Ahmad Smith is a 29 year old 194cm guard from Virginia that is playing his second season for the NBC of the German PRO A. He started the season BiG Oettinger Rockets Gotha (Germany-ProA)12 games: 7.0ppg, 5.6rpg, 4.7apg, 2FGP: 48.9%, 3FGP: 14.3%, FT: 72.2%, in Jan.’13 moved to Nuernberger Basketball Club (Germany-ProA, starting five): 19 games: 9.6ppg, Reb-4(8.5rpg), Assists-2(6.4apg), 1.1spg, FGP: 35.5%, 3PT: 31.2%, FT: 77.6% He played at St.Bonaventure(NCAA) from 2002-2006 and in his senior year played 28 games: ScoreA10-8(14.2ppg), RebA10-10(6.2rpg), AssistsA10-9(3.5apg), FGP: 41.0%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 59.8%. In 2006-2007, he played for Mardyke UCC Demons Cork (Ireland-SuperLeague): 9 games: 18.9ppg, 5.7rpg, 4.2apg, FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 60.8%. In 2007-2008, he played for SVD 49 Dortmund (Regionalliga): 6 games: 30.2ppg. In 2008-2009, he played for : BSV Wulfen (Germany-Regionalliga) 23.5ppg, 10.1rpg, 6.0apg, 3PT: 35.2%. In 2009-2010, he played for Hertener Loewen (Germany-ProB)29 games: 18.2ppg, Reb-2(8.7rpg), Assists-1(7.1apg), 1.2spg, FGP: 50.2%, 3PT: 34.9%, FT: 69.5%. In 2010-2011, he played for s Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg (Germany-ProA): left before the season started, then moved to SVD 49 Dortmund (Germany-Regionalliga): 6 games: 12.8ppg, waived in Nov.’10, in Jan.’11 signed at Nuernberger Basketball Club (Germany-ProB, starting five): 15 games: 8.3ppg, 6.8rpg, Assists-1(7.1apg), 1.4spg, FGP: 39.1%, 3PT: 28.2%, FT: 69.1%. Last season for the Kichheim Knights he played  35 games: 9.9ppg, 6.1rpg, Assists-1(6.7apg), 1.4spg, FGP: 52.3%, 3PT: 35.9%, FT: 62.0% He spoke to German Hoops before the game against Leverkusen.

 

 

Ahmad thanks for talking to German Hoops again. You missed the first few games and your back again having played four games. How difficult is it in general coming back from whatever injury and getting the feel for basketball again?

 

Its always difficult coming back from an injury in terms of your timing and conditioning. I’ve been back a couple of weeks now so its getting better.

A few days ago came the official announcement that head coach Martin ides had to step down. Were you surprised that the club let him go despite a 3-5 record?

I was surprised about the decision about Martin. Thats how this business is so I just try to focus only on the things I can control. I wish Martin the best of luck in the future.

Ides did a great job last season leading the team to the semi finals of the playoffs losing a tough 5 game series to Duesseldorf and this season had a record of 3-5. Was it not a bit early for making such an early season drastic change or were there other reasons that the team had to react?

In pro sports people only remember what you have done for them lately and forget about what you did in previous season thats how it goes. We lost the last games as a team so we can’t blame Martin for everything.

 

What have been the main reasons for the slow start? I feel that NBC is stronger on paper than last season or are the aspirations of moving up to the Beko BBL which NBC wants to do putting unneeded pressure on the team?

 

We had some bad luck early with injuries and we have started games slow in the 1st half. If we take care of our slow starts and play defense like were capable of we can turn our season around.

The team is stronger under the boards, but don´t have Zamal Nixon anymore. How much has his consistent scoring been missed on the team?

Losing a player like Zamal can hurt any team. When he is on the court the defense has to focus on him and it opens it up for other players especially me last season. We miss his scoring but everybody has to step up and play their role and we have players capable to do that.

How happy have you been with your own game? You assists are up, rebounds down, averaging 2,0spg. The minutes also seem to be down in general on the team.

I’m not satisfied with my play this season. I have to step up and make plays and put us in position to win games.

You have spoken highly of German Corneilius Adler already last season. How proud are you of his constant development as a player especially this season as he is currently the team leading scorer?

I’m really impressed with Cornelius as he worked hard last summer and its all paying off. He’s leading us in scoring and rebounding. His confidence is high and I believe he will have a great rest of the season.

 

The next game is against 0-8 team Bayer Giants Leverkusen that moved up from the Pro B this season. What is always the most important thing you need to do not to underestimate a team like that?

 

We shouldn’t underestimate anyone we are coming off of an embarrassing lost last week and need this win as much as any team.

Where will the journey of the Washington Red Skins end this season?

Hopefully we can finish at least 500. We are playing terrible right now.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

 

He got game.

 

Thanks for the chat Ahmad.

 

Denham Brown is a 30 year old 198cm forward from Toronto, Canada. He played at Connecticut (NCAA from 2002-2006 and in his senior year played : 32 games: 10.7ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 40.3%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 86.8%. He won the NCAA title in 2004 and in 2006 was drafted by the Seattle Supersonics (NBA,2rd(40). In 2006 as a rookie he played for the  Seattle Supersonics (NBA): 38 games: 2.4ppg, 1.9rpg; waived in Oct.’06, then moved to Tulsa 66ers (D-League, starting five): 42 games: 18.6ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.8apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 46.5%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 78.4%, in March ’07 signed at Galatasaray Cafecrown Istanbul (Turkey-TBL): 9 games: 6.7ppg, 3.1rpg, 2FGP: 37.8%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 72.7%. In 2007-2008 he played for the  Tisettanta Cantu (Italy-SerieA, starting five): 36 games: 9.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.2apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP:40.8%, 3PT:31.0%, FT:70.4%. In 2008-2009, he played for the : Dakota Wizards (D-League): 8 games: 12.9ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.8apg, 1.5spg, left team in Dec.’08, in March ’09 moved to Iowa Energy (D-League): 13 games: 14.6ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 45.3%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 89.4%. In 2009-2010, he played for  Iowa Energy (D-League, starting five): 3 games: 19.7ppg, 10.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.0spg, in June ’10 signed at Barangay Ginebra Kings (Philippines-PBA, starting five): : 5 games: 19.4ppg, 14.2rpg, 4.2apg, FGP: 43.3%, 3PT: 22.7%, FT: 63.2%. In 2010-2011 he played for sseco Prokom Gdynia (Poland-PLK), only preseason, then moved to Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk (Ukraine-Superleague, starting five): Ukrainian League: 50 games: 13.4ppg, 5.8rpg, 3.0apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 79.2%; VTB League: 10 games: 9.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 37.4%, 3PT: 26.3%, FT: 78.9%. In 2011-2012 he played for  Oshawa Power (Canada-NBL), only pre-season, then moved to Ciclista Olimpico de La Banda (Argentina-LigaA): 13 games: 9.6ppg, 3.6rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 45.8%, 3PT: 24.0%, FT: 65.5%. Last season he played for BC Timba Timisoara (Romania-Division A, starting five): 19 games: 16.6ppg, 6.1rpg, 3.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 45.0%, 3PT: 25.7%, FT: 79.8%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Denham thanks for talking to German Hoops. The 2013-2014 basketball season is under way in Europe and you are still unsigned. You started the season in Romania for BC Timba Timisoara where you also played last season. What were the main reasons for leaving? You had a solid season last year and started this season averaging 8,5ppg and 10,0rpg in the first two games?

Team was having financial problems and myself and the club decided that we part ways early. It was a tough decision for both parties but it was for the best.

How have the last few weeks been in the job search? You must have had some offers, but you just haven´t had the right situation?

This time of year teams aren’t really looking to make changes, but my agent is working real hard to find me a team suitable for me.

At the moment you are in Trier practicing with TBB Trier. How important is it that you are able to have this chance to keep in shape while waiting for offers?

Yes I’m currently in Trier and it’s great the I’m able to stay in Europe and be able to use the facilities here to stay in shape and keep my skills sharp.

Your friends Jermaine Bucknor and Jermaine Anderson who are your Canadian national team teammates play for TBB Trier. How have they been keeping you positive besides just telling you to keep your head up?

Anderson and Bucknor have been my friends since high school and they know how important it is for them to keep me most importantly focused to keep working out and lifting.

What has been your impression of Warren Ward who is Canadian and can really jump. I am sure that you have had some interesting duels in practice as well as The Beko BBL has really grown in competition in the last years in comparison to all the other leagues in Europe. What has been your impression of the league in Germany?

I really like the league, a lot of fellow Canadians are in the league, Aaron Doornekamp, Levon Kendall and rookie Warren Ward who absorbs info like a sponge, he wants to learn the game and is a very humble kid playing in CIS at Ottawa university to the Beko BBL is a great step forward in his career.

It isn´t often that one has two NCAA champions on the practice court as you and tBB Trier head coach Henrik Roedl have won in 1993 with North Carolina and 2004 with Uconn. What type of stories have you exchanged with the success that you have had in the NCAA?

Myself and coach haven’t had the chance to speak about out NCAA careers but if we do I’m sure we’ll be talking about which National champ was better.

You are a player that can do many things well, but if you had to choose one strength in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away on the court what would it be?

I would say I’m a versatile player who can defend multiple positions and rebounds the ball but the past few years I’ve really worked on my passing skills, which makes me more of a threat having the ability not only to make myself dangerous with the ball but also my teammates on the court.

If you could sell your game in a few sentences as to why you could help any team now how would you do it?

Every team I play with my first goals is to get wins. I’m a great leader and my stay with Timba I’ve taken the younger players and helped them become more confident in themselves and their skills.

As a rookie you played for the Seattle Supersonics (NBA). What was it like playing with Ray Allen? What was the most important thing that you learned form the Brooklyn Net?

Ray was a great mentor, in the time we’ve spent with each other he’s showed me how to be a pro, taking care of my body and the little things that someone doesn’t look to do he did. Being at the gym 3hrs before a game showed me how serious he took his job.

In 2004 you were NCAA champion with Uconn. You played with future NBA players like Josh Boone, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor or Charlie Villaneuva. If you had to name one player that really was the best overall teammate in your four years who would you choose?

Hilton Armstrong and I have had a great experience with each other. We were roommates all 4yrs at UCONN and that relationship generated into good things on the court.

Where will the journey of the Toronto Raptors end this season?

I think the Raptors will make the playoffs, my old teammate Rudy Gay will lead them out of the funk they’ve had for over 10yrs. I want be able to catch a game when I get home in April

What do you respect most about your friend Jermaine Bucknor on and off the court?

Both Anderson and Bucknor first and foremost do everything for their body and to endure they stay injury free for the year. Eating well and getting enough hours of sleep. Not partying and staying out late. They really set a good example for the rest of the team.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

I’m really into TV shows, scandal, suits, homeland, house of cards, the walking dead and hostages are what I’m watching now.

Thanks Denham for the chat.

For Monopoly aficionado´s like current Fraport Skyliner Jacob Burtschi going to jail in the game is nothing to brag about, but if one has that special get out of jail free card ready, then one can get back down to business buying Park street and building hotels and making life miserable for opponents landing on the most rich spot on the game board. If one was playing for the chance to get a get out of jail free card and one had to guess what has been Jacob Burtschi´s favorite basketball address in the last three years with Hagen, Spain, Bremerhaven or Frankfurt, one would have had the best opportunity to escape the bars of justice if one chose Frankfurt. Burtschi played a very strong rookie season in Hagen, but off the court experienced a long grey winter in a city that isn´t necessarily known for its exquisite beauty where even the music of Garth Brooks might have had to do overtime work in getting the usual jovial American in a good mood for the next practice. In Spain, he lived in scenic  Zaragoza where lounging on the banks of the Ebro river and listening to the American Top 40 country count down with Kix Brooks could never get old, but he never got a real chance with the team to display his basketball know how. Two seasons ago in Frankfurt, Burtschi came for the departed Jon Leuer who fled to the NBA. Without the services of Burtschi, the Fraport Skyliners wouldn´t have been playing for the last spot in the playoffs on the last game day in Bonn. As Burtschi came, the team turned it around going 14-7.  Last season in Bremerhaven, he was captain on a playoff type team on paper that showed signs of getting to the May games early, but instead totally fell apart in the second half with internal problems affecting the team play. It is no secret that Burtschi was most happy in Frankfurt and that wasn´t more obvious than when he arrived in Frankfurt last summer to get ready for the upcoming season and held the little stuffed animal mascot Dunking Kong so tight to his body as if it was his own baby and was sporting that enormous signature smile that now could melt the ice bed of Eisbaeren Bremerhaven mascot Dunky. Last season Burtschi had less reason to smile up north, but now the forward Mr Top Gun who played at the Air Force is back in Frankfurt having signed a two year deal and is ready for take off. He may never had chosen a favorite city, but can one get better than three greats for Frankfurt? “Great city, great organization, and great fans”, warned Jacob Burtschi.

 

Last season the Chickasha native moved his Mr hustle play combined with at times lethal offense and never quit defense to the north to the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven to try to help the club reach the playoffs again. After a slow start where the team lost their first three games, the American had this explanation for the less than welcome beginning to the season. “We played against three good teams, but that is no excuse. We were just flat and didn´t start the games well. Bamberg outplayed us, against Wurzburg we couldn´t hit a shot for our life and against Ulm, we hit shots, but didn´t get stops. What we fixed one game didn´t work in the next”, stressed Burtschi. The team then finally picked it up and played like a possible playoff team and it seemed like he could help assist the team get back to the playoffs again. However in the second half of the season, the team was unable to play anything like a playoff team losing more and more and losing to teams they should have beaten. It was also noticeable on the court that there was no or very little team chemistry and even a possible rift between certain players. This obviously didn´t make the captain duties any easier for Burtschi which effected his own individual play on the court. After losing their first three games, they then won six of their next seven games, but just couldn´t find a rhythm as they then preceded to lose their next three games. In the second half of the season they lost way more games than they should of and had people stunned that they would give performances like a 99-93 win against Tuebingen showing what their offense was capable of, but then one week later succumbing to the always brutal aggressive defense of Wurzburg mustering only 53 points. At times it seemed like the most fun that Burtschi had was teeing up golf balls at a local driving range in Bremerhaven with teammate Keith Waleskowski and enjoying the two huge wins against Munich and Bamberg  in the second half of the season at home. Last season for the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven he played  33 games averaging  9.8ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 45.9%, 3FGP: 40.3%, FT: 89.3%. What is curious is that these stats were actually a tad better than what he produced in Frankfurt in the 2011-2102 season. But to be a complete player that performs to his highest ability, a player needs to be consistent and that is something that he wasn´t in Bremerhaven. It is no secret that Burtschi is a scorer something he showed in Hagen, but in a span of four games with Bremerhaven he scored a total of 12 points including the big goose egg against ratiopharm Ulm. It is hard to dissect exactly what went wrong, but possibly he just had to do much to do and didn´t always get the necessary support from his teammates. He rebounded in double figures four times which speaks for his aggressive play on the boards, but not necessarily for the Bremerhaven big men. It was a tough season for the Oklahoma native, but his experience as captain surely helped and sometimes teams are put together wrong and never really gel. “I struggled towards the second half of the season shooting the ball and that’s a big part of my game. We had the talent, we just didn’t have a floor general to get other guys the ball. We had some talented guys, but they weren’t given the chance to do what they were brought in to do because the ball never got moving”, stressed Jacob Burtschi.

Now Burtschi is in his second tour of duty with the Fraport Skyliners. Burtschi signing a two year deal early in May made official on his birthday and that was a positive signal by the club how important the forward was for them securing his services early in the off season. However much has changed since the last time Burtschi stepped on the court in Bonn as a Skyliner as the only players remaining are Quantez Robertson, Marius Nolte and Danilo Barthel. Two seasons ago, he was one of many Americans that could play as he was lacing up his sneakers with ex NBA player Jermareo Davidson, current NBA player Tim Ohlbrecht, scoring ace and shooting menace Jimmy Mckinney and talented American guards Michael Thompson and Devin Gibson. This time around there are less Americans and whenever Burtschi steps on the court,  he see less familiar faces and much young German blood with guys like Konstantin Klein, Johannes Voigtmann, Kevin Bright or Stefan Illzhoefer. The average age of the German young guns of nine players that are in the extended roster is 20 and the more mature gun Burtschi is 29. He may be the second oldest on the team behind Marius Nolte and need to take even more responsibility with the departure of Dawan Robinson, and with his vast exposure of being in the Air Force and being captain with Bremerhaven will be an important added spice of knowledge for the Germans who are still developing. “I know the young guys are hungry and want to play. I like that. I feel like my experience will help some but I just have to lead by example along with some of the other older guys”, added Jacob Burtschi. It could very well be that a number of the young German players will get ample playing time in the Beko BBL and the gregarious personality of Burstchi, but at the same time his straight forward winning mentality will help the youth in their further development on and off the court. Burtschi is playing his usual hustling game in that he is an ambitious worker on the court that isn´t too dignified to dive on the court for  a loose ball various times during  a game as he showcased in Trier two seasons ago, or recently in the win against Wurzburg where he saved a loose ball and throwing the ball off a Wurzburg player giving Frankfurt possession, but also needs to be a scoring option on this team to be successful. After eight games, the American is averaging 9,3ppg, 5,4rpg, 1,1apg, and 1,3spg and is shooting 51% from outside. He only had seven shots in the first game, while two against Wurzburg which is way too little for the talented offensive player that he is. He had his breakout game against his ex team in Bremerhaven netting 16 points on 5/6 shooting from downtown. Maybe the intense scoring ability of ex NBA player Andrew Rautins who had scored 60 points against Bremerhaven and Wurzburg in consecutive games will infect his game, but the Oklahoma native isn’t worried about getting an ample amount of shots. “I won´t force shots or beg for them”, stressed Burtschi. Head coach Gordon Herbert has already stressed that Frankfurt will play an organized offensive basketball with a top notch defense that will always be on the outlook to get easy points as a result. This fits perfectly into the game of Burtschi who can be a menace on defense and silence the opponent with his three pointer and relentless work on the boards. With the injury to captain Marius Nolte, Burtschi has to take more responsibility on the court as his captain experience in Bremerhaven and leadership qualities now are more than in demand. Burtschi is in the perfect basketball age and is still looking to enjoy German café´s in May and reach that first Beko BBL playoff appearance. With Skyliner head coach Gordon Herbert is back again in that situation where he was in 2001-2002 where he took over a very young team and three years later they were Beko BBL champions. The club has had a slow start, but that is understandable as the injury bug, departure of Dawan Robinson and new players to be integrated has scathed the team a bit in the early going. It will be interesting to see what Herbert makes out of this team, but one thing is certain that no matter where the club ends this season, Burtschi will be ready for take off in each game. Last season Burtschi missed a dunk against his old team as he had Danilo Barthel in the corner of his eyes coming at him from behind ready to block him. Burtschi has missed dunks before in practice and even was blocked by Barthel in practice in the 2011-2012 season. Barthel last season showed that white men can jump as he produced some crashing dunks in games that often made the highlight films. Burtschi will have enough time this season to get some pointers from Barthel in the dunking category, but even if a Larry Bird couldn´t jump, it was good enough for three NBA titles and being known as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. Burtschi won´t need to dunk, because he will be able to get the Fraport Skyliners in flight with his overall game and even better be the feeder with his crisp passing for future ally-op dunks from Danilo Barthel and Quantez Robertson.

 

 

 

 

One neat thing about basketball are the instances when an ex player returns back to his old stomping ground with a new team. Sometimes the frequency of games each week where one meets a former player is as common as seeing a Danilo Barthel slam dunk with that forceful urge in his eyes to take off at any time in the zone, the 2011-2012 Charlotte Bobcats losing and losing, but not the 2013-2014 Miami Heat back to back or seeing the famous Boston Red Sox beards as a costume this Halloween in the Boston area. Last week, the Fraport Skyliners toppled TBB Trier and battled Canadian national player Jermaine Bucknor who played in Frankfurt in 2010 and next week they welcome Anthony King who played in Frankfurt in the 2008-2009 season and since then has developed into a very solid Beko BBL center. Two days ago Frankfurt fought against the Telekom Baskets Bonn and ex Skyliner Ryan Brooks. Brooks is a 25 year old 193cm guard from Lower Merion, Pennslyvania that might only have played a few months in Frankfurt, but in this time left a very lasting impression playing 15 games and averaging 13.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.7apg, FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 30.4%, FT: 73.7%. A thing that will always stay entrenched in my mind was his eyes and how focused he was on the court as a cat ready to pounce on that weak and hapless mouse. Brooks is playing his fourth professional season and so far as had nothing to cheer about as he has played in Germany and Finland. At Temple, he played with NBA player Lavoy Allen and won two Atlantic 10 Tournaments, but so far in Europe is still looking for his first playoff berth as in Germany he has always battled at the end of the standings in Giessen, Finland and last season had to help Frankfurt on the last game day to stay in the league. He seems to have more luck this season as the Telekom Baskets Bonn are in second place with a 7-1 record and currently are fascinating the Beko BBL with an impressive seven game winning streak. Brooks has built a dangerous shooting duo with Benas Veikalis and is an important component of the success of new head coach Mathias Fischer. Brooks returned back into his old living room and gave his team the needed spark in the second quarter to give Bonn a lofty cushion lead at halftime with 12 second quarter points of his game high 19 leading his new team Telekom Baskets Bonn to the 89-67 win. “It was great to be back playing against the Skyliners. They are having a tough season, but have a good coaching staff and I hope they turn it around. At the same times it feels good to be playing for a winning team that keeps winning. It is a lot of fun playing for Bonn and I understand myself very well with my teammates on and off the court. I have a different type of role coming off the bench, but I want to be aggressive, hit my three pointers, mid distance shots and just give the team energy”, stressed Bonn guard Ryan Brooks. Brooks shot an incredible 88% from the field and would have gotten that gold star of approval for his forehead from any first grade teacher, but from Fraport Skyliners Jacob Burtschi his favorite word for excellent players. “Brooks is a stud. He did a great job against his old team and is just a great scorer who can become a top scorer in the league”, stressed Jacob Burtschi.Ex Boston Celtic Tony Gaffney always exemplifies amazing energy on the court, but also when describing the play of Brooks. “One could see that Brooks likes playing here. He scored like 15 points in 10 minutes. He works his butt off in practice and works hard to get open. He shows us in practice  each day how hard he works and it pays off in games. He is a flat out scorer”, stressed Boston native Tony Gaffney.

Ex Los Angeles Lakers Tony Gaffney had a whirlwind last two months as he started the pre season with the Telekom Baskets Bonn and then got an invite by NBA team Memphis Grizzlies for a spot on the training camp roster. Gaffney was one of the last cuts that had to tangle with ex Fraport Skyliner Jon Leuer each day in practice who made the team. Gaffney had a clause in his contract that if he didn´t cling on to an NBA team that he would return to Bonn. After the big win in Frankfurt, Gaffney was all smiles as usual, but this time his face was lite up a bit more than usual and was happy to notice that not everyone thinks that he isn´t happy to be back in Bonn and that his short stay in Memphis will be very beneficial to Bonn. “So many have asked me are you disappointed to be back in Bonn and not be in the NBA. My answer to them is simple and that I am totally happy to be back in Bonn. Some of my best friends are in that locker room. We have  a great situation here and we have the chance to be very good. I had a very tough training camp in Memphis. It was really an advantage that the Grizzlies stress defense and that is something that our coach Fischer likes to do bringing defense to offense in our game and getting easy points on the fast break. I played with tough players like Conly, Gasol, Miller and Randolph and their play has rubbed off on me and made me a stronger player”, warned ex Umass player Tony Gaffney. Gaffney finished the game with 13 points and four rebounds including two three pointers, but his energy as always  which stands out on both ends of the court. “He is obviously a different player than Donatas Zavackas, but his athleticism and defensive work really helps us and he can fit onto any team”, stressed Jared Jordan. Gaffney did have a mega left handed stuff, but surprisingly there was no Jordan to Gaffney ally-op dunk. “We had an ally-op in Eurocup, but we are still working on our timing and they will come”, warned Jared Jordan. Teammate Ryan Brooks is also very excited to have a player liike Tony Gaffney on the team who can do so much on the court. “We were excited to have him at the start of the season and then he left and came back. We were winning without him and now have him which makes us so much better. He is  a great defender and makes so many mismatches on offense. He fits in well and knows some of the players from the last time he played here”, commented Ryan Brooks.

4,378 people were guests in the Fraport arena seeing the second hottest team in the Beko BBL, Telekom Baskets Bonn who entered the game with a six game winning streak having lost only the first game of the season against FC Bayern Munich. After a slow first five minutes where the Fraport Skyliners were feeding on the excitement of playing against one of the top teams in the league, found their rhythm in the second half of the first quarter and then later led by as much as 31 points and just cruised home to victory. “This was opposite to our game last season in Frankfurt where we never found a rhythm. Key to winning in Frankfurt was that we played good defense and got runs when we needed to. We then went on a run and just did a very good job hitting our open shots and making our three pointers”,added Jared Jordan. The Fraport Skyliners entered the game coming off a very spirited and big win in Trier where they were shorthanded at the point guard position as Germans Konstantin Klein and Max Merz had the bulk of the duty of leading the team on offense. Frankfurt reacted last week by getting two new Americans Ramon Galloway and Jarred Dubois to help at the guard position. They had only been in Frankfurt three days as there were some good signs, but overall they still have to get used to the players and plays and one couldn´t expect too much out of them. Frankfurt started well in the first quarter, but then lost focus and just had no remedy of putting a dent in the nasty Bonn ball movement that again and again produced open shots which were made more often than not. “We have to play well for 40 minutes and not just the first ten minutes. Our one on one defense wasn´t good in the second quarter and they took advantage of it and put the game away in the second half”, warned Oklahoma native Jacob Burtschi.

In the first quarter, the Fraport Skyliners gave their marketing slogan ready for take off as they started strong sort of shocking the Telekom Baskets Bonn getting out to a 9-2 lead. Danilo Barthel got Frankfurt on the board first with a lay in over Gaffney and German Konstantin Klein then connected on a jumper for the 4-0 lead. American Jamel Mcclean then made his typical mid distance jumper with a dose of high rainbow. Barthel then dropped a three pointer and ex NBA player Andrew Rautins scored inside from the baseline for the 9-2 lead. Frankfurt kept on the offensive pressure as Johannes Voigtmann scored over Mcclean and Jacob Burtschi nailed a three pointer for the Frankfurt 15-5 advantage. Frankfurt was doing a good job getting their offensive flow going early and were practicing very aggressive defense forcing Bonn to four turovers. However, Fraport Skyliners head coach Gordon Herbert had to sub and that is when the game changed as Bonn ended the first quarter with a 15-4 run to lead 20-19. Frankfurt lost some intensity on defense and left Lithuanian guard Benas Veikalis open twice as he hurt Frankfurt with two three pointers to cut the Frankfurt lead to 15-11. Voigtmann and Looby then traded buckets and Gaffney answered with a left handed lay in as Frankfurt led only 17-16. Brooks then gave Bonn their first lead with a three pointer 19-17. New Skyliner Jarred Bubois then made his first great play as a Skyliner by finding big man Aziz Ndiaye for the easy dunk. Jared Jordan then made one free throw as Bonn led 20-19 after one quarter. “We knew that they would be excited and come out with a lot of energy and just hit shots. It took us five minutes to react and bounce back”, stressed Jared Jordan. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were shooting 64% from the field and 67% from outside while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 53% from the field and 25% from outside. Bonn ahd the six to four rebound edge, but four turnovers while Frankfurt had one turnover.

In the first few minutes of the second quarter, the Fraport Skyliners would stay on the heels of the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but it would be ex Skyliner Ryan Brooks that would help Bonn go on a run and the club would never look back. Brooks scored twice in the first minute as Bonn led 25-21. German Kevin Bright then burned Florian Koch in the corner with a high rainbow, but Koch came right back on the next Bonn possession scoring in the lane fetching the no look pass from ex Ludwigsburg guard terror David Mccray as Bonn led 27-24. Bonn then went on an 8-0 run which was fueled by an Andrew Rautins unsportsmanlike conduct and Veikalis hit free throws. Brooks then hit another three pointer and then read a pass well and entered the passing lane made a steal and went coast to coast for the two handed dunk as Bonn led 35-24. Scoring continued to be popular on the basketball court menu as both teams continued to score at ease even if Bonn did it more and better. After Barthel and Jordan traded baskets, it was then new Skyliner Ramon Galloway who reached the 2013 NCAA Sweet 16 with LaSalle and shot over 40% in his last two seasons in college from outside made a beautiful floater and end one. It really doesn´t take long to get those Greg Jenkins comparisons going, because with the beard, Galloway looks like his little brother. Bonn only led 37-29, but Bonn finished the second quarter in cruise control going on a 13-6 run to lead 50-35 at the break. Some interesting things did happen in the last few minutes and the typical three pointer by Veikalis wasn´t one of them. With Bonn up 42-19, it was Barthel who made a thunderous dunk over Gaffney. It is always amazing with each new dunk by Barthel, it seems like he is getting farther away from the hoop and he must dream at night of his next dunks. “I think he must dream of dunks. His dunk was pretty good, even if it wasn´t body to body, it was pretty impressive”, smiled Jacob Burtschi. Barthel then hit a three pointer as Frankfurt trailed only 44-33. However who says you can only have a Brooks or Veikalis to up the teams three point percentage when one has a 216cm big man and 2011 NCAA champion Enosch Wolf who played with NBA player Kemba Walker takes those three pointers with confidence. Wolf nailed two back to back three pointers leading Bonn into halftime. Klein nailed a three pointer at the end, but Bonn led 50-35. Having this luxury of added three point danger could help Bonn later in the season in May. “I think I once hit five three pointers in an NBBL game, but this was the most since then. Having me and Gaffney be able to shoot really helps spread out the court and makes us so much more dangerous”, stressed Enosch Wolf. Great point guards like Jared Jordan love players like Brooks, because he knows how to get open. “It is huge having Brooks on the team. He gives us an athletic player that can handle the ball and make plays something we didn´t hav ein the past. He was a starter that moved to the bench. He is a team player that has accepted his role”,added Hartford native Jared Jordan. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were shooting 70% from the field and 67% from the three point line while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 50% from the field and 23% from the three point line. Bonn had the 16-8 rebound edge, but seven turnovers while Frankfurt had three turnovers.

In the third quarter, the Fraport Skyliners played well after giving up a Andrej Mangold three pointer getting six consecutive Bonn stops on offense, but really couldn´t get anything going on offense and then it became as it usually does the unforgettable third quarter as the team lost focus on defense and later their nerves resulting in three technical fouls. In the first few minutes of the third quarter, Johannes Voigtmann continued to own Mcclean scoring inside on the American and Klein and Rautins made free throws cutting the Bonn lead to 53-40. However Frankfurt then totally collapsed allowing Bonn to go on a 20-2 run to decide the game leading 73-24 after three quarters. Mangold started the run with an open three pointer as classic point guard Jordan found him parked in the corner. Tony Gaffney then found revenge for being dunked on even if it was over Ndiaye and not Barthel letting his left hand slam the ball through the rim. “It was a dribble hand off where I was able to turn the corner and get to the lane. I dunked over a shot blocker, but it was one of those games where there were many guys over the rim”, warned Tony Gaffney. Frankfurt then was careless on the defensive rebound allowing defensive specialist Kurt Lobby get a tip in after two missed free throws by Mangold. Brooks then made a runner as Bonn led 65-40.Fraport Skyliner head coach Gordon Herbert then got a double technical foul which Veikalis used his 91% free throw percentage to his advantage making all four shots. Jacob Burtschi then got a technical foul for throwing the ball away and Veikalis nailed two more three throws. “We got stops at the start, but couldn´t execute on offense the way we wanted to. It was just one of those days where Rautins couldn´t find his rhythm and other guys didn´t step up”, stressed Jacob Burtschi. One can´t forget that Andrej Mangold made it hard for Rautins to get good shots. “We were very aggressive on defense contesting shots, we rebounded well and our big men down low made them take tough shots”, explained Jared Jordan. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were shooting 57% from the field and 57% from the parking lot while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 37% from the field and 19% from the parking lot. Bonn led the rebound battle 29-19 and had eight turnovers while Frankfurt had seven turnovers.

The Fraport Skyliners played their best basketball in the fourth quarter winning the quarter 26-16, but it was all too late as the Telekom Baskets Bonn had had too big of a lead. In the first few minutes of the fourth quarter each time Frankfurt tried to make a run, it was Enosh Wolf who denied them. Frankfurt went on a 6-0 run as Klein hit free throws, followed by a Bright jumper and Barthel lay in as Bonn led 73-49. Wolf then made a lay up driving hard to the hoop. Barthel then scored inside again as in the last weeks the Heidelberg native really has found his groove and is turning into a reliable Beko BBL consistent starter that fills up the stat sheet. Bonn continued to unleash their big men from downtown as Tony Gaffney hit somewhere between Fanuel Hall and the Prudential building as Bonn led 81-53. Bright and Brooks then traded baskets as Bonn led 83-56. Frankfurt then went on a mini 4-0 as the Frankfurt Germans picked up the bulk as Barthel muscled home two points after gathering in an offensive rebound and Klein then connected on a jumper. Gaffney and Burtschi traded three pointers as Bonn led 88-65. Voigtman closed out the game with a tip in as Frankfurt started a new losing streak. “Our focus is always attention to detail and defending well and not letting Rautins get going was big. We knew that they would be ready to go, but we scouted  well knowing their sets. We practiced hard and it came more easy in the game”, stressed Tony Gaffney. The Telekom baskets Bonn were led by Ryan Brooks with 19 points. Benas Veikalas added 18 points. Tony Gaffney contributed 13 points and Enosch Wolf 11 points. The Fraport Skyliners were led by the big three D Deutschen Danilo Barthel with 17 points and seven rebounds while Konstantin Klein added 11 points and Johannes Voigtman 10 points. When a team like Bonn shoots 55% from the field and 59% from outside and Frankfurt shoots 42% from the field and 29% from outside, it will be difficult to win. Bonn outrebounded Frankfurt 36-27, but had 13 turnovers. The best stat for Frankfurt was its eight turnovers.

Marcus Neal is a 27 year old 196cm guard that is playing his first season in Germany for SC Rasta Vechta. He started his basketball career at  Delaware St. (NCAA) in 2006 playing there until 2010 playing a total of 117 NCAA games. As a senior he played 29 games: 13.7ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 39.0%, 3PT: 36.9%, FT: 69.0%. In 2010-2011 he started his professional basketball career with ABA Strumica (FYR Macedonia-Superleague): 15 games: 9.1ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 41.8%, 3PT: 34.3%, FT: 72.0%. In 2011-2012 he played for Kanizsa KK DKG EAST (Hungary-B Division, starting five): 10 games: 28.3ppg, 5.7rpg, 2.6apg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 61.3%, 3PT: 27.4%, FT: 87.7%; in Feb.’12 moved to SKP Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-Extraliga, starting five): 3 games: 23.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 3.0apg. Last season he played for KAO Dramas (Greece-A1), signed as a player replacement: 2 games: 2.5ppg, 1.0rpg, left in Nov.’12, in Jan.’13 joined Cimberio Varese (Italy-SerieA): practised with the team. He spoke to German Hoops before the game against MBC.

Marcus thanks for talking to German Hoops. A tough loss last weekend 79-62 to Bamberg. SC Rasta Vechta was behind by four points an dthen lost control of game and lost. What happened in the second half. Did the Vechta motor lose gas or was it too many costly mistakes?

I would say too many costly mistakes and you have to play close to a perfect game to beat a team like Bamberg

You have played in Hungary, Italy and Greece prior to coming to Germany. Was Bamberg the best professional team that you ever played against? What impressed you most about the play of the Euroleague team?

Bamberg wasn’t the best team I played against in Europe but they still are a very good team. Im not really impressed with their play in the Euroleague because their core have been together so long and they will have a lot of success because of this.

SC Rasta Vechta was outrebounded 39-30. Big man Dirk Madrich seems to have  abig burden having to do so much under the boards. Is rebounding one of the areas where the team can improve?

I believe we are the number one rebounding team in the lead and rebounding is a team effort and we been very consistent in that area

Anton Gavel belongs to the top guards in the league. Was it his unorthodox shooting style or top notch defense that impressed you most?

I would say his defense. He plays with a lot of pride on the defensive end of the floor.

SC Rasta Vechta recently brought in Steven Esterkamp. How has he helped the team most besides with his vast experience that he has had being  a professional?

Steven´s leadership has been key for us. He’s a proven BBL player and brings another great shooter to the team that we need.

The next game is against MBC that is a way is similar in playing style to SC Rasta Vechta in that they are a scrappy team with not so many top name players. I can imagine this being a real battle in the wolf den. How have you been able to adapt to the playing style of Vechta compared to other styles that you have played with former teams?

Every country I played in was a different style of play. Germany reminds me more of the American style of play and Im still adjusting.

Where will the journey of the Brooklyn Nets end this season? They have much experience and top point guard with Williams. Can they make a run in the playoffs?

I believe The Brooklyn Nets will make the playoffs but when they face the Heat and Pacers they will lose for sure!

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The last DVD movie that I saw was Soul Plane.

Thanks Marcus for the chat.

Guy Aud is a 24 year old 188cm guard that has the German and Israel citizenship and is palying for BV Chemnitz this season. He is a hard worker, very determined in defense, has good court vision and able to move the ball with his passing skills, moreover likes to attack the basket, has a good jump shoot from mid distance and solid 3p shot. He started his professional basketball career in 1998 for  the Mevaseret Zion youth team until 2003. He then played for the  Hapoel Jerusalem youth team until 2008. In 2008-2009, he played for  Hapoel Hevel Eylot (Israel-Artzit): 22 games: 19.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 5.0apg. In 2009-2010, he played for : Maccabi Hod Hasharon (National League, starting five): 20 games: 3.4ppg, 1.3rpg. In 2010-2011 he played for Hapoel Afula (Israel-National League, starting five): 27 games: 4.7ppg, 2.1rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg. In 2011-2012, he played for the  Licher Basket Baeren (Germany-ProB, starting five): 24 games: 10.0ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 41.1%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 84.1%. Last season he played for  Finke Baskets Paderborn (Germany-ProA, starting five): 28 games: 9.6ppg, 2.8rpg, Assists-4(5.5apg), FGP: 34.3%, 3PT: 31.8%, FT: 82.4%He spoke to German Hoops before the game against Kirchheim.

Guy thanks for talking to German Hoops again Last Monday you beat Magdeburg 85-78. This game was a lot more difficult to win than the result shows. Magdeburg is a newcomer, but a very feisty team that never gives up. What was key for getting the win?

The Key in those kind of games is stick together as a team fighting threw bad moments in the game, and play a tough defense which we were able to do at the end.

BV Chemnitz is on a 7 game winning streak and in first place in the German Pro A. Would you have thought early in training camp that the team could start the season so positive?

I knew we had a good and competitive team that would not give up easy in any game.

What has been the secret behind the seven game winning streak? Some of the wins were blow outs, but then again other games against Leverkusen and NBC were very close games.

I think we just try to play hard every game and try to win, we had the luck to succeed in the last 7 games and we hope to keep going.

How happy have you been with your own play? You are averaging 6,7ppg, 4,0rpg and 4,8apg. You have the playmaking under control and doing a good job, but could you be scoring more?

I really dont concentrate on my own numbers as long as the team is wining, people know I’m part of the success as my job is to run our game and make my teammates better.

How important has Brandon Robinson been? He is giving MVP stats averaging 24,0ppg, 9,3rpg and 2,8apg. The forward is the second best assist man on the team.

Brandon is a great scorer and our go to guy, and he helps us a lot, with those numbers its pretty clear that he is a important part in the team.

Donald Lawson and Brandon Robinson are a super 1-2 punch under the boards averaging half of the teams rebounding. Will these guys get even stronger as the season progresses? And how important has American Trevor Noack been? He seems to be a little of the unsung hero as his effort is in the shadow of Robinson and Lawson?

We have a lot of good players in our team, Trevor is definitely one of them, I dont think no one is in the shadow of no one, and we are  one team, and in a team there is also roles, and in our team in every day everyone can be a top scorer in different games.

Head coach Felix Schreier is 3 months younger than you. He doesn´t seem to have any problems reaching the team and having his players trust his work. What is it like playing for such a young coach?

First of all you cant even tell he is so young, he knows how to run a team, he know exactly what he wants from us, and he also has some experience in our league and in a higher level of basketball. He Is doing a very good job.

The next game is against the Kirchheim Knights who have a record of 6-2. They have two very talented Americans with Bryan Smithson and David Byrd, but they grab 9 less rebounds as a team than BV Chemnitz. Last week Frankfurt dominated the boards even though Trier rebounds a lot better as a team than Frankfurt on paper. Will the inside game be vital for getting the win?

That is the reason why paper is only paper, at the end we talk on the court and it doesn´t matter what the paper say, in basketball  everything can happen, I know we work hard and prepare well and hope for a good result.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

I have been watching the TV show the Office lately.

Thanks Guy for the chat.