Darryl Webb is a 24 year old 198cm forward from Elkridge, Maryland. He is playing his first season in Germany in the PRO A for the Crailsheim Merlins. He played at Indiana, PA (NCAA2) from 2007-2011 playing a total of 126 NCAA 2 games. In his senior season, he played 32 games: 17.4ppg, 10.1rpg, 1.6apg, 1.5bpg, FGP: 49.6%, 3Pts: 29.1%, 72.6%. He helped carry the Crailsheim Merlins past the Webmoebel Baskets in game 4 with 39 points. He spoke to German Hoops about game 4 and the next series against the Mitteldeutscher BC.
Congrats to the 111-77 win against the Webmoebel Baskets and advancing to the semifinals. How pissed was the team after losing game three by three points?
They weren’t really pissed, I think they were a little more disappointed if anything because they wanted to force a game 5 which was something we didn’t want especially since that is one heck of a drive.

Crailsheim had the 47-41 lead at halftime. What did Ingo Enskat tell the team to do better in the second half?
We needed to get more stops and get out in transition. Also our 1 on 1 defense not letting them penetrate and kick it out to the shooters or even get to the rim for easy layups.

His words must of sunk in with the team as the team exploded and won the second half 64-36. What was key for getting the win in the last 20 minutes?
It was just a matter of getting stops, getting out in transition and knocking down our shots and finishing at the rim. Also we’ve been struggling as far as free throws so going 19-24 helped as well.

You have been solid all season long and had some high scoring games including scoring in double figures 24 times. You seemed to save your best for last with 39 points. Were you feeling like you were in the zone?
Yea I was really feeling it getting rebounds, hitting some 3’s, and knocking down all of my free throws, but when it comes down to it was the guards who really helped me have a big night, every time they drove the lane they were always looking for me, and also calling a lot of plays for me.

Crailsheim outrebounded Paderborn and dished out 20 assists. What was another big strength in this game that helped the Merlins to win the game?
Having 20 assists was really big because we just shared the ball really well but it was our defense in the second half that really got us going on offense and knocking down shots.

Your 39 points were big and might have kept the performance of your teammate Aaron Cook in the shadows. How big was the production of Cook on this night?
Him having 26 and 8 was big he was all over the court defensively, and on offense. He was knocking down 3’s getting into the lane and looking to dish it out to one of our shooters or drop it off to one of the centers.

How much fun was it dueling against American Jefferson Mason?
I didn’t have the chance of getting to guard him except a few times, but to me he’s really good. He rebounds, can get to the rim and can knock down the 3. With his size and his skills he’s definitely going to help a lot of teams out especially with what he can do.

How exciting is it for you to be able to playoffs coming from the NCAA? How was the atmosphere in game four and what was your favorite play in the game?
The atmosphere last was great, but then again the Merlins fans always are crazy every home game and even away games they’re always creating a great atmosphere for us. As for my favorite play of the game I would have to say the 3 I made at the end of the shot clock but the referees took it away haha.

What in this 4 game series was key for being able to advance to the next round?
They’re the best 3 point shooting team in the league I think and the main thing they do is penetrate and kick it out to the shooters, so that’s something we really couldn’t let them do, staying out on the shooters and fake helping when a guard penetrated really worked well for us.

Crailsheim split the season series against MBC 1-1. What will be key to winning this series against the best team in the PRO A?

We’re going to have to really play defense and rebound well against them they have home court advantage so we can’t get out of sync when they are making runs at us. We have to play team basketball like we did in the first round and really work when it comes down to playing 1 on 1 defense.

How hungry are the Melrins to beat MBC? Aaron Cook will be playing against his old team and see if he can cage the wolves! Lol
Me personally I think MBC is very much beatable and I think we can steal a road win this series. Aaron going back to MBC I’m sure he’s excited and ready even though he’s not showing it.

How dangerous can it be to be an NBA mascot? David West accidently sent the Cavaliers mascot moondog to the hospital with an eye injury. How have you been taken by the mascots in the PRO A?
I haven’t really seen any mascots but if I did I probably just didn’t pay attention to them but having mascots can always be a good thing especially for the younger kids. as for the NBA mascots those guys are out there doing all types of crazy stuff so yea I think it is dangerous but they’re doing something they love.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?
The last movie I watched was Billy Madison one of my favorite Adam Sandler movies .

Thanks Darryl for the chat.

Velimir Radinovic is a 31 year old 212cm center that was born in Canada, but also has the Serbian citizenship as he has Serbian parents. He played at Ohio State from 2000-2004. He turned professional in 2004 and played for Reflex Beograd (SCG-1A): ULEB Cup: 10 games: 4.4ppg, 2.4rpg, FGP: 51.7%; Adriatic League: 30 games: 6.0ppg, 2.7rpg, FGP: 56.0%; 1A League: 14 games: 5.4ppg, 1.7rpg, 0.3apg. In 2005-2006, he played for FMP Zeleznik Beograd (SCG-1A): ULEB Cup: 4 games: 1.0ppg; Adriatic League: 10 games: 2.1ppg, 1.4rpg, in Dec.’05 signed at KK Hemofarm Vrsac (SCG-1A): ULEB Cup: 6 games: 7.3ppg, 1.8rpg, 2FGP: 88.9%; Adriatic League: 14 games: 3.1ppg, 1.8rpg; SCG Superleague: 5 games: 5.6ppg, 2.0rpg, 0.8apg. In 2006-2007, he played for KK Hemofarm Vrsac (SCG-A): Adriatic League: 26 games: 4.9ppg, 2.6rpg; ULEB Cup: 12 games: 9.3ppg, 4.1rpg, 2FGP: 64.1%, 3FGP: 0%, FT: 66.7%. In 2007-2008, he played in France for Stade Clermontois Basket Auvergne (France-ProA, starting five): 28 games: 5.6ppg, 3.9rpg, 2FGP: 57.3%, FT: 79.6%. In 2008-2009, he played in Greece for Iraklis Thessaloniki (Greece-A2): 29 games: 7.0ppg, 4.4rpg, 2FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 87.0. He played for MBC from 2009-2011. Last season, for MBC, he played 27 games: 6.6ppg, 4.1rpg, FGP: 52.6%, FT: 68.8%. He spoke to German Hoops about his career and issued this statement. “”I officially announce my retirement from professional basketball. At this time I think it’s best for my family and myself that I walk away, and concentrate on moving forward with a more sustainable career path. Unfortunately I cannot continue to endure the rigours that is required of a professional athlete, and to compete at a high level. I want to thank all my former coaches, teammates, Managers for all the opportunities that the game of basketball has provided me.”

The last team that you played for was the Walter Tigers Tuebingen leaving in November 2011. How tough is it in general not playing looking for a new job and seeing other guys playing?

It’s surprisingly not that tough. Don’t get me wrong, I loved playing but I definitely don’t miss practicing. I enjoy watching the game, I’ve been following the NCAA tournament pretty closely and cringe at the thought of running up and down the floor right now.

You are 31 years old now and are going to hang up your sneakers after 7 professional seasons.
You probably wanted to keep playing, but injuries and your body have put a dent into your career. What physically is hindering you from continuing your basketball career?

Unfortunately I am suffering from a degenerative right knee. I had torn my meniscus while playing for MBC right before the season started, and I probably came back to play a little too soon, which really wasn’t good for my knee. The end result is a pretty beat up right knee.

Did you have a feeling in the last few years that your body might not be on the same page as you in terms of playing?

Kind of, but you fight through it. The mind can be a powerful tool. They always say “mind over matter” and it’s true to an extent. No matter how much pain I was in on a daily basis, once I got loose and warmed up I sometimes forgot about the pain and just played. After practice was a different story. It was hard to do daily chores, walking up and down stairs was even tough, but I was able to run up and down the court during practice. I guess that’s what our bodies are trained to do.

How tough was it making this decision to hang up the sneakers? Did you seek any advice from family, friends and players in the last months? If yes how did they help you best?

I didn’t really seek any advice, it was more like a voice inside saying it was time, but I wanted to see if I could get back to a level I was previously at. Once you realize you can’t then it can be pretty tough.

Could you still have continued your basketball career or was it best for you and your body to retire now?

I had a procedure done in December, and I’m still rehabbing. There are days I feel like I can go out onto the court and run up and down and just play, but I know it’s not that easy. I would probably have a good day once every two weeks at this point.

You played parts of three seasons in the Beko BBL in Germany. What are your fondest memories from this time?

Fortunately I had the opportunity to play with a lot of good guys. I’ll miss hanging out in the locker room before and after practice, cracking jokes w/ teammates. Also I’ll miss the Haribo “smurfs” candy. I don’t think they have those here.

You played two seasons for the Mitteldeutscher BC. The MBC family is very special. Do you still follow them? They are going back to the Beko BBL after a season in the PRO A.

I am very happy for them, and have kept an eye on their progress. It’s too bad they had to go through the process of dropping down and fighting to get back into the BEKO BBL, but the GM Martin Geissler has done a great job with that club in a small market, and he’s shown a commitment to putting out a quality product for the people of that community (Weissenfels).

With MBC, you played together with Anatoly Kashirov. You saw him develop. How were you able to help his game best?

I think I was able to keep his competitive juices flowing. I joined the team later in the year and I think the team had hit a bit of a rough patch, but I focused on coming to practice every day with a smile on my face and a positive attitude. Doing that every day can be contagious and it can help you to work harder and eventually adopting a winning attitude.

You started the season with the Walter Tigers Tuebingen. After starting with a 6 game losing streak, they have playoff ambitions now. How proud are you of the team and how important is coach Igor Perovic for the success?

– I’m very happy that the team was able to bounce back from adversity and show their true character. It’s not easy losing a lot of close games, especially early in the season, and then to bounce back the way they have is really special. I think Igor’s attitude went a long way in helping the team achieve their success. He’s a very calm and easygoing person, so it’s good that he didn’t get rattled early on and just approached every practice day by day, just like chipping away at a large deficit in a game. You don’t get it all back at once, you have to remain patient and continue working, and that’s exactly what they have done.

Besides in Germany, you also played in countries like Serbia, France and Greece. What was your favorite destination that you played at in your 7 year career?

I enjoyed my time in Serbia because I was able to reconnect with a lot of my family, some of whom I hadn’t seen or even spoken to since I was a child. That was pretty neat, as well as being able to brush up on my language skills.

You played together with Predrag Suput at KK Hemofarm Stada Vrsac. Did you ever think that the Serb would become such a dominant player in the Beko BBL?

– Definitely. He was probably our best player while we were together in Hemofarm, and coming from an institution in that country like Partizan, you know he is equipped with a good work ethic as well as high basketball IQ which he has shown throughout his time with Bamberg. He makes the game look very easy, but that is probably the hardest thing to do in any sport.

What are your fondest memories of ex Tiger Michael Haynes who you played a season with at : Stade Clermontois Basket Auvergne (France)? What was the most amazing thing that you saw him do in a game or practice?

– Taking care of his dog while we played together in France. My wife would watch the dog while we went on the road, and I spent some time with him as well, he was a pretty hyper guy (it was a boxer) and had a lot of energy. Mike is a great athlete and would routinely throw down windmills and dunk over people in practice. If you saw him driving down the lane you’d get out of his way b/c he might break your hand when he went up to dunk.

Is there anything that you regret that you couldn´t do as well on the court which you would have liked to have done better?

Not really, I had fun when I played and was always a “team first” kind of guy. I would always try and help the team win in any way necessary. If I need to rebound more, play defense and take charges, score, set screens, or just foul, I would do what was necessary. Maybe I could have been more selfish, but that wasn’t the type of player I was.

You played at Ohio State from 2000-2004. As a freshman, ex NBA player Ken Johnson was a senior. What do you remember most from his blocking ability?

– He had great timing. He would never leave his feet on shot fakes, and whenever you went up for a shot over him he would be there to meet you at the peak of your jump and be able to block the shot due to his athleticism and length.

Who was the best player that you played against in the NCAA or in Europe that you will never forget?

– I don’t know if he was the best player I went up against but I won’t forget playing against Kris Humphries while he was at Minnesota and I was at Ohio State. It was always physical and I felt like I wanted to fight him, and I’m sure he felt the same way. I remember my then-teammate Terence Dials had a similar opinion at the time, but it was all in good fun and in the spirit of competitiveness.

What game will you never forget and why?

I think playing in the ULEB Cup (Euro cup now) semi-final against ARIS while I was with Hemofarm. I didn’t get a whole lot of playing time, but it was a great atmosphere in Thessaloniki, and the game went down to the wire with their point guard Terrel Castle hitting a layup in the lane in the final seconds to send their team to the final. We just fell short of reaching the final game, but it was a great experience nonetheless.

What plans do you have now? You just became a dad. Will your role as a dad be your biggest priority at the moment?

It definitely is at the moment, and for the foreseeable future as well. Right now, I’m just enjoying spending time with my wife and son, and keeping my options open as far as the next step career-wise.

What would you like basketball fans to remember most when they hear the name Velimir Radinovic?

That I always played as hard as I could and tried to have while doing so.

Thanks Velimir for the chat. Good luck for your future.

Watching a Jimmy Mckinney cross over that leads to a step back jumper, Jared Jordan to Tony Gaffney ally-op smash dunk for the seemingly 100^th time, Isaiah Swann showing that Maryland sneer getting angry and saving ratiopharm Ulm in crunch time once again or Artland Dragon point guard David Holston sneaking into the lane and scoring in the lane unscathed are all things that beko BBL fans strive to see happen each weekend in warm and cold times. However in the dead of winter especially when your living in Finland where its dark almost all day long and freezing, getting up to enjoy basketball can be tough especially going on road trips. However one place that the Fraport Skyliners have witnessed in rather warm times the last four years has been Trier. In three of the last four years, the team has experienced the warmth of the Mosel city in March, April and May. Two seasons ago, they started the Beko BBL season in Trier in October so the team hasn´t felt and blistery brittle air of winter therehe last years. Despite the warm air, the Fraport Skyliners haven´t always had luck losing three of four games the last years in warmer weather in Trier. However last year, the team enjoyed a big 69-61 road win in April as Skyliner Quantez Robertson seemed destined for revenge after another second place finish in the Beko BBL allstar day slam dunk contest in Trier and with the playoff hopes still very much on the horizon for the Frankfurt club, the American from Cincinnati with a supporting cast were able to win their second game in a row in Trier beating TBB Trier 72-52. Robertson seems to have found a small place in his heart for Trier even if he can´t really admit it. “A win is a win no matter in what gym I play. It is always fun to play in this gym and I was able to come up with some good play”, stressed Quantez Robertson. TBB Trier guard and good friend of NBA superstar Lebron James Dru Joyce seemed very somber after the loss and sensed an extra motivation by Robertson. “Robertson did a good job today. Maybe he has that extra motivation to do well here. Frankfurt stepped it up as a team turning on the faucet and we just couldn´t turn it off”, expressed ex ratiopharm Ulm guard Dru Joyce. It doesn´t matter if Mckinney has lost in one place a lot of times he has a home everywhere. “I have been in this league now six years and I feel comfortable in all gyms”, smilied Jimmy Mckinney.

The Fraport Skyliners have been going up in a positive trend winning their fifth game in a row as the post season becomes more and more a reality. After a so so start, the Fraport Skyliners found their rhythm to 100% in the second quarter and stepped up their defensive intensity controlling the game until the end and never leaving even a crack open in the door for TBB trier to crawl back in. The victory also was a sweet birthday win for Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak. “This was a very nice birthday win for me. We started very focused and were very concentrated. We had the eight point lead at halftime and picked up our defense in the third quarter keeping the lead and letting up only seven points”, stressed Kamil Novak. The Fraport Skyliners continue to belong to the top defensive teams in the Beko BBL as it was their seventh game this season holding the opponent under 60 points. “We needed some time to find our rhythm, but you have to give TBB Trier credit, they are a very good defensive team. We were definitely in the zone on defense. We kept pushing and we achieved step five and next weekend Tuebingen will be step 6”, smiled ex Phoenix Hagen forward Jacob Burtschi. For TBB Trier, they have had a spiral trend going down as they have lost five games in a row and are dangerously close to the last places with only one win more than a Ludwigsburg, Giessen and Phoenix Hagen. A lot has changed in the five months since the 64-54 TBB Trier win in Frankfurt. “Frankfurt plays with a lot more intensity on defense than in the first game this season. We have the season in our own hands now. All we need is one more win in the last two games”, stressed ex Alba Berlin center Andreas Seiferth. The long season for Dru Joyce is almost over and one could sense in his eyes that he might take a few days to digest this loss. “I thought that we played pretty good basketball for 20 minutes. One could see that Frankfurt slowly had their rhythm at the end of the second quarter. Davidson and Mckinney hit big shots in the second half and we had some defensive let downs in the second half. We really missed John Bynum at the defensive end. He allows us to be able to different things on offense”, added Dru Joyce.

A great thing about the city of Trier is that it is very close to the Benelux countries and often gives ex TBB Trier players the chance to make a road trip from France or Belgium back to their old stomping ground to inspect the current Mosel team. 2010 Beko BBL slam dunk contest winner Jamal Shuler who played for TBB Trier from 2008-2010 and now plays for Sluc Nancy Basket Pro (France-Pro A) was back in town to see his ex team and exchanged some brief words with Quantez Robertson who had finished second to him at the slam dunk contest in Bonn in 2010. “Tez is always super freaky on the court”, joked Jamal Shuler. Shuler also had a long chat with ex teammate Samy Picard. Ex team mate Chris Copeland who plays in Belgium and played for TBB Trier some years ago was scheduled to also visit, but had a unexpected practice after losing to 5-20 club Verviers-Pepinster on the weekend. The TBB Trier arena was full, but got loud quickly as the game was even in the first two minutes. German national player Tim Ohlbrecht started off with a witty defensive stop on Zirbes, then hit a hook shot over Zirbes and then got a steal. Zirbes even the score at 2-2 with a lay in after getting a quick pass from Joyce. Jacob Burtschi and Joyce traded buckets as the score was 4-4. Jimmy Mckinney then dropped two consecutive three pointers as the Frankfurt offense was sparked by strong defense. Jacob Burtschi brought his game to another level as the hustling Oklahoma forward spent about as much time on the floor in the first half diving for loose balls like Boris Becker did for tennis balls back in the day as there was a spurt where he had three steals in a row which felt more like 10 steals. “Burtschi was playing at another level. He gives everything to the team. It seems like he has been on the floor 10 times diving for loose balls”, joked Jamal Shuler. After the win, Burtschi stayed humble, but also showed his humorous side. “I am used to diving, but before this game there was a youth game and the court was still slippery”, smiled Jacob Burtschi. Mckinney was hit with three fouls and had to exit which TBB Trier used to their advantage. Basketball is a game of runs and after the rapid fire power of the Fraport Skyliners, TBB Trier was able to bounce back going on a 11-3 run to lead 15-13 after one quarter. James Washington hit a desperation shot form the corner, Joyce scored inside and ex Alba Berlin forward Phillip Zwiener hit two consecutive jumpers. “Both teams came out setting a nice tempo. The three fouls which Mckinney got hurt the Skyliners which got TBB Trier into the game. TBB Trier was penetrating much and I thought that they could of utilized the pick and role more”, added Jamal Shuler. “ We had problem with the early foul trouble, but we were able to compensate it, come back well and hold the lead later in the game”, expressed Skyliner center Tim Ohlbrecht. TBB Trier was shooting 46% from the field and 0% from outside while The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 33% from the field and 60% from outside. TBB Trier had the 11-6 rebound edge, but five turnovers while Frankfurt had four turnovers.

In the second quarter, there were a few runs and five lead changes before the Fraport Skyliners could settle into halftime with a comfortable lead. The Fraport Skyliners retrieved the lead 21-17 as Michael Thompson hit a big three pointer and scored inside, bothe times being fed basketball caviar in terms of perfect passes from Devin Gibson who was doing a solid job as playmaker. After Seifert free throws, it was Thompson that nailed another three pointer that was set up again by Gibson as Frankfurt led 24-19. “They played well together and were a good one two punch”, commented Jamal Shuler. However the Fraport Skyliners were incapable of withstanding a arsenal of three pointers from Luxemburg native Samy Picard and Serb Dragan Dojcin who gave TBB Trier the 25-24 advantage. However the Fraport Skyliners got the lead back and ended the second quarter with 14-7 run to lead comfortably 39-31. Skyliner captain Marius Nolte got an easy bucket inside which was followed by a furious Quantez Robertson spin move around baffled Phillip Zwiener and a steal by Robertson which led to a Burtschi fast break hoop. Ex NBA player Jermareo Davidson was inserted and prompt scored inside. Robertson continued to be every TBB Trier´s athletic nightmare as he scored inside and made a free throw for the Frankfurt 35-28 lead. Davidson scored on a mid distance jumper and seemed destined for a big second half. “The Skyliners were playing with a very high intensity at both ends of the court. Tez and Gibson were huge factors in the second quarter for Frankfurt being able to open up the game”, said Jamal Shuler. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 45% from the field and 67% from the three point line while TBB Trier was shooting 39% from the field and 100% from the three point line. TBB Trier still ha dthe rebound advantage at 17-14, but nine turnovers while Frankfurt had six turnovers.

In the third quarter, both teams took a step back from offense as defense played the major role in the ten minute quarter as Frankfurt could extend their lead while not scoring so much, but giving up only seven points. TBB Trier guard James Washington who hails from ST Louis and is friends with Mckinney started off the third quarter with a sweet catch and pop as TBB Trier trailed only 39-34. “Maybe Washington was able to learn something form Mckinney during the last summer with his shooting”, smiled Jamal Shuler. Mckinney reacted with his own version of a catch an dpop jumper as Frankfurt led 42-36. Washington kept up his stellar rookie play hitting a runner on the fast break as TBB Trier trailed only 42-36. However the TBB Trier scoring frenzy was abruptly halted as the Fraport Skyliners continued to halt giving the opponent any real space to penetrate and allowing only tough shots going on a strong 9-2 run to close out the third quarter 51-38. Ohlbrecht was playing heads up defense against Maik Zirbes hardly giving him any touches in the low post. Burtschi started the run getting an offensive rebound and getting a put back, Mckinney dropped a step back jumper and finished the third quarter with a crazy buzzer beater from the corner that even got a chuckle from Jermareo Davidson. Frankfurt really picked up their energy after a slow start. They showed that they had many weapons that could step up at anytime. Ohlbrecht was the stopper on defense getting rebounds, blocking shots and really smothering Zirbes. He seemed lost in the zone”, commented Jamal Shuler. The Fraport Skyliners were shooting 42% from the field and 50% from the parking lot while TBB Trier was shooting 33% from the field and 60% from the parking lot. TBB Trier still had the slight 25-23 rebound edge, but 13 turnovers while Frankfurt only had 10 turnovers.

In the fourth quarter, The Fraport Skyliners were able to extend their lead and were able to put their offense up a gear while keeping their consistent defense giving TBB Trier problems to get easy baskets. Davidson returned back into the game and smoked young German Andreas Seiferth with his patent fade away jumper, while Seiferth returned back up the floor scoring a nifty lay in over Davidson. Davidson seemed to have his target picked out and burned Seiferth again with a fade away jumper as TBB Trier trailed 56-40. TBB Trier had had quite some misfortune missing easy lay ups, but then had some fortune as Joyce was able to convert with hard penetration, but Robertson showed he could do the same as he scored hard to the hole with his left hand. Gibson was back with his successful penetration and dish pass finding Burtschi for the easy lay up. TBB Trier was getting tired and was having continued problems with the Frankfurt annoying defense. “TBB Trier was telegraphing their passes making it easy for Frankfurt to come up with steals”, added Jamal Shuler. The aggressive defense was still leading to fast break buckets as Mckinney converted as Frankfurt led 62-42. Gibson then lost sight of Joyce for a second and was burned with an open three pointer. Davidson was still in the game and three was a charm for him as he burned Seiferth for the third time as Frankfurt led 64-45. “Davidson is hard to guard, but he got good help from Mckinney and Tez. I should of forced him to penetrate more, but he opted to shoot more”, stressed Andreas Seiferth. After Washington free throws, it was time for another Davidson fade away jumper this time over Zirbes as Frankfurt led 66-47. “Davidson is aggressive on offense and defense and can finish with authority and can shoot. He has the NBA game and I expect him to be back in the NBA. Muli Katzurin had a prefect game plan, getting a nice lead and then letting Davidson clean up from the bench in the fourth quarter”, warned Jamal Shuler. “ Jermareo Davidosn took care of business in the fourth quarter”, warned Jacob Burtschi. After Linhart scored, it was Mckinney again with a catch and pop jumper as Frankfurt led 68-49. “Mckinney is so consistent and probbaly one of best pure shooters in the league. That is what you want to see from the leader taking the important shots”, added Jamal Shuler. With the clock winding down, Zirbes and Davidson traded buckets at the end as the Fraport Skyliners were able to win their third game in a row on the road. “This was a great team effort by Frankfurt. Mckinney had the hot end and Ohlbrecht and Davidson had great games at both ends of the court. Gibosn and Burtschi set the tempo at the start getting team going”, said Jamal Shuler. “We had some let downs on offense in the third quarter. I thought that we did a pretty good job penetrating in the game, but we were unable to make our shots on a consistent basis and were unable to stop their runs”, stressed Dru Joyce.

The Fraport Skyliners were led by Jermareo Davidson with 19 points. Jimmy Mckinney produced 18 points while Jacob Burtschi contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. TBB Trier was led by Dru Joyce with 11 points, four rebounds and four assists. The Fraport Skyliners had a very productive shooting day at 48% from the field and 44% from downtown while TBB Trier struggled at 32% from the field and 36% from downtown. After trailing the first three quarters on the boards, the Fraport Skyliners were able to win the rebound battle in the fourth quarter 33-29. They also did a solid job winning the second chance points and fast break buckets. The Frankfurt defense continues to be the back bone of the team and it seems it is sending chills down the spines of opponents. “Jamal Shuler is very athletic, but the way we are playing defense now, I don´t think that he could have been much help for TBB Trier. Our defense is scary and teams seem to be afraid to play us”, added Jimmy Mckinney. Even though defense was a big factor in the win, dealing with hardship was also overcome. “Our biggest strength today was our dealing with adversity. We had some tough situations that didn´t go our way, but we didn´t get down, but bounced back getting big shots from Jimmy Mckinney”, stressed Jacob Burtschi. With so many match points the last weeks, this win might have been the ultimate match ball. “This win was a very important step for us. We have to stay concentrated and take the next step and win the next home game. I hope it isn´t our last home game”, warned Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak.