Three months ago as the Beko BBL season was only two weeks old, 2004 Fiba cup winner Mitteldeutscher BC that was back in the top German league after playing in the PRO A one year after having played in the league from 2009-2011 and arrived in Frankfurt sporting a 0-2 record and in dire need of getting a win. It was an overall very exciting game, but it was MBC that kept the nerves in the fourth quarter winning 71-68 winning a big game on the road mainly due to American Kelly Beidler who had his first double double of the season registering 17 points and hauling down 10 rebounds. The 24 year old 199cm forward from Virginia Beach was a solid scorer at St Marys(NCAA), but never averaged more than 10,9ppg in his NCAA career, but then came to Europe and in his first two professional seasons averaged 21,7ppg in Iceland and 19,2ppg in Finland. Granted the leagues aren´t as tough as the Beko BBL, but the American got self confidence and experience in the scoring department there, but in the win against Frankfurt it wasn´t only his killer instinct around the rim in crunchtime, but also his stellar defense that got MBC the win at the end. Frankfurt had the ball with 13 seconds and the chance to bring the game into OT or win it with a three pointer. Beidler who had been big on the glass proved to also be big as he blocked Peacock on the last shot giving MBC their first win of the year. “The man of Peacocok got beat so I came over to help my teammates. I thought better to try and block and risk the foul and giving up free throws then letting him score. I always have liked to be aggressive. I have been blocking shots all through my career even though it doesn´t get noticed as much. People look at points and rebounds. Blocking shots is a strong point in my game”, warned Kelly Beidler. “Beidler is the central force in our defense. His long arms make a difference on defense and rebounding. That block was huge for us”, said Sharaud Curry. So far this season, Beidler is averaging 9,0ppg, 4,3rpg and is shooting a very respectable 56,1% from the field and 43,8% from downtown. He has scored in double figures in nine of 16 games. His defense keeps being a spark for MBC as was the case in a 76-70 win against the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig as he swatted away three balls showing his keenness around the rim. It is no secret about his dominating play on the boards, but just hard work. “Just being active and never quitting on the play. I always want to make something happen on the glass. I always try to act on the bounce off the rim. I use my athletic ability to my advantage from the three position”, warned Kelly Beidler. Zach Peacock is the go to guy for the Fraport Skyliners and might be on the defending menu for Beidler on Saturday as the team likes to get him going early. Beidler enjoys the role of keeping the others team top player in check. “I have to be active and bring energy. I also focus on defense and try to make the big defensive plays get steals that lead to easy baskets. I also am there to defend the best players and make them work for their points. My offense will come from that”, warned Kelly Beidler. Despite the Fraport Skyliners wanting revenge in Weissenfels, Kelly Beidler will also be motivated to repeat his strong game in Frankfurt and he keeps a very important quote in his mind when stepping onto the court before every game never getting intimidated by the name or game of a player. “every player is equal when stepping onto the court but when the lights turn on and it’s time to play ball, the best separate themselves from the pack”. That’s what I try to do every time i step on the court”, warned Kelly Beidler.

This season, Silvano Poropat chose to say farewell to a core of last seasons players with Arizona Reid, Robert Faye-Holcomb, Louis Hinnat and ex North Carolina state forward Jordan Collins. He opted to keep many of the German players with the heart and soul of the team captain Sascha Leutloff, Steve Wachalski, Philipp Heyden, Malte Schwarz and Johannes Lange. He also decided to keep Iceland scorer Hoerdur Vilhjalmsson. This season, he has brought a core of talented less known Americans. Kelly Beidler tore up the league in Iceland and Finland and now is looking to make the next jump in the higher league Beko BBL. Sharaud Curry is a diminutive point guard that tore up the Austrian league last season and also is looking to make an impact in the higher league Beko BBL. Chad Timberlake brings experience to the guard position and is playing in his fifth country in Europe. Devin Uskoski is a sort of Cinderella story as it took him four years to move from the German Regionaliga to the Beko BBL. Poropat also brought in help for the boards with Serb Djordje Pantelic.  With only 1,4 million Euro budget, the club has little chance of picking up high class players. Despite little money and less talented players, the team will not go scared into the season. “We know that we have one of the smallest budgets in the league, but we will take up the challenge and will go with a lot of self confidence into the season.  We don’t want to make the mistake that small teams do and get into debt. For us it isn´t so critical if we play BBL or PRO A”, stressed MBC manager Martin Geisler.  A strength  that the team has is their unpredictability. They had many different top scorers in the pre season and the scoring was always well balanced. The team will have nothing lose and fight in every game as if its their last game. Weaknesses in the team is under the basket where the team is thinly stacked. The team also coughed up the ball much in the preseason. “We are still making too many mistakes on offense and have problems finding our rhythm. We still have to work much on ending the play”, warned MBC head coach Silvano Poropat.

In the short two year tenure that the Mitteldeutscher BC had from 2009-2011, the Frankfurt Skyliners were able to leave the floor each time as the winner and have a positive 4-0 record in that time. In the 2009-2010 season who could forget the exciting 76-74 win in MBC as Frankfurt was down 10 points and made  a big comeback in the last minutes as American guard Aubrey Reese won the game with a shot. Frankfurt won the game at home 77-65 as American Jimmy Mckinney led Frankfurt with 17 points, Derrick Allen added 12 points and Skyliner legend Pascal Roller 11 points. In the 2010-2011 season, the Deutsche Bank Skyliners had an easier time winning as they routed the Wolves 83-52 at home as Dashaun Wood had a type of Derrick Rose performance with 16 points, six rebounds and six assists. Dominik Bahiense De Mello added 13 points and KImmo Muurinen 11 points. Frankfurt won in Weissenfels 70-58 as Dashaun Wood poured in 26 points and Quantez Robertson steered 11 points.

Currently the Mitteldeutscher BC is resting in 13^th place with a record of 7-10. They started the season slow losing six of their first seven games as their only bright spot was the big 71-68 win in Frankfurt where they showed a lot of grit winning in crunch time and keeping their nerves in control. They showed a very spirited game losing a heartbreaker to FC Bayern Munich 73-71 at home as the game could of gone either way at the end. They then won their second game of the season 76-70 in Braunschweig. Then followed two loses to Alba Berlin and against BBC Bayreuth. Since then they have been playing better basketball winning five of their last seven games including busting out a three game winning streak. In this winning streak, they defeated the Eisaberen Bremerhaven on the road and showed their forceful play at home beating Ludwigsburg and the always tough Artland Dragons. They also beat the LTi Giessen 46ers at home, but lost in Oldenburg and Trier. They only have a 4-4 record at home, but have won their last four in a row in the comfortable wolf den in Weissenfels including a big win against the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg last weekend. The team still gives us more points then what head coach Silvano Poropat would desire, but the team is always good for a surprise. A very important quality of MBC this season is their attitude when going into games which has been transported from Silvano Poropat to the team. “coach has told us that players from strong teams are just like us. They do the same thing that we do. What he means by this is that we have to go into each game believing that we can win. I think that we can upset good teams, because we can play as a team for 40 minutes”, warned Kelly Beidler. For the Fraport Skyliners, it will be another do or die game to get themselves away from the lower standings. They have won two of their last three games and their defense is back to where it is supposed to be having averaged giving up only 63 points in the last three games. “Defense is always the key. If we can control the boards and tempo then we always have a good chance to win”, warned Ted Scott. MBC recently picked up sharp shooter Osvaldo Jeanty who has had Beko BBL expereicne with Nordlingen, Giessen and Bayreuth and will spark the team on offense.

The Mitteldeutscher BC is led by Steve Wachalski who is leading the team in scoring after two games. It took the German seven years to reach the Beko BBL in 2010 with BBC Bayreuth. He played his first five seasons starting in 2003 in the Regionaliga with Osnabrueck before reaching the PRO B in 2008. In 2010-2011, he got Beko BBL experience with BBC Bayreuth playing 27 games: 3.3ppg, 1.8rpg. Last season for MBC, he played  37 games: 9.9ppg, 5.1rpg, FGP: 63.2%, 3PT: 42.3%, FT: 77.1%. Kelly Beidler is a 24 year old 199cm forward from Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is starting his third professional basketball season and third in Europe. He is a very athletic forward that can do it all with rebounding, posting up, shooting from outside as firstmost is a team playerHe played at Mt St Marys from 2006-2010. In his senior year, he played 31 games: 10.7ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.5apg, 1.7spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 41.8%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 74.1%. In 2001 as a rookie he played for : IR Reykjavik (Iceland-Express League, starting five): 24 games: Score-4(21.7ppg), Reb-2(12.4rpg), 3.8apg, Steals-5(2.5spg), Blocks-3(2.0bpg), FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 34.4%, FT: 72.9%. Last season he played for : Karhu Kauhajoki (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 44 games: Score-4(19.2ppg), Reb-5(9.8rpg), 1.4apg, Steals-1(2.3spg), Blocks-1(1.9bpg), FGP: 57.1%, 3PT: 37.2%, FT: 70.8%. Milan Brown his coach at Mt St Marys has helped shape him to be the player that he is today.

Hoerdur Vilhjalmsson is a 23 year old 190cm guard from Iceland. He started his basketball career in 2003 for Fjolnir (Intersport League) and played most of his career in Iceland except for a stint with CB Dunas Hotels Gran Canaria Las Palmas (Spain-EBA) in 2007. He played for Top Iceland team and ex Skyliner Derrick Allen team  Keflavik (Iceland-Express) from 2008-2011. In his three seasons there, he never averaged less than 16,5ppg. Last season he played for  Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (Germany-ProA): 37 games: 9.6ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.8apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 47.7%, 3PT: 37.2%, FT: 77.6%. Chad Timberlake is a 28 year old 193cm guard that was born in Wiesbaden, Germany and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He  is a very talented point guard with good physical size (6’4″,208 lbs.) and toughness, he can play the shooting guard position, if that is what is needed for the team. Chad is the floor general with excellent court vision and he is a natural team leader. He can play fast break style or he can run an offense with set plays, whatever is essential to win. He is an extremely athletic guard and gets to the basket, always finishing ha rd. He has the skills to take over games with his scoring and jumping ability. He played at  Fairleigh Dickinson (NCAA) from 2002-2006. In 2006-2007 as a rookie he played for Mlekarna Kunin Novi Jicin (Czech Republic-NBL, starting five): EuroCup Challenge: 8 games: 16.5ppg, 3.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.8spg, 2FGP: 61.3%, 3FGP: 21.1%, FT: 61.1%; Czechs League: 46 games: 15.3ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.7apg, 2FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 37.7%, FT: 60.6%. In 2007-2008, he played in the States for the Albany Patroons (CBA, starting Five): 36 games: 15.1ppg, 5.2rpg, 3.7apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 47.6%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 73.1.0%. In 2008-2009, he played for Sokol Znicz Jaroslaw (Poland-PLK, starting five): 11 games: 14.1ppg, 2.2rpg, 2.5apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 53.6%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 52.0%. In 2009-2010, he played for Zalakeramia-ZTE KK (Hungary-A Division): 18 games: 5.8ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.1%, 3PT: 31.0%, FT: 56.5%. In 2010-2011, he played for Elitzur Yavne (Israel-National League, starting five): 31 games: 20.2ppg, 5.7rpg, 3.3apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 58.7%, 3PT: 21.1%, FT: 73.2%. Last season he played for Falco-Szova KC-Szombathely (Hungary-A Division, starting five): 36 games: Score-3(21.3ppg), 5.0rpg, 3.2apg, 1.5spg, FGP-3(67.4%), 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 71.1%. He won the cup and league title in Hungry in 2010.

Devin Uskoski is a 26 year old 201 cm forward from Brush Praire who can rebound with the best of them and reacts very smart under the boards. He played at Rocky Mountain(NAIA) and turned professional in 2009. In 2009-2010, he was a rookie for  BG Leitershofen/Stadtbergen (Germany-Regionalliga)): 26 games: 25.9ppg, 11.0rpg, FGP: 70.3%, 3Pts: 48.6%, FT: 73.5%. In 2010-2011, he moved up a league with BG Leitershofen/Stadtbergen (Germany): 31 games: Score-4(20.7ppg), Reb-1(10.8rpg), 1.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 62.4%, 3PT: 35.0%, FT: 73.4%. Last season, he was one of the top forwards in the PRO A for  VfL Kirchheim Knights (Germany-ProA): 36 games: 16.1ppg, Reb-3(8.1rpg), 1.3apg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 39.4%, FT: 83.4%. This past summer, he played for the Vancouver Volcanoes (IBL, starting five): 12 games: 17.2ppg, 8.6rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 57.6%, FT: 74.6%. Djordje Pantelic is a 28 year old 204cm forward form Serbia that gives MBC added experience as Germany will be his sixth country in Europe. He got early experience playing in Cyprus. In 2009-2010, he played for  BC Steaua Turabo Bucuresti (Romania-Div.A, starting five): Romanian League: 14 games: 6.1ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.5apg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 63.0%, 3PT: 16.7%, FT: 71.4%; Balkan League: 5 games: 7.4ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.0apg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 71.4%, released in Dec.’09, in Feb.’10 moved to Stjarnan (Iceland-Express League, starting five): 11 games: 14.1ppg, 10.8rpg, 1.7apg, 2.9bpg, FGP: 58.1%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 81.3%. In 2010-2011, he played for   Apollon Patras (Greece-A2): 30 games: 11.0ppg, Reb-2(8.9rpg), 1.4apg, 1.0spg, Blocks-1(1.9bpg), FGP: 64.8%, 3PT: 26.5%, FT: 72.4%. Last season, he played for Falco-Szova KC-Szombathely (Hungary-A Division, starting five): 38 games: 13.0ppg, Reb-4(9.0rpg), 1.9apg, 1.7spg, Blocks-2(1.6bpg), FGP: 61.9%, 3PT: 36.8%, FT: 69.9%. Sascha Leutloff is a 30 year old 202cm forward from Berlin. He continues to have his heart with MBC as the captain is returning for a sixth season. He  started to play organized basketball at age 16 and developed rapidly into a promising player. He has very good speed and athletic potential, is a very good and aggressive defender, can play inside out, is an exceptional offensive rebounder, has a very good character and is a smart person on and off the court. He started his basketball career with TUS Lichterfelde in 2001 and also played with Alba Berlin from 2004-2006. Last season for MBC, he played  37 games: 9.7ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 51.5%, 3PT: 37.8%, FT: 74.1%. He won the Beko BBL cup in 2006 with Alba Berlin. Malte Schwarz is a 23 year old 188cm guard that is palying hiss econd season in Weissenfels. He started his basketball career in 2006 with Bramfelder SV Hamburg (2.Regionalliga). He then played a season with  SC Rist Wedel (Regionalliga) before getting his feet wet in the Beko BBL playing for Phoenix Hagen from 2008-2011. He played a total of 58 Beko BBL games. Last season for MBC, he played  25 games: 6.8ppg, 1.4rpg, FGP: 57.1%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 88.0%. Johannes Lange is a 27 year old 208cm center that took nine  years of playing in the German minor leagues before finally getting his chance this season in the Beko BBL with MBC. He started his basketball career with  Rhondorf 1912 Dragons (2.Bundesliga) in 2003 where he played until 2010. In 2010-2011, he played for  GiroLive-Ballers Osnabrueck (ProA): 22 games: 3.9ppg, 2.1rpg. Last season, he played for BG Karlsruhe (ProA): 6 games: 3.2ppg, 1.0rpg; left in Nov.’11, then moved to Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (ProA): 21 games: 4.3ppg, 2.0rpg

 

 

 

Deandre Washington is a 196cm forward from Powder Springs, Georgia. He played at Valdosta State(NCAA2) and then finished his college career at Washburn. He recently played for the Atlanta Blaze(NCAA2) and took some time to talk to German Hoops about basketball.

Thanks for talking to eurobasket.com. You played this year in the ABA, but have aspirations of coming overseas. Has the strong play of your ex teammate Logan Stutz made you hungry to come play in Europe?

Ive been hungry to play in Europe since my last game at Washburn. Logan always tells me “man you would do really good out here”. Im proud to see he is doing very well in Germany and its motivation for me to possibly do as well in Germany in the future.

You finished at Wasburn in 2011 and this is your second professional season. Your first experience was playing at the Court Side Eurochallenge Camp in Las Vegas (Sharks team) in 2011. The market in general seems to always be very competitive. How have you experienced it since turning professional? Is it a bit discouraging that its so tough landing a job?

It is VERY discouraging that its so tough landing a job. The market is so small with each team having thousands of options to choose from. Many players have stopped playing and began working regular jobs due to how tough the market is. I cant quit , this is what I really want to do.

Your ex teammate Logan Stutz has been tearing up the PRO A in Germany for Essen. What do you know about basketball in Germany and how much would you like to play in Germany?

I know Germany is a beautiful country to play in Andre very competitive. The German leagues are no push over. I would love to play in such a competitve and historic place like Germany

You started your college career at Valdosta State(NCAA2). Why did you transfer to Washburn(NCAA2)?

I transfered to Washburn because I would be able to showcase all of my abilities. Coach Chipman allowed me to play basketball without over controlling me and he allowed me to lead our team.

At Washburn you played the positions 3-5, but also played some point guard due to injuries. What is your biggest strength as a player?

My biggest strength as a player is my ability to score and pass the ball. At Washburn I had a few games of 10+ in assists. Driving to the basket then dropping Logan off with a nice pass. I can play the 1-4 positions which makes me unique.

What is a hidden strength in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away on the court?

A hidden strength in my game is my basketball IQ. Many many players dont think the game out. Having basketball IQ is a must when stepping on the court.

You played together with Logan Stutz. What is your fondest memory of him on and off the court?

My fondest memory of Logan off the court is him owning this small Yorkie dog. Every time I saw Logan walking the dog it would make me laugh because he is 6’8 and the dog was so small. Plus the little dog hated me. My fondest memory on the court with Logan was the run we made to the championship as the last placed team in the MIAA tournament our first year together.

Who was the toughest player that you had to defend in college that might be in the NBA or Europe now?

Bernard James was a tough matchup for me because he was 6’10 and real strong in the post.

What was the most important thing that you could learn from Bob Chipman that has made you better as a player?

One thing I learned from Coach Chipman was how to lead a team.

What kind of experience was it playing in the ABA for the Atlanta Blaze (WBA)? How were you able to develop your game this year playing there?

Playing in the ABA was fun and game like . The talent level as up and down. some games it was compeititve and other it was a easy win. I hurt my ankle so my ABA run ended a little earlier this summer. My team the Atlanta Blaze had a lot of talent from all over Georgia.

If you could describe yourself in a few sentences as to why you could help any team now, how would you describe yourself?

I feel I can help any team right now because I will help make the current players they have better. I will also help in the scoring/rebound/ and assists category. I will help a team win more than anything.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

The last DVD I saw was Bourne Identity 2 . Pretty good movie

Thanks for the chat Deandre.

Every weekend, the Fraport Skyliners meet teams with young hungry athletic players ready to make life uncomfortable for the 2004 Beko BBL champion. In the last weeks, the Fraport Skyliners have tangled with tough players like Mark mr fantastic Dorris who is like an elegant ballerina side stepping into the lane and knows how to drop shots, but just in a less hectic way than 2007 Beko BBL top scorer Derrick Allen, Reggie Redding of the Walter Tigers Tuebingen who is as versatile being able to play the positions one to four like New England Patriots receiver Juan Edelman who is like a swiss army knife being able to play so many positions on the field or FC Bayern Munich forward Robin Benzing who might be the best 208cm small forward in the Beko BBL. However it isn´t only these young players that the Fraport Skyliners have to deal with week in and week out, but also a hand full of dinosaurs  who continue to pop out their heads being just as aggressive as the young guns. Guys like Chris Ensminger who seems to have a special Ohio anti basketball aging gene inside him or ex Skyliner Bernd Kruel who at 36 keeps goin with his basketball Einstein mind even if his body isn´t always on the same page continue to give Beko BBl teams problems. This weekend the Fraport Skyliners meet another grizzled hulk with Elvir Ovcina who is 36 and like Kruel just doesn´t disappear , but just keeps coming back each season for more banging, scoring and rebounding. Ovcina is a big movable big man from Bosnia and Herzgevonia that is one of the better passers and is playing his seventh season in Germany. He played threes easons in Oldenburg,  won a cup in 2005 with Cologne and after seasons in Greece with top team Olympiakos Pireus, the Ukraine and Belgium, he returned back to Germany in 2001 and is playing his third season in Giessen. The last years haven´t been easy for the LTi Giessen 46ers as they have always been near the bottom of the standings and had to fight financial problems, but that didn´t deter Ovcina from always giving his best and coming to play on every night no matter what. The question is why would a player of his caliber and age want to play for a less than average club and risk unwanted grey hairs to appear? “I like the management and people. They are all really nice. I like how the organization is trying to build a winner. The fans are also amazing. I remember when I played with Oldenburg and Cologne, it was always most difficult winning in Giessen”, stressed Elvir Ovcina. Even though the LTi Giessen 46ers have had more hard times on the basketball court than anyone wants in Giessen, there always seems to be a breath of positive hope when Ovcina is on the court. Ovcina is that type of player that brings that special self confidence and calmness on to the court that can carry over to his teammates. It is also a plus when a guy of his age still gets much respect. “Ovcina is the best example like with Chris Ensminger why big men can still play at age 36 and guards can´t. Guards lose speed while old men get stronger. Being strong is more important than speed. It presents even more of a problem when a big man like Ovcina can hit the three as well. He is very smart, is a good passer and has a high basketball IQ. Ensminger is more the banger while Ovcina more the finesse player. He is so dangerous in the set play with his pick and pop and his high passing efficiency”, warned basketball expert Steven Clauss.

In the 2010-2011 despite losing eight players including key guys like David Teague, Kevin Johnson, and Lorenzo Williams and only keeping two players with Elvir Ovcina and Jannik Freese, the Giessen 46ers jumped out to a 5-2record and was one of the biggest surprises in the BEKO BBL together with Phoenix Hagen in the first two months. The team might not have beat the most glamorous sounding and strong BEKO BBL teams besides the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but they played The EWE Baskets Oldenburg tough and lost a nail bitter to the Brose Baskets Bamberg 81-80, a game where they made a furious comeback and just came up short. “We started playing defense after 30 minutes against Bamberg”, stressed Elvir Ovcina. Giessen may not have had the most talented team, but they had achieved one important ingredient early that many teams have problems finding which is that early team chemistry. “We had a complete squad and many people players complimented each other. We had very athletic wing players and big guys with great hands and that take up a lot of space. We knew how to work with each other and we know each time that when we stepped on the court, we were capable of surprising any team in the BEKO BBL”, added Elvir Ovcina. In 2009-2010, the team started 0-6 and after six games  in 2010-2011 had 4 wins already. “Management did a good job bringing in new players. Only me and Jannik Freese remained. We might not have good results in preseason, but we always knew that if we continued to work hard, we would have success”, stressed Elvir Ovcina. “I wasnt surprised by the good Giessen start. They had some talent on their team that came together early”, commented Quentin Pryor. “Their strength were their guards who were great and you had a great inside presence with Peacock. As far their weaknesses, I think just consistency”, expressed John Bynum. The question remained how well the Giessen 46ers would play if the team sustained an injury or went into a slump. Misfortune hit the club in Frankfurt as Anthony Smith got hurt in the first half in the 82-64 loss. After this loss, it seemed like some nasty plague was stuck in them as the team went on a 13 game losing streak as the team went from the playoffs places to the back places of the standings as quickly as Marv Albert can yelp yessssssssssssss. The team then made changes and some results started to evolve. The team brought in the fire man Michael Jordan to try to save the season and brought in coach Steven Key. “Giessen had been up and down last season but they became a different team , with a new head coach and the addition of MJ, they can play with anyone on any night just like any other team in the BBL”, warned John Bynum. Since the arrival of Jordan, the team started to win more games and slowly crawled away from the bottom. The team seemed very solid at the start of the season, but with the addition of new coach Steven key and Jordan and Jeffers, the team seemed to be so much stronger at the end. The LTI Giessen season was saved as they finished the season in 15^th place with a record of 9-25. They finished the season losing six of their last seven games, but beat MBC on the second to last game day to save their miserable season.

Every new season, a new saying can be, it can only get better as fans can only hope that something will change and some kind of success will come back to the small university town. The club decided to bring in 29 year old Bjoern Harmsen who was younger than the star players Elvir Ovcina and Maurice Jeffers. Harmsen brought success to MBC, so why couldn´t he do the same in Giessen? Back in the 70s, Giessen had nothing to do with cellar duels as they won many German titles, but any dreaming of that is as distant as Kevin Durnant ever was playing for BBC Bayreuth. “Our goal was to stay in the league. If we can limit injuries then maybe we can achieve a bit more”, added Bjoern Harmsen at the start of the season.  Harmsen came to Giessen and did a house cleaning axing eight players, but kept team captain Elvir Ovcina who is getting better with age, but continues to be one of the top centers in the league, fan favorite and x-factor Maurice Jeffers who can always change a game with his play, young German big man Robert Ohle and young developing German point guard Mathias Perl. He brought in MBC players Wayne Bernard who is a Beko BBL veteran and point guard Radenko Pilcevic. Some players didn´t work out like Angel Garcia and Bozo Djurasovic, but Harmsen had an ace in his back pocket bringing in more quality with second year man Barry Stewart, athletic rebounder and Euroleague veteran Koko Archibong and flashy Achmadschau Zazai. Harmsen also got a lot of credit for bringing in basketball project Misan Nikabatse who is always remembered for his dunk over Yao Ming in 2002 and seemed to be on his way to the NBA in 2002. His career didn´t quite reach the heights that he expected to and he was saved by Harmsen as the German hadn´t played professional basketball in the last two years.

Last season the LTi Giessen 46ers needed to win in Hagen on the last game day, but lost and had a record of 9-25 and luckily were able to remain in the Beko BBL with a wild card. Giessen started the season slow with a three game losing streak, but then won a wild 110-109 scoring festival in the Osthalle against the Artland Dragons. They won back to back games in Trier and was the first team that season to beat the Brose Baskets Bamberg at home 68-65. Giessen has been some what unpredictable as they beat Phoenix Hagen at home, but also lost on back to back weekends on the road in Munich and Tuebingen by a combined score of 59 points, but then again should have beat Braunschweig at home losing 63-62 not being able to win game on a last possession. In the Beko BBL, any team can beat any team and Giessen has the potential to always be capable of making surprises. “Giessen is a great team that plays tough. They play very well at home and play scrappy. They can move the ball well and have good perimeter shooters with Stewart and Bernard. They also know how to defend and press very well”, stressed ex LTi Giessen 46er Michael Umeh last season. One thing that Giessen excels at is their guard play. “You need to take away their guard play. They seem to make about 60% of their points from their guards. You also always have to be aware of Elvir Ovcina. I have played against him a lot and he is such a great passer and has great court vision”, warned ex Wake Forest player Kyle Visser. Defense also seems to have gelled in the early going as they allowed 75 points or fewer in eight of the first 14 games. “Our strength is our defense. If we can keep teams at 75 points, then we always have a good chance to win”, added Achmadschau Zazai. Despite the well rounded guard play, point guard Zazai knows where the team could still improve. “We have to have better ball movement. We have the least assists in the league”, warned Zazai last January. However in the last four months, the team had a record of 4-15 as they couldn´t get around the corner to having more success. They suffered two five game losing streaks and lost their last three games. Their biggest win was a 78-65 win in Frankfurt which in a way always makes their season as they are their biggest rival.

A big problem with the organization LTi Giessen 46ers is simply that they have big problems trying to build a good team identity. It is not secret that players come and go everywhere in the Beko BBL except for maybe Bamberg, but in Giessen a annual house cleaning is about as normal as Kevin Love getting a double double. The team said farewell to 11 players during the season and off season and added eight new players. Before any new players were added, they got a new coach with Mathias Fischer who comes from Germany and won titles in Austria with Gmunden and was coach of the year. He had already got his feet wet in the coaching ranks in the Beko BBL being an assistant with Rhein Energie Cologne. Fischer is a coach that likes to develop young players and has given young Germans the chance to get minutes like with Oskar Fassler.  As is sometimes the case players come a lot quicker than they stay as was the case with Americans Jimmy Baxter and John Fields. Baxter who is a basketball world traveler and had played in more than 10 countries left early as he was unable to get integrated and John Fields left for the Czech Republic as the big man position was crowded, but currently he is producing 17,6ppg and 9,8rpg. The team also has to say good bye ot Austrian Benjamin Ortner that went to Italy early in the season to play for  Montepaschi Siena . The team kept only two players with experienced Elvir Ovcina who still plays like a 28 year old and Achmadschau Zazai who is a quick flashy guard that has been a spark plug in recent weeks. The team added many knows players including a known face in Giessen with Ryan Brooks who had been a rookie in 2010-2011. Last season he was a dominant scorer in Finland. The team took a risk bringing in Dijuan Harris after he had played in lower leagues like Finland and second division Turkey, but he has matured well in the Beko BBL and been solid. The team also brought in some talented Germans with Oskar Fassler who played in Trier, Dominik Spohr who came from Hagen and Andreas Buchert who has Beko BBL experience and played in Ehingen last season in the PRO A. It is never easy filling vacant spots during the season with new players, but Giessen did a good job finding solid players. With three players going the team hauled in inside player Jasmin Perkovic that won the 2009 Beko BBL title with Oldenburg, Laquan Prowell that adds scoring and experience having played in France for the last three years and American Jeffery Bonds like Prowell is another versatile forward that had played in Spain since 2007. The biggest strength of the team is maintaining that fighting mentality that it is known to have. The team is carried by the hardcore fans. The team has talent and can beat any team on any given nigt as was the case with ratiopharm Ulm. They need to find some kind of team chemistry fast if they want to get free from the Beko BBL cellar. Their weakness is simply many no name players, plus the fact that three players left early and three new players came to the team not really helping build the team chemistry faster. So far this season the club has suffered a eight game losing streak. Besides beating Ulm at home, they also were able to beat Bonn at home. A big problem is playing consistent defense as they have allowed 80 plus points eight times. However in a seven game stretch, they allowed only 80 points once. If being near the end of the standings hasn´t been enough of a torture, the fans got a rude Christmas gift as shortly after the big win at home against Ulm, the club announced that it has filled for bankruptcy. The team will be able to finish out the season, but the future of this traditional team seems to be up in the air.

In the last years, The Skyliners have dominated the Hessen derby posting a 11-3 record. Frankfurt has demonstrated a special confidence and calmness that makes the Osthalle in Giessen look more like their own personal lounge area than a hostile Giessen playground with naughty kids throwing sticks and stones. Who could forget the onslaught before Christmas 2005 as Frankfurt routed Giessen 96 to 63 with seven three pointers from Desmond Ferguson. “I had a good rhythm going on in that game and my teammates made a good job getting me the ball. I wasn´t able to find my rhythm much while I played in Frankfurt for various reasons, but that game was probably my highlight playing there”, added ex Skyliner Desmond Ferguson. Three years ago under the guidance of Charles Barton, Frankfurt won a nail bitter 73 to 67 as Frankfurt showed nerves of steal in the dwindling minutes of the fourth quarter. Two years ago, Frankfurt won a tight game, even though it seemed like they were never in any real danger of losing as Derrick Allen led the team with 19 points and an energized Alex King flew into the arena with a specially made superman cape and steered the team off the bench scoring in double figures. Who could forget the buzzer beater by Karlsruhe German Rouven Roessler in 2007? Well that game winning shot that beat Frankfurt was 34 months ago, and Roessler still has the shot dancing in his dreams. “I remember that buzzer beater as if it was yesterday. I got the video clip to the game three weeks ago”, said ex Giessen 46er Rouven Roessler. . In the 2008-2009 season, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners won in Giessen 75-57 getting 19 points form Lorenzo Gordon. In Frankfurt, they pounded Giessen 93-72 as Pascal Roller and  in 2009-2010, Frankfurt won at home 80-69 getting 22 points from Derrick Allen. The last game against Giessen was a nail bitter win by Frankfurt in Giessen which was won 69-68 as Pascal Roller won the game with 13 seconds to play with two free throws. In the first meeting last season Frankfurt won 82-64 as Giessen was outscored 48-21 in the second half. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were led by Dashaun Wood with 21 points and Roger Powell added 18 points. In the second meeting in Frankfurt, Giessen lost 81-62 as Dashaun Wood scored 26 points. The last time that Frankfurt lost was in December 2002 and they have won the last nine games in a row against Giessen on the road. Last season, the two teams split the season series as the Fraport Skyliners won in Giessen 64-56 as Jermareo Davidson had 16 points and Michael Thompson 13 points. In the return date, the LTi Giessen 46ers got revenge winning in Frankfurt 78-65. This Saturday will showcase a real cellar duel with the 18^th LTi Giessen 46ers playing 16^th ranked Fraport Skyliners. The LTi Giessen 46ers have been playing better as of late having won two of their last three games including  a huge win at home against ratiopharm Ulm. The Fraport Skyliners are coming off a loss against FC Bayern Munich and this is another must win for them. The key to success remains their bread and butter. “This is a must win for us. We cut down the scoring average of Munich 36 points. If we can do the same to Giessen then we should have a good chance of winning”, smiled Fraport Skyliner guard Devin Gibson.

The Lti Giessen 46ers are led by Ryan Brooks. Brooks is back in Giessen after playing his rookie season there in 2010-2011 as he played  34 games: 9.1ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 75.5%. Brooks is a 24 year old 193cm guard that played at Temple(NCAA) from 2006-2010. In his senior year, he played 35 games: 14.3ppg, 4.2rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 31.8%, FT: 81.0%. He played a total of 127 NCAA games. Last season he played for Namika Lahti (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 40 games: 18.6ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.6apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 52.1%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 81.6%. Laquan Prowell is a 28 year old 203cm forward from Montgomery, Alabama that is playing his first season in the Beko BBL. Prowell is a superb athlete and leaper, versatile player who can score off the post up, dribble, and also from 3-point range. He played at Furman from 2003-2005 and continued his NCAA career at Auburn from 2005-2008 where he played with Fraport Skyliner Quantez Robertson. He came to Europe and gained experience in Turkey, Greece and played in France the last three seasons. Last season he played for Saint Vallier Basket Drome (France-ProB, starting five): 27 games: 15.1ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.0apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 60.2%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 83.7%; in May’12 moved to ES Chalon-Sur-Saone (France-ProA): 6 games: 4.3ppg, 1.2rpg. He played with ex Skyliner Ilian Evtimov helping Chalon win the French PRO A title. 36 year old 211cm power forward/center Elvir Ovcina who came late to the Giessen 46ers in the 2009-2010 season is playing his fourth season in Giessen. He is a movable center, who passes and scores well. He played at Syracuse (NCAA) from 1995-1999 and played a year together with ex NBA player John Wallace reaching the NCAA final in 1996 losing to Kentucky. He played for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg from 2001-2004 and won the BEKO BBL cup with Rhein Energy Cologne in 2005. He had his most success as a player with one team with Ostende winning the league title in 2006 and 2007 and cup in 2008. In 2009-2010 for Giessen, he played 14 games averaging 14.1ppg, 8.1rpg, 2.8apg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 57.7%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 69.4%. In 2010-2011, he played 34 games: 11.4ppg, 6.6rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 17.6%, FT: 76.4%. Last season for Giessen he played 33 games: 11.4ppg, 6.5rpg, 2.2apg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 31.7%, FT: 80.0%.

The team recently acquired Jeffery Bonds who is a 30 year old 199cm forward that is playing his first season in Germany. He is a small forward who can adapt to any style of play. Can shoot the long 3 ball, also can attack inside… all-around player, very good in rebounds. Has the ability to score in a variety of ways. Take pride in defense. He played at Cal-Poly Pomona (NCAA2) from 2001-2005. In his first two seasons as a professional he played in England for the Birmingham Bullets (United Kingdom-BBL) and Sheffield Sharks. He played from 2007-2012 in Spain in the Leb Gold league four years and one season in the Leb silver league. Last season he played for  Knet Rioja Clavijo (Spain-LEB Gold, starting five): 33 games: 10.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 42.6%, 3PT: 31.0%, FT: 70.0%. The team also brought in Dijuan Harris who is a 26 year old 175cm gurad from Charlotte, North Carolina that is playing his third professional season and first in Germany. He played for Hillsborough CC (NJCAA) in 2006-2007. He finished his NCAA career for Charlotte from 2007-2010. In his senior year he played  31 games: 8.3ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.6apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 73.3%. In 2010-2011, he was a rookie playing for Salon Vilpas Vikings (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five), left in Nov.’10: 11 games: 19.0ppg, 3.0rpg, 4.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 55.8%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 75.0%. Last season he played for Usak Universitesi Belediye %. spor (Turkey-TB2L, starting five): 36 games: 14.1ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 23.4%, FT: 72.9%. Quick 26 year old 177cm Achmadschah Zazai is playing hiss econd season for the LTi Giessen 46ers who has already played for 11 teams in his still young career. He started his basketball career at TUS Lichterfelde in 2003. From 2005-2011, he played for teams like SG FT/MTV Braunschweig, : BSG Ludwigsburg, Bremen Roosters, Horsens IC (Denmark), Telemotive Muenchen, Artland Dragons, TV Langen, USC Freiburg and  BV Chemnitz 99 (Germany-ProA). Last season for Giessen he played  27 games: 3.1ppg, 1.1rpg, 2.0apg.

Oskar Fassler is a 24 year old 198cm guard is playing his first season with Giessen and also comes from the Alba Berlin fraction. He played for TUS Lichterfelde Berlin (Regionalliga) from 2004-2006. He joined Alba Berlin in 2006 and played there until 2009. He also was a young player that didn’t get a real chance as he was sitting on the bench. He only played 22 BEKO BBL games. In 2009-2010, he started with Alba Berlin and then moved to Science City Jena (ProA, starting five): 12 games: 9.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.2apg, FGP: 54.9%, 3PT: 27.5%, FT: 77.8%, also played at Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (1.Bundesliga): 4 games: 4.3ppg, 2.0rpg. In 2010-2011 for TBB Trier he played 25 games: 5.8ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 33.3%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 59.1%He was a part of the German U-18 and U-20 teams and played at the European Championships U20 Division B in Targu Mures (Romania) -08:(Champion): 7 games: 3.1ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.4apg.  Lasts eason for TBB Trier he played  31 games: 2.6ppg, 1.8rpg. The team also added Dominik Spohr  who is a 23 year old 198cm forward from Hagen. He started his basketball career in 2004 for BBV Hagen (Regionalliga) where he played until 2007. He then played for Phoenix Hagen from 2007-2012. Last season for Phoenix Hagen he played 30 games: 1.9ppg, 1.4rpg; played also for BG Hagen (Regionalliga): 6 games: 13.3ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.2apg. He played a total of 64 Beko BBL games for Phoenix Hagen. The team also added 25 year old 208cm forward Andy Buchert who comes from Trier. He got experience playing in the States first for : Tallahasse CC from 2005-2007. He then played fro Winthrop from 2007-2010. In 2010-2011 he turned professional and played for Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (1.Bundesliga): 1 game: 0pts, 1reb, 1ast, 1block, in Dec.’10 moved to Phoenix Hagen (1.Bundesliga): 9 games: 3.3ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.6bpg; left in Feb. ’11. Last season he played for Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (ProA): 27 games: 11.3ppg, 7.0rpg, FGP: 53.1%, FT: 55.2%.

 

 

Patrick Ewing jr is a 28 year old 203cm forward from Marietta, Georgia that started the season for the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but recently left the team. He also has the distinction of being the son of NBA legend Patrick Ewing. He started his basketball career at Indiana in 2003 until 2005. He then finished his NCAA career with Georgetown in 2008. In his senior year, he played 34 games: 6.1ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.8apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 52.9%, 3Pts: 28.3%, FT: 65.8%. He was drafted by the  drafted by Sacramento Kings (NBA,2rd(43) in 2008. He started his professional basketball career in 2008 with Sacramento Kings (NBA), traded to Houston Rockets (NBA), in Sep.’08 traded to New York Knicks (NBA), left in Oct.’08, in Dec.’08 moved to Reno Bighorns (D-League): 29 games: 16.3ppg, 8.9rpg, 3.0apg, 1.4spg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 45.7%, 3PT: 23.4%, FT: 77.0%. In 2010-2011, he played for the  New York Knicks (NBA), left in Oct.’10, then moved to Reno Bighorns (D-League): 25 games: 15.7ppg, 8.4rpg, 3.2apg, 1.6spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 44.0%, 3PT: 34.4%, FT: 79.4%; in Jan.’11 traded to Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League): 23 games: 19.9ppg, Reb-2(10.6rpg), 3.3apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 49.1%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 82.1%, in Mar.’11 signed at New Orleans Hornets (NBA): 9 games: 0.7ppg. Last season, he played for the  New Orleans Hornets (NBA), only pre-season, in Jan.’12 moved to Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League): 11 games: 10.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 2.8apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 22.9%, FT: 82.1%; in Feb.’12 signed at Iowa Energy (D-League, starting five): 19 games: 8.3ppg, 4.4rpg, 1.3apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 45.5%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 81.6%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball during the season with Bonn.

You are playing your first season in Europe in Germany with the Telekom Baskets Bonn. How do you like Germany?

I love it here. It has been a great experience for my family and I. The fans and organization have been great. Everyone has been so kind to us.

How are you getting used to the style of play in the Beko BBL?

I am enjoying my time in the league. Many of the guys in the league I have played against or know form home. My game is coming around, but it is still not at the level where I want it. I just have to stay positive and keep working hard.

What is it like playing for a German head coach with Michael Koch?

It has been great. He is a very good coach. He makes sure that I do what I have to do on the court. He helps me very much with my game. He always tells me too be aggressive and stay positive. I enjoy playing for him.

What is a strength in your game that doesn´t always get noticed right away?

I think that a hidden strength in my game is my ability to pass the ball. I always tell people that if I could handle the ball like a point guard then I would rather be a point guard than forward.

How nice is it playing with such a great passer like Jared Jordan?

I have played with many great point guards and I would put him on top of the list. He always amazes me at what he can do on the court with the ball. He handles the ball so well and already knows what will happen five seconds before it happens. It seems like he plays in slow motion. He has been blessed at playing the game.

How nice is it playing with Robert Vaden again? You played a season with him at Indiana(NCAA)

It is great that we are on the team again. I know him from high school and he is a great friend. He had a rough start with his shot not always falling, but shooters like him don´t always stay in a slump long. We as a team have to do a better job at giving him good shots.

Robert Vaden is known as a deadly shooter. Could he hit a shot from on top of the Empire State building into a basket at the bottom?

I bet he could. We play a lot of horse in practice. But an Empire State shot could be one of his trick shots.

You played with many great players at Georgetown that are in the NBA with Roy Hibbert, Dejuan Summers and Jeff Green. How did Summers make you better?

It wasn´t only him, but every guy including Vernon Macklin. I think it was important that we all practiced together which pushed us harder. They are all successful in the NBA and we helped each other get better.

You have played the last three seasons in the D-league. Why haven´t you been able to stick in the NBA?

I have been caught in difficult situations. I was drafted as a rookie then traded and was the last cut. Then I got hurt and had to sit out a season which kept me back. I lost the hunger for the game a bit, but then got it back and then had a good season in the D-league and finshed the season with the Hornets. Then came the lockout and I slowed down my workouts which didn´t help either in getting on an NBA team.

Who was the best player that you have played against in your life?

Leborn James in pick up games and summer league. He is so amazing and the best  player on the planet.

What is the most frequent thing that people ask you about your dad?

It isn´t just one thing but many things that I get asked.

What is the most important thing that you have learned from your dad?

Just to be  a good person. My dad always tells me too stay positive and have confidence in myself and respect myself and others. He always says to be a better person off the court than on the court.

Who was your favorite player on the Dream Team besides your dad?

I would say Christian Laettner. No no just kidding. It would be David Robinson, because he was my favorite guy to hang out with.

How do you make Chris Ensminger laugh?

I don´t think I have ever seen him laugh.

Who would win a one on one you or Kyle Weems?

Me. I don´t ever go against myself.

What were the most free throws that you have made in a row?

In the 50s. I usually end a practice by making 20 free throws in a row.

What was your most crazy shot that you have made?

I blocked a shot and then got the ball at the free throw line and took one dribble and made a shot with one second remaining.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Medias Witness Protection with Tyler Lewis.

Thanks Patrick for the chat.

The Christmas time is a time in general to spend around the family, be thankful for everything and eat a hearty meal and see what Santa put into the stocking. In the United States a Shaq might devour a few turkeys with yummy gravy and stuffing while enjoying his flick Kazam for entertainment, in Canada a Osvaldo Jeanty might enjoy some plum pudding, in Poland a Marcin Gortat might have to explain to his NBA teammates that a day of fasting is rewarded on Christmas with herring fillets, in Russia a Andrei Kirilenko can enjoy holy supper which consists of 12 dishes one to honor each of the 12 apostles, in Spain a Ricky Rubio might be sleepless in Barcelona as a Christmas eve dinner can last to 6am with some turkey with truffles. The NBA isn´t the only place in professional basketball where the schedule runs through the holiday season. Many leagues in Europe have a break for Americans to go home, but not in the Beko BBL. In the Beko BBL, teams play on the 23^rd, 26^th and 27^th. The Fraport Skyliners returned home after a tough loss in Tuebingen and had to practice on the 24^th and 25^th of December in preparation for BBC Bayreuth and had to possibly heat up a TV dinner instead of home cooking from mom. “I wanted to go home to Berlin and be home with my family, but the schedule didn´t allow it which was very tough”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Konstantin Klein. The only positive thing for the players might have been the practices between Christmas  which where they could have digested the yummy food. The Fraport Skyliners came into the game against BBC Bayreuth having to be as motivated as a super overweight  Santa Claus who can´t get down the chimney, but wants and needs to to deliver those special presents to the kids and finally got back to their old ways of defending like an aggressive pitbull beating BBC Bayreuth 76-59. EX Bayer Giants Leverkusen forward Beckham Wyrick was unable to play due to a shoulder injury and remembers how difficult it is being away from the family on Christmas. “Most teams in Europe have breaks around Christmas. I am lucky that I have a German family, but I would rather be at home in the States. I remember when I was single being alone at Christmas and it was tough. It is tough for young guys out of college, but I believe it is easier in general now with all skype”, stressed Beckham Wyrick. Devin Gibson was home alone in Frankfurt for the first time, but at least could celebrate a victory. “It was tough for me being away from home for the first time. When I was in college, I was near my house so it wasn´t so hard. But it was tough seeing my family open presents and eating nice food over skype”, commented Devin Gibson.

The Fraport Skyliners came into the game riding a four game losing streak and being stuck in the cellar in 18^th place like a small toddler who gets stuck in a tree and can´t go down. The Fraport Skyliners had given up an average 97 points in the last two loses against Phoenix Hagen and the Walter Tigers Tuebingen which was about as uncharachteristic as Rajon Rondo being without an assist in a game. The Fraport Skyliners understood that they had to find back to their old ways of defending hard and gave BBC Bayreuth fits all day long in their 76-59 victory at home in front of 3,370 fans.  The team also knew how important the win was for getting out of the cellar. “This was a big win and big confidence booster. This win stopped the bleeding. The key in the game was keeping up the defensive momentum all throughout the game. We executed our defense and did a good job limiting their second attempts”, stressed Ohio native Ted Scott. After a quick start winning their four games, BBC Bayreuth have slipped down the ladder and are hanging to the bottom with a long way back to the top after they lost their sixth game in a row and have a 2-8 record since the fast start. Many will laud the aggressive Frankfurt defense, but it wasn´t like BBC Bayreuth didn´t have their chances. “Our biggest problem in the last games has been that we have had more than enough open looks, but we just haven´t hit them. Our backs are to the wall and the schedule isn´t getting any easier either in the future. The Fraport Skyliners deserved to win and played very hard. They did what they had to do to get the win”, stressed Beckham Wyrick.

The game also featured the seemingly role reversal of Ted Scott and Danilo Barthel and the debut of new Skyliner Dwan Robinson. On the stat sheet, it was obvious to see that the two top scorers for the Fraport Skyliners were Ted Scott and Danilo Barthel with 15 points each, but in a way the young German from Heidelberg did what Scott is known for and played sniper in the third quarter scoring 11 points and scoring in bunches something that Scott can do in his sleep. Barthel showed real sniper scoring qualities really stepping it up and keeping that offensive momentum going for the Fraport Skyliners hitting big three pointers and getting dirty work production inside. Scott spoke in high regard of his teammate about his performance. “When Danilo plays like that, he makes us so strong. Even if he is so young, I still think that he is one of our best players. I tip my hat off to Danilo, he played great”, said Fraport Skyliner guard Ted Scott. His new teammate Dwan Robinson had only seen him in a few practices was amazed by his play. “Danilo has the talent to be a great player. I am very proud of how he played”, added Dwan Robinson.  30 year old Dwan Robinson gave his debut for the Fraport Skyliners. He had had played in Italy the last years winning the 2009 cup with Kyle Hines and had a special twinkle in his eyes after the win finishing with nine points in 13 minutes. Robinson showed a knack for getting to the free throw line, hitting shots and playing defense. “I am still finding my flow, but I feel good. I love to play defense and want to show the club that I can do that. Defense wins titles. I am not really here to score, because the team has many scorers already”, added Dwan Robinson. Devin Gibson was a menace on defense getting four steals, but was happy for the help from Robinson. “Dwan is a great player. He knows how to play defense and has a high basketball IQ”, expressed Fraport Skyliners guard Devin Gibson.

The Fraport Skyliners started the game getting into an offensive rhythm quickly as the motto was give Zach the mad baller Peacock the ball and let him play as he hit his first three shots as the home team led 6-3. Offense and defense quickly got the same page as two Skyliner steals led to fast break points and dunks from Quantez Robertson and Danilo Barthel as BBC Bayreuth trailed 10-5. “We showed early that we were on the same page on defense. Everyone was helping early which got us going”, stressed Dwan Robinson. BBC Bayreuth cut the lead to 10-8 with a big Simon Schmitz three pointer. However the Fraport Skyliners closed out the first quarter with a blistering 9-2 run to lead 19-10. After Danilo Barthel made two free throws, he watched and took notes for his sniper notebook as Ted Scott scored in bunches with two jumpers. Quantez Robertson added on to the run testing his 28% three point shooting drowning a shot from downtown. The Fraport Skyliners led comfortably after one quarter 19-10. “The Fraport Skyliners had a good offensive rhythm early and played aggressive defense leading to fast break points. Frankfurt did a good job forcing Bayreuth to tough shots and getting the shot clock down”, added EWE Baskets Oldenburg guard Dominik Bahiense De Mello. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 53% from the field and 25% from outside while BBC Bayreuth was shooting 33% from the field and 25% from outside. BBC Bayreuth had the nine to six rebound edge, but nine turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners had only three turnovers.

In the second quarter, the Fraport Skyliners were able to keep their healthy lead while continuing to defend very fiercely not letting BBC Bayreuth find their desired rhythm. In the first two minutes it was the Joe Trapani and Dwan Robinson show as they both contributed two buckets each. Trapani who played at Boston College together with FC Bayern Munich point guard Tyrese Rice had to pick up a lot of the load down low as Jason Cain and Gary Mcghee were contained well for the game. Trapani started the second quarter with second chance put back. Robinson then led Frankfurt on a 5-0 run with a three pointer and off balance shot in the lane. Trapani then showed his shooting touch connecting from the top of the key, but BBC Bayreuth still trailed 24-15. After Schmitz free throws, then came a very potent few minutes by the Fraport Skyliners as they forced five BBC Bayreuth turnovers in a row and were rewarded by a Ted Scott three pointer, free throws and the 29-17 lead. Frankfurt had some untimely turnovers which led to a Bryan Bailey coast to coast run and lay in and Simon Schmitz free throws for the 29-21 Frankfurt advantage. Quantez Robertson continued to be hot from the parking lot nailing another three pointer as Frankfurt led 32-21. Ex Fraport Skyliner guard Dominik Bahiense De Mello and Skyliner legend Pascal Roller were enjoying the strong Skyliner play watching the game from the seats. Trapani and Peacock exchanged buckets in the last minute as the Fraport Skyliners led at halftime 34-23. “There were phases were Frankfurt wasn´t concentrated leading to turnovers. They should have been leading by 20 points. Frankfurt was doing a great job denying Cain and Mcghee in the low post”, added ex Fraport Skyliner Dominik Bahiense De Mello. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 43% from the field and 50% from the three point line while BBC Bayreuth was shooting 31% from the field and 20% from the three point line. BBC Bayreuth led the rebound duel 21-14, but had a whopping 16 turnovers while Frankfurt had 10 turnovers.

In the third quarter came the Danilo Barthel show as he helped conserve the comfortable lead. Joe Trapani started the third quarter with free throws as BBC Bayreuth trailed 34-25. Barthel then scored inside and Kevin Hamilton made a sweet lay in while spinning to the basket. Devi n Gibson then scored on another typical BBC Bayreuth turnover on a coast to coast jaunt, while Danilo Barthel scored inside and nailed a three pointer with a sweet rainbow arc to his shot. Gibson then added a fade away and another mid distance jumper with one second on the shot clock as the Fraport Skyliners had coasted on a 11-2 run to extend their lead to 47-29. After Cain scored a rare inside shot from him on that day, it was Barthel again who was feeling in the zone dropping another three pointer which even would have had ex teammate Jimmy Mckinney chuckling in thought. The Fraport Skyliners kept playing with immense self- confidence as Quantez Robertson not only was feeling it from downtown Cincinnati, but was driving BBC Bayreuth defenders wild with his ball handling as he scored once hard with the penetration and finishing with his left hand and then with his right hand as the Fraport Skyliners led 54-35. BBC Bayreuth finished the third quarter with a 4-1 run as Gary Mcghee made an offensive rebound and put back and Bryan Bailey made free throws as the Fraport Skyliners led 55-39 after three quarters. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 51% from the field and 55% from the parking lot while BBC Bayreuth was shooting 35% from the field and 21% from the parking lot. BBC Bayreuth had the 29-19 rebound edge, but 25 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners had 15 turnovers.

The fourth quarter started with a curious play by the Fraport Skyliners as Quantez Robertson penetrated and  was met with heavy BBC Bayreuth traffic and seemed like to have put up an air ball which was caught for an ally-op tip in by Dion Dowell who wasn´t much of a factor up to that point. After Mcghee free throws, it was Super Tez Robertson again who was penetrating and scoring as if that was his best quality in his game and not his defense as the Fraport Skyliners still led 59-41. Trapani then got a pass in the low post from Bailey and right away like a lightening strike slid past Peacock scoring as BBC Bayreuth still trailed 59-44. Robinson then scored four points in a row from the free throw line as Frankfurt led 63-44. Gary Mcghee then fouled out and Marco Van Den Berg  countered by bringing in German Stefan Schmidt for the first time and he brought some fresh wind into the game leading BBC Bayreuth on a 7-0 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 63-51. Schmidt scored inside then drew a foul making free throws and Simon Schmitz added two free throws and Kevin Hamilton added a free throw. However that was as close as BBC Bayreuth would get as they went on a 13-2 run to lead 76-53 and put a lid on the BBC Bayreuth come back. Frankfurt went back to Zach Peacock giving him the ball and letting him draw fouls. He got to the free throw line three times as well as Ted Scott and Devin Gibson  as 10 of the 13 points were made from the foul line. Scott contributed a three pointer in the run. “BBC Bayreuth had cut the lead to 13 points so we slowed down the game. In the past teams had sped up the game which didn´t help us. We gave the ball inside to Zach Peacock and didn´t give up easy baskets”, stressed Devin Gibson. Despite the game already decided, BBC Bayreuth closed out the game with a 6-0 run to lose 76-59. Stefan Schmidt  scored inside again and Simon Schmitz hit a three pointer. “Frankfurt continued to play good defense forcing us too tough shots and limiting lay ups. We didn´t rebound so well down the stretch and lost many loose balls”, added Gary Mcghee. As the buzzer sounded, BBC Bayruth went to their fans to thank them for their support, but the club has to get on the winning track fast. “We have to get that winning mentality back fast. We seem to have this type of stigma after we lose. We have to believe that we are a better team than what we are showing”, stressed BBC Bayreuth guard Kevin Hamilton.

The Fraport Skyliners were led by Ted Scott and Danilo Barthel with 15 points a piece. Quantez Robertson added 14 points and Zach Peacock produced 13 points and eight rebounds. BBC Bayreuth was led by Joe Trapani with 16 points and ten rebounds. Simon Schmitz added 12 points. The Fraport Skyliners did a sound job in the shooting department shooting 46% from the field and 41% from outside. Even though the Fraport Skyliners had problems on the boards losing the battle 35-31, it was another strong defense performance holding BBC Bayreuth to 59 points. Even though they couldn´t contain Joe Trapani, they held Cain and Mcghee to nine points combined in 42 minutes. “Coach told us that we had to contain them and we did a good job on them. We couldn´t quite contain Trapani, but it was one of those days where he played well, but it could have been worse”, stated Ted Scott. “Frankfurt did a good job denying Cain and me on the initial ball screen forcing us to turnovers. When we did get the ball inside, they did a good job double teaming us. We didn´t execute enough”, stressed Gary Mcghee.  “I had no concern about Mcghee, because Zach is an animal down low, but we knew that we had to limit Cain at what he does best and we did that”, warned Dwan Robinson. However the biggest strength in this win was the trust factor that the team regained again on defense. “It wasn´t so much to do with the x and o´s today. We had that trust factor on offense and defense. We know that we messed up some of our rotations, but we kept fighting back and trusted each other for helping and being there when one was missed. We had the determination today needed to win”, stressed Devin Gibson. Ted Scott helped elaborate the Devin Gibson trust factor as the key to success. “We had the trust factor knowing that one or another player was there to help. That made it so much better. It was so much better than in Tuebingen. In Tuebingen we were often late on help, but against BBC Bayreuth we were on top of it which was key to winning”, added Ted Scott. The Fraport Skyliners look to extend their winning streak to two games with a win against FC Bayern Munich on December 29^th.

Keeping a successful trend alive in professional is always as present as FC Bayern Munich soccer team winning, winning and winning much in their illustrious history, the way Americans Jared Jordan and Tony Gaffney hooked up last season almost in every game with an eye popping ally-op, NBA center Kevin Love getting double doubles seemingly as if he were blindfolded sometimes or the way recording artist Rihanna has been able to be one of the hottest recording artists since 2005 selling worldwide 85 million albums. Beko BBL club BBC Bayreuth also had a successful trend going the last two seasons having brought in top centers that have played in the NBA with Americans Jared Reiner and Brandon Thomas. Reiner who was no unknown face to the Beko BBl had played with Bamberg and Bremerhaven came to the Bavarian city of Bayreuth in the 2010-2011 season was very consistent as he had that knack of creating havoc in the zone and grabbing rebounds and was third in the league that season with 7,8rpg. Last season BBC Bayreuth hauled in 203cm physical bull like Brandon Hunter who had had the honor of strapping on the green and white of the Boston Celtics for two seasons. Last season the Cincinnati native averaged 9,6ppg and 5,9rpg and had a solid season also and often brought fear to center opponents with his sneer like expression similar to the scene from Fast Times At Rindgemont  where Forest Whitaker character Charles Jefferson tears apart the football opponent after thinking they had trashed his car. Three is a charm for BBC Bayreuth as this season, they got another potent center and even if he has never played in the NBA, he has made an impression so far this season and is keeping up that reputation of top centers alive in Bayreuth. He is a workhorse on offense and defense and understands his role. “I am the big man in the zone and anchor on defense. I am the guy that rebounds and gets the ball down low that can produce”, stressed Gary Mcghee. Even if he didn´t play in the NBA like Reiner or Hunter, he has one advantage over them in that he is athletic and more spectacular. I like to dunk and block shots, but like to dunk more, because this gets the crowd and bench going more”, added Gray Mcghee. He also has a hidden talent that has been helping the team. “My knowledge of the game, reading it and IQ is my hidden talent. I also am able to pass the ball to the open man out of the post”, warned Gary Mcghee. If the American that played at Pitt and in Turkey last season can lead the team to a better position in the standings than Reiner or Hunter did is unknown, but one thing is for sure, there will always be a lot of energy on the court when he is present and give an added noise level to an already bedlam atmosphere in the Bayreuth arena.

The last time BBC Bayreuth won the BEKO BBL title was in 1989 a few months before German tennis legends Boris Becker and Steffi Graf won Wimbledon  together, Sebastian Vettel was only two years old and late Boston Celtic Reggie Lewis was slowly making a name for himself in the NBA. Back then the team was called Steiner Bayreuth and had German basketball legends like Michael Koch, Hansi Gnad and Calvin Oldham and success was as common in 88 and 89 for the club as winning was für Rhein Energie Colonge was from 2004-2006. After being  regulated in 1999 due to financial reasons, the team had to start at scratch in the Regionaliga and fought its way back up to the PRO A and finally landed back in the BEKO BBL in 2010

In 2010-2011, BBC Bayreuth were saved at the end of the season as MBC lost on the last game day and the Bavarian team finished with a record of 9-25 and a 16^th place finish. The team started off with two losses against The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig and the Giessen 46ers before winning a big game at home against 2010 Eurochallenge champion BG Goettingen. However instead of continuing the winning streak, the club suffered a five game losing streak before recovering and going on a two game winning streak beating Phoenix Hagen and TBB Trier on the road. The team then finished the season with a record of 6-18. “I think their guards were a big part of their success. But they had injuries as well that season. Gibson was a solid point, and Ginyard was a great player as well. Harris came in and was a solid back up. I think the guards but then you had Reiner in the middle as well and he gave them a guy on the block that could score”, added John Bynum. It didn´t help the team either that they lost five games by five or less points. “If they had won at least three of those games, they would have had their ticket to the Beko BBL sooner for next season. They had all the pieces, but couldn´t seem to put it together better. Their strength was that they had high quality players at each position. Our biggest problem when we played them was not being able to keep Danny Gibson in front of us on the press”, warned ex Phoenix Hagen player Quentin Pryor. It also was surprising that the club wasn´t able to have more success even with strong experienced players like Jared Reiner and Koko Archibong on the roster. “I just think it has just been one of those seasons for them. It was their first year in the league but still on paper if you were to look at that team, they were a good team. I dont know what it was but they beat us twice so I cant really say nothing negative about them. I think their weakness is just playing consistent for 40 minutes, they played well at times and have let ups and at this level,  you cant have too many let ups but like I said, they didnt have a let up against us either time”, warned John Bynum. “I think chemistry had been their weakness”, said Quentin Pryor. If the team hadn´t had a big 86-79 win against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners at home at the end of the season and finished winning four of the last five games near the end of the season, they probably would be back to traveling to less exciting cities like Kirchheim and Cuxhaven

Despite their poor record in their first season back in the Beko BBL, the organization was in high spirits last season and maintained head coach Andreas Wagner for a second season. However Andreas Wagner has had a steady rise as head coach and was coaching for the second time in the BEKO BBL. Wagner also has had a secret formula of how to help basketball clubs reach the next level as he brought FC Bayern Munich from the Regionaliga to the second Bundesliga in 2004, led the Nordlingen Giants from the PRO to the BEKO BBL in 2008 and had another trick up his sleeve bringing BBC Bayreuth from the PRO A into the BEKO BBL in 2010. Of course, the question was could he keep BBC Bayreuth in the BEKO BBL in 2011? The club made a pretty big house cleaning as seven players left. The team held forward and shot block ace Ibekwe Ekene and young Germans Simon Schmitz and Stefan Schmidt. The club brought in experienced point guard Kevin Hamilton who had led the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig into the playoffs twice in a row and is one of best defenders in the Beko BBL. Mr everything on the court Beckham Wyrick was added who won titles with Bamberg. The team brought also brought in ex NBA player Brandon Hunter for the dirty work under the boards, banger Maksym Shtein to give stability from the bench, versatile forward Tyler Smith, sharp shooter Osvaldo Jenaty who can give shooting clinics in any Beko BBL arena, Beko BBL rookie Corey Stokes who was Mr efficient and German Tom Spoler. Wagner´s motto was that he rather wanted a strong starting five then solid 12 man rotation. But if you look at the roster and record, one could see that the team has stability from top to bottom.

After a slow start last season where the club lost the first four games of the season, the team surprisingly let go of Andreas Wagner and brought in experienced Dutch coach Marco van Den Berg who coached in Holland from 1996-2011 winning two titles there. The team also brought back point guard Danny Gibson and since then the team has gone on a 5-2 record with big wins against EnBW Ludwigsburg and the Telekom Baskets Bonn. Van Den Berg had changed the team philosophy and brought success to the team quickly. Despite the Kevin Durant rumors and injury to Kevin Hamilton, BBC Bayreuth had brought a refreshing game to the Beko BBL in the first two months. “Bayreuth was a good team. I believe that people had underestimated them. Defensively they did their home work on their opponents and had detailed game plans”, warned Josh Young who saw BBC Bayreuth let up only 53 points in Tuebingen. In the first games BBC Bayreuth let up an average 83 points, but since Van Den Berg took over, the team had only let up an average 68 points per game in those six games. The team can score if needed and scored over 80 points twice and even if they were keeping teams to under 70 points, defense is still an area where the team could improve. “Their outside shooting was their biggest strength. Gibson really got their offense going. He provided instant offense and is great in transition. He is the floor general that has been important for their success. If they had a weakness then their pick and roll defense and transition. The few points that we got, we got on transition. But it is hard to pinpoint it in one game since we looked so bad and made them look so good”, added Josh Young. BBC Bayreuth probably could have had a better season ending place in the standings of they hadn´t lost eight of their last nine games.  In 2010-2011, The Frankfurt Skyliners split the game series winning in Frankfurt 83-75 as Dashaun Wood had 26 points, four rebounds and seven assists and in the return game had problems with the noise level in Bayreuth losing 86-79 despite 29 points from Dashaun Wood.

BBC Bayreuth finished in 13^th place with a record of 12-22 last season. Despite Marco Van Den Berg bringing early success, not every player was able to fully identify with his philosophy of hard defense and a structured offense and thus it wasn´t hard cleaning out the roster removing seven players. The team kept a small core of players with Germans Stefan Schmidt and Simon Schmitz guys that the club have believed in and want to continue to develop as best as possible. Germans Tom Spoler and Peter Zeis also were held. The team also held point guard Kevin Hamilton who has those strong leadership qualities, but had a lot of misfortune last year with injuries being only able to play four games. He started this season injured, but since has returned. The story of the year is the return of fan favorite in the making Beckham Wyrick. He recently was signed, but then through special campaigns where money was raised was held until the end of the season. A week later it was announced thanks to a new sponsor coming on board that the American from Cincinnati will remain in Bayreuth until 2014. BBC Bayreuth added seven new players to help build a strong roster that could compete for the Beko BBL playoffs. Van den Berg had a good idea what players he wanted and got the team built already in June. The team added experienced guard Bryan Bailey that adds spark to the guard rotation and will be a tough combo with Hamilton. Nate Rhonert is an American that will give added strength to the guard position and is a talented shooter. The team also hauled in German Nicolai Simon who is a developing combo guard that has had very good games already this season. Arvydas Siksnius also was brought in to help at the guard/forward position.  Under the boards the team brought in Gary Mcghee that had a strong rookie season in Turkey and Beko BBL veteran Jason Cain that can step out and fire away, dominate in the post and compete as best dunker against Gary Mcghee. Joe Trapani also was acquired as he is a player that also has a fine inside out game and adds stability to the rotation. The strength of BBC Bayreuth is there deepness at each position. Also an advantage Is that the club was put together early which got the team chemistry going early and to the good start. The only negative in the team could be how well the team plays together over time and if injuries plays a role. The Fraport Skylinersenetr the game in a must win situation riding a four game winning streak while BBC Bayreuth is riding a five game winning streak. Both teams will be more than focused and want a special post Christmas present with a win. “We have to defend well again. Defense is our calling card and and defense generates our offense”, warned Johnathan Jones. “Frankfurt can´t get down on themselves and need to be hardnosed. They have to be physical on offense and defense and limit Bryan Bailey”, stressed Walter Tigers Tuebingen guard Vaughn Duggins. The FRaport Skyliners have split the season series the last two seasons. In 2010-2011, they won at home 83-75 getting 26 points from Dashaun Wood, but losing on the orad 86-79 despite 29 points form Wood. Last season, they lost at home 79-71 despite 27 points form Tim Ohlbrecht, but won in Bayreuth 90-57 getting 22 points from Jimmy Mckinney.

BBC Bayreuth is led by Bryan Bailey who a 32 year old 185cm guard who comes from New York and played in Quackenbruck from 2004-2007 and from 2010-2012. He is a team leader both on and off the court. He Possesses a diverse game, with an ability to stroke the long-range jumper, penetrate to the rim or distribute the ball and is solid on the defensive end of the floor as well. He is a fierce competitive drive rubs off on his teammates. Bailey played at Bucknell and has gained experience having played in Holland and Poland. He reached the playoffs three times with Artland form 2004-2007 and the cup final in 2007. In 2010-2011, the American played 41 games for Artland averaging 11.5ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 34.9%, FT: 77.2%. Last season for BBC Bayreuth he played EuroChallenge: 7 games: 4.7ppg, 1.1rpg, 1.3apg; German League: 27 games: 6.8ppg, 1.2rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 18.9%, FT: 77.0%. Joe Trapani is a 24 year old 203cm forward from Madison, Connecticut that is playing his first season for Beko BBL team BBC Bayreuth. He started his NCAA career at Vermont (NCAA) in 2006 an dplayed 26 games: 11.4ppg, 4.4rpg, FGP: 44.0%, 3Pts: 40.0%, FT: 68.4%. He then completed his NCAA career at Boston College playing there form 2008-2011. In his senior year he played 34 games: 14.8ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 42.5%, 3PT: 35.7%, FT: 70.7%. In 2011, he turned professional playing at the e Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Pre-NBA Draft): 3 games: 14.3ppg, 5.0rpg, 2.7apg, 1.0spg. He then came to Europe to play for  Novipiu Casale Monferrato (Italy-SerieA, starting five): 3 games: 5.3ppg, 1.7rpg, left in Oct.’11, in Nov.’11 try-out at Scavolini Siviglia Pesaro (Italy-SerieA, starting five), then moved to MarcoPoloShop.it Forli (Italy-Lega2): 12 games: 9.4ppg, 5.1rpg, FGP: 44.0%, 3PT: 21.7%, FT: 78.0%; in Mar.’12 signed at Maine Red Claws (D-League): 6 games: 3.2ppg, 3.7rpg.

Jason Cain is a 27 year old 208cm power forward from Philadelphia  who is playing for his third Beko BBL team with BBC Bayreuth. He played for the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig from 2007-2011 reaching the playoffs twice. He played 142 games for Braunschweig and averaged 10.0ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 57.2%, 3PT: 37.6%, FT: 78.2. Last season he played for  Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 32 games: 9.3ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 18.8%, FT: 72.9%. Before coming to Germany, he played at Virginia. Gray Mcghee is a 24 year old 208cm center from Anderson, Indiana that is playing his first season in the Beko BBL for BBC Bayreuth. He played at Pittsburgh from 2007-2011 and played with future NBA players like Dejuan Blair and Sam Young. In his senior year, he played 34 games: 6.9ppg, 7.7rpg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 56.7%, FT: 48.5%. He played a total of 120 NCAA games. In the summer of 2011, he played at the well known : Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (Pre-NBA Draft): 2 games: 9.0ppg, Reb-5(8.5rpg), 1.0bpg. Last season as a rookie he played KK Zagreb Croatia Osiguranje (Croatia-A1), only pre-season, then moved to Bandirma Kirmizi (Turkey-TBL: 30 games: 10.5ppg, Reb-4(7.8rpg), FGP: 56.3%, FT: 45.6%. This past summer he played  AirTran Orlando Summer League (Oklahoma City Thunder): 2 games: 2.5ppg, 2.0rpg and NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas (Los Angeles Clippers): 5 games: 4.8ppg, 5.0rpg. Nicolai Simon is a 24 year old 191 cm guard that is playing his first season in Bayreuth. He started his basketball career in 2002 with 2002-2003: TuS Urspring (Regionalliga). He then played withErdgas Ehingen until 2006. IN 2006-2007, he was able to play 33 games for Alba Berlin despite being on a team with a deep roster. In 2007-2008, he injured himself playing only five games. In 2008-2009 he went back to Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (ProB): 28 games: 8.9ppg, 2.4rpg, 5.2apg, FGP: 49.0%, 3PT: 23.8%, FT: 85.7%. In 2009, he played at the World University games in Belgrad averaging 4,1ppg, 3,6rpg and 1,4apg. He also played for the  Paderborn Baskets (1.Bundesliga): 31 games: 5.5ppg, 1.1rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 40.8%, 3PT: 35.7%, FT: 79.4%. He played for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen form 2010-2012. Last season he played Last season for Tuebingen, he played 29 games: 5.4ppg, 1.2rpg, FGP: 47.9%, 3PT-1(52.0%), FT: 74.4%.

Beckham Wyrick is a 28 year old 198cm forward from Cincinnati, Ohio that has played in Germany since he was a rookie in 2006. Heis playing his second season for BBC Bayreuth. He played for NC-Wilmington (NCAA) from 2002-2006 together with Bamberg floor general John Goldsberry. Wyrick played for Bayer Giants Leverkusen from 2006-2008. He then had a successful stay with the Brose Baskets Bamberg from 2008-2010 winning a Beko BBL title and cup. In 2010-2011, he played for FC Bayern Muenchen (Germany-ProA) helping the team move to the Beko BBL and played 25 games: 8.8ppg, 4.7rpg, FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 30.4%, FT: 68.4%. Last season for BBC Bayreuth he played 31 games: 6.3ppg, 3.8rpg, FGP: 38.4%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 62.2%. Peter Zeis is a 23 year old 196cm swingman that is playing his second season for BBC Bayreuth. Last season he got into four Beko BBL games.He started his career in 2005 with TSV Troester II Breitengussbach and played there until 2011. Nate Rohnert is a 25 year old 197cm guard from Colorado that is embarking on his third professional basketball season and first in Germany. He played at Denver (NCAA) from 2006-2010 playing  a total of 100 NCAA games and in his senior year played 32 games: 14.5ppg, 5.7rpg, 3.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 74.4%. He turned professional in 2010 and played for  Tartu Ulikool/Rock (Estonia-KML): only pre-season, in Feb.’11 moved to Landstede Basketbal Zwolle (Holland-DBL, starting five): 11 games: 15.8ppg, 8.3rpg, 5.5apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 44.4%, FT: 70.0%. Last season, he played for  Denain ASC Voltaire (France-ProB, starting five): 34 games: 12.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.6apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 76.8%.

Simon  Schmitz is a 22 year old 188cm point guard that is playing his third season with BBC Bayreuth and  began his basketball career in 2005 with SG Bad Duerkheim/Speyer junior team. In 2008-2009, he played for BIS Baskets Speyer (ProB, starting five) where he played together with German national player Elias Harris. He played German League: 20 games: 14.1ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.7apg, FGP: 51.5%, 3PT: 33.6%, FT: 79.1%; also TV Bad Bergzabern (2.Regionalliga): 8 games: 14.5ppg. In 2009-2010, he played for Science City Jena (ProA): 29 games: 10.9ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.9apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 44.7%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 80.2%, in Mar.’10 also played at Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (1.Bundesliga). He played at the European Championships U20 in Croatia -10: 9 games: 10.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 56.5%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 80.0%. Last season, the German played  29 games: 3.3ppg, 1.3rpg, 1.1apg.  23 year old 206cm center Stefan Schmidt  was born in Schwandorf and is playing his fourth season with BBC Bayreuth. He started his basketball career with Franken Hexer (2.Regionalliga) in 2006. In 2007-2008, he played for SELLBYTEL Baskets Nuernberg (ProA, starting five): 20 games: 3.2ppg, 2.7rpg, FGP: 39.5%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 66.7%. In 2008-2009, he played for Franken Hexer (ProB, starting five): 29 games: 9.4ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 51.3%, 3PT: 25.3%, FT: 75.0%. Last season he had to fight injuries and played 17 games: 3.6ppg, 1.8rpg. Kevin Hamilton from New York is a 28 year old 193cm guard that is playing his second season in Bayreuth. He played at Holy Cross with ex Skyliner Keith Simmons from 2002-2006. He played in Poland the last few years and in the summers in Puerto Rico. He played under coach Sebastian Machowski in Poland and was made into  a point guard even though he had been a shooting guard most of his career. He scored 17,9ppg in his last season at Holy Cross and in 2008-2009 he led the Polish league in assists. What makes him so dangerous is his scoring and his potential and ability to score are limitless. “In college, I averaged almost 18 points per game. I have been a shooting guard for most of my career. Three seasons ago, I had to play point guard in Poland. I always thought that I was a good passer. I think passing has come naturally to me. I have enjoyed playing point guard”, stressed Kevin Hamilton. The best thing that teams can do is to keep the ball out of Hamiltons hands, but that is about as impossible as doing the same to Lebron James. “We tried to keep the ball out of his hands. We didn´t want him to make plays. He is a true point guard. He is a great passer and makes things happen for them. When he gets going, it is hard to stop the team”, warned ex Braunschweig guard Steven Wright. In 2009-2010 Hamilton played 39 games: 10.1ppg, 3.8rpg, Assists-3(5.4apg), Steals-2(1.9spg), FGP: 63.7%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 77.6%. He is one of those rare players that has triple double potential. In his last season for Braunschweig, he played 39 games: 9.0ppg, 4.1rpg, 4.3apg, Steals-1(1.9spg), FGP: 53.9%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 67.0%. Last season for BBC Bayreuth he played only 4 games: 8.8ppg, 3.3rpg, 4.0apg, 1.3spg. Last summer, he played for Indios de Mayaguez (Puerto Rico-BSN) playing  23 games: 7.6ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.6apg, Steals-4(1.6spg), FGP: 40.2%, 3PT: 38.7%, FT: 61.5%. . Arvydas Siksnius is a 25 year old 196cm forward from Lithuania that is playing his first season in the Beko BBL for BBC Bayreuth. He mostly played in his home country, but had a year of experience in the States playing for Weatherford JC (JUCO). Last season he played for Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (LKL): DNP, moved to BC Siauliai (LKL): Lithuanian League: 31 games: 7.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 58.2%, 3PT: 25.6%, FT: 75.9%; Baltic League: 22 games: 9.2ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 65.2%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 77.8%; VTB League: 2 games: 8.5ppg, 2.0rpg, 2FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 75.0%.