John Allen is a 29 year old 196 cm shooting guard/small forward who  played for  Anwil Wloclawek (Poland) last season playing 38 games: 9.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 32.9%, FT: 76.7%; VTB League: 3 games: 9.0ppg, 3.7rpg, 1.3apg, 2FGP: 36.8%, 3PT: 57.1%, FT: 25.0%. He is a a swingman who can be a huge problem for lots of defenses; can deliver some driving dunks and also display a deft shooting touch from the perimeter; and this double dimension make him a very tough player to guard. He comes from Coatesville, Pennsylvania. He went to Seton Hall from 2001-2005 and was a very important player in his time there. He never averaged less than 11,4ppg in his four years. His most productive season was the 2002-2003 season where he played 30 games averaging 14.0ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.7apg. He took no time resting a few months after graduation and in May signed with the New Jersey Flyers  of the USBL playing  21 games and averaging 21.7ppg, 7.2rpg, 3.0apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 47.7%, 3FGP: 39.0%, FT: 73.8%. He then went to Finland for the 2005-2006 season playing for Kouvolan Kouvot playing 44 games and averaging 19.8ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.6apg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 55.3%, 3PT: 35.2%, FT: 81.9%. In 2006-2007, he went to Israel to play for Maccabi Ironi Ramat Gan playing  27 games and averaging 15.3ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.8apg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 46.3%, FT: 81.5%. In 2007-2008, he had his first tenure with The New York Phantoms Braunschweig playing 34 games and averaging 13.2ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.7apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 28.3%, FT: 75.4%. In 2008-2009, he played in France for Strassburg playing 31 games and averaging 8.5ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 45.9%, 3PT: 30.6%, FT: 84.7%. In 2009-2010, he played for  New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 32 games: 6.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 22.0%, FT: 67.9%. In 2009-2010 he played for  New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 32 games: 6.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 22.0%, FT: 67.9%. In 2010-2011, he played for  Karhu Kauhajoki (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 20 games: 17.3ppg, 7.0rpg, 2.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 35.2%, FT: 81.4%, try-out, in Jan.’11 moved to Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 19 games: 8.9ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 72.9%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Its already October John and your still without a team. How surprised are you that you are still basketball jobless?

I am am a little surprised because I have played well in many countries, but its up to coaches and sport directors so I just have be patient.

Is it that the offers aren´t coming in or that your being more selective waiting for that perfect situation to arise?

I am being more selective

You played 2 and half seasons in Germany. What memories do you have most about playing there?

The German league was always professional, that is what I remember, the teams in the league were really professional and the fans in the league are always passionate about their teams!

Last season you played for Anwil Wloclawek in Poland and averaged 9.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 2.0apg. Was Poland no option to return to being that you had a solid season there?

Yes Poland was a option but I didnt like the offers that I had

What could you learn from ex NBA player Lorinza Harrington who is your size on the court?

Lorinza was always professional and always came to practice ready to work

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

I am a team player. I help teams in a lot of ways that dont always show with stats

Frankfurt needs some help at the shooting guard position. You could really help them with your experience. How much would you like to play for them?

I think that any player would like to play for the Skyliners they are a great organization and have a lot of history

You are a swingman. How could you help the Fraport Skyliners most at the shooting guard position?

I could bring a lot of experience and do whatever is needed to help the team win

What is your most prized basketball ability that would entice any head coach to sign you right away?

Defense is my best quality and last season I was defensive player of the year and I take a lot of pride in it

The 2009-2010 Phantoms team was a magical one reaching the playoffs for the firts time since 2003. What could you learn from head coach Sebastian Machowski who led this club to the playoffs three straight years?

In 2009-10 we had a lot of really good players and Machowski brought us together and made us a really good team. I learned a lot about basketball playing on that team

What goals do you still have as a basketball player at age 30

The goals I have now are just to be as professional as possible, always be prepared and help any team win and achieve success in any way possible.

Thanks John for the chat.

In the last years whenever the Frankfurt Skyliners visited the scenic city Ludwigsburg to tangle with their Beko BBL team, it was near the end of the season, flowers blooming, café´s starting to bustle, the soccer Bundesliga title race getting heated up, mini dresses popping up more and more on the street and Quantez Robertson still having enough energy unleashing his explosive flight to the basket with no signs of fatigue at the end of the season. However in the 2012-2013 season, the Fraport Skyliners had an early date with the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg with the dog days of summer having ended, the NFL just underway, the MLB ready for a perfect October finish, ex Beko BBL players Chris Copeland, Brian Roberts and Stephen Dennis preparing for NBA training camps and the Fraport Skyliners clashing on the most important German holiday the Unification day on October third. No game is a cat walk in the Beko BBL as the league continues to get more and more competitive in the last years, but having such an early date in Ludwigsburg was a bit unusual considering how the Beko BBL game plan had been set up the last years, but the excitement of the start of the season blocked any memory for Quantez Robertson about having played there at the end of the season the last years. “I doesn´t matter when we play them at the start or end of season. This was just another game and our first of the season. The only thing that I will remember from this game is that we just played bad”, stressed Quantez Robertson.  The 28 point performance by ex NBA player Roger Powell seemed like a century away and long forgotten form the last game win of the season in the 2010-2011 season as the Fraport Skyliners had lost the last two games in a row.

The Fraport Skyliners wanted to get on the right track right in the first game as they were drawn with a tough schedule with seven of the first ten games on the road, but had little fortune in Ludwigsburg getting outplayed for 40 minutes by the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg losing 74-56. It was one of those games where nothing went right and everything went right for the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg. After a 14-0 run in the second quarter, the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg were able to extend their lead to 20 plus points and never looked back stifling the Fraport Skyliners with an aggressive defense never letting them find their rhythm. The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg played solid offense, but it was their defense which was lauded most by head coach Steven Key. “I am most proud about our focus and concentration on defense.  We didn´t allow them any easy buckets at the start. We noticed early that they had no dominant player in the post and concentrated on giving them the pick and pop more. We did a great job on never letting them get in their comfort zone”, stressed Steven Key. After the game seeing the long faces of the Fraport Skyliners told the story of a game that went totally wrong for the 2004 Beko BBL champion. A loss like that is even harder to digest when you played ok defense, but couldn´t muster any kind of rhythm on offense. “Nothing worked for us on offense. We had no spacing and didn´t play inside enough. Playing against the switch it looked like it was the first time we had ever played against it. We didn´t use the mismatches well and weren´t able to defend the way we did against Wurzburg”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Konstantin Klein.

With the jump ball only moments away, one could sense the excitement of the new Beko BBL season growing and growing within the last hour before the start of the game. One could see Lurchi riding around the court on his scooter maybe dreaming of the 2012 Beko BBL allstar game where he had all his mascot buddies in his living room for basketball chowder, Zach Peacocok who had flown in from Miami a day earlier and still having jet lag was hitting jumper after jumper in warm ups as if he had been on the team for ages and an abundance of Lucca Staiger jerseys were seen being worn by middle aged women. The Fraport Sklyiners were without American Devin Gibson who had a knee problem and Ivan Elliot was back in the line up for the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg after missing most of the pre season with an injury.  The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg didn´t waste anytime showing the Fraport Skyliners quickly what they were capable of doing on offense as they raced out on a 9-2 lead. They drilled three three pointers in a row from ex Skyliner Max Weber, Joshua Jackson and ex Iowa State guard Lucca Staiger. Johnathon Jones was the only bright spot for the Fraport Sklyiners early on as he scored twice in the lane, but the fierce fire power of the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg kept firing away at Frankfurt as they kept hitting shots after shots as if they had been practicing on these rims 24 hours a day. Kammron Taylor who is playing in his ninth country nailed a three pointer and versatile Max Weber another jumper as Frankfurt trailed 13-5. The last thing that any one expects Quantez Robertson to do is score much, but in this game he had to take on the offensive load and produced. Robertson hit  a three pointer cutting the Ludwigsburg lead to 13-8. However no matter what Frankfurt did to stay close to Ludwigsburg, the home team kept hitting on all cylinders as Taylor hit two more jumpers and John Turek made a jumper as Frankfurt trailed 20-11. The Fraport Sklyiner closed out the first quarter strong with a 5-2 run to trail 22-16 after one quarter. The two PRO B players Danilo Barthel and Konstantin Klein shined. Barthel gave the perfect example of a mal nourished work horse battling down low getting two offensive  rebounds and hammering home the ball on the third try and Klein nailed a three pointer. “They hit so well in the first quarter that we quickly got depressed. Tez quickly got three fouls which hurt us on defense. We were able to come back at the end of the first quarter to stay in game”, stressed Skyliner captain Marius Nolte. The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg were shooting 82% from the field and 80% form outside while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 43% from the field and 50% from outside. Ludwigsburg had the seven to four rebound lead, but six turnovers while Frankfurt had four turnovers.

The Fraport Skyliners stayed on the heel of the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg cutting the lead to 24-21 as Dion Dowell hit a three pointer and Jones showed his quickness scoring inside. However then came the turning point in the game as the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg rolled on to a 14-0 run to lead 38-21. The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg played very strong in this phase scoring in so many different ways and getting to the foul line. Ex Wake Forest center David Weaver scored inside sneaking in back door retrieving a perfect lob pass from Ivan Elliot. Besnik Bekteshi gave valuable production form the bench scoring inside, Turek made a steal catching Frankfurt napping on transition defense as he fed Staiger for a fast break dunk, then Staiger scored on a fade away from the wing and Turek made a mid distance jumper.  Jones and Turek traded buckets at the end of the second quarter. Jones made a dunk on the fast break and Elliot socred inside as Danilo Barthel got no help defense. At halftime the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg trailed 41-23. “The Skyliners fell apart in this quarter. They continued to have no rhythm on offense and practiced more one on one plays”, stressed basketball expert Stephen Klauss. The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg were shooting 57% from the field and 36$ from the three point line while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 35% from the field and 31% from the three point line. Ludwigsburg had the big 19-11 rebound edge and eight turnovers while Frankfurt had nine turnovers.

The third quarter didn´t get any better for the Fraport Skyliners. The problems didn´t have to do with concentration, but it seemed more like they wanted to do too much which kept leading to easy mistakes and turnovers. The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg continued to be very consistent on offense strutting out on a 12-2 run to lead 53-25. Ludwigsburg was getting good ball movement which resulted in good shots. Joshua Jackson and Wayne Bernard hit three pointers, Turek nailed a fade away jumper and Taylor kept scoring  this time on the fast break.  Ludwigsburg kept up the lead while Robertson tried any which way to get the Skyliners back in the game scoring inside twice with his athletic flights. The Fraport Skyliners continued to be as stiff as cement while the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg continued to spread the floor and get shots all over. Down the stretch, the Fraport Skyliners got some production form new Skyliner Zach Peacock hitting two jumpers. “Peacock is long, strong and athletic. I think that he can be a weapon for Frankfurt if he plays hard”, warned ex MBC guard Wayne Bernard. After 30 minutes, the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg still led extremely comfortably 60-35. “Frankfurt wasn´t together and continued to shoot bad. Ludwigsburg continued to defend very aggressively making much pressure giving Frankfurt problems being patient”, explained Steven Klauss. The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg were still shooting at a very high percentage with 55% from the field and 47% from the parking lot while the Fraport Skyliners were shooting 32% from the field and 24% from the parking lot. Ludwigsburg continued to rule the boards 29-18, but had 14 turnovers while Frankfurt had 12 turnovers.

The game was as good as decided in the fourth quarter, but the lead was simply too high for the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg for the Fraport Skyliners too be able to turn the agme around despite it being their strongest quarter scoring 21 points. Ludwigsburg was able to keep the lead at 28 points 68-40 with some Turek buckets, but with the game decided, the Fraport Skyliners closed out the game strong with a 16-6 run. Robertson continued to be the scoring weapon that Frankfurt needed on a day where no other offensive production loomed. Robertson had a dunk, three pointer and some free throws. Dowell also helped his stat sheet with  a lay up and jumper. After 40 minutes the Fraport Skyliners quickly came to the realization that this was a game that quickly needed to be forgotten. “Ludwigsburg deserved to win. They fought and defended well for 40 minutes. They were able to play their game and shot well. Frankfurt had no stability on offense and will have to shoot better and have less turnovers in Artland”, added Steven Klauss. “We were ready on defense and were able to make adjustments on defense and exploited the mismatches very well”, added Wayne Bernard.

The Necckar Riesen Ludwigsburg were led by Kammron Taylor with 20 points. John Turek and Lucca Staiger combined for 11 points a piece. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Quantez Robertson with 16 points, three rebounds, two assists and five steals. Despite his five steals, he wasn´t too impressed by his defense. “I have been top scorer before. I made some shots and got to the free throw line. My defense was ok, but it could have been better. I was able to read the passing lanes well on those five steals”, stressed Quantez Robertson. Johnathon Jones chipped in with 11 points. Konstantin Klein made his Beko BBL debut finishing with four points and three rebounds in 17 minutes. “I was still a bit tired from the 36 minute PRO B game that I played yesterday. It was nice to play 17 minutes, but I made many mistakes. This won´t be a nice memory after a bad game”, added Konstantin Klein.  Despite this opening game poor performance by the Fraport Skyliners, there is no need to panic. “Frankfurt doesn´t seem to be complete yet. They still have to put the pieces together. It was the first game and the season is long”, commented Wayne Bernard. One thing that you have to like about Quantez Robertson is his straight forward logic which is about as normal as one of his pounding dunks when talking to the gregarious American about the teams chances in Artland. “If we play aggressive on offense and defense and execute on offense, then we should be able to win”, warned Quantez Robertson. The Artland Dragons host the Fraport Skyliners October sixth at 20:00.

For some Beko BBL teams like the Brose Baskets Bamberg or Alba Berlin, reaching the playoffs is as normal as Patrick Ewing jr getting asked daily about his famous dad Patrick Ewing, or New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady losing to close for comfort games in the past, but for the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg who used to go under the name of ENbW Ludwigsburg, the last time the Schwaben team was around during May in the Beko BBL playoffs, the New England Patriots had not experienced their two last minute Super Bowl loses to the New York Giants, Skyliner legend Pascal roller was just ending his sabbatical in Italy with Biela and Eisbaeren Bremerhaven forward Jacob Burtschi was just ending his NCAA career with Phoenix hagen and still three years away from starting his professional basketball career with Phoenix Hagen. The last time that Ludwigsburg was in the Beko BBL playoffs was 2007 where they lost in the semi finals to Bamberg. From 2004-2007, the club reached the playoffs three times led by Jerry Green. After bringing back Jerry Green a second time in 2010, the team was unable to take the Green magic and transform it into playoff appearances missing them twice including on the last game day in 2011 finishing the season in ninth place. Now the team has a new name Neckar Riesen, no Jerry Green and a lot of new hope for the coming season with many new player components ready to attack an even more competitive Beko BBL. “It is very tough to put behind a tough season when expectations are higher but at the end of the day it is a new season and with new players all that is out the window and a fresh start can help in so many ways. When you have tradition with a club it does rise because of outside factors such as what the management and fans may expect. But you have to find a way to stay together as a team and take each game one at a time”, stressed BV Chemnitz guard John Bynum.

It has been a while since the wins for EnBW Ludwigsburg were as frequent as they have been for the Brose Baskets Bamberg in the last years. There was one season, where the team was winning, winning, winning and Who could forget the 2006-2007 EnBW Ludwigsburg  Cinderella team that started the season on a seven game winning streak, winning the first 11 of 12 games and dominating the BBL the whole season until losing in the semi finals against The Brose Baskets Bamberg who would later win the BBL title. There was something so fresh with this team as team basketball had been taught by coach Silvano Propat and his players had learned it as quickly as first graders do their a,b,c´s. However the last two seasons were a downgrade as the playoffs were missed. In the 2007-2008 season, the team reached the BBL cup final losing to The Artland Dragons, but management somehow had their differences with coach Silvano Poropat as he had to pack his bags and go. In 2008-2009, management brought in ex Bamberg player Rick Stafford as the team missed the playoffs again and were searching for an identity all season long, but never found one. After December 14^th, 2008, the team would not win more than one game at a time before losing again. It was a very disappointing and weird season as the biggest highlights were the three B wins against Berlin, Bonn and Bamberg, and then the strange 1-0 win as The Giessen 46ers were unable to get to Ludwigsburg on time as they were stuck in traffic. It also marked the last professional season of all rounder and likeable American Brandon Woudstra who decided to hang up his sneakers and return back to the States to start  a new life with his family. The 2009-2010 season marked a rebirth as a new arena was introduced, a new coach with Tolga Ongoren and many new Americans that would hopefully lead the club back to the playoffs. Many fans had to get used to watching basketball in a new state of the art arena as the club said goodbye to the old, but comfy Rundsporthalle that had been alive for 37 years. The goal last season could only be the playoffs as the club has a lot of pressure from their sponsor to perform in the new arena, but this important goal was missed as the team missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season finishing the season in 11th place with a record 17-17. In the last three seasons, the club had a dismal record of 48-54. Two years ago, the club started well last season winning seven of their first nine games including a six game winning streak, but then lost nine of 11 games. The team had the problem of being consistent and was unable to beat the big teams. Their two biggest wins of the season was against Oldenburg and BG Goettingen. The team was strong on paper, with players like Kyle Bailey, Michael King, Quadre Lollis, Kyle Visser, Michael Haynes, Domonic Jones and Richard Chaney, but coach Tolga Ongoren was unable to produce a chemistry on the court and something else was missing as well. “It seemed that winning wasn´t as important to some guys as their selves. They definitely were talented enough for the playoffs, but they lost some games that they should of won”, stressed ex Paderborn guard Steven Wright.

Last season despite having a talented roster, one can describe the season two ways. It was a catastrophe of a season and one where one could only shake their head in disbelief about how such a collection of players could only land in 16^th place with a record of 10-24. The team was just too inconsistent and losing nine of ten games in the first half of the season didn´t help much either. They also had the misfortune of losing five games with less than four points. With a new name, the club decided to make a huge facelift saying goodbye to nine players. When reading the list of guys like Alex Harris, John Bowler, Mark Dorris, Matt Howard(2 time NCAA finaklist with Butler), Jeff Greer or a Johannes Lischka, one has to ask the question how a team like this was battling to stay in the Beko BBL for months instead of hanging around the playoff door. Management has continued to give trust to American head coach Steven key who will remain as head coach. His way of keeping his team focused in the big games at the end of the season and not moving down gave him a lot of credit. Despite the new name, the club did experience a few negative things this past summer concerning Kurt Looby and Jerry Green. Looby left to play in Puerto Rico despite not getting the clearance from the German team. The team and Looby seem to have solved their differences, but the big man wont be returning. Recently, the club and Jerry Green parted ways. Green who had been a fan favorite in Ludwigsburg for years after bringing the team much success wasn´t asked back on account of his fitness. Apparently Green still had a valid deal, but the court will solve this problem. Green had been practicing with PRO A team Kirchheim Knights.

With the team budget only reduced by 200,000, the club was still able to bring in an interesting core of players from Beko BBL players too newcomers in the Beko BBL.The club brought in five ex Beko BBL players and three newcomers. The most interesting signing has to be German national player Lucca Staiger who is hoping for his breakthrough. The club also brought back experienced Wayne Bernard who will be playing for this third Beko BBL team. Ivan Elliot remains in the Beko BBL who will bring much on court versatility. John Turek is also back after having played in Hagen a few years ago and has made a name for himself in the Dutch league. Max Weber enjoyed a strong individual season in Goettingen and could play a big role for the team with his hustle play on the court. The three newcomers are Kammron Taylor, David Weaver and Darryl Jackson. Taylor will take the role of Jerry Green at the point guard position. David Weaver is a young player who will be banging inside and could be on some highlight films this season giving a Quantez Robertson competition and Darryl Jackson brings scoring routine from lower leagues. The question will be how well he can adjust to a stronger league in Germany. The strength of the team is the Beko BBL experience that many of the new players bring as well as the new hope that the roster has. The team had little consistency in their chemistry last season and it will be the job of head coach Steven key to develop something early. The team will need to find a new type of identity. A weakness could be not having that one or two identity figures early on. The team will need to establish one or two leaders early, so when the team has a tough stretch that there will be guys that can lead the team. Guys like John Bowler and Jerry Green aren´t around anymore to bark the needed commands. The team will need a good start, because they begin with a tough schedule and the first game against the Fraport Skyliners could be their easiest game so a win in the home debut of the season will be more than necessary to get their confidence sky high for the games against Ulm, Oldenburg, Munich and Alba Berlin. “ I like Steven keys as a coach for sure. He is a great coach. I like Bernard as a veteran leader and Ivan Elliot brings an inside outside match problem. Also the addition of staiger will stretch out the defense but there are still question marks with players that are new to the BBL. time will tell in which direction they are heading adore the first couple of weeks”, added ex TBB Trier guard John Bynum.

The Fraport Skyliners have nice memories of the last 14 games against EnBW Ludwigsburg having a 9-5 record. They have a 4-1 record in the Ballsporthalle. One player who has fond memories of playing EnBW Ludwigsburg is ex Skyliner Derrick Allen who was the top scorer of Frankfurt in four of the last six games including a 37 point performance in a 96-87 win in 2008. In 2008-2009, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners split the season series 1-1 winning 68-64 at home getting 19 points from Aubrey Reese and losing the last game of the season 71-62 on the road getting 18 points from Derrick Allen. In 2010-2011 The Deutsche Bank Skyliners beat EnBW Ludwigsburg 74-67 in a low scoring affair. Frankfurt was led by Roger Powell with 16 points and six rebounds while current beko BBL top scorer Dashaun Wood chipped in with 13 points and eight assists. EnBW Ludwigsburg was led by Alex Harris with 18 points and ex Telekom Baskets Bonn center John Bowler was tough with 13 points and nine rebounds. In the last game of the season in Ludwigsburg, the Skyliners whipped EnBW Ludwigsburg 94-79 as ex NBA player Roger Powell had his best game as a Skyliner pouring in 28 points and Dashaun Wood added a double double with 19 points and 10 assists. Last season, the teams split the season series. The Fraport Skyliners played a horrible game in Ludwigsburg where nothing went their way losing 82-57, but won at home 76-72 as Jermario Davidson led the team with 21 points and Michael Thompson chipped in with 17 points.

The Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg are led by Kammron Taylor. Taylor is a 28 year old 188cm guard that was born in Chicago and grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He played at Wisconsin from 2003-2007 reaching the NCAA tournament elite 8 in 2005 and winning the Big Ten tournament in 2004. He is starting his fifth professional season and Germany will be his ninth country where he has played. He has played in countries like Turkey, Spain, France, Hungry, Ukraine, Columbia, Venzeula and Cyprus. Last season he played for SK Dnipro Azot Dniprodzerzhynsk (Ukraine-Superleague, starting five): 13 games: 14.6ppg, 2.2rpg, 3.6apg, FGP: 37.8%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 84.1%. He played NBA Summer league this past summer  in Las Vegas (Minnesota Timberwolves): 4 games: 10.0ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.3apg. The club also brought in David Weaver who is a 24 year old 209cm center from Black Mountain, North Carolina. Versatile big man who possesses a defensive-minded game. An excellent shot blocker and post defender. Powerful dunker who finished with 45 dunks in his NCAA career. Can play at both the power forward and center positions. He played at wake Forest from 2005-2010 with NBA players Jeff Teague and Al Farouq Aminu. In 2010-2011, he started his professional basketball career for Ilysiakos Athens (Greece-A1), only preseason, in Nov.’10 joined BC Siauliai (Lithuania-LKL): Lithuanian League: : 23 games: 11.5ppg, 5.5rpg, FGP: 62.8%, 3PT: 22.2%, FT: 68.4%; EuroCup: 6 games: 11.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 60.4%, FT: 64.7%; Baltic League: 17 games: 9.2ppg, 4.0rpg, FGP: 60.8%, FT:62.3%. Last season, he played for Energa Czarni Slupsk (Poland-PLK): 36 games: 9.2ppg, 4.3rpg, FGP: 66.1%, 3PT-2(50.0%), FT: 75.0%.

The team also hauled in John Turek who is a 29 year old power forward/center from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He is a very effective front court player, who improved his performing year after year and seems now ready for the higher level. Bangs well inside, can score from outside and defends hard. Hesn’ t so athletic, but knows how to do and where to stay in almost any moment of the game. Great attitude and team mentality. He played at Nebraska(NCAA) from 2001-2005. In his first four seasons, he played twice in Holland and in Belgium and Poland. In 2009-2010, he played for Phoenix Hagen (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 28 games: 12.4ppg, Reb-5(6.6rpg), 1.0apg, Blocks-1(1.4bpg), FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 61.8%. Last season, he played for  Trefl Sopot (Poland) winning the cup and playing 48 games: 14.1ppg, 7.4rpg, FGP: 58.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 62.5%. The last new addition that will be making his Beko BBL debut will be Darryl Jackson. Jackson is a 26 year old 189 cm guard from Oregon that also has the Malta citzenship. He played at Warner Pacific(NAIA) before turning professional in 2008. In his first three seasons, he made a name for himself in Romania. He got experience playing eight Eurochallenge games. Last season, he played for  InterCollege Etha Engomis (Cyprus-Division A): Greek League: 13 games: 10.0ppg; EuroCup Qualifications: 2 games: 6.0ppg, 1.5apg; EuroChallenge: 5 games: 11.4ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.2spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 76.5%, in May’12 joined Sokhumi Tbilisi (Georgia-Superleague, starting five): 5 games: 13.2ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.4apg, FGP: 59.3%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 83.3%. He won the super cup and league title in Cyprus last season.

Wayne Bernard who was the 2009 PRO A player of the year is a 31 year old 190cm combo guard from Poway, California who is playing his first season for the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg. He has displayed a knack for knocking down clutch baskets in key situations and is a player that performs at his best in pressure situations. He has superb range on his jumper, and can also drive to the hoop with slashing moves. He is also a capable ball handler. He played at Davidson(NCAA) from 2000-2003. Bernard has very much experience having played in countries like Israel, Greece, France, Sweden and Finland It doesn´´t matter where Bernard has played, he has always been a scorer. in the 2008-2009 season where MBC moved up to the BEKO BBL, he played 30 games: 14.4ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.6apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 43.2%, FT: 80.4%. In 2009-2010 for MBC, he played 34 games: 8.6ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.7apg, Steals-5(1.5spg), FGP: 41.6%, 3PT: 33.6%, FT: 80.8%. In 2010-2011 for MBC, he played 34 games: 11.1ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.7%. Last season for the LTi Giessen 46ers, he played 34 games: 9.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.9apg, Steals-5(1.4spg), FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 35.0%, FT: 85.2%. The team also added Ivan Elliot who is a 25 year old 203cm power forward/center from San Francisco, California that played at UCSB. He is a very versatile on the offensive end, able to shoot the 3-pointer with confidence, slash to the basket, and play underneath the basket with his physical strength and overall skills, is the ultimate team player who always gives everything he has in every practice and game, highly motivated and willing to do the extra work to become the best player. He has experience having played for SK Valmiera (Latvia) as a rookie and two years ago for MBC. In 2010-2011 for the s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg, he played 30 games: 10.6ppg, 6.0rpg, FGP: 59.3%, 3PT: 41.0%, FT: 77.8%. Last season for the  s Oliver Baskets Wuerzburg (Germany-1.Bundesliga) he played  34 games: 8.6ppg, 4.7rpg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 74.0%

The team also brought in Americans Lucca Staiger and Max Weber. Staiger is a 24 year old 195cm shooting guard that was born in Ulm. He started his basketball career with TSG Ehingen in 2003. He once scored 106 points in a youth game at age 16. He played at Iowa State from 2007 until January 2010 where he moved to Alba Berlin. At Iowa State, he played a total of 49 NCAA games. In his senior year, he played  17 games: 9.4ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 42.5%, 3PT: 42.5%, FT: 75.0%,. He played for Alba Berlin from 2010-2012, but never really got a chance to get sufficient minutes. He played a total of 69 NCAA games. Last season for Alba Berlin, he played  German League: 21 games: 2.2ppg; EuroCup: 8 games: 0.9ppg; Euroleague Qualifying Round: 2 games: 7.5ppg, also played at ALBA Berlin II (ProB): 8 games: 14.5ppg, 5.4rpg, 5.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 40.0%, 3PT: 27.9%, FT: 83.3%. Staiger played at the World Championships in Turkey -10: 4 games: 7.3ppg, 1.0rpg, FGP: 66.7%, 3PT: 37.5% and European Championships in Lithuania -11: 6 games: 2.7ppg, 1.2apg. This past summer, Staiger played eight games at the 2012 European qualification games averaging 9,9ppg, 1,9rpg and 1,4apg.

Max Weber also has joined the team. Weber is a Weber who is a 201cm small forward and be only 27, but he has much experience having played in Peru and winning a Beko BBL title with Bamberg in 2005 at the age of 20. He started his basketball career with BBC Bayreuth (2.Bundesliga) in 2003 and then played for GHP Bamberg and TSV Troester II Breitengussbach from 2004-2oo6. He then played for TV Langen (2.Bundesliga) and the Deutsche Bank Skyliners from 2006-2009. He played a total of 19beko BBL games and seven Eurochallenge games. In 2009-2010, he played for the  LTi Giessen 46ers playing 28 games: 2.6ppg, 1.4rpg. In 2010-2011, he played for the Saar-Pfalz Braves (ProA, starting five): 27 games: 11.5ppg, 3.3rpg, 2.2apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 46.6%, 3PT: 27.0%, FT: 60.0%. He was a member of the German U-16, U-18, and U-20 national teams and played at World University Championships in Bangkoki n 2007. Last season for BG Goettingen, he played EuroChallenge: 6 games: 4.5ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.2apg; German League: 33 games: 6.4ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 48.4%, 3PT: 27.1%, FT: 59.6%. The club also has The club also has big german/Albanian talent Besnik Bekteshi who is a 19 year old 188cm guard. In 2009-2010, he played for BSG Ludwigsburg (Germany-Regionalliga): 19 games: 12.6ppg, played also for BBA Ludwigsburg (NBBL): 11 games: 16.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.4apg, 3.7spg. He made an early name for himself in the summer of 2010 at the European Championships U17 in Hamburg (Germany) -10: 8 games: 15.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.9apg, Steals-4(2.3spg), FGP: 47.1%, 3PT: 40.7%, FT-3(87.0%). He won  a bronze at the 2010 Albert Schweitezr tournament in Mannheim. He played at the European Championships U18 in Wroclaw (Poland) -11: 8 games: 9.1ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.4apg, Steals-5(2.4spg), FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 41.7%, FT-3(87.5%). Last season he played for  EnBW Ludwigsburg (1.Bundesliga): 2 games: 1.5ppg; had also a license to play for VfL Kirchheim Knights (Germany-ProA): 33 games: 4.9ppg, 1.9rpg. The team also kept Tim Koch who is a 23 year old 196cm forward that has been in the Ludwigsburg system since 2006. He has only been able to play a total of 32 Beko BBL games as he has moved between BSG Ludwigsburg(Regionaliga) and Kirchheim Knights(PRO A). The team also has young German talent Johnathan Maier who is a 19 year old 211cm center. Last season he played for  EnBW Ludwigsburg (1.Bundesliga): 2 games: 1.0ppg, 1.0rpg; had also a license to play for VfL Kirchheim Knights (ProA): 15 games: 2.3ppg, 1.3rpg.

Life as a Fraport Skyliner fan has been easy in the last year. After losing the 2010 Beko BBL final to the Brose Baskets Bamberg in five hard fought games, the club has been in a gradual down swing. In 2010-2011, the team lost in the semi finals to Alba Berlin and last season after a slow start where they were in 17^th place in December 2011, the team had a spirited second half of the season rocking the world of teams like Bamberg, Ulm, Munich, Oldenburg and Artland, but having misfortune and losing in Bonn on the last game day and their ticket to the final spot in the Beko BBL playoffs. This past summer, the transfer market was very quiet for the Fraport Skyliners. They did haul in young German talents Konstantin klein and Johannes Voigtman early, but took their time signing their import players. With a limited budget the team had to give try out contracts to Americans Johnathon Jones, Anthony Jones and Alexander Franklin. Anthony Jones and Alexander Franklin didn´t make the try out phase while Johnathon jones did. The team brought in help on the forward position with dion Dowell, but are still looking for a shooting guard and big man. The announcement that ex German national player Johannes Herber retired didn´t make the season planning for the first game in Ludwigsburg on October third an easier. “It was tough losing Joe. I know that he had big pain. We have to forget this fast and now it is time for other people to step up. We have to concentrate on basketball. I know that we still will have a good team without Joe”, warned Skyliner captain Marius Nolte. A positive aspect of the 2012-2013 Fraport Skyliners will be the continued focus of their youth program where they invest much money. The team will aslo continue to develop talents like Danilo Barthel, Konstantin Klein and Johannes Voigtman who will see their minutes in the Beko BBL. The team has no superstar and will need to establish a type of scoring identity figure as guys like Jimmy Mckinney and Jacob Burtschi are grazing now on greener pastures in Wurzburg and Bremerhaven. Last season, the team had one of the leagues best defense in the second half and head coach Muli katzurin will focus on that again this season. They will have to have a strong and consistent defense this season to survive, because they wont be scoring 80 points every night. The Fraport Skyliners will need to have a strong start this season, because they might not be able to escape their hole as well as they did last season. With players still missing, finding the team rythem and roles within the team will take longer and wont be beneficial with the tough start where seven of the first ten games are on the road.

The team is led by captain Marius Nolte and Quantez Robertson who both have been in Frankfurt since 2009. Nolte is a 31 year old 206cm center who started his career at Salzkothen. He played with the Paderborn Baskets from 2001-2009 playing a total of 223 games and 103 Beko BBL games. Who could forget the three musketeers with Tim Black, Steven esterkamp and Nolte. Last season for Frankfurt he played  EuroCup: 6 games: 2.8ppg, 2.5rpg; German League: 31 games: 3.4ppg, 2.1rpg. Quantez Robertson will start his third season in Frankfurt. He belongs to the top defenders in the Beko BBl after learning his trade at Auburn from 2005-2009. Last season for Frankfurt, he played EuroCup: 6 games: 6.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 23.1%, FT: 66.7%; German League: 34 games: 7.5ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 17.7%, FT: 75.3%. Devin Gibson will start his second season for the Fraport Skyliners. Gibson played at the University of Texas at San Antonio playing a total of 119 NCAA games. In hiss enior year, he played  34 games: 17.0ppg, 5.2rpg, 5.4apg, 2.7spg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 78.1%. Lasts eason for Frankfurt he palyed  18 games: 8.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 2.7apg, Steals-5(1.4spg), FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 72.8%. The team also brings back Danilo Barthel. Barthel is a 20 year old 207cm forward from Heidelberg. He played at USC Heidelberg from 2007-2011. Last season for the Fraport Skyliners he played  German League: 13 games: 2.8ppg, 1.1rpg; EuroCup: 4 games: 0.8ppg, 1.0rpg, also has a license to play for Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt II (ProB): 16 games: 13.1ppg, 7.2rpg, 2.7apg, Blocks-4(1.6bpg), FGP: 57.4%, 3PT: 22.7%, FT: 71.4%. He has been a member of the German U-18 and U-20 teams.

The team added young Germans Konstantin Klein and Johannes Voigtman. Klein is a 20 year old 185cm guard from Berlin. He started his basketball career with Alba Berlin(regionaliga) in 2008 where he played until 2011. Alba Berlin were never convinced of his abilities and he left for the BiG Oettinger Rockets Gotha (ProB) last season playing28 games: 9.9ppg, 1.9rpg, 3.7apg, FGP: 52.5%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 73.2%. Klein has made a good figure in pre season especially with his give and go play with Voigtman and Nolte that he runs to perfection. Johannes Voigtman is a 20 year old 210cm center that is a former handball player and started to play basketball at age 15. He has quick feet and is agile and mobile for his size, is a big and versatile talent that can play both inside spots with efficiency, is tough and strong and has good lateral mobility. He can face the basket and put the ball on the floor, has good vision of the court, excellent passer for his size and position. He has a soft touch up to 3-point range, good attitude and stays always under control, not afraid of contact, has good control of his body when driving to the basket. Against pick and rolls he is always ready and has the quickness to step out and double. He started his basketball career at TUS Jena in 2008. Last season in the PRO A he averaged 4,1ppg and 3,1rpg.

The team brought in Americans Johnathon Jones and Dion Dowell. Jones is a 24 year old 183cm guard that was born in Magic jOhnson land Lansing, Michigan. He played at Oakland(NCAA) from 2006-2010 and in his senior year was a teammate of Sklyiner Larry Wright.In his  senior year, he played  35 games: 12.2ppg, 2.2rpg, 6.4apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 84.8%. He  set school record in minutes played (4,846) and tied school record as the all-time winningest player over four-year career, 85 wins. Ranks third all-time in school history in steals (196) and 11th in league history. Stands 10th all-time in OU history in points (1,674) and 18th on the league all-time scoring list. His career .816 free throw percentage ranks 10th in league history and T4 in school history. First OU player to surpass 1,300 points and 800 assists. The last two seasons as a professional he played for  MBK Rieker Komarno (Slovakia-Extraliga). Last season he played 42 games: 16.3ppg, 3.7rpg, Assists-4(5.3apg), 1.8spg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 80.2%. This past summer he played in the IBL for the Lansing Capitals. Dowell is a 27 year old 200cm swing man that was born in Berlin, but grew up in texas. As a freshman he played at Texas(NCAA) in 2005-2006 missing Kevin Durant by one year who came a year later. He finished his NCAA career in 2008 at Houston. He reached the NCAA last 8 in 2006 with Texas. In 2008, he started his basketball career for the Golden State Warriors (NBA), left in Oct.’08, in Nov.’08 signed at Dexia Mons-Hainaut (Belgium-D1): Belgian League: 6 games: 9.2ppg, 3.0rpg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT: 63.6%, FT: 16.7%; EuroChallenge: 4 games: 6.3ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.0bpg, in Jan.’09 moved to Altshuler Saham Galil Gilboa (Israel-Premier League, starting five): 19 games: 6.9ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.2spg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 67.6%. In the last three seasons he ha splayed in israel and has had top teammates like Brian Roberts, Isaiah Swann, Tony Gaffney and ex NBA player Danilo Pinnock. Last season, he played for  B.C. Habikaa (Israel-Premier League, starting five): 27 games: 12.3ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.8apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 37.4%, FT: 72.0%.

The Fraport Skyliners open up their season in Ludwigsburg on October 3^rd. Both teams are looking to get off on the right foot as both have difficult start schedules. For the Fraport Skyliners, they might not belive literally in the Pat Riley saying that defense wins championships as they are fra from that, but possibly that defense wins games. “Defense will be the key for success. I have told the team already that defense brought us success this season. We have shown good results in pre season concerning our defense. We will have to defend well in Ludwigsburg. I am happy the season is finally starting. Maybe we can make some early surprises”, warned Marius Nolte. “ I think ludwigsburg has to establish a tone from the beginning and use some of there experience as an advantage. Frankfurt is a young team and will need young players to step up. Each time has to establish some kind of consistentcy and find themselves”, expressed John Bynum. The Fraport Skyliners held the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg to only 56 points and hope that this is a good omen for the defensive work in the first games.

 

 

Jacob Burtschi is a 28 year old 198cm forward from Chickasha, Oklahoma who is playing his first season with the Bremerhaven Eisbaeren. He played as a rookie for Phoenix Hagen in 2010-2011 averaging 14.2ppg, 6.9rpg, 2.5apg, Steals-3(1.5spg), FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 44.2%, FT: 82.2%. He played at the Air Force from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he played 35 games averaging 13.5ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.3apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 49.7%, 3Pts: 39.0%, FT: 77.3%. He had offers to play in the NBA, but served in the Air Force the last three years and could only play club ball. Some achievements that he got in the NCAA were  All-MWC Honorable Mention -05, MWC Regular Season Runner-Up -06, All-MWC 2nd Team -06, 07, NABC All-NCAA District 13 2nd Team -07, and NIT Final Four -07. Last season he played for  CAI Zaragoza (Spain-ACB, starting five): 9 games: 2.6ppg, 2.4rpg; left in Nov.’11, in Dec.’11 moved to Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt (Germany-BBL): German League: 22 games: 8.2ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.4apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 36.3%, FT: 87.5%; EuroCup: 2 games: 5.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0spg. He spoke to German Hoops about the season opener in Bamberg.

The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven kick off the season in 4 days. How happy have you been with the pre season and how ready is the team for the season?

I would be lying if I said I was thrilled with the preseason. but we are basically a whole new team and are still in the process of figuring each other out. We have these next few days to really get prepared to kick the season off.

You were recently named captain of the team. If you look back at any captain in professional sports, which captain has impressed you the most and who would you try to model your captaincy most around?

Definitely would have to be Charlie Conway of the Mighty Ducks

Tee Eisbaeren are very strong at the guard positions and seemed a bit thin down low until the signing of Keith Waleskowski. What has been your early impression of the player that has gained much experience over the years in Italy?

He is a smart, tough player. He is our veteran. He has the old man moves down and he knows how to be in the right position at the right time.

What kind of role are you having this season besides being captain and how is it different from what you did on the court with the Fraport Skyliners last season?

Iam involved a little bit more offensively this year. but every team I play on I try and be the glue guy. The guy who does a little bit of everything and whatever the team needs to get the job done.

The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven couldn´t have been stuck with a tougher opponent than Bamberg in the opener. Bamberg lost many players, but if you look on paper, how would you compare this years team to last in terms of talent?

They are a very talented team. they also have a lot of new players and are trying to gel together. But as of right now, i believe last years team was tougher, but give this team some time and they could be just as good if not better than last year.

Last week, the Fraport Skyliners had the farewell test game for Jimmy Mckinney against the Fraport Skyliners. Mckinney was awarded with the tuxedo from the gala from last season, because he always wanted to have it What is your sweetest memory from the tuxedo fitting day last season?

When I was the host of the video we did during the fitting. I had a blast doing that.

You have been in Bremerhaven now 6 weeks. What have you grown to like the most so far from the sea coast town?

The people. they have been very friendly. I like the small town feel. reminds me of the people back home in Oklahoma.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?
The dictator. hilarious.

Thanks Jacob for the chat.

There are quite a lot of reasons why one would adore seeing the s.Oliver baskets Wurzubrug play this season. Seeing the return of 2010 Eurochallenge winner Dwayne Anderson, witnessing the possible complete breakthrough of German Chris Mcnaughton, asking Derrick Allen friend Lamont Mcintosh if he also gets around with a bike in Wurzburg as he did at Artland, seeing the continued development of the three pointer of Alex King or just observing the three amigos Jason Boone, Ben Jacobson and John Little who might as well settle down in the same town once their playing days are over. However if you are a Fraport Skyliners fan than the number one reason for seeing the squad of Marcel Schroder play is ex Skyliner Jimmy Mckinney. After missing the opportunity to see the St Louis native play his ex team 11 days ago in Wurzburg at the Rexoth tournament, fans finally had the chance to see him play again in his ex practice living room stomping ground of the BCM. One had many memories of Mckinney from his countless injuries to his numerous short term contracts and it was difficult knowing which he saw more of. The American reached the playoffs in Frankfurt in four out of six seasons and it took until his last season where he became the sole leader. It was difficult seeing Mckinney in red as he returned back home in good spirits, but his home coming was ruined by the sharp shooting of Larry Wright who led the Fraport Skyliners past the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg 69-56 with a 27 point effort. Despite the loss, Mckinney had a smile on his face when seeing old friends. “I think this game was a set up. This was our worst game this pre season. However it was great coming back and seeing the fans and club again. It was a great atmosphere and it was great to be back in the old gym”, stressed Wurzburg guard Jimmy Mckinney. His ex teammates enjoyed seeing him again, but the color of the jersey took time getting used to. “It was weird seeing Jimmy in red. My nicest two memories last season was when he taught me to drive a stick and the game where I passed him the ball and he hit a game winning shot. He said “good job Devin”. That was really nice to hear from him”, added Devin Gibson. “I didn´t want to steal the show from Jimmy. I just wanted to help my team win. It was weird playing against an ex teammate. Last week in Italy I played against my ex teammate Reggie Hamilton at Oakland. Jimmy is a very good player on offense and defense”, commented Larry Wright. Teammate Lamont Mcintosh is glad to have Mckinney on his team. “One could see that when Jimmy doesn´t have his shooting touch that we struggle. His play will be a difference maker in our offense. He is a great teammate”, said ex Artland Dragon Lamont Mcintosh.

After finishing in third place in basketball tournaments in Wurzburg and Italy, the Fraport Skyliners returned from their week long training camp in Trevisio fresh and ready to take on a potential Beko BBL playoff team. After a pretty even first quarter, the Fraport Skyliners broke away in the second quarter, allowed Wurzburg too only eight points in the third quarter and stayed consistent in the fourth quarter slamming the door on the Bavarian team. After the 40 minute game the question was did the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg stink up the house or did the Fraport Skyliners annoying defense have a part in this win? “Our defense was very strong, but I would say that it wasn´t just us. Wurzburg seemed to have quite  a few mental lapses. We were very consistent and Larry Wright hit big shots”, commented Fraport Skyliner guard Devin Gibson.  For the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg, they can only forget this performance and concentrate on their first game against BBC Bayreuth. “The Skyliners prepared very well and there defense was good. We were just bad. We were flat and it was just one of those days where nothing went right. I hope that we don´t have one of these days during the regular season”, warned Jimmy Mckinney.

Before the game started, Fraport Skyliner manager Gunnar Wobke awarded Jimmy Mckinney with a tuxedo. Last season, the whole team wore tuexedos to a team function and the American kept saying how much he wanted to own one. It was a nice gesture of the Fraport Skyliners and Mckinney seemed more than overjoyed about accepting the gracious gift from his ex team. The Fraport Skyliners had 11 players on the stat sheet with six being PRO B players. Frankfurt is still seeking after a shooting guard and a big man. The Fraport Skyliners started with Johnathon Jones, Konstantin Klein, Dion Dowell, Quantez Robertson and captain Marius Nolte while the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg countered with John Little, Jimmy Mckinney, Lamont Mcintosh, Dwayne Anderson and Jason Boone. The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg got the board first with a Jason Boone stuff, but the Fraport Skyliners countered with a typical give and go from Konstantin Klein to Marius Nolte. Klein also likes the target Johannes Vogtman.  Wurzburg had their shooting touch early as Dwayne Anderson and Lamont Mcintosh scored from down town. Quantez Robertson had a spectacular penetration drive that had him sliding on the BCM floor as if a secret coating of ice had been layed down.  Wurzburg was able to extend their lead to 13-7 with a pretty ally-op pass from Mcintosh to Anderson. However the Fraport Skyliners didn´t seem startled as they regrouped and finished the first quarter with a 9-3 run to have the game deadlocked at 16-16. PRO B player Larry Wright scored seven of the nine points. He started the run with three free throws. Dion Dowell then made a hammering dunk after getting a quick feed from Danilo Barthel who had secured an offensive rebound. Wright then hit two more free throws and made a steal and scored on a routine lay up. Mckinney then ended the first quarter in typical Jay roc manner putting some fakes on his opponent and drilling home  a three pointer.

In the second quarter, the game started to turn as the Fraport Sklyiners took control and were more efficient with their shooting consistency. The Fraport Sklyiners went on a 8-2 run to lead 24-18. After ex Bamberg guard Maurice Stuckey hit a runner, it was Larry Wright who continued to show that he learned his trade shooting at St Johns and Oakland as he nailed a three pointer. Quantez Robertson connected for a mid distance shot and Danilo Barthel made a three pointer. Wurzburg had lost some intensity on defense coupled with mental lapses while the Fraport Skyliners continued to show a lot of confidence in their shots. Wurzburg tried to come back and did going on a 9-5 run to cut the Skyliners lead to 29-27. Ex BG Goettingen center Jason Boone scored twice in the paint while pit bull John Little scored on a pretty finger tip role. However this quarter remained a up and down run for both teams. The Fraport Skyliners finished the quarter strong going on a 10-3 run to lead comfortably at halftime 39-30. In the Skyliner run, Nolte scored with a baby hook, Wright with a mid distance shot, Robertson with a lay up after being fed by Jones with a no look pass and Klein finished the second quarter with a contested three pointer after beautiful ball movement by the team. “We were working too fats in the first quarter. In the second quarter we calmed down and executed well on offense”, stated Larry Wright. “The Skyliners had more desire and energy. We were unable to match their intensity”, commented Lamont Mcintosh.The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 48% from the field and 36% from outside while the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg were shooting 38% from the field and 45% from outside. Frankfurt had the 20-14 rebound edge and both teams suffered seven turnovers.

The third quarter showcased the lowest scoring quarter of the game as the Fraport Skyliners outscored the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg 9-8. Wurzburg could of cut the lead down even more had Jason Boone not missed four free throws in a row, but he had hurt his shooting arm in the pre season game against Hapoel Jerusalem and was fighting to find his shooting motion.  The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg had some hope after starting off on a 5-0 run as John Little hit from the parking garage at the Northwest center and Mcintosh also scored with a jumper as the Fraport Sklyiners only led 40-36. However the Fraport Skyliners continued to stay calm and kept their defensive pressure up and annoyed Wurzburg in their offensive sets. Klein nailed a wicked shot off the dribble and Dowell and Robertson made free throws as the Fraport Skyliners led 48-38 after three quarters. “We overplayed our options. Frankfurt defense forced us out of our sets and we were unable to execute our sets”, added Lamont Mcintosh. “We turned up our ball pressure. Our help side was excellent and each guard was excellent”, commented Larry Wright.

Larry Wright saved his best for last as he didn´t even let the s.Oliver Baskets get closer as he nailed the door shut gunning 17 points in the fourth quarter. Mckinney did start of the fourth quarter with what he does  best and that is being parked in the corner and dropping shots as Wurzburg trailed only 48-40. However the Fraport Skyliners kept up the offensive pressure as it was Wright who was on fire. After a Jones steal, Wright got fed for the dunk. After a Robertson off balance shot it was Wright who hit back to back with a lay up and Three pointer as Frankfurt led 58-45. Whenever Wurzburg was trying to come back, it was Wright who had a return answer. Mckinney drilled a three pointer for the 61-49 Frankfurt lead, but Wright hit a three pointer as Frankfurt led 63-49. Anderson agve Wurzburg hope again with a three pointer as they trailed 63-52, but Barthel scored inside for the 65-52 lead. After Boone made a jumper, it was Wright again who hit a three pointer from the corner sealing the win as Frankfurt led 68-54. Mckinney hit the last shot of the game leaving his Skyliner fans with something to remember him by. “We locked down in the fourth quarter. We showed that defense wins games more than offense does”, stressed Larry Wright. “That was not Wurzburg tonight. We had mental lapses and we missed Ben Jacobson.  We will have to make adjustments during games when things aren´t working”, added Lamont Mcintosh.

The Fraport Skyliners were led by Larry Wright with 27 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Wright was modest after his performance, but one could feel that he was overjoyed as well as relived about his play. “I just was aggressive looking for my shot. I was open and my teammates found me. I know that I can play in the BBL, but that is up to management. I can play basketball all day long”, stressed Larry Wright. Devin Gibson had a bright twinkle in his eyes after describing the play of teammate Wright.  “Larry was amazing. That was one of the best performances that I have seen in Frankfurt”, stressed Devin Gibson. Lamont Mcintosh had not heard of Larry Wright before the game, but knew who he was now. “He can flat out shoot. I got burned a few times over helping. He played division one and was given a chance to play at the PRO B level. He has proven that with hard work and consistency he can make the jump to the BBL. The best example that it is possible is Julius Jenkins. He played at Nurnberg and made the jump to the BBL. He may be the best player in BBL history”, warned Lamont Mcintosh. Quantez Robertson added 13 point, five rebounds and three assists. Dion Dowell had a double double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg were led by Dwayne Anderson with 14 points and five rebounds. John little produced 11 points and Lamont Mcintosh 10 points and four assists. Frankfurt shot 43% from the field and 28% from the three point line while the s.Oliver baskets Wurzburg shot 37% from the field and 44% from the three point line. Frankfurt won the rebounding battle 37-33 and had 12 turnovers while Wurzburg had 15 turnovers. With less than a week to go, the club knows what it can work on. “We can always work on defense and make our offense more smooth. We are rebounding well. We are small and our guards are always fighting and doing the dirty work”, stressed Devin Gibson.  Despite the thin rotation of the Fraport Skyliners, ex teammate Jimmy Mckinney is optimistic about the chances of his ex team this season. “Marius Nolte will keep the team focused and in line. They are a good group of young guys experience isn´t always most important, but just that they like playing with each other and that showed”, warned Jimmy Mckinney. The Fraport Skyliners open the season on the road in Ludwigsburg October 3^rd at 17:00.

Brian Harper is a 27 year old 206cm forward that is commencing his first season in Germany in the Beko BBL for TBB Trier. He started off playing guard at 6’5″ at Paine and grew to 6’10” and never changing positions. Brian’s a smooth shooting wing with explosive athleticism. He has tremendous lateral movement with a wing span of 7’4″. Brian is a talented ball handler. He adds an extra advantage as he utilizes his size to rebound over smaller defenders. He played at Paine(NCAA2) from 2003-2007. He turned professional in 2007 and played for Gimle BBK Bergen (Norway-1Div., starting five): 15 games: Score-3(25.1ppg), 8.3rpg, 1.7apg, 1.2spg, 2.0bpg, 2FGP: 52.9%, 3PT: 21.5%, FT: 66.3%. In 2008-2009, he played for KCC Egis (Korea-KBL, starting five): Korean League: 9 games: 15.1ppg, 5.6rpg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 76.7%; released in Nov.’08, in Feb.’09 moved to Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League): 8 games: 3.5ppg, 1.6rpg; in March ’09 signed at Reno Bighorns (D-League): 5 games: 1.2ppg. In the last three years, he played in Japan for  Toyama Grouses (Japan-BJ League) playing a total of 102 games. Last season, he played 49 games: 16.3ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 54.4%, 3PT: 28.7%, FT: 61.3%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Congrats on your new job with TBB Trier in the German Beko BBL: Wat were the main reasons why you decided to join this team?

Thanks, I decided to join TBB Trier because of the opportunity to play in a great league and for a great organization. Also it’s going to give me a chance to play under a coach that really understands the game of basketball.

You played the last three years in Japan. You played as a rookie in Norway in 2007. Did you miss Europe or why did you decide to leave Japan?

I did miss Europe and always at some point of my career wanted to come back and play in Europe again.

Some basketball players perfer to stay in one country. There is a good lifestyle in Japan. Did you ever think about possibly having a long basketball career in Japan?

Leaving Japan wasn’t an easy thing to do I love the culture, fans and professional basketball league in Japan , but I knew that if I wanted to continue to grow as a basketball player and wanted to play at the highest of levels it was something I had to do . I’m extremely excited and grateful to be playing in Trier this upcoming season.

As an American what was the most difficult thing that you had to get used to to the Japan way of life?

I would have to say the bowing and taking off of the shoes …..Lol, yeah those two things took a little getting used to.

You are the ultimate swing man at 206 cm that can rebound, but also is very quick and can create massive mismatches at the position three. Where do you feel more comfortable at the three or four?

Honestly I feel comfortable at both positions. I feel that with my size and skill set I can contribute to a team at either of the two positions.

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

I would say my ability to play defense and block shots.

How excited are you about playing for coach Hendrik Rodl at TBB Trier? Do you remember watching the 1993 NCAA March madness where North Carolina Won? Rodl was on the winning team that won it all?

I’m very excited about playing for Coach Hendrik Rodl. It’s not often you get the chance to play for a coach that has had so much success as a player and as a coach. I’m looking forward to learning as much as I can from him! Yeah I remember Coach winning it all in 1993!

Who was your fiercest competitor that you played against in the NCAA 2 that might be in the NBA or Europe now?

Monyea Pratt from Stillman College we played in the same conference and he always played real hard and was a good ball player. He plays pro ball in Germany now.

As a rookie you played in Norway for Bergin. What was your wake up call to professional basketball in Europe as a rookie?

The wakeup call was everyone that I was playing with and against could really play there were no breaks every night you had to come ready to play

In your second season, you got experience in the D-league playing for Sioux Falls Skyforce and Reno Bighorns (D-League). What experience will you never forget in the D-league?

Yeah when I got back from Korea I spent about a month in the D-League and really enjoyed it. I will never forget the NBA style of play.

The United States have many stars on the Olympic team. Who will be the MVP of the team in their quest for the gold?

Kobe Bryant

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Safe House

Thanks Brian for the chat.

Nate Rohnert is a 25 year old 197cm guard from Colorado that is embarking on his third professional absketball 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%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Welcome to Germany and the Beko BBL. Last season you played in teh French PRO B for Denain ASC Voltaire a small town near the Belgium boarder. Forests were abundant there as are there in Bayreuth. How comfortable have you gotten in Bayreuth and could it be a neighboring town to Denain in terms of scenary?

I have gotten very comfortable here in Bayreuth. It is a beautiful small city and the people here have made me feel right at home.

After playing in Holland and France, you are making the next step in your basketball career in the strong Beko BBL league. How excited and ready are you for this challenge?

I am extremely excited to play in the Beko BBL. I have heard nothing but great things about the league and I am definitely ready for the challenge.

Head coach Marco Van Den Berg has put together a very interesting squad for the upcoming season. What will be your role in the team?
I believe my role on the team will be to do a little bit of everything. I am a very versatile player who can play multiple positions and do several different things well on the court.

In your first two season as a professional, you shot over 40% from downtown something you weren´t able to do in your last three seasons at Denver(NCAA). Has it been more knowing how to deal with self confidence than putting up more shots in practice or just shot selection which has improved your shooting?

I have worked very hard on my shot of the last couple of years. I realized that if I wanted to be effective at the next level I would have to be able to knock down open shots so I have worked hard to make that a staple in my game.

You are a very versatile player that puts up high stats in points, rebounds and assists. To what NBA player would you describe your game to?

Thats a tough question. I dont know if there is one player that I could compare myself to, but I really like watching Deron Williams, Manu Ginoblili, and Chauncey Billups. If there is anything I can pick up from watching these guys play I try and do that.
What is a strength in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away?

I would say my passing and ball handling ability. Since I am pretty tall for a guard sometimes people do not think I can do those things but I really enjoy them.

Gary Mcghee is surely going to be a force in the Beko BBL under the basket this season. What has been the most amazing thing that you have seen him do in practice so far?

He is just an anchor down low on defense. He is so big and strong that I am sure he is going to give other centers in this league fits.

Kevin Hamilton is your typical classic point guard. How has your on court relationship developed with him? What do you like most about his game?

Kevin is a true leader out there on the court who makes everyone around him better. He is easy to play with because he is so unselfish and always makes the extra pass.

How did Joe Scott prepare you best for a professional career in basketball. What are you most thankful having learned from him?

Coach Scott taught me so much on and off the court. He taught me hard work, discipline, and many other things that helped me get to where I am at today.

Who was the best player that you played against in the NCAA that might be in the NBA or Europe now?

In college I played against Blake Griffin and the Lopez twins at Stanford and they were all monsters.

If you and Joe Trapani were parked in the corner and got 100 shots to take, who would hit more shots on any given day?

I would win every day of the week easily no questions. I could probably beat Joe in a shooting contest left handed haha

Who would win in their prime in a game the Dream Team or Team USA 2012?

I would have to go with the Dream Team. Their size down low would be too much for the 2012 team.

What was the last DVD that you saw?

Ted it was hilarious. I highly recommend it to everyone

Thanks Nate for the chat

Tyrone Lewis is a 24 year old 180cm point guard from Levittown, Pennslyvania that recently announced his retirement. He played at Niagra(NCAA) from 2006-2010 playing  a total of 120 NCAA games. In his senior year, he played 27 games: 17.1ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.7apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 38.6%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 75.4%. In 2010-2011, he was a rookie with  Maccabi Be’er Ya’akov (Israel-National League): got injured just after arrival and missed the season. Last season, he came to Germany and played for SC Itzehoe Eagles (Germany-Regionalliga, starting five): 22 games: 26.0ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.3apg, 3.0spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 59.3%, 3Pts: 29.4%, FT: 74.6%. This season, he was going to play in the German PRO A for the Finke Baskets Paderborn, but decided to retire. He spoke with German Hoops about basketball.

You recently signed a contract with the Finke Baskets, but instead of being at practice today, you walked your niece to the bus stop. Is this the perfect example of how life can take unexpected turns?

Yea I guess u can say that but that’s life. Getting hit with unexpected turns I’m no stranger to but it’s how we over come those things is what matters. I had to make a decision I thought was best for me and my family. I was just doing my uncle duties lol

You are a 24 year old 180 cm guard in tip top condition, but recently announced your retirement from professional basketball after only your second professional season. How diffiuclt was it to make this decision?
It was very hard basketball was my life and my way of living. I will always love the game and miss it. Basketball was good to me and it open up a lot of doors in my life.

For so many young players it is a huge challenge to come overseas as well an adventure. Did you just miss the States too much or what were the main reasons for hanging up your sneakers so early in your career?

Lol no I wasn’t home sick I’m used to being away from my family of course I miss them but they know and I know it’s part of the business. My choice for leaving the game early is a personal choice. It is a challenge to come play overseas because it’s not like playing for your high school team or college because this is a business the americans come over there and y’all expect us to be the best players on the floor every night and we have no room for error one bad game or injury could be the end of our career there is no loyalty it’s hard to play looking over your shoulder every night.

The Finke Baskets Paderborn where you were headed to had had some turbulence this past summer. Money problems, a new owner and name came. Where you possibly a bit unclear how your future could be in Paderborn with all the problems the club had had in the past?

I knew nothing about their past history which is crazy I didn’t know any of that. I like I said it was a personal reason why I left

You had a stellar NCAA career at Niagra where you were a MAAC tournament winner and MVP as a freshman in 2007. Coming in as a freshman were you a bit surprised at the end of your freshman year how much individual success you had considering that team had very talented guys with Clif Brown, Charron Fischer and Benson Egemonye?

I was a little surprised because as a freshmen you want come in your first year and do well kind of set the tone for your career. It didn’t hurt having great teammates around me to take all the attention off of me.

How much fun was dishing the ball to a Clif Brown that season? What was your sweetest memory with him on and off the court?

It was a lot of fun playing with Cliff. He was a machine on the court worked hard every day. Best moment on the court with him watching kill it in the play in game he had 33 that night. Off the court its to many. Cliff is a different man of the court lol

You had Joe Mihalich as head coach all four years. How did he make you better as a player and person on and off the court?

It was a blessing to play for him. He gives u this confidence where you believe you can do anything on the court. He brings the best out of you. Off the court just watching him live his life the right way he was a true leader and father figure to me and he always talked about playing and living your life one way and he didn’t just preach it he lived it

You played in the NCAA and NIT tournaments. When you look back on your NCAA career, which was the biggest challenge you had against a player that might be in the NBA or in Europe now?

Playing against that great Kansas team as whole. I believe that starting 5 all got drafted

How would you like people to remember the basketball player Tyrone Lewis most?

I want people to remember that I played the game the right way and for the right reasons and I always played for the name on the front not the back and that I was a class act

What is next for Tyrone Lewis? What kind of new career are you striving for as a retired professional basketball player?

My second love and that’s helping young people giving back because you owe it to them.

How has basketball in general shaped you to being the man you are today?

Basketball did it. In a lot of ways like being responsible learning how to handle your success and failures

Your uncle John Lewis was a corner back for the Buffalo Bills in 1987. What is your favorite story that he told you that has always stuck with you?

The one thing my uncle told me that will always stick to me is he told me to never take a day off because its someone out there in the world working harder

You come from Pennsylvania. What are the chances that either the Eagles or Steelers will bring home a Superbowl championship in 2013?

Hope neither one of them win I’m a cowboys fan but they are both really good teams and their chances are pretty good

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?
Think like a man. A very funny movie.

Thanks Tyrone for the chat.