%. Lucic excels at playing the 3-4 position and can do it all at his height and has that winning gene that FC Bayern Munich loves to incorporate. Danilo Barhel is a 26 year old 208cm forward that is going into his second season with the club. The 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner with Frankfurt last season played 35 games averaging 8.8ppg, 3.9rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 65.2%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 77.1%; In the Eurocup, he played 16 games averaging 6.0ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 60.4%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 76.7%. Barthel has a fine inside game that always gives 110% and gives stability on the defensive end in the paint. Alex King is a 32 year old 200cm forward that has had a great professional career that took him from Frankfurt to Munich via Bonn, Wurzburg and Alba Berlin and three titles. Last season he played 35 games averaging 3.3ppg, 1.6rpg, 1.1apg. In the  Eurocup, he played 17 games averaging  3.2ppg, 1.2rpg. He averaged only 11,6 minutes in the BBL last season and most likely won´t increase them this season. His experience and energy are valuable and his once weak three has turned into an annoying weapon. Zirbes is a 27 year old 208cm center that was gone for 2.5 years and brought back five titles with Crvena Zvezda Telekom Beograd (Serbia-KLS). Last season the three time BBL allstar he split time with  Maccabi Fox Tel-Aviv (Israel-Winner League) playing 9 games averaging 8.3ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 51.8%, FT: 63.0%. In the Euroleague: he played 15 games averaging 8.1ppg, 3.0rpg, 2FGP: 68.2%, FT: 78.0%, in Jan.’17 moved to FC Bayern Muenchen (BBL) playing 18 games averaging 8.3ppg, 3.2rpg, FGP: 62.8%, FT: 77.8%; and played 3 games averaging 7.7ppg, 3.0rpg.

Stefan Jovic is a newcomer that is a 26 year old 198cm guard that won 8 titles with Crvena Zvezda MTS Beograd (KLS) in the last three seasons and last summer won a silver at the 2017 European championships with Serbia averaging 6.4ppg, 2.4rpg, 5.4apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 65.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 50.0%. Last season with Crvena Zvezda MTS Beograd (KLS) he played 13 games averaging 6.6ppg, 3.6rpg, Assists-4(5.5apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 65.3%, 3PT: 23.1%, FT: 40.0%; In the Euroleague he played 23 games averaging 7.5ppg, 2.0rpg, Assists-4(5.7apg), 1.3spg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 29.1%, FT: 61.3%; In the Adriatic League, he played 23 games averaging 6.9ppg, 2.7rpg, Assists-4(5.9apg), 1.1spg, FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 35.1%, FT: 59.4%. He is a genuine floor general that will make Munich´s pick and roll top in the BBL. He won´t score much, but will run the team the way a pass first guard should. No Bayern team is really complete without an ex NBA player and this season it´s Jared Cunningham. He is a 26 year old 193cm guard from San Leandro, California going into his sixth professional season and first in Europe. The ex Oregon State star was a NBA first round pick for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2012, but in four season played only 69 NBA games for teams like Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles Clippers and Cavaliers. Last season he balled in the offensive Chinese league with Jiangsu Tongxi MOnkey Kings (China-CBA) playing 31 games: Score-4(34.0ppg), 4.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 53.9%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 77.7%. That he can score like no other is obvious, but this season he will have to play team basketball, but could be that crunch-time hero. Milan Macvan is a 27 year old 206cm forward that like Jovic won a silver with Serbia this past summer at the European championships averaging 10.8ppg, 4.1rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 61.4%, 3PT: 29.2%, FT-1(95.7%).He brings unending experience and has played with top teams like Maccabi Tel Aviv, Galatasaray Medical Park Istanbul and EA7 Emporio Armani Milano. His title count is 10 and he just knows how to win having won titles in every country he played. The 2009 sliver medalist with Serbia at the European championships in Poland has a physical inside game and very mobile that will score and rebound at ease in the paint.

So where will the journey of FC Bayern Munich go this season? Despite a talented Alba Berlin team that should have better results than last season and a weaker Bamberg squad, the Bavarians are the top title candidate this season. Their biggest strength is having kept a good core of their players from last season. The club averaged 85 points last season and gave up 71 points which is a good stat to build on. A goal for them will be too keep that scoring consistency and focus even more on the defensive end an area that they will improve on. Consistency was lacking last season and will be less of a problem this season with the experience and team chemistry growing. The biggest plus that will depend between titles and not are the new guards Hobbs and Jovic. These two new players are the perfect additions and will help bring rosy times to FC Bayern Munich basketball. The team is the deepest in the BBL and have top notch players at each position that will wear down teams week in and week out. It will be a big surprise if they don´t finish 1^st in the regular season and win the double. The only thing that will halt their titles this season with be a sudden injury plague like in Gotha or if Andrea Trinchieri can create real magic with Bamberg, but that looks more like a reach than being reality this season.

 

 

 

 

Matt Janning is a 29 year old 195cm guard from Watertown, Minnesota that played at Northeastern(NCAA) and currently is playing his eighth professional season and first with Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz (Spain-Liga Endesa). In his professional career, he has played in the NBA, D-League and in Europe for teams like Novipiu Casale Monferrato (Italy-SerieA),  Montepaschi Siena (Italy-SerieA), KK Cibona VIP Zagreb (Croatia-A1), KK Cibona VIP Zagreb (Croatia-A1),  Hapoel Jerusalem (Israel-Winner League), and  Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia-VTB). He won titles in Italy and Turkey and reached the Euroleague Final 4 in 2016. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball before the Euroleague game against Brose Bamberg in Bamberg

 

 

 

 

Matt thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome back to Germany. You have a 1-5 record against Alba Berlin and were swept by the Artland Dragons with Cibona and by ratiopharm Ulm with Lokomotiv Kuban. Do you have any special memories of these games. You witnessed an exciting 75-73 win against Alba Berlin.

 

The Alba games were a while ago. I will never forget the Berlin arena where I also played the Euroleague Final 4 where fans saw high level games. I remember there being a great crowd in Artland. The German teams have great fans and they always respect the opponent teams. I remember many exciting games in Germany and had a lot of fun playing there.

 

 

 

This is your eighth professional season and seventh in Europe as you have played for seven teams in six countries. Does it sometimes feel like you have been living the basketball globetrotter life?

 

I have had some great stops as well as some stops that were cut short. I have nothing to complain about in my career and always made the best out of where I played while having fun being able to travel.

 

 

 

You are playing currently for Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz(ACB) and the first time in Spain. Are you surprised that a guy with your talent and versatility didn´t land in the ACB earlier?

 

 

I have always had interest and offers from ACB teams as my game is what ACB teams like, but for some reason it just didn´t work out earlier. I am happy to play for Baskonia and finally play in the ACB.

 

 

With Baskonia Vitoria Gasteiz  you have a 2 month contract replacing the injured Jordan Mcrae. With what kind of feelings are doing your job? How tough is it playing on a two month contract? How is this role different than if you had a normal year contract?

 

Playing on a short term contract is tough. You are constantly trying to impress everyone with the hopes of being able to stay until the end of the season. At the same time you just try to go out and play your game and try not to put too much pressure on yourself.

 

You are in Bamberg playing a Euroleague game against Brose Bamberg. You know guys like Rickey Hickman and Daniel Hackett who was your teammate at Siena. How excited are you to be playing in a new arena, against old teammates and fighting for Euroleague points?

 

 

I am looking forward to playing against Brose Bamberg. It will be a fun game. I know Daniel Hackett well as we played a whole season together and I also know some of the other players. I know they have a good team and great fans in freak city. I have heard good things about the organization from my friend Trevor Mbakwe who played there some years ago. I am very excited to see how the atmosphere is there.

 

 

Baskona have started slow in the ACB and Euroleague competitions. The club has so much talent. What do you believe is their biggest strength? Possibly their versatility?

 

Yes we have a lot of versatility. We have many pieces and guys that can play multiple positions. We have the chance to do many things on both ends of the court. We just have needed some extra time to fit together and it has taken longer than expected. I think that when all the pieces come together we will be a team that teams won´t want to play against.

 

 

You have played for Euroleague teams in the past, but what is the greatest thing about being able to play for a Euroleague team? Being able to learn something new each day from a teammate?

 

Yes there are always things that your teammates teach you from day to day. I also think that the Euroleague competition is one of a kind. You play against the best competition like this week we played against Valencia and now two days later we play in Bamberg. You always have to be focused and ready to play at a high level. That is what makes playing Euroleague so fun and exciting.

 

 

 

You have so many talented players on the team, but what has been your impression of German big man Johannes Voigtmann. He has seen NBA interest. Is he just a Euroleague player or could he make the jump across the pond to the NBA?

 

 

Joe is my roommate and we spend a lot of time together. He has so much talent and can play at the highest level in Europe and I feel he has the chance to play in the NBA. He has the ability to shoot the ball at a high rate and NBA teams look for players like that can do the pick and pop. He has the ability to change a game with his play.

 

Let´s talk about your game. You a very athletic guard that can shoot the ball at a high rate. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would you compare your game to?

 

 

Now I would say JJ Redick. I am more of a shooter, but can also handle the ball, do the pick and roll and create for my team. Back when I came out of school I was compared to Jeff Hornacek. But today it is just hard to compare myself because the game has changed so much.

 

 

You’re a guy that can fill up the stat sheet with ease, but what do you feel is still a hidden talent today in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away on the court?

 

I think being able to play with the ball and create and play pick and roll. Teams tend to think that I am just a stand around shooter. I also think that I am a good decision maker. We have many guys on the team like this and they make you better.

 

 

 

You won the Italian Serie A with Siena and won the Turkish cup with Efes, but was reaching the 2016 Euroleague Final 4 your biggest moment as a professional?

 

 

 

Yes I think so. The playoff series against Barcelona was very special. We won the first game at home and then were down 2-1. We came back and won 3-2. It was one of those rare special feelings that I have had as a professional.

 

Do you ever look back on the loss to CSKA, or is this a game that you have erased out of your mind?

 

 

I remember that game well. It was a great game. We got down quickly something like 8-10 points. It is always difficult having to play catch up basketball when you have to use a lot of energy. We came back at the end and cut it down to something like 3-4 points, but we just couldn´t make that extra step needed to come back and win the game

 

In that game you played with Malcolm Delaney and against Nando de Colo and Milos Teodosic. All three have been in the NBA. If you had to pick the toughest of the lot would it be Teodosic?

 

That is a very tough question. All can do so much on the court. All are a little different. De Colo is more of a scorer while Teodosic and Delaney do a little bit of all being able to run a team and score at ease. If I had to take one player it would be Delaney. He is one of the better teammates that I have had in Europe. It doesn´t matter what the team needs, Malcolm does everything possible and grinds out what is best for the team. He is a winner.

 

 

In the 2014-2015 season you played with Turkish team Anadolu Efes and lost in the Euroleague playoffs to real Madrid 3-1, but in the win you led all scorers with 21 points in the narrow 75-72 win. Was that your most memorable game besides winning the cup?

 

That was a very special game. I was hot that game as everything seemed to be going in. I hit the game winner at the end to seal the deal. It was ironic that that was my second game winner against Real Madrid as I had one earlier in the regular season making a tip in. I will remember these games for a long time.  

 

 

In the 2012-2013 season you won your first professional title with Siena. Your teammate was Bobby Brown who has been a flat out scorer his whole career. Everybody has their special Bobby Brown story. What do you remember most vividly about him as a player and person?

 

Bobby is great and it was a great experience being his teammate. I still talk to him and talked to him last week checking up on each other. He is the type of player where you can learn something new each day. He has been the most talented guy that I ever played with at any position. He can do it all. He is a great teammate and guy that was always looking out for you

 

In your first season in Europe you played with Novipiu Casale Monferrato (Italy-SerieA) playing 25 games averaging 12.6ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 69.8%. What was your wake up call to being a rookie in Europe where you knew that you were very far away from home in Watertown, Minnesota?

 

 

We were a very young team that had just come up from the Italian second division. We had four Americans that had just come out of college and were rookies in Europe. In pre-season we all gave interviews and were talking about making the playoffs and bringing the team to a new level. In our first game we got blown away. That was my wake up call. It showed really what level we were at and that we had a long way to go to reach the level that we wanted to be at. There ended up being many changes and we moved back down to the second division.

 

You had some veterans on that team like Oluoma Nnamaka who would leave half way through the season. Did you profit from his experience or from other guys early on as you were trying to get a feel for the game and life in Europe?

 

 

He was great and played the full season there. Early on he was like a father to us and took care of us showing us the ropes. In tough situations he told us to keep our heads up and keep moving. He was a great teammate and I am happy that I was able to be around him.

 

 

In your rookie season you started with the Phoenix Suns (NBA) and moved to the Maine Red Claws (D-League): playing 20 games averaging 9.3ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.6apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 41.1%, 3PT: 46.4%, FT: 70.7%, in Jan.’11 signed at Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League) playing 29 games averaging 11.0ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.7apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 85.0%. How was that whole experience for you. After that season did you feel the NBA could still become reality or did seem more like a reach?

 

 

My rookie season was hectic. I made the Phoenix Suns roster and was on the roster for 12-13 games, but never played a game just sitting at the end of the bench in a suit. The short time was a great experience as I played with guys like Steve Nash, Grant Hill and Jason Richardson. I then got cut and moved to the D-League to Maine that wasn´t a great experience. I then got traded to Rio Grande. I was able to play for Chris Finch who is an assistant in the NBA now. I loved playing for Chris. We had a talented team, but lost the final to Iowa. This experience opened my eyes that I could play in the NBA. All it came down to was the right time and time.

 

 

Then you played at many more NBA Summer Leagues in 2012, 2013 and 2014. When you look back at that whole experience did you ever sense that you might get a chance. Did you ever get good feedback that gave you hope?

 

 

I thought I played good NBA Summer Leagues with Memphis, Brooklyn and Minnesota. I always got good feedback. I had some training camp invites, but they were never guaranteed. It is hard to go to training camp when it isn´t guaranteed. Until I get a real NBA chance I will keep coming back to Europe. It is exciting to know that there is always that NBA chance, but then again tough to turn down good European offers.

 

You played at Northeastern from 2006-2010. How was that whole experience for you and how disappointing was it that you didn´t go farther in the CAA tournament?

 

 

My experience at Northeastern was great. The opportunity to go to school for four years and play basketball at a great university is something that I will never forget. I will never forget my teammates and coaches. It is one of the best experiences that a young person can have.

 

 

How did head coach Bill Coen groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

 

 

He was the first to give me the opportunity to showcase my skills. He told me from the start that I would be one of the main guys and take the program to a new level. Also we had many guys from far away with no families close by. We all became a family. He taught us to do it the right way. He gave us the keys and told us how to go.

 

 

 

Who won a one on one in practice you or Chaisson Allen?

 

I think that I got the best of him. He was my roommate. He still is a great friend today.

 

 

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

 

 

 

Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Kevin Garnett

 

 

 

Lebron James failed to win his fourth NBA title and is still three away from Michael Jordan. Where does Lebron stand right now in your opinion in the never ending debate of who is the best of all-time?

 

 

 

Lebron is the second best of all-time. I grew up watching Jordan. It was all about Jordan. For me what he did was different. He was effortless and graceful. Lebron will also go down as one of the greatest of all-time

 

 

There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?

 

 

 

If you watch his games and see his energy, you would never ever say something against his play. He gives 110% each time on the court. It is always exciting to watch him and he has worked hard for everything.

 

 

How do you summarize the 2017 NBA Draft. What sleepers do you see playing a role in the NBA?

 

I don´t follow the NBA that much but did see NBA Summer League games. Kyle Kuzma looked good at the NBA Summer League. He seems to be a guy that can fit into any NBA system. I hope that he turns into a good player.

 

 

 

 

Where will the journey of the Houston Rockets go this season with Chris Paul and James Harden in the back court. Do they have enough to make a serious run at the title or is something missing?

 

 

I hope that Bobby Brown gets some minutes now with Chris Paul out. The Rockets have a lot of talent, but it will be an uphill battle against Golden State.

 

 

 

How do you rate the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade? Who got the better deal and which team will profit better in the long run?

 

 

Boston got the better deal, but now with the injury to Gordon Hayward it has changed. The Cavs have much talent and when Thomas comes back they will be tough. Crowder can be that steal that will bring the team to a new level on defense. A Cavs-Golden State series will be fun to watch.

 

 

 

Where will the journey of the Oklahoma Thunder go this season with Westbrook, George and Anthony? Can they make a serious run in the west?

 

 

They have much talent and three main pieces that each can get you 25-30 points a night. The Warriors will have to be locked down on defense to be able to control the series. If all three get hot then it will be hard to beat them in any series.

 

 

 

 

What was the last movie that you saw?

 

Wonder Woman and The New Spiderman.

 

Thanks Matt for the chat.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandon Shingles is a 30 year old 190cm guard from Albany, Georgia that currently playing for Limburg in the Regionaliga. He last played for the UNI-Riesen Leipzig playing 23 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 4.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 62.1%, 3PT: 18.2%, FT: 67.2% He started his basketball career at Morehead St. (NCAA) and in 2010 he started his professional basketball career at  Aschersleben Tigers BC (Germany-2.Regionalliga) playing  15 games: 14.5ppg. He led the team to the Regionaliga 2 title. In the 2011-2012 season he played for Guildford Heat (United Kingdom-BBL) playing  6 games: 7.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 57.1%, FT: 31.3%; left in Nov.’11, then moved to BBC Febro Eagles Magdeburg (Germany-Regionalliga) playing  7 games: 16.1ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 61.8%, FT: 63.0%. He then played for KB Drita Gjilan (Kosovo-SuperLeague) and three years ago for GBP Badajoz (Spain-EBA) playing 15 games: 15.5ppg, 8.3rpg, 3.6apg, 2.3spg, 2FGP: 60.8%, 3PT: 6.3%, FT: 57.3%. He spoke to German Hopps the American recently about basketball

 

 

 

Brandon welcome back to Germany. You are playing this season with Limburg in the German Regionaliga. After a year off how good does it feel to be back in Germany playing the game that you love?

 

I feel good to be back in Germany. I missed playing so much

 

Last season was the second time in your professional career that you sat out a season as the first time was in 2014-2015. Did you pursue other interests or did you simply not get the right offers last season to come back to Germany?

 

In this business that’s just works sometimes. I thought I definitely should have been playing.

 

How did you experience last season? You were coaching last season. What kind of experience was that and do you think that you will continue to do that later in life after your done playing basketball?

 

I enjoyed coaching very much.  it is definitely what I will do when I’m done playing. I love to make kids better .

 

Did you check up with some of your ex German teams last season? Your ex team Leipzig had a less than satisfactory season. Even though they had some good guards like Guy Aud and Cardell Mcfarland, they were unable to hinder having to move down to the Regionaliga. Did you ever think about what may have been had they kept you for last season?

 

Actually the plan was for me to come back the next season but they changed coaches and he wanted an import wing more than a guard. I love that city and I hate it for the fans there. Leipzig will always have a special place in my heart .

How did you keep in shape? Did you have a certain routine that you kept to continue to be ready if a team called?

 

I had access to a gym anytime I wanted so I stayed ready .

 

You have a new chance now with Limburg. How do you like the city? It is much much smaller than Leipzig and Magdeburg, but probably more similar to Aschersleben. How have you adapted to your new surroundings?

 

I like the city a lot. Small but everything I need is here. The people welcomed me here with open arms .

 

How did you come to sign with Limburg. Head coach Danny Stallbohm must of really went through his basketball black book to find the right contact to find you?

 

I got coach Danny contact through a former coach I played against in the Pro B and he said it would be a good opportunity for me to get back into Germany so I reached out to coach and he decided to bring me in.

 

Limburg has a very young team. What has been your impression of the team and what do you feel is the team capable of accomplishing this season?

 

 I like my team a lot. We are not going to out score opponents, but we will have to out work them. My goals is to win as many games as possible.

 

You and Justin Stallbohm will be the leaders of the team. How excited are you to be running a young team. Where do you see taking your game this season with Limburg?

 

 Yes me and Justin clicked as soon as I got here. He is a good player and a great competitor and everyone feeds off his positive energy.

I can imagine you averaging 20-25 points and filling up the stat sheet. Do you feel that the expectations are high and will you come to terms with them?

 

 High expectations is what I expect of myself. I just want to win games and have a good season.  If I focus on that good stats will follow.

 

Limburg has had some great players in the last years like Ron Howard, Kris Douse, Paul Dick or Kevin Yebo. Six years ago, with Magdeburg you averaged 16/7 stats as a 24 year old. How confident are you that you not only will be an impact player at age 30, but could eclipse those stats from then and be a very potent player at your age?

 

 I don’t feel 30… lol .. but I’m smarter and more experienced now to the European game. I think it will come to me more easier now.

 

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

 

Jordan, Magic,Lebron,Kobe

 

 

Lebron James failed to win his fourth NBA title and is still three away from Michael Jordan. Where does Lebron stand right now in your opinion in the never ending debate of who is the best of all-time? Answer

 

Lebron is one of the best ever. Jordan is one of a kind. There will never be another Jordan.

 

There has been criticism of Russell Westbrook to be focusing more on rebounding to help inflate his stats and possibilities of getting triple doubles instead of focusing on his defensive assignments. Do you feel that this is a fair assessment to the player Russell Westbrook?

 

To be honest I wasn’t a big Westbrook fan at first but the way he plays the game makes you a fan. I don’t think he is hunting stats I think he just wants to win.

How do you summarize the 2017 NBA Draft. What sleepers do you see playing a role in the NBA? Answer:

 

 I think the Draft was good but the player I’m excited to see the most is Dennis Smith Jr.  He is exciting to watch.

 

Where will the journey of the Houston Rockets go this season with Chris Paul and James Harden in the back court. Do they have enough to make a serious run at the title or is something missing?

 

 Most people think that it won’t work but I believe that they will take pressure off of each other. I think they need another piece to be a serious contender.

 

How do you rate the Kyrie Irving-Isaiah Thomas trade? Who got the better deal and which team will profit better in the long run?

 I think they both benefited from the deal but Boston may have the edge in this trade .

 

What was the last movie that you saw?

 

 Hostel Part:3.

 

Thanks Brandon for the chat.

 

 

After toiling most of his professional basketball career in the German Pro B and Regionaliga, Andrew Jones (191-SG-83, college: Miles) will get his chance to show his basketball art in the Pro A with the Niners Chemnitz. With most players already out of basketball at the age of 30 after having given up the low salary and the little recognition of playing in the lower leagues of Germany, Jones has been one of the few special cases that has continued to grind year in and year out playing the game he loves. In September he spoke to eurobasket and described his new experience with the Niners Chemnitz as being a very rewarding one and now has been rewarded with the chance to play at least 5 games while filling in for the departed Jajuan Johnson who was a rookie out of Marquette (NCAA), but couldn’t fullfil the expectations of the team averaging 7,2ppg, 3,0rpg and 3,0apg. The club announced that the homesickness of Johnson effected his play and the departure would be best for both sides. The club is looking for a replacement, but until that player is found, Jones will fill in and help out while also continuing to play for the Chemnitz 2 team in the Regionaliga 2.

Jones is a 191cm guard that started his basketball career at : Miles (NCAA2). He got his first experience playing with the Marietta Storm (SEBL), and the BC Celtics (SEBL). He played his first professional season in Germany in 2008 with the Dresden Titans (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 3 games averaging 25.7ppg later that month moved to the Aschersleben Tigers BC (Germany-2.Regionalliga) playing 11 games averaging 18.0ppg. Over the years he found a home with the Dresden Titans and would always return back there playing there three more seasons with his best statistical being the 2012-2013 season where he played 22 games averaging 18.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.5apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 77.1%. In the 2013-2014 season with Dresden he played 25 games averaging 17.8ppg, 5.6rpg, 3.4apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 55.3%, 3PT: 29.1%, FT: 78.5%. His last year with Dresden was in the 2015-2016 season where he played 28 games averaging 9.5ppg, 3.9rpg, 2.8apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 23.7%, FT: 63.6%. He also got additional basketball experience with the Aschersleben Tigers BC (Germany-Regionalliga) in 20111-2012 playing 22 games averaging 23.7ppg, 7.5rpg, 3.9apg, 2.8spg, FGP: 53.8%, 3Pts: 27.5%, FT: 68.7%. He also played with Universidad Tecnologica Equinoc. Quito (Ecuador-National League) in 2013 and played a season with C.B. Aridane (Spain-EBA) in 2010-2011 playing 30 games averaging 13.1ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.2apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 29.6%, FT: 74.5%.

Even if the Drsden Titans will remain his special home as he still lives there with his family, but Andrew Jones and the Niners Chemnitz just fit together. One could already feel that in his interview with eurobasket in Spetember as he described his new basketball home and possibility and hope of playing Pro A basketball. “This experience is more than I expected! The club has been great. Coach Rodrigo has a very high coaching I.Q. I’m learning every day. I thank God for putting me in this situation. I was worried when I knew I would train with them. I was not in the best shape, however I put my best foot forward. Taking the year off from basketball affected me a little as well. Getting some of the plays down took some time. My basketball brain did not kick in until the third week. My training has stayed the same. It’s the preparation and regeneration that changes. Taking care of your body after practices and games are the keys to staying in it”, stressed Andrew Jones. The American also is confident that he will make a smooth transition to the Pro A when given the chance. ” Honestly depending on who you play for there is no difference. However, Coach Rodrigo wants things done the right way. His style of play makes you create more opportunities for the next teammate. I compare it to styles of the euroleague teams. The speed for me is no difference. Playing with a group of guys with a pass first mentality, is something new for me. It’s a better brand of basketball”, stressed Andrew Jones. Jones also will be key for helping the young players and also has lauded the work with head coach Rodrigo Pastore. “My overall experience with the game would help. It’s not just about dribbling, defending, shooting and whatever physical thing that’s done on the court. The mental side of the game is just as important. Teaching them how to deal with adversity as well as the game itself would be my main focus. He was so close to leading the team to the BBL last season. From the first day I trained with him he expected high level performance. With everything! That means footwork, setting screens, making the right reads and so much more. He prepares very well and really knows the game. He treats every player from young to old the same. If anyone makes a mistake he let’s them know quickly”, warned Andrew Jones. Jones is 34 years old and finally will play in the Pro A and deserves it more than anybody.