Fans in Pittsburg will only have had two weeks to dream and get ready for The Super Bowl, while fans of the Northsiders Chicago Cubs have 
been waiting and waiting and waiting for 103 years to hoist a World Series crown and Mr Spiderman actor James Franco only has 30 days to prepare an imagery acceptance speech and wait to possibly hear his name called as the 2011 Oscar winner for best actor for the flick 127 hours, but the Deutsche Bank Skyliners also have been waiting for some sweet revenge after their early season loss in Bamberg and have been plowing by BEKO BBL teams in the Ballsporthalle as if they have been slush rather than heavy compact crust snow, but February 5th has been marked on many calendars as Frankfurt attempts to defend their home unbeaten streak and seek payback against the three time BEKO BBL champion Brose Baskets Bamberg. This game is the highlight of the current season as the two top teams of the BEKO BBL will battle and see who has made more strides on the court in the last months. A game like this has to bring out a tad more extra energy for the players. “It is always tough coming into top games and you always come out a bit more hyped. As a player you try to settle down a bit and just go in and do what you always did, because at the end of the day you have been doing it for so long and it should be 
natural once you step on the court and the ball is thrown up. My most difficult game had to be the national championship game that I played my senior year at Metropolitan St. (NCAA2). It seemed like the night of the game would never come. Even when I was warming up it seemed like time was standing still. As for the anxiety, once the ball went up, it was all gone, but it was tough waiting”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum. The game against Bamberg will showcase the one millionth patron in the Ballsporthalle since the birth of the club in 1999 and possibly will that lucky million person be a Skyliner fan and give the team luck.
Author: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber
Ryan Staudacher(Deutsche Bank Skyliners II) I Think That I Defend Better For What People Give Me Credit For
Ryan Staudacher is a 23 year old 193cm guard from Kirkland, Washington. He is playing his first season for the Frankfurt Skyliners PRO B team. he played at Montana(NCAA) from 2006-2010. In his senior year, he played 32 games: 8.6ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 45.6%, 3PT: 45.5%, FT: 80.0%. Some awards and achievements that he has recieved in his career have been Sky Conf. Tournament Semifinals -07, Big Sky Conf. Regular Season Runner-Up -09, Big Sky Conf. Tournament Winner -10 and All-Big Sky Conf. Honorable Mention -10. Staudacher spoke to eurobasket about basketball.
A tough 76-64 loss to Redgas Ehingen at home. What was key for not getting the home win?
Ehingen is a good team. They played very tough physical defense on us. We were sluggish in the first half. It was tough coming back in the second half.
Travis Walton(Ratiopharm Ulm) Good Things Happen When I Enter The Court
Travis Walton is a 23 year old 187cm point guard from Lima, Ohio. He is playing his first season with Ratiopharm Ulm. He played at Michigan 
State from 2005-2009 where he served as team captain for three consecutive years, being the 3rd in history of Michigan State school to do that. Led the Big 10 in assist to turnover ratio 2.4 to 1 and broke Magic Johnson’s career assist record at Michigan State. Walton possesses great toughness, strength and leadership skills and is an exceptional defender. Last season he played shortly for Lugano Tigers (Switzerland-LNA, starting five), left in Dec.’09: 13 games: 8.9ppg, 1.2rpg, Assists-5(4.9apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.7% before returning back to Michigan State to help the coaching staff. Some achievements that he has received were Big Ten Tournament Semifinals -06, 08, 09, Big Ten All-Defensive Team -07, 09, NCAA Sweet 16 -08, Big Ten Regular Season Champion -09, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year -09. He spoke German Hoops about basketball recently.
Chris Moss Steals The Super Murat Didin Energy Doner For Himself Launching The Deutsche Bank Skyliners past The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf With A Buzzer Beater 68-66
This season the name Gloria Giants Duesseldorf sprinkles about as much fear to BEKO BBL teams as does a tank filled with tiger sharks that 
have been fed frequently while a person falls in accidently, Cleveland Cavalier point guard Mo Williams currently not shooting out the lights from the parking lot as he is only at 26.6% from that distance or Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin entering the TD Garden in Boston and seeing his opponent Shaq dancing around on the floor with a ballerina outfit, however The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had been well aware that The Brose Baskets Bamberg had left the Burg Wachter Castello arena in Duesseldorf recently with a bitter loss and were as focused in crunch time to win as were the Pittsburg Steelers getting past the New York Jets in the AFC championship game, Jacob Burtschi of Phoenix Hagen sinking the cherished money ball as often as possible in Trier last weekend in the three point shooting contest and Salu Benjamin Tadi sweeping away the BEKO BBL players last weekend in the BEKO BBL allstar slam dunk contest in Trier as Frankfurt escaped the elegant doner palace of Turk coach Murat Didin with an exciting 68-66 come from behind win as they finished the game with a 6-0 run and back breaking buzzer beater by American Chris Moss. “We were up by two points with a minute to play, but we missed an easy rebound and made two mistakes. This was a sin for our efforts. We deserved to win this game. We shot 43% from the free throw line against Bremerhaven and only 57% against Frankfurt. We hustled a lot, but we missed too many free throws, made too many small mistakes which disturbed our gift to win the game”, stated Gloria Giants Duesseldorf coach Murat Didin. The win was about as far from pretty as was actor Mickey Rourke in his role in the fighter, but a win is a win and Frankfurt will take it. “We have to give Duesseldorf a lot of credit. They played very well. We didnt play with a lot of energy which is unacceptable. We were lucky that we on today”, stressed Skyliner forward Chris Moss.
Can A Super Murat Didin Energy Doner Creation Propel The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf Past The Deutsche Bank Skyliners January 29th?
With the 2011 NFL playoffs starting to get near the peak of the Superbowl, the Australian Open tennis tournament in its second week, and all
Germans glued to their TVs to see which nasty insect will be eaten next in the German TV show Im a star getting me out of here camp, basketball fans should not forget that the BEKO BBL will start the second half on January 29th as the Deutsche Bank Skyliners want to get both feet off on the winning track with a victory in the elegant jazzy Burg Wachter Castello arena against The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf. In anticipation, that ex Skyliner coach Murat Didin might give his team the same spiced up extraordinary energy Doner that the Brose Baskets Bamberg got earlier this season as The Deutsche Bank Skyliners will have to be as focused as Bart Scott from the New York jets was in his post game interview after the win against The New England Patriots, comedic actor Sasha Baron Cohen who will be playing Saddam Hussein in the upcoming project “The Dictator” and the way UCONN junior Kemba Walker has been playing like a Pitbull winning games in crunch time and being known as the Kemba show. Frankfurt has been perfect at home and have lost all four games on the road and might have to hope that the special powerful Doner that Didin produces gets lost on game day. “Didin should put in some peppers and some special Turkish spices that his team is not used to eating to help give the team the extra energy to get by Frankfurt”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum.
This season, The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf have had another season to forget as it started off bad and only got worse. Of course, Didin didnt make things any easier on himself signing five new players on the eve of the first game in Bremerhaven. The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf started off the season with a 8 game losing streak before winning two games in a row against MBC and Phoenix Hagen. One should not forget even though the Giants are in last place, they dont share the longest losing streak in the BEKO BBL this season as the Giessen 46ers currently are riding on a 13 game losing streak. However instead of getting on a healthy winning streak the team lost their next six games in a row before getting on the win column again beating the 3 time BEKO BBL team Brose Baskets Bamberg 72-69. How important was this win for the BEKO BBL stopping the Bamberg dominance? “No disrespect to to Duesseldorf, but any win that they get is very important. It could of been against any other team and it would of been just as important”, warned John Bynum. Since the win, Duesseldorf has lost two more games to the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven and Bamberg again. A big problem is their defense as they have given up 80 or more points 10 times, but the team has improved. “Duesseldorf made some changes and made themselves better and they seem to improve with every game as does every other team. With the second half starting, I am sure they will continue to improve and win some more games”, stressed California native John Bynum.
Chris Moss (Deutsche Bank Skyliners): I Am Good At Taking Charges And Its Not Pretty But Helps the Team
Chris Moss is a 30 year old 204cm forward that grew up in Georgia and now lives in Chesterfield, Virginia and is playing for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners. He started his basketball career at west Virginia where he played from 1998-2002. In his senior year, he played 28 games averaging 17,5ppg and 8,0rpg. In 2002-2003, he came to Europe to start his professional basketball career as he played for Ironi Nahariya (Israel-Premier League): 5 games: 11.2ppg, 5.0rpg, 2ast – Golbey-Epinal (France-ProB): 26 games: 17.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 18ast. From 2003-2010, he played in Spain including 2 seasons in the LEB Gold and 5 years in the ACB. He played for Menorca from 2003-2008. His best season in the ACB was 2005-2006 for Menorca as he played games 26 games averaging 14.1ppg, 7.3rpg, 2FGP: 50.0%, FT: 67.0%. He played for CB Murcia from 2008-2010. Last season, he played 31 games averaging 5.8ppg, 6.7rpg, FGP: 43.4%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 73.3%. He took some time to talk to german hoops.
My Personal Basketball Diary Of The 2011 BEKO BBL Allstar Day In Trier
After years of having the BEKO BBL Allstar game in Cologne and two years in Mannheim with many empty seats and an atmosphere that was
missing some kind of electric shock to pep things up and Howard Stern to help get the crowd get going, the BEKO BBL decided to hold the festivities in smaller venues in Bonn last year and in Trier this year and have been able to fill the seats and bring an atmosphere that one can describe as breathtaking possibily only topped by a game 5 playoff bedlam game in Bamberg against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners.The BEKO BBL once again presented a versatile show for the fans for 7 hours with great acts performing on the floor, an interesting NBBL allstar game with the 24 best young German players showing their tricks, a sharp shooting three point contest that was won by Jacob Burtschi, a very entertaining slam dunk contest in which Salu Benjamin Tadi ran away with the trophy keeping some professionals like Quantez Robertson and Torrell Martin displaying wide jaws in astonishment and possibly a trip to the doctor on Monday to check if they can still smile without having aches, and a high scoring BEKO BBL Allstar game in which the North won again 114-104 for the 11th time in the last 13 years showing a dominance that Bamberg once had over The Deutsche Bank Skyliners from 2005-2010 where Frankfurt had just as many problems winning as the Giessen 46ers momentarily have, but a savior in Michael Hakim Jordan who is on the way who will bring some of his Wolf sneer to the Osthalle to scare away the opponents and then greet them with his million dollar smile after the game for a beer.
Kimmo Muurinen(Deutsche Bank Skyliners): I Think Its My Dirty Work Like Diving For Loose Balls That Doesn’t Get Noticed As Much
Kimmo Muurinen is a 29 year old 202cm forward swingman with great athletic ability, agility and versatility that comes from Finland. He played in the NCAA from 2002-2004 for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In his senior year, he played 28 games: 6.1ppg, 3.7rpg, 22ast. He turned professional in 2004 and played for Honka Espoo Playboys (Korisliiga) until 2009. In his five years in Finland, he played 164 games. His best season was 2005-2006, where he played 40 games: 14.1ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 54%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 77.6%. Last season he played for Martos Napoli (Italy-SerieA, starting five): 12 games: 7.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 51.7%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 56.3%, in Jan.’10 moved to Scafati Basket (Italy-Lega2): 18 games: 4.4ppg, 3.3rpg. Some awards and achievements in his basketball career have been Finnish National Team -00-10, Polar Cup Finalist -00, Finnish League Rookie of the Year -01, Finnish League Quarterfinals -05, Finnisn University National Team -05, World University Games -05, Finnish League Regular Season Runner-Up -06, 07, Finnish League Semifinals -06, 09, Eurobasket.com Finnish League All-Domestic Players Team -06, Finnish League Champion -07, 08, Qualifications to European Championships 2009 -08: 8 games: 11.8ppg, 4.8rpg, FGP: 54.3%, 3PT: 43.8%, FT: 82.1%, Finnish Cup Semifinals -09, and Qualifications to European Championships 2011 -10: 8 games: 2.8ppg, 3.9rpg. He spoke with German Hoops about basketball.
Dru Joyce(TBB Trier): I Go Out And Try To Be A Good Leader
Dru Joyce is a 25 year old 183cm point guard from Akron, Ohio that is playing his first season for TBB Trier. He played at St Marys high school
with Lebron James and Romeo Travis winning three state championships and compiling a 103-5 record. He played at Akron(NCAA) from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he played 33 games averaging 10.0ppg, 2.4rpg, 4.3apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3Pts: 39.6%, FT: 65.6%. In 2007-2008, he played for Ratiopharm Ulm playing 34 games averaging 9.5ppg, 2.0rpg, Assists-2(4.4apg), 2FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 72.8%. In 2008-2009, he played his second season in Ulm and played 34 games averaging 10.1ppg, 1.8rpg, Assists-2(4.5apg), FGP: 42.8%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 73.0%. Last season, he played for Energa Czarni Slupsk (Poland-PLK, starting five), Polish League: 6 games: 4.5ppg, 1.5rpg, 3.0apg; in Nov.’09 moved to Anwil Wloclawek (Poland-PLK): 27 games: 7.5ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.4apg, FGP: 41.0%, 3PT: 39.1%, FT: 75.9%.. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
What is it like playing against John Goldsberry? He doesn´t score much, but does everything as a point guard. Where would you rate him in the BEKO BBL?
He is one of the top point guards in the league. He is one of the best because he is leading the team to wins. Bamberg doesn’t need him to score. He sets the table for the team.
Brice Brooks (Schwenningen ProB): I Think My Leadership Doesn´t Always get Noticed
Brice Brooks is a 24 year old 203cm forward from Seattle, Washington. He played at sacred Heart from 2004-2008. In his senior year, he 
played 32 games averaging 12.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3Pts: 42.9%, FT: 75.8%. He was a Tournament Finalist in 2007 and 2008. He started his professional basketball career in 2008 for Kaiserslautern Braves (Germany-ProA), waived in Feb.’09: 17 games: 7.9ppg, 4.2rpg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 23.3%, FT: 52.2%. Last season, he played for 1862 Langen (Germany-ProA): 6 games: 6.3ppg, 2.7rpg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 58.3%, waived in Dec.’09, in Jan.’10 moved to UBC Muenster (Germany-Regionalliga): 8 games: 17.5ppg: He signed at Schweinningen(PRO B) a few weeks ago and is averaging 9,5ppg, 4,0rpg, 1,0apg and 1,0spg. He took some time to talk to German Hoops about the game he loves a short time before he was signed by Schweninngen.
You are from Seattle, Washington. Is it as cold here as there?
The weather is similar, but it doesn´t snow as much back home. As soon as we get around one inch of snow everything shuts down. Schools close and people dont go to work. Since I have been in Germany it has always snowed. At Sacred Heart, it snowed all the time and it was not my favorite.
