Author: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Basketball journalist and play by play commentator

Jesse Morgan(RheinStars) I Had A Chip On My Shoulder As A Rookie And Still Do Now

Jesse Morgan is a 26 year old 196cm forward from Philadelphia that will be playing his second professional season in Germany with the RheinStars. Last season as a rookie he played for AB Contern (Luxembourg-Total League) playing 26 games: Score-2(27.2ppg), 5.6rpg, 2.7apg, Steals-5(2.1spg), FGP: 48.7%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 83.9%. He started his basketball career in 2010 with Massachusetts (NCAA) where he played for three seasons amassing 59 NCAA games. He transferred to Temple (NCAA) and as a senior played 27 games averaging 11.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 33.9%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 81.6%. He spoke to German Hoops about Basketball.

Congrats Jeese on signing with German Pro A team RheinStars Cologne. Have you invited Tony, TJ and Max DiLeo for dinner yet in thanks for giving CEO Stephan Baeck the headsup on your game?

Lol nah I haven’t got chance to do that yet.

You have made the next step coming from the lower league in Luxemburg to the very strong and competitive German pro A. Was it just the advice that family DiLeo gave you that made you take this offer or were there other factors that helped you make this decision?

I feel like the DiLeo family had a huge influence on my decision, but always being in Luxemburg last year I got a chance to visit Germany regularly and I fell in love. I wouldn’t want to be any other place in the world.

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Dylan Travis (My Numbers Aren’t Crazy But I Do The Things A Good Teammate Does That Are Crucial For Winning Games)

Dylan Travis is a 24 year old 190cm guard from Omaha, Nebraska that recently completed his rookie season with Rot-Weiss Cuxhaven (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 17 games averaging 14.9ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.9apg, 2.2spg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 40.2%, FT: 70.5%. He began his basketball career in 2012 with Midland (NAIA) playing 25 games averaging 7.0ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 67.5%. After a season at Iowa Central CC (JUCO) he moved to Florida Southern (NCAA2) in 2014 playing 25 games averaging 11.2ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.0apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 78.7%. In his senior year at Florida Southern (NCAA2) he played 24 games averaging 21.5ppg, 7.3rpg, 4.9apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 44.8%, 3PT: 40.1%, FT: 84.0%.He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Dylan thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how is your summer going?

Danke Miles, right now I am in Florida working part time and of course staying in shape and working on my basketball game every day.

Congrats on being a big figure in helping Rot-Weiss Cuxhaven (Germany-Regionalliga) to the Pro B. If somebody had told you at the start of the season that the club would move up this season what would you have thought?

Yes, that was a big reason why I went to Cuxhaven. I love the ambition the club had, once we finally had our roster in place we talked every day about winning the league and we achieved that goal. The club deserves and so do the loyal fans.

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Dominic Early (Itzehoe Eagles) Staying Inside Of Your Game Is The Key To Being A Great Scorer

Dominic Early is a 198cm forward from Atlanta, Georgia that will be in his second professional season after being a rookie in Australia and now will play for the Itzehoe Eagles (Germany-ProB). He started his basketball career at Furman(NCAA) where he played 41 games in two seasons. He then moved to USC Aiken (NCAA2) where he played 19 games averaging 15.6ppg, 8.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 82.4%. As a senior he played for Co.Georgia (NAIA) playing 32 games averaging 20.9ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.7apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 44.7%, 3PT: 29.9%, FT: 73.7%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Dominic thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how is your summer going?

I am still in Australia and won’t go home for another month.

In school you were a kind of nomad playing at 3 schools Furman (NCAA), USC Aiken (NCAA2) and Co.Georgia (NAIA). After your rookie season in Australia you are in Germany now. Do you have the feeling you might go the same route as a professional bouncing around from team to team and country to country?

I only transferred schools because of coaching changes. I will let my career take its course and I will make those decisions as I go.

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Tim Oldenburg Retires From Basketball Moving To The Police Force

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Tim Oldenburg after he produced 18 points and 15 rebounds in a 79-66 victory against Leipzig in 2015

It really didn´t matter if the Fraport Skyliners Juniors won or lost, Tim Oldenburg was always prepared to give his five cents after a game about what happened on the floor no matter if he had just survived a double OT loss, hit the floor 25 times all battered and still gotten up or been a spectator at the end of the bench trying to get through an injury. Oldenburg is a 25 year old 202cm forward/center that has decided to hang up his jersey and concentrate on his 9-5 job at the police force. The German came to the club in 2009 and first played with Eintracht Frankfurt (Regionalliga), but witnessed his first Pro B minutes in the 2010-2011 where he played 12 games. In total he would play 7 Pro B seasons, but also a BBL game, one Eurochallenge game and two Fiba Europe Cup games. Oldenburg was so much more than just a good basketball player, but a guy that had a great charachter and was a role model for everyone.

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Andre Calvin (Artland Dragons) There Is No Need For Me To Go Out And Experiment New Things

Andre Calvin is a 32 year old 201cm forward from Michigan that is going into his ninth professional season and firs with the Artland Dragons. Last season he played for the Nuernberg Falcons BC (Germany-ProA) playing 28 games averaging 11.9ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 70.7%. In Germany he also played for teams like Erdgas Ehingen, BV Chemnitz and BG Karlsruhe. He made the jump to the BBL in 2015 with the Crailsheim Merlins (Germany-BBL) playing 27 games averaging 7.9ppg, 3.4rpg, FGP: 48.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 54.2%. In his first two professional seasons he played in Austria and Portugal. Prior to turning professional he played at Drake(NCAA) and as a senior played 32 games averaging 16.2ppg, 6.1rpg, FGP: 51.4%, 3Pts: 32.7%, FT: 67.5%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Andre thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

Thanks for the interview Miles. My summer has been great, got married and my son was born in late June.

Congrats on signing with the Artland Dragons. You have played in many nice gyms in Germany, but never in the Artland arena. How excited are you to be playing here and what have you heard about the atmosphere?

Thank you, I am excited to be able to play there after everything I have heard about Artland from former teammates. I heard that they’re professional, the arena is always full, and the facilities are amazing.

You have been a very consistent performer in the Pro A averaging 12,5ppg and 6,5rpg in your five seasons. However you are going to the Artland Dragons who are in the Pro B. Are you taking a step back?

I don’t think so, Artland has things to offer that some teams can’t.

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David Taylor (Gotha) I Know I Will Have To Prove Myself

David Taylor is a 22 year old 190cm guard that was born in Bayreuth and grew up in Eckersdorf, Germany. He started his basketball career with the BBC Bayreuth 2 (2.Regionalliga) team in 2009. He then played two seasons with the Nuernberger Basketball Club from 2010-2012 getting his first taste of pro B ball at age 15 and pro A ball at age 16. He then moved to TSV Troester Breitenguessbach (ProB) in 2013 where he played 16 games averaging 6.9ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 41.2%, 3PT: 29.0%, FT: 73.7%, played also at Troester Cybex Breitenguessbach U19 team (NBBL). He moved to the United States in 2013 to Pacific(NCAA) where he played until 2017 playing a total of 104 NCAA games. His most productive season was his second where he played 31 games averaging 7.9ppg, 1.7rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 40.9%, 3PT: 35.9%, FT: 80.6%. he spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

David thanks for talking to German Hoops Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

I am still in Stockton California right now working on my individual skill work and body. It’s been a productive summer so far getting my body ready for this up coming season.

Your last NCAA game was on Feb 25^th and you got signed on June 13^th by BBL team Gotha. You had a lot of time from then until now. How was the whole transfer period for you? Was going to a BBL team one of your big goals?

After the NCAA season I talked to a lot of people who wanted to help me in the process of finding the right opportunity for me. It took a while because I wanted to make sure it was the right option for me and I found a good fit with Gotha. Yes playing in the BBL was always a goal of mine. Now that I am part of a first league team I will work even harder to help my team succeed.

How important was it that a Wolfgang Heyder is with Gotha and the team is going in a very youth direction wanting to develop German talent?

I think it is great that Wolfgang is a part of the team. I have known him for a long time now and he is one of the people I respect a lot.

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Buay Tuach (Phoenix Hagen) Life In General And The Struggles I’ve Been Through Helped Me Mature As A Player

Buay Tuach is a 22 year old 198cm forward from Ethiopia that will be starting his professional basketball career in Germany with Phoenix Hagen. He started his career with Northeast CC (JUCO) and then moved to Loyola Mary (NCAA) in 2015 and as a junior played 26 games averaging 3.7ppg, 1.6rpg. As a senior he played 28 games averaging 11.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 58.9%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 57.0%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Thanks Buay for talking to German Hoops Where are you at the moment and how is your summer going?

At the moment I am in Los Angeles California and my summer is going well

Your last NCAA game was March 4th and you haven´t played a competitive game in many months. What have you missed most in this time?

In the time of the competitiveness I just miss the games, road trips and team.

Congrats on signing with German Pro A team Phoenix Hagen. After 2 strong seasons at Northeast CC and then a first NCAA season where you hardly played, did you think you could one day become a professional player?

I’ve always had a dream of becoming a professional athlete and I always knew that I would become one someday and the day has come.

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Justin Alston (Romerstrom Gladiators) My Workout With The Boston Celtics Was Unreal

Justin Alston is a 22 year old 203cm forward from Maryland that will start his professional basketball career in Germany with the Romerstrom Gladiators. He recently completed his career at Boston University(NCAA) where he played from 2012-2017 amassing a total of 114 games and as a senior played 31 games averaging 12.0ppg, 6.0rpg, FGP: 57.1%, FT: 74.7%. He spoke to German Hoops about Basketball.

Justin thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how is your summer going?

My summer is going great, I have been training everyday and just trying to prepare myself for the next Level.

Congrats on signing with German team Romerstrom Gladiators. You signed very early into the summer. What was the deciding factor that chose you to choose this Team?

Thank you, and a few deciding factors where the love and support from my family and agent. They were both very influential in my decision. Also by signing early in the summer it gives me a chance to be stress free about where I will be playing.

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Dee Davis (Giessen 46ers) I Believe I Can Adjust To Whatever Style Of Play But I Enjoy Getting Up And Down The Court

Dee Davis is a 23 year old 183cm point guard from Bloomington, Indiana playing his third professional season and first in Germany with The Giessen 46ers. He played as a rookie with Rogaska Crystal (Slovenia-Telemach League) playing 18 games averaging 13.2ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.6apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 48.8%, 3PT: 29.0%, FT: 76.9%. Last season he remained with Rogaska Crystal (Slovenia-Liga NovaKBM playing 35 games: Score-3(16.3ppg), 2.9rpg, Assists-4(5.0apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 37.8%, FT: 75.6%. He played at Xavier and as a senior played 35 games averaging 9.2ppg, 2.5rpg, 6.1apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 46.0%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 70.4%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Dee thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been going?

Hello at the moment I am home spending time with my family and friends in Bloomington Indiana when I’m from. Having a good start to my summer.

Congrats on signing with German EasyCredit BBL team Giessen 46ers. What do you know in general about the German basketball and it´s country?

I’ve heard that the German league is very competitive and is has regarded as one of the better leagues in the world to play professionally basketball. I’m very excited for the this opportunity.

After two strong seasons in Slovenia, you have made the next step to the higher league EasyCredit BBL. What were your main reasons for signing with Giessen?

It was a good opportunity to further my pro career in a respected league. Also it’s less stress throughout the summer worried about what team I’m going too

Did you have any talks with new head coach Ingo Freyer? What kind of impression did you get of him?

I haven´t had a chance to talk to him yet.

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Terrell Harris(I Need To Maximize My Potential And Not Take Any Shortcuts)

Terrell Harris is a 23 year old 190cm guard from Indiantown,Florida that completed his rookie season in Germany with the Iserlohn Kangaroos (Germany-ProB) averaging 18,1ppg, 4,3rpg and 1,8apg.. He started his basketball career at Mars Hill (NCAA2) in 2011 and then moved to Georgia College in 2012. As a senior he played 29 games averaging 24.6ppg, 6.7rpg, 4.0apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 36.3%, FT: 76.8%. He concluded his college basketball career winning the All-PeachBelt Player of the Year 2016. Harris spoke to German Hoops during the long summer about his season with Iserlohn, his game and his future on the court.

Terrell thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how have you spent your summer?

Hey, Miles I hope all is well, always a pleasure to catch up with you. I am back at home in South Florida with my family. I’ve been training the entire summer in some different places such as my old high school and in Georgia as well. I have to keep getting better and better. So I been really pushing myself these past couple of months.

It has almost been three months since the end of the season where Iserlohn lost in the playoffs against PS Karlsruhe. Now looking back at that last series, what things would you have done differently to have won?

Yes three months seem like yesterday but we lost to a good team and well coached team. Personally I would’ve stayed out of foul trouble the first game. Moussa and I basically sat the entire bench the fist half. They took advantage of that by scoring and pushing the pace. We just couldn’t bounce back to win. The second game personally I couldn’t have done anything better really, that was one of my best all around game of the season.

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