Dustin Ware is a 23 year old 180cm point guard from Georgia that is playing his second professional season with Weissenhorn. Last season as a rookie he played briefly for KK Cibona VIP Zagreb (Croatia-A1): Adriatic League: 4 games: 3.8ppg, 1.0rpg; EuroCup: 1 game: 0pts. He played his college time at Georgia(NCAA) from 2008-2012 playing a total of 128 NCAA games. As a senior he played : 32 games: 8.1ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 30.2%, FT: 90.6%. He spoke to German Hoops before helping Weissenhorn to an OT win over Lich with 18 points and six assists.

Dustin thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome to Germany and the Weissenhorn Pro B team. How thrilled are you too finally have  a job again?

Yes I am very excited about a new job and another opportunity to do what I love

Your last team was : KK Cibona VIP Zagreb (Croatia-A1) where you were released in January 2013. How difficult were the last 10 months not having a team? How were you able to get through this tough period?Besides your family, what people helped you the most mentally get through the last months? People that kept you focused and continuing to work hard on the court?

The last few months were difficult not knowing what was going to happen. I kept working hard and staying in the gym and praying like I always do. Kept listening to all the older players and veteran guys I train with during the summer and they kept telling me to keep pushing and working hard and good things will happen. So I did that for the rest of the summer along with playing in as many summer league games as I could find to be somewhat game ready if an opportunity came and even though it was late got blessed with a chance to play and Im happy to be here.

Why was your time so short at KK Cibona VIP Zagreb (Croatia-A1)? You were a rookie and was the transition period to the game and lifestyle something that effected your play?

Not sure why things happened the way they did in Croatia. We had an agreement at the beginning of the season that had me locked in for a couple seasons but obviously the team had other plans. Being a rookie it was hard to understand why but everything happens for a reason. It was a tough transition to Europe at first but a good one that really opened my eyes to a lot of knew things and and cultures which taught me a lot for the future

What was the most important thing that you learned from former NBA player DJ Strawberry that you will take to Weissenhorn?

I learned a lot from D.J. We hung out a lot and he looked out for me kind of like an older brother would when I needed something and when things were getting tough for me. Knowing that it can end anytime so enjoy the time you have and have the most fun you can while playing

You are coming to Weissenhorn of the German Pro B which is a league much lower than what you had had the last years? The expectations are high and do you feel some pressure coming into a different type of situation than what you are normally used to?

I understand expectations are high coming here but I never view it that way because nobody can ever expect more out of me than I am going to expect out of myself. Ive always been that way

You had a very solid career at Georgia making the NCAA tournament as a senior. What was your fondest memory at Georgia?  Was it your 21 point game win against rival Georgia State your biggest accomplishment there?

Making the tournament junior year was by far one of my best memories at Georgia. I remember when our name came across the screen the entire team tore the locker room apart just from celebrating we looked like a bunch of little kids on Christmas morning. Along with that just being around my teammates definitely miss that stuff the most

What are your biggest strength on the court and how will you implement it best for Weissenhorn?

Strengths I just feel like I can do whatever a team needs from me whether its scoring, passing, defending, or leading. I just have to see what we need and I will bring that to the table

How much fun was it playing with Trey Thompkins who is playing in the NBA for the Los Angeles Clippers. There are so many great players each season with stats like him that don´t make the NBA. How sure were you that he had the game for the NBA?

Trey is a very good player and I was happy for him when he got his opportunity to play in the NBA. That is always everyones dream and he got the chance I just hope he stays healthy and gets his opportunity to play again

Your ex Georgia teammate Gerald Robinson had a great rookie season in Belgium and now is playing in Israel. How did he help you become better as a player with each constant practice that the team had at Georgia?

Geralds another very good player on both sides of the ball has the ability to score and defend with the best of them. He has got a huge future with the way that he plays and I am glad he got a chance to go to Israel this year I think he should have another great season there

How did Georgia head coach Matt Fox help shape you into a professional basketball player best?

Biggest thing I learned from Fox was paying attention to detail and leading. As a PG that is a huge part of what you have to do to make yourself and your team better to help them win

Who was the best player that you played against in the NCAA that is in the NBA now? How did you fare against him on the court?

Best player I played against in college was probably John Wall. He was a number 1 pick for a reason physically he is a matchup problem for most PG’s

Your favorite TV show is Different Strokes. What is your favorite Gray Coleman line besides “Whatcha talkin about Willis?

Haha I really was kidding about the whole different strokes thing whenever I answered that questionnaire but I know some people that liked it. But not sure if I really have a favorite show dont really have time to keep up with one all the time

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Last DVD I saw was probably the Incredibles. I love animated movies still guess I never really grew up.

Thanks Dustin for the chat.

Observing amazing and exciting Beko BBL player battles each weekend is as frequent as Boston Red Sox Mike Napoli finding some kind of  nasty bug in his long ZZ Top like beard, Boston Red sox pitcher and Alabama native Jake Peavy having to hear daily comments about him purchasing a Boston Duck boat for his estate in Alabama or Canadian Popstar Justin Bieber being in the Tabloids these days. During any game there is always interesting duels on the floor that could get the goose bumps going crazy with some like a Quantez Robertson vs Warren Ward matchup that will have to wait until the second half of the season or a John Bryant vs Maik Zirbes battle where the only thing missing could be Floyd Mayweather junior actually having the tenacity to swap his gloves for a basketball and tangle with one of these players. This weekend in Frankfurt saw two teams go head to head with many talented player sand ex Skyliners, but what do you get when you have a Canadian that could probably win a shooting contest at Rucker park anytime and a German American who played at New Mexico(NCAA) averaged 44% from the parking lot in his last three seasons there and could probably hit a basket at the bottom if he was standing on top of Chaco canyon. You get ex NBA player Andrew Rautins who is leading the Beko BBL in scoring against Chad Topper who  went from walk-on to scoring 1,000 points and becoming one of the top 3-point shooter in MWC history at New Mexico and played 106 ACB games for CAI Zaragoza.while with ArtlandTopper is averaging nearly 20 minutes a game and is a touch under 40% from downtown. These guys can light up the Frankfurt Messeturm even on the most foggy day if they had to, but their first matter of business was doing what they do best and that is score and help their teams win in the Fraport arena and that task came easier to Syracuse alumnist Andrew Rautins the best as he led the Fraport Skyliners to the 89-74 victory while Chad Topper had a more quiet day at the office with his best moment drawing a foul behind the three point line against German Kevin Bright and ending the day with six points. After the game, a soft spoken Rautins had only the most utmost respect for Topper. “Chad didn´t get the looks today that he usually does and he is always shooting over 40% so you have to keep an eye on him. He has had a great career in Europe and I am sure he will be successful this season in Germany”, stressed Andrew Rautins. There may be some critics who see Topper as one dimensional, but he can do so much more on the court. “Chad is a good friend of mine and what I really like about his game is that he always wants to shoot the ball and I always think that he will make the shot. I believe that he has become such a better defender than when I trained with him in Arizona three years ago. You might think that he is just a shooter, but he can do so much more like defend and rebound”, added Standford alumnist Lawrence Hill. Sometimes one has to ask who Jacob Burtschi doesn´t know, but long after the Frankfurt win, the Oklahoma native had a quick greeting for Topper on his way to the bus and had his two cents for the American. “Chad is a good buddy of mine. I played against him in college and we were teammates in Spain. We spent some time together last night and it is always great seeing him. He can just flat out shoot and does a good job getting  a team out of rhythm”, stressed Jacob Burtschi.

Where would the Fraport Skyliners have been against the Artland Dragons without the Rautins and Barthel show? Well they probably would have been captured in the substitute Dragons road cage trying to free themselves from the brutal hot flames of the animal. It is no secret that the 2004 Beko BBL champ depends very much on the Canadian for them to be successful which wasn´t more evident than against the Telekom Baskets Bonn where he was limited to three points, early foul trouble and the annoying defense by German Andrej Magold. Against the Artland Dragons he found his hot shooting touch and when he has a German side kick Danilo Barthel who also is in the zone then getting in position to win is a lot easier for the team. Rautins got hot early having 17 points at halftime while Barthel scored 16 of his 18 points in the second half as their stellar play was balanced out nicely throughout the 40 minute rumble in the Fraport arena. A great aspect to the game of Rautins which helps erase the image that he can only shoot is that he has a great ability to create for his teammates which he demonstrated with eight assists, but has done so in other games this season. In the third quarter, he took a break from scoring and was like a second point guard getting four assists and giving the word extra pass a new type of meaning. ”I just took the advantages and what their defense gave me. I play within the team”, stressed Andrew Rautins. Burtschi knows that the Fraport Skyliners take off or don´t depending on how Rautins plays. “Andy is the leading scorer of the league and when he doesn´t get going, it hurts us. When he does get going it makes us so much stronger especially with the extra pass”, warned Jacob Burtschi. Danilo Barthel had another superb game and he is becoming more and more consistent each week and a few months ago I had the German being a German national player in 2-3 years, but with the rate his development is going now, he better get a call from German national coach Frank Menz next summer. Barthel wasn´t in the mood to shoot from outside so he did damage inside as he shot 80% on 8/10 shooting and had four dunks electrifying the crowd once again with hard dunks. It also seems like with the growing fierce snare like look on Barthel as he is flying to the basket is making him more and more feared by opponents. “Danilo is an emerging star and two years ago when I was here he wasn´t as athletic and maybe hit a three pointer once in a while, but he has improved so much can do so much and is a tough cover. I wouldn´t say that Danilo is feared yet flying into the lane, but teams have to be very concerned when he is getting into the lane”, smiled Jacob Burtschi. “Danilo played great and he will continue to grow as a player and when he gets even more physical, the sky is the limit for him”, warned Andrew Rautins. “Rautins and Barthel are big time players and when there is a big game you know that they will step up. They are the leaders of the team and it showed today”, commented American Jarred Dubois.  It is never easy to see fan favorite Quantez Robertson limping the long hall way from the locker room to the dining area in the Fraport arena as a  hurt snail might beat him in a race for the last pretzel, but he still has humor and craving for the future. “I am happy Danilo Barthel dunks, but the fans will be even more happy when I return, because then they will see even more dunks”, smiled Cincinnati native Quantez Robertson.

After the bitter blowout loss at home to the Telekom Baskets Bonn, it didn´t get any easier for the Fraport Skyliners as 2008 Beko BBL cup winner Artland Dragons came into town with a 7-1 record and being able to boast about wins against Alba Berlin and the Brose Baskets Bamberg. However the Artland Dragons weren´t their selves coupled with the much improved play of the Fraport Skyliners had to play catch up basketball for the whole game and just didn´t have the energy and fire power to compete with Frankfurt. “We let them do what they wanted to do. We have to give  a lot of credit to Frankfurt. They played very hard especially on offense and we weren´t able to react. We had good intensity, but it just wasn´t smart intensity. We had good energy, but you can´t be using so much energy, but be giving Andrew Rautins open three pointers or letting Barthel have drives”, stressed ex Hapoel Holon forward Lawrence Hill. The Fraport Skyliners came into the game having won only one home game against the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg and were in dire need to improve their winning percentage at home and were able to do that with an all around strong performance on both sides of the court. “This was a total team effort from start to finish. We had some bumps along the way, but were were resilient and got the win”, warned ex Phoenix Hagen forward Jacob Burtschi. No matter if it is a win or loss for the Fraport Skyliners, head coach Gordon Herbert always has the same expression and sometimes keeping the analysis short and simple is easier then breaking out the x and o´s after a long day at the basketball office. “Our effort and fight against Artland was a lot better than against Bonn. When we had down periods against Artland, we were able to bounce back. We weren´t able to do that against Bonn”, stressed Gordon Herbert.

3,660 fans were in the Fraport arena to see the game which was very low for a Saturday afternoon game, but on the other hand having a game on a Saturday afternoon is even rarer for the Fraport Skyliners as the game was originally scheduled for the evening, but bounced back three hours. The first minute, both teams got out their holsters and started firing from way down town as Andrew Rautins hit a three pointer which was followed by consecutive threes from Brandon Thomas and David Holston. Before the last late fan was in their seat, the Artland Dragons had quietly jumped out to an 8-3 lead as Thomas showed his passing touch with a back door pass to Ohio native Antonio Graves. However the Fraport Skyliners were less than impressed and took a chapter out of the early Dragon run and started a 13-0 chapter two to take the 16-8 lead. Barthel started the run with a sweet shot over Hill as both would duel all day long with the American winning it on the stats sheet and Barthel in the win column. Rautins nailed two three pointers in the run, Johannes Voitmann added power inside with a lay in and Jacob Burtschi also found his stroke early connecting from downtown. Frankfurt found a nice rhythm on offense which was enforced by Rautins getting going  and forcing Artland to tough shots and keeping David Holston in check as he couldn´t get his team going. Graves stopped the run with a lay in, but Frankfurt closed out the first quarter with a 4-0 run as Kevin Bright added to the scoring onslaught with a three pointer and Rautins stroked home another shot from the parking lot as the Fraport Skyliners led convincingly 22-10 after 10 minutes. “Our focus is always defense. When we are aggressive on defense, our offense follows and that is what happened”, stressed Andrew Rautins. “Our energy was used in the wrong way allowing them to shoot the way they wanted to”, added Lawrence Hill. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 57% from the field and 100% from outside while the Artland Dragons were shooting 25% from the field and 29% from outside. Frankfurt had the 10-8 rebound edge, but five turnovers while Artland had four turnovers.

In the second quarter, the Fraport Skyliners contained their lead despite the Artland Dragons trying to keep the score close let the home team lead by as much as 13 points, but at half time were only down by five points. Ex Alba Berlin forward Guido Gruinheid started the second quarter with a three pointer which was met with a nifty penetration and lay in by Konstantin Klein who has a special knack for scoring in traffic using his body like a young  bull. The Artland Dragons then went on a 7-0 run as young German Michael Wenzl used his muscle and got to the free throw line twice making four free throws. Hill then knocked down his first of three three pointers in the second quarter as he was an instruemental part as to why Artalnd wasn´t blown out early as was reserve point guard Bastian Doreth who dished out seven assists in the quarter as he cut the Frankfurt lead to 25-20. Then it was time for Jacob Burtschi to give his spice to the offensive soup as Rautins was on the bench with his second foul with a mid distance jumper and three pointer as Frankfurt led 30-20. Then it was time for the Artland Dragons to counter with a 5-0 run to cut the lead back to 30-23 as Topper nailed a catch and pop three pointer and Hill scored a mid distance jumper. The game of runs continued as Frankfurt now went on a 8-0 run to lead 38-25. Burtschi started the run with  a three pointer from the top of the key, followed by a seemingly impossible angle shot from the corner by Rautins that only Larry Bird could of made but blindfolded and Voigtmann then was set into action with a thunderous dunk by Rautins. Just when you thought Frankfurt was going to run away with it, Artland came storming back as Hill dropped consecutive three pointers to cut the Frankfurt lead to 38-31. Artland then had a massive break down inside as Rautins was as alone as a forgotten jack o lantern in July that is still sitting on a porch as Burtschi found him back door for an easy reverse layup. The Artland Dragons scored the last basket of the second quarter as 206cm American Kenny Frease used the ultimate mismatch against Skyliner 184cm Max Merz as it looked like a more than nicely  nourished cow going up against a helpless calf getting the lay up as the buzzer sounded as Frankfurt led 40-35 at halftime. “I had two fouls and the guys did a good job picking up the slack and just hit shots. Burtschi hit big shots”, stressed Jacob Burtschi. “We made a good run with Doreth. Our guys are always ready. He came in and did his job”, added Lawrence Hill. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 56% from the field and 75% from the three point line while the Artland Dragons were shooting 8% from the field and 44% from the three point line. Both teams had 15 rebounds and Frankfurt 10 turnovers and Artland eight turnovers.

In the third quarter, the Fraport Skyliners continued to have the upper hand as Artland cut the lead won to four, but in the second part of the third quarter let the home team get their lead back to plus ten points as they just couldn´t slow up their offense. The Skyliners German duo of Barthel and Voigtman started the scoring in the third quarter as the big man found Barthel for the lay up. Holston who had been kept to three points and no assists in the first half got going as he nailed a three pointer as Frankfurt led only 42-38. After a Voigtmann la yin and one, Brandon Thomas who has been a scorer his whole life displayed his passing touch faking a shot and setting up Wenzl for an easy bucket as Frankfurt led 45-40. Artland continued to stay on the heels of Frankfurt as Hill hit a buzzer beater at the shot clock buzzer and Thomas connected from downtown, but at the same time continued to lack focus on defense and Frankfurt had loose ball luck as Barthel was all alone down low and all of a sudden got a ball in his hands and jammed home the ball and Klein made an easy bucket as the passing of Rautins continued to dismantle Artland as they trailed 49-45. Frankfurt really stepped up their defense a notch more in the third quarter with the help of two big time hustle plays by Konstantin Klein who came from behind and stole a ball from Michael Wenzl from his hands and stripped the ball from Holston. “Klein has really come into his own. He had some minutes last season to 20 plus minutes this season. He still makes mistakes but is improving so much”, warned Jacob Burtschi. The aggressive defense was enforced by a 6-0 run as Frankfurt led 55-45. Rautins hit another three pointer, Barthel scored inside and made free throws. Hill continued to be a thorn in the side of the Fraport Skyliners scoring inside twice as Artland trailed 57-49. Holston and Bright then traded baskets as Frankfurt led 63-51. Bright then made a rookie mistake fouling Topper behind the three point line and the American hit all three. Barthel closed out the third quarter with a dunk and Dubois made a beautiful dribble penetration finding the German for the monster dunk as Frankfurt led 65-54. “Basketball is a team game and we helped each other recover well in this quarter. Defense has to continue to be our staple”, warned Andrew Rautins. “Frankfurt increased their defensive intensity. We relaxed too much. You can´t let Klein make those steals or let Barthel get easy dunks. It was like a battle for Frankfurt and they came to battle”, stressed Lawrence Hill. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 51% from the field and 56% from the parking lot while the Artland Dragons were shooting 43% from the field and 47% from the parking lot. Frankfurt had the 25-22 rebound advantage and 12 turnovers while Artland had 14 turnovers.

When your playing a strong Fraport Skyliner team where the offense is working on all cylinders, playing catch up gets more and more difficult as you get more worn down and the Artland Dragons just ran out of energy and couldn´t cut the lead down to less than 9 points. The fourth quarter belonged to Beko BBL rookie Jarred Dubois who scored all of his 11 points. Barthel scored the first five Skyliner points with another dunk and lay in as Frankfurt led 70-54. Artland then went on a mini 4-0 run as Wenzl who had to start the game in place of injured ex Skyliner Anthony King and scored another put back and ex Braunschweig American Thomas also scored inside as Artland trailed 70-58. Dubois then scored a last second shot over Thomas as the shot clock buzzer sounded and Rautins found Barthel with his eighth assist. Hill then hit another three pointer as his engine was on all afternoon long and Voigtman notched another assist finding Bright for an easy bucket as Frankfurt led 77-63. Here and there, Frankfurt made some errors under the boards giving up some offensive rebounds, but the mistakes were compensated with Dubois getting to the foul line twice and Voigtmann getting another dunk as Frankfurt led 83-66. With a few minutes left, Artland had one last hurrah left going on a 8-2 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 85-74, but it didn´t matter as time was running out. Hill scored inside again, Doreth made a runner and Holston and Thomas scored inside. Dubois closed out the game out with 4-0 run with free throws and a lay in high off the glass giving the Fraport Skyliners their second home win of the season. “We kept fighting for 40 minutes and concentrate don defense and executed on offense. This was my second professional game and a win like this gave me  a lot of confidence. My biggest goal is get the team going and do what it takes to win”, stressed Jarred Dubois. “One can´t always win with three pointers, so we balanced it out attacking the rim”, added Jacob Burtschi The Fraport Skyliners were led by Andrew Rautins with 24 points. Jacob Burtschi, Jarred Dubois and Johannes Voigtmann chipped in with 11 points a piece. The Artland Dragons were led by Lawrence Hill with 20 points. David Holston contributed 12 points while Brandon Thomas had 11 points and Michael Wenzi 10 points. It was the best game of Lawrence Hill as a Dragon as he showed a special cleverness in his game and scoring knack inside and out. “Hill is a stud. I respect every player and always strive to get to that type of level. He was a dual threat inside out”, stressed Jacob Burtschi. The Fraport Skyliners had a stellar shooting afternoon shooting 54% from the field and 48% from outside while the Artland Dragons shot 43% from the field and 38% from outside. Frankfurt won the rebounding battle 34-31 and both teams had 16 turnovers.

Virgil Matthews is a 30 year old 188cm guard from Federal Way, Washington that is playing in Germany in the PRO A for Erdgas Ehingen now in his fourth season. He played at Montana (NCAA) and in his senior year played  31 games: 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.7spg, FG: 49.8%, 3PT: 48.4%, FT: 76.1%. In 2006-2007, he turned professional and came to Germany and played for KICKZ Muenchen Basket (Germany-2.Bundesliga): 29 games: 18.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 5.2apg, 2.6spg, 2FGP: 57.3%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 66.5%. In 2007-2008, he played for Tacoma Jazz (IBL). In 2008-2009, he returned back to Germany and played for Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga). In 2009-2010, he played for Olympia Reign (IBL, starting five): 21 games: 23.1ppg, 7.2rpg and for Seattle Aviators (NABL).In 2010-2011, he played his first season for Erdgas Ehingen playing 32 games: 11.6ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 71.3%. In 2011-2012 for Ehingen, he played  28 games: 11.4ppg, 3.9rpg, 3.8apg, Steals-3(1.9spg), FGP: 54.5%, 3PT: 42.1%, FT: 77.1%. Last season for Ehingen you played  Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (Germany-ProA, starting five): 33 games: 11.5ppg, 4.2rpg, 4.5apg, Steals-4(2.1spg), FGP: 57.3%, 3PT: 35.7%, FT: 70.5%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

 

Thanks Virgil for talking to German Hoops again. Erdgas Ehingen is off to a solid start at 5-3, but only in 8th place. Are you surprised how competitive the Pro A is this season? It seems like the league is getting more competitive each season.

Yea its crazy! One game and tie-breakers look like they will play an important part we just try to focus because every team can beat everyone it seems.

Despite the solid start with a three game winning streak, the club is riding a two game losing streak at the moment. What have been the biggest team problems on the court in the last weeks? What does the team need to improve on?

Its 3 games now we’re trying to fix that this weekend. The main problem is teams have gotten better and we are young and the early success may have hurt us a bit but we still have a good record, we just have to keep improving and I feel we’ll be fine.

What was your impression last weekend of Giessen forward Myles Hesson who played on the British national team last summer. He was a big factor in the Giessen win

He’s a good player we knew about his athleticism, but we weren’t ready for how much he used it on the glass, that is where he really killed us couldn’t keep him from getting offensive rebounds.

You came very late to the team, but you are third in team scoring and second in rebounds and assists. Was it very difficult getting integrated so quickly or was the team put together in a way that helped you more?

No getting in late wasn’t that big of a deal being here for the past years helped a lot of similar plays so it is easy to get adjusted its was more so just getting a feel of the new players, their strengths and weaknesses to know where to get them the ball or put them in good situations.

How vital has the play of American Clayton Guyton been for the team and you especially in the creating department?

He’s been a very vital part he can score and get to the basket, it seems like whenever he wants which is good lets me spot up and just make shots, having him lets me come off the ball more which wasn’t the case as much in past years. I think he can even be more aggressive and do more than he does now.

You have found your stroke early from down town shooting 52,4%. Has your hard summer work program paid dividends or also your extra shooting with Ehingen?

Yea had a good summer consistently being in the gym getting shots up. Here in Ehingen we always have an afternoon practice not always the most shooting but just gets you comfortable with situations and being ready to make shots when you get them.

No player on the club is averaging more than 4,9rpg, but each player is helping out under the boards. Does the presence of a strong rebounding big man put more pressure for the team to have to always team rebound when one might be focusing on other parts of the team game?

I mean it is probably one of our weaknesses it would be nice to have that guy who you know is going get every rebound helps finish the defensive possession and start the break, but we are making it work and everyone chips in and we adjust

The next game is against the Finke Baskets Paderborn. How much extra player scouting do you do on your own when you face a team for the first time during the season

I like to watch the team we play a little more than we do with the team just to watch tendencies and things of that sort, and in this league you never know what you face so its always good to have a little heads up.

The Seattle Seahakws have started off hot with a 9-1 record. Were do you see them finishing the regular season if you look at their remaining schedule?

 

The Seahawks will finish no worse than 13-3 we are getting Percy Harvin back I expect that we will win the Superbowl!

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

 Last night, watched White House Down good movie!

 

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.