January is always an interesting month in the Beko BBL as the Allstar break surfaces and the schedule allows many teams to 
have their two meetings of the season in only a short period of time. After the Fraport Skyliners celebrated a more than satisfying 64-56 win in the always noise infested Osthalle against the LTi Giessen 46ers on January second, the two teams will battle in round two of the 2012 Hessen derby again on January 20th in the Fraport arena. So much can happen in an 18 day span in this huge world like Hollywood actor George Clooney dating half of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader squad and it somehow not being noticed, Tim Tebow getting one million marriage proposals for his heroic play in the last months and getting the thumbs up from stone cold Steve Austin for duplicating the infamous 3:16 against the New England Patriots which didn´t happen, Paris Hilton setting a new Google record for clicks or Kim kardashian/Kris Humphries continuing to set new news records with their bizarre relationship. However one thing is certain, in this 18 day span nothing will change with the immaculate on going nine game winning streak of the Fraport Skyliners and four game winning streak at home against the LTi Giessen 46ers. The last 
time that Giessen won in Frankfurt was in 2007 as Rouven Roessler hit a buzzer beater dashing the hopes of the then Deutsche Bank Skyliners. Roessler is now playing for BG Karlsruhe since years and could enter the arena now and remain unnoticed by Skyliner players except for Jimmy Mckinney or sport director Kamil Novak who might cringe at his presence as they were in the arena on that bitter day. No current Giessen player was in the arena in 2007 and surely don´t know about the long losing streak and will be focused on getting a much needed win to stay alive in the standings. “Records are there to be broken. We don’t care what the record is or who the team is. We just want to win”, stressed Giessen 46er Achmadschah Zazai.
Author: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Devin Gibson (Fraport Skyliners): I Will Always Bring Energy
Devin Gibson is a 182cm guard from Houston, Texas that is playing his first season with the Fraport Skyliners. He played at the university of Texas at San Antonio from 2007-2011. In his four year basketball career, he played a total of 119 NCAA games and in his senior year, he played 34 games: 17.0ppg, 5.2rpg, 5.4apg, 2.7spg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 78.1%. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season with the Fraport Skyliners.
Where would you rate the 56-51 win in Wurzburg in your all time hardest fought games?
I would place it up at the top. I really wasn´t aware how much they would press, but I saw a lot of this play in college.
What impressed you most about the Fraport Skyliners in Wurzburg?
I liked our chemistry and that we never gave up. We kept fighting and one could feel that we wanted to win in our hearts.
Have you ever played against tougher defenders than John Little or Chester Frazier?
In the States in the NCAA, many teams play like that where they press and try to rattle you. We had some problems at the start, but once we settled, we started to play good.
Ilian Evtimov (Chalon): Chris Ensminger Loves Basketball And It Doesn’t Matter The Age, He Still Has Love For The Ball
Ilian Evtimov is a 28 year old 201 cm forward playing his second season in France for Chalon. He has the French-Bulgarian citzenships and played at North Carolina State from 2001-2006. In his senior year, he played 31 games averaging 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT. After a short stint with Estudiantes Madrid in 2006, he played at VidiVici Bologna in the 2006-2007 season. He played FIBA EuroCup playing 15 games averaging 6.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 2FGP: 65.4%, 3FGP: 47.1%, FT: 72.2%; and playing15 games in the Italian league averaging 3.1ppg, 2.1rpg. In 2007-2008, he moved to The Deutsche Bank Skyliners playing 10 ULEB Cup games averaging 14.5ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 40.7%, FT: 85%; and in the German League playing 44 games averaging 13.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 86.2%. In 2008-2009, he continued playing in Frankfurt playing 10 EuroChallenge: games averaging 8.3ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 70.0%; and in the German League playing 34 games averaging 8.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 74.6%. In 2009-2010, he played for BC Levski Sophia (Bulgaria-NBL): 1 game: 6pts, 5reb, 2ast, 3steals; Balkan League: 1 game: 3pts, 1reb, 1ast, 2steals; in Oct.’09 moved to Proteas EKA AEL Limassol (Cyprus-Division EuroChallenge: 13 games: 10.9ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 45.6%, FT: 83.3%: FT-2(90.9%). Last season, he played for Chalon playing 33 games: 11.6ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.9apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 84.2%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Eurochallenge game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn January 18th.
Chalon continues to play great basketball. How good does it feel sitting in first place?
Its a great opportunity to be first, especially in a very strong league like France.
You will play against 2011 top France PRO A scorer Rick Hughes. What is always the most important thing you have to do against him on the court?
I know Rick for a few years now, we have played many games against each other. He is a great player, extremely gifted, and it doesn’t matter the age he has, he is always getting numbers. I got a lot of respect for him.
Louis Hinnant (MBC): Troy Bell Told Me That By Game 4 You Will Be Starting And Low And Behold I Did
Louis Hinnant is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Gwynn Park/Oxon Hill,Maryland that recently joined the Mitteldeutscher 
BC. He played at Boston College from 2002-2005. In his senior year, he played 36 games: 7.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.6apg, FG: 48.4%, 3PT: 43%, FT: 69.1%. He reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2006. In 2006-2007, he started his professional basketball career with Sundsvall Dragons (Sweden-Basketligan, starting five): 22 games: 16.0ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.9apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 74.1%. In 2007-2008, he played for Joensuun Kataja (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 41 games: 18.0ppg, 5.3rpg, Assists-2(4.4apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 35.1%, FT: 87.5%. He then played for Zalakeramia-ZTE KK (Hungary) from 2008-2010 winning the league title and cup in 2010. Last season, he played for Kryvbasbasket-Lux Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine-Superleague)playing 13 games: 10.2ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.7apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 71.7%. This season, he started off with Anwil Wloclawek (Poland) but left in Oct.’11, in Dec.’11 moved to Khimik-OPZ Yuzny, but left the same month. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
Welcome to Germany. You signed for the German team MBC. What were the main reasons for coming to Germany?
Germany “generally” provides a more stable surrounding than a lot of other countries as far as sports and the economy are concerned. Not being in so “stable” situations in the past really wore on me, and I wanted to get back to stability.
Michael Stockton (BG Karlsruhe): My Dad Is An Unbelievable Passer While I Am A Good Passer
Michael Stockton is a 22 year old 185cm point guard from Spokane, Washington. He is playing his rookie season for BG 
Karlsruhe in the German PRO A. He played four years at : Westminster (NAIA) from 2007-2011. In his senior year, he played 30 games: 18.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.2apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 54.4%, 3Pts: 36.4%, FT: 78.5%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been NAIA D1 Elite Eight -09, NAIA D1 Sweet 16 -10, and All-NAIA D1 3rd Team -11. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season in Germany.
You played against Takumi Ishizaki this season. What was it like playing against a Japanese player?
It was interesting. He is a good player and I believe that he made most shots against us. When he had an open look, he really made us pay for it.
What are the biggest differences between Utah and Karlsruhe?
Utah has a lot of mountains and snow. So far there has been no snow in Karlsruhe which is nice. I have met good people in Karlsruhe and I am happy to be here.
The Fraport Skyliners Rise From The Trenches Winning The Battle Of Wurzburg 56-51
The last time, The Fraport Skyliners graced the soil of the pretty Bavarian town of Wurzburg, Murat Didin was head coach in
his first tenure there leading the club to the Beko BBL final, world class cyclist Lance Armstrong was only months shy of winning his record seventh Tour De France, the first presidential election was still months away in Egypt, the Chicago White Sox were on course of being the only major league team in history being in first place from day one until day 162 and the NFL played its first game outside the United States as the Arizona Cardinals battled the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City. All these events occurred in 2005 and the last time that Frankfurt played in Wurzburg was March 19th as they escaped with a 89-87 win in front of 1,200 patrons. Back then, Wurzburg had current Phantom Nils Mittman and Walter Tigers Tuebingen head coach Igor Perovic in the line up while the Skyliners had a young 19 year old Alex King registering two points and high flying American Chris Williams who led all scorers with 28 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Yesterday the Fraport Skyliners returned again as scoring took a back seat as defense was the highest priority and the gang of Muli Katzurin found a away to win their fifth game in a row on the road and came to terms with the tough atmosphere prevailing 56-51. Despite the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg having a strong 8-1 home record, they aren´t invincible at home “This arena reminds a bit of the Cameron arena at Duke. That arena is small like this one and the fans pack it in and are great. It is usually hard to defeat us here”, stressed ex Umass American Ricky Harris. Wurzburg guard Ben Jacobson has had the luxary of playing in two very unique arenas the last years. “The Lok halle has its own mystique. However the fans here are very special. Even if you miss 15 shots in a row, they go wild when you hit that 16th shot. This place is small and the fans are on top of you. You don´t always have to play in a big arena to feel comfortable. We feel very comfortable here and use it to our advantage”, stressed Ben Jacobson.
Can The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg Seek revenge On The Fraport Skyliners With No Justin Gray?
The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg have only been back in the Beko BBL four moths after having been absent from the Beko BBL for six years, but right at the start of the season, their buzzer beater loss to the Fraport Skyliners had much discussion matter. On October 12th, the s. Oliver Baskets Wurzburg lost a bitter game on a last second shot by Justin Gray. Soon after the loss, Wurzburg protested the Frankfurt win and appealed to the Beko BBL for a rematch, because they claimed that German national player Johannes Herber had hit a three pointer after the referee had blown the whistle which led to a John Patrick technical foul and seven unanswered Skyliner points. However the Beko BBL didn´t grant the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg a rematch and thus the game remained a heartbreaking loss for the Bavarian team. The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg will go into the return game at home with a lot of revenge and be as focused to win as comedian Bill Maher was at poking fun at Tim Tebow using Satin and Hitler, Usher firing away at at his ex wife saying don’t take away my kids or world class sprinter Usain Bolt getting every last ounce in the booze bong on vacation in Jamaica. New York native Jason Boone remembers the buzzer beater loss, past buzzer beaters and revenge on Frankfurt. “You have to have a short memory after the Frankfurt loss. We couldn´t worry about a loss like that because something like that can affect your overall play. The loss was tough, but we had to focus on the next game immediately. I have been on the losing end of some buzzer beaters in college and also with the one where Bremerhaven eliminated us, but I also have been part of two good buzzer beater wins. It is all part of the game. At this point of the season, we know that we can play with the best teams in the BBL as well as loose to the weaker teams if we don´t come to play. We definitely want to play well against Frankfurt, but more because we want to play good basketball then opposed to having revenge”, stressed Jason Boone. Teammate Ricky Harris also has the buzzer beater still on his mind. “I remember that buzzer beater as if it was yesterday. We fought so hard at coming back from being down. Guys stepped up big and made plays and then to see a 35 footer go down was a heart breaker, but that was a great shot by Justin Gray. As soon as the game day comes, that buzzer beater will pop into our heads again. That was the first buzzer beater that I ever experienced. I see it all the time in the NBA and it excites me. But being on the loosing end of a buzzer beater isn´t fun”, warned Ricky Harris.
Michael Thompson (Fraport Skyliners): Basketball Continues To Be A Learning Experience
Michael Thompson is a 22 year old 177cm point guard from Chicago, Illinois that is playing his first season with the Fraport Skyliners. He played at Northwestern from 2007-2011. In his senior year, he played : 34 games: 16.3ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 82.5%. Awards/Achievements in his career have been HS: Chicago Public League All-Academic Team -07, All-Big Ten Honorable Mention -10, All-Big Ten 3rd Team -11, Big Ten All-Tournament Team -11, and NIT Elite Eight -11. He took some time to talk to German Hoops about his rookie season with the Fraport Skyliners.
The Fraport Skyliners finally won again at home against EnBW Ludwigsburg 76-72. How long did this time feel?
It was a hard process. We have been playing well on the road so we could forget a bit our play at home, but the wins on the road helped us in this win.
You were used to losing at Northwestern. Did you ever suffer such a long losing streak at Northwestern at home?
We were 1-5 in conference play not winning one game at home. This was very tough for us, because we didn´t want to lose.
Dashaun Wood (Alba Berlin): I Believe In Tim Tebow´s Motto. If You Have The Right Focus And Live Right, Then Good Things Will Come To You
DaShaun Wood is a 26 year old 185cm point guard from Detroit, Michigan that is playing his second season in Germany for 
Alba Berlin. He is a young point guard with natural leadership abilities, who directs teammates on the floor and takes the ball in clutch moments. Loves to go inside to score, challenging the big guys, but has also shooting range from behind the 3pts arch. Despite lack of size, he can be effective even at the defensive side. He played at Wright state from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he played 33 games averaging 19.6ppg, 5.1rpg, 4.0apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 43.5%, 3Pts: 37.3%, FT: 88.3%. In 2007-2008, he played his rookie season for Tisettanta Cantu (Italy-SerieA, starting five): 38 games: Score-5(16.9ppg), 3.0rpg, Assists-4(3.3apg), 2.7spg, 2FGP:52.1%, 3PT-2(42.8%), FT:77.4%. In 2008-2009, he played for : Benetton Treviso (Italy-SerieA), injured in Oct.’08 and was off for 2 months: Eurocup: 12 games: 5.3ppg, 2.0rpg, 3.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 40.0%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 87.5%; Italian League: 17 games: 7.2ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 70.4%. Last season, he was the Beko BBL MVP with The Deutsche Bank Skyliners playing EuroCup Qualifying Round: 2 games: 13.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 5.0apg; EuroChallenge: 6 games: 16.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 5.2apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 73.7%; German League: 42 games: Score-1(19.0ppg), 4.6rpg, Assists-2(5.9apg), 1.2spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 33.2%, FT: 80.3%. He spoke German Hoops about the current season
In the 83-50 win against BG Goettingen you went 0/8 from the field registering one point. Can you ever remember having such a bad shooting night?
I have never experienced anything like that before, but one has to remember just how much I have played recently. We had games on the 18th, 20th, 23rd, 27th and 30th of December and the second, fifth and eighth of January. At the end of that game streak, it just showed that I was tired in the Goettingen game. One of the reasons why I came to play in Berlin was that I wanted to be around so many great players. Even if I have a night like that, we can still have good chances to win.
Jermareo Davidson Could Have Reggae Danced As He Propels The Fraport Skyliners Past EnBW Ludwigsburg 76-72
It is no secret that celebrities like to hang out and be friends with athletes and just be where guys like Kobe Bryant, Lebron James or Carmelo Anthony are doing their magic. Frequent guests in NBA areas have been celebrities like Jay Z with his black sunglasses alongside goddess Beyonce, Lakers diehard fan Mr Shining Jack Nicholson wearing his dark sunglasses never having seen normal light in the Staples Center or Spike Lee recruiting new athletes for his movies are never far supporting their basketball idols. Back in the 1950´s, it seemed like it was impossible for athletes to be friends with each other, but that trend seems to have been eroding in the last 20 years as even the biggest rivals of the 80´sBird and Magic have become good friends and last season the Miami Heat showed that they weren´t sour losers as they joined the Dallas Mavericks in post game celebrations after they lost the 2012 NBA finals. Two Beko BBL stars Quantez Robertson and Mark Dorris have combined as much athletic power to make the perfect 2012 basketball specimen are both from Cincinnati and despite being on opposing teams share a strong friendship and were on the court for their third meeting in the Beko BBL and Robertson was able to win his third straight 
meeting 76-72. Before the game, Ludwigsburg sport director Mario Probst wasn´t to keen about any one on one duels, but had his mind on only one thing. “This duel might be nice for the fans, but the most important thing is that we win. The only important thing is that they know each other, but all else about them is unimportant. We are coming on a good way. It is never about individual play, but about team play. If not all five on the court defend, then we will always have problems to win”, warned Mario Probst. Long after the game was over, the two Cincinnati kids Dorris and Roberston were in a corner in the catacombs with ex Dorris teammate Jacob Burtschi hanging out and the only thing missing was a poker table as all three were calm, but Dorris was a bit disappointed about coming up on the short end again against his teammate. “It is always great to see Tez, but bitter sweet when he comes out on top”, stressed mark Dorris. Jacob Burtschi was used to seeing great Dorris performances like his 35 point outburst in Ludwigsburg last season and is still getting used to the Super Tez flights to the basket and understood their rivalry. “They are good friends, but as soon as they step on the court, it gets thrown out the window. Both were up for this game, one could sense it on the court. Tez was all over the court and Dorris hit some tough shots”, commented ex Phoenix Hagen forward Jacob Burtschi. Robertson finished with four points and four rebounds and Dorris with 10 points.
