Author: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber

Basketball journalist and play by play commentator

Elvir Ovcina(Giessen 46ers) The War Was A Bad Experience, But We All Tried To Learn The Best We Could From This Experience

Elvir Ovcina is a 34 year old 211cm power forward/center that was born in Sarajevo.
He played for Syracuse from 1995-1999 reaching the NCAA final in 1996. After playing in Slovenia for two seasons, he came to Germany and played for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg from 2001-2004. In the 2003-2004 season, he played 27 games: 14.9ppg, 9.3rpg, 2.7apg, 2.8bpg. In 2004-2005, he played for Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus (Greece-A1): Euroleague: 8 games: 4.3ppg, 5.6rpg; Greek League: 9 games: 5.7ppg, 3.1rpg, 2FGP: 52.0%, in Dec.’04 moved to RheinEnergie Koln (Germany-1.Bundesliga): ULEB Cup: 5 games: 11,2ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 51.3%, 3Pts: 33.3%; German Bundesliga: 21 games: 10.1ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.5apg, 1.6bpg, 2FGP: 49.7%, 3FGP: 20.0%. In 2005-2006, he played for Khimik-OPZ Yuzny (Ukraine-Superleague): EuroCup Challenge: 2 games: 10.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 0ast, FG: 63.6%, 3PT: 50%; Ukrainian League: 8 games: 7.6ppg, 3.8rpg, 2FGP: 51.0%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 66.7%, in Dec.’05 joined Telindus BC Oostende (Belgium-D1): 21 games: 10.7ppg, Reb-4(7.8rpg), 1.7apg, 1.2spg, 2FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 55.0%. He then played in Belgium from 2006-2008 for Telindus BC Oostende winning the cup in 2008. In 2008-2009, he played for Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo (D1): Adriatic League: 5 games: 9.8ppg, 9.2rpg, 3.6apg. Last season, he played for Polzela (Slovenia-Liga UPC): 5 games: 12.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 55.3%, 3PT: 66.7%, FT: 85.7%, in Jan.’10 moved to LTi Giessen 46ers (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 14 games: 14.1ppg, 8.1rpg, 2.8apg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 57.7%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 69.4%. Some achievements in his career have been and Herzegovina National Team -97-05, European Championships -97, 99, 01, 03, German Bundesliga Cup Semifinals -02, German Bundesliga All-Star Game -03, German Bundesliga Cup Winner -05, European Championships in Belgrade -05: 3 games: 5.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 0.7apg, 1.3spg, Belgian League Regular Season Champion -06, Belgian League Champion -06, 07
and Bosnia and Herzegovina Cup Winner -09. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

The Giessen 46ers are the huge surprise of the season so far. Why is the team so strong this season?

We are a young talented team. I think we have had an advantage with the schedule in the early going. We didn´t play any team that was higher than 13th place. We haven´t had a win against atop team like Oldenburg or Bamberg yet. I think that the team did a good chance preparing for the season. Last season, the team started 0-6 and after six games this season had 4 wins already. Management did a good job bringing in new players. Only me and Jannik Freese remained. We might not have good results in preseason, but we always knew that if we continued to work hard, we would have success.

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Maccabi Haifa Had Enough Tail Wind From The Carmel Mountain Squeezing Out A Win In The Opening Eurochallenge Game Against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners 83-78

Maccabi Haifa may not have the name, tradition or player personal of neighbor Maccabi Tel Aviv, but the club has proved this season that they can beat any team on any day and have made a fine transition to the Premier league similar to how Phoenix Hagen is slowly making a name in the BEKO BBL in the early going, BBC Bayreuth American Jaivon Harrs making a solid jump from the German PRO A to the BEKO BBL and showing his potent basketball skill or Formula one German racer Nico Hulkenberg making his mark as a rookie this season as he was the first German racer getting a pole position in his first season. Maccabi Haifa displayed a calm and cool head down the stretch in the fourth quarter that they can beat teams in Israel, France or Germany as they defeated The Deutsche Bank Skyliners 83-78 in the first Eurochallenge game in Frankfurt. “The Israel league is tough. Maccabi tel Aviv has a lot of tradition and history and are always in the final game. I think that we can give them a good game this season. I would put us in the top half of the league in israel. We hope to keep moving up ladder and getting as good as Maccabi Tel Aviv”, warned 22 year old Maccabi Haifa American Derrick Low. Skyliner forward Roger Powell who played in Israel a few years ago and was lauded in the best merits from Maccabi Haifa management didn´t have to think much about what a Maccabi Haifa can do in Israel. “In Israel any team can beat anyone. Maccabi Tel Aviv is a great team while Maccabi Haifa is a decent team.You can´t take any team for granted in the Israel league”, warned ex NBA player Roger Powell.

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Marcus Ginyard(BBC Bayreuth) I Think I Am A Better Offensive Player Than What I Get Credit For.

Marcus Ginyard is a 23 year old 196cm shooting guard/small forward from Alexandria, Virginia that is playing his first season with BBC Bayreuth. He played at the University of North Carolina from 2005-2010. In his senior year, he played 33 games: 7.7ppg, 4.9rpg, 2.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 40.6%, 3PT: 30.9%, FT: 67.1%. Some of his achievements at North Carolina were , ACC Tournament Semifinals -06, 09, ACC Regular Season Champion 08, 09, ACC Tournament Winner -07, 08, NCAA Elite Eight -07, ACC All-Defensive Team -08, NCAA Final Four -08 and was a NIT Finalist -10. This past summer, he played NBA Summer League in Orlando (Charlotte Bobcats). He sat down with German Hoops to talk basketball.

How was it playing against Immanuel Mcelroy of Alba Berlin?

It was a great challenge and I had a lot of fun with the matchup. I thought that I played ok. I made some mistakes and Alba Berlin took advantage of it. It was a great learning experience.

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Frank Robinson(Maccabi Haifa Israel) Pregame Thoughts To Eurochallenge Game Against Deutsche Bank Skyliners

Frank Robinson is 26 year old 193cm guard that was born in Compton, California and grew up in Los Angeles. He played at Cal Fullerton (NCAA) from 2005-2008. In his senior year, he played games: 15.8ppg, 6.9rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 45.1%, 3Pts: 34.2%, FT: 73.8%. In 2008-2009, he started with NBA club Atlanta Hawks (NBA), left in Oct.’08, then moved to Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia-Liga UPC, starting five): Adriatic League: 17 games: 4.5ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.1spg; Euroleague: 8 games: 6.8ppg, 3.3rpg, in Feb.’09 signed at EnBW Ludwigsburg (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 11 games: 11.0ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 53.2%, 3PT: 27.0%, FT: 73.5%. Last season, he started with the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) again, only pre-season, in Dec.’09 moved to Los Angeles D-Fenders (D-League, starting five): 38 games: 12.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.7apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 49.8%, 3PT: 24.3%, FT: 69.2%. Last summer, he played NBA Summer League in Las Vegas (LA Lakers). This season, he is playing for Maccabi Haifa (Israel-Premier League) and spoke to German Hoops before the EuroChallenge game against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners.

You are playing your first season with Macabbi Haifa in Israel. The team has a 2-2 record. How do you like playing in the Israel league? How woudl you compare to other league like Germany, D-league, and Slovenia?

First of all I want say hello to all the basketball fans who read these aritcles here and I want to tell them to look out for a project that I am working on called SWSX. (Ill explain later) Thank you for this oppurtunity.

Playing here in Israel has been a pleasant surprise. I was always told that it is a good country and one of the easiest for Americans to get comfortable with but the competition level is higher than a lot of people give credit. I really enjoy the league and experience that I have had here so far. Compared to other leagues I would only rank my time in Ljubljana above Israel and that is only because we played in Euro League and Adriatic league. The coaches and General Managers of this league really did a good job recruiting this year and it is showing in the standings so far.

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With Moral Support From Soccer Club Eintracht Frankfurt Cheering In The Crowd Nothing Could Stop The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Defeating EnBW Ludwigsburg 74-67

The last time the Deutsche Bank Skyliners lost to EnBW Ludwigsburg at home was in 2006 as Lionel Richie look alike Jerry Green was putting up MVP stats in the BEKO BBL(even though Bingo Merriex could also pose as a Lionel Richie double), ex Skyliner Rudy Mbemba was still a teenager and for many basketball fanatics the hottest Swedish commodity since the pop group Roxette and singer Paul Potts was still practicing his opera talent at home in front of the mirror and selling cell phones before he finally became a household name in 2008 winning Britain´ s Got talent and Frankfurt was able to keep their unbeaten streak alive at home beating EnBW Ludwigsburg 74-67. Frankfurt was able to win their six game in a row and players had mixed emotions about the way the home team was able to win the game. Skyliner center Marius Nolte had a glowing smile after the win, but not so much about how the team played. “I am smiling about how we survived the last weeks. We had injuries and guys coming and going, but we stayed together as a team which is important. We were a bit tired mentally tonight, but I am happy that we won. Ex Tubingen American AJ Moye had a stern expression after the game and wasn´t to thrilled with how the team played. “A win is a win, but I didn´t like our purpose on offense tonight. We pushed the ball nicely on transition, but we were breaking out of our offensive sets to quickly. Normally Ludwigsburg is a team where we should have 5-6 guys in double figures and 18-20 team assists. We gave up 43 points in the second half which is trash. I am happy we won, but not satisfied”, stressed Skyliner American AJ Moye. EnBW Ludwigsburg lost their third in a row and fourth of their last five games and had to play catch up basketball all night long. “We play well at times, but we played too much up and down tonight. We were unable to be consistent tonight. Frankfurt decided the game with their penetration. Our bigs aren´t quick enough to help when the Frankfurt guards penetrate”, stated EnBW Ludwigsburg assistant coach Steven Clauss.

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Can A Little Richie In Jerry Green Or A Little Bit Of Starship Or Anything Else Stop the Deutsche Bank Skyliners From Getting Their Sixth Win In a Row Against EnBW Ludwigsburg?

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners are currently on a five game winning streak and are as hot as one of the worlds top point guards Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics who is averaging 11,1ppg, 14,8apg, 5,5rpg and 3,1spg, Justin Bieber who now at age 16 might be sweeter than Nestle chocolate for most teenage girls and German soccer club Borussia Dortmund who are in position one and carefully and secretly grinning at the current woes of Bayern Munich who seem to be dwelling in some lost barren desert than on the soccer field. Frankfurt wants to win their sixth game in the row and stay unbeaten in the Ballsporthalle this season with getting their fifth win in a row against EnBW Ludwigsburg on Wednesday November 10th. Basketball matters on the court are going so smoothly for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners at the moment that one could think that they have received the extraordinary winning mentality of their sporting neighbors Eintracht Frankfurt who are playing as if they are in their own fairy tale at the moment as they rest in position four with a record of 6-4 in the German Bundesliga. Perhaps they will get some extra luck on Wednesday as some members of Eintracht Frankfurt including Patrick Ochs, Sebastian Jung, Alexander Meier and Marcus Steinhoefer will be in attendance rooting the basketball players to victory. With the inspiring play and success of The Deutsche Bank Skyliners, one could almost dedicate the famous Starship track “Nothing is gonna stop us now” to their current season, because they are playing as if they are on a mission to doing everything right on the court except losing. Skyliner coach Gordon Herbert is a coach who knows how to keep his team from getting the we are too good for anyone syndrome. “The most difficult thing for a team like Frankfurt now is to stay focused and stay hungry, but I am sure they can. You have to toot your own horn in this game, but not go over board. Of course, if you are playing on a team that is blowing everyone away, you could get the feeling that nothing is gonna stop us, but you just have to keep giving your best and not think about the games in the past, but the next game”, stressed Phoenix Hagen American Quentin Pryor. One should never get ahead of yourself especially when everyone thing is working, but players are taking notice about where Frankfurt could be in the near future if they keep playing this well. “Frankfurt needs to stay humble and keep playing defense the way they have. They have a very good team. I think that Frankfurt can step it up to the next level of Bamberg and Berlin. They have great players with Moye, Wood and Powell and play hard. I believe that they can compete with the highest teams in the BEKO BBL this season”, warned Gloria Giants Duesseldorf guard Steven Wright.

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The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Clip The Wings Of The Peacocok Scoring Boys Winning The Hessen Derby 82-64

The current atmosphere and excitement of the success of the Giessen 46ers and their 5-2 start and the extra push of the Hessen Derby impact was as intense as the current stressful situation with loved Mr Streets of San Francisco actor Michal Douglas and his health situation, the silent fueding between Bayern Munich coach Louis Van Gaal and Bayern president Uli Hoeness or the the satisfying feeling in Giants land across the bay with the San Francisco Giants winning the 2010 World Series again after suffering through a 56 year drought, but The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were able to pluck the wings of the Peacock scoring boys and send the Giessen 46ers home with a big 82-64 win. Frankfurt was able to win their 9th game out of their last11 games dating back to 2005 and their fifth game in a row. The Hessen Derby is always a big game for both teams as it seems like both the players and fans give that extra push similar to a pop group like AHA on their farewell tour does. The atmosphere was loud and the only thing missing was ex Skyliner coach Murat Didin to pop up in the Skybembel block wearing a Skybembel scarf and cheering for ex players like Marius Nolte and Dominik Bahiense De Mello. “The derby atmosphere was great. I could hear the Giessen fans very well and it was fun to see which fans could be the loudest. It is always fun to play here”, said Giessen 46er guard Chase Griffin. For Skyliner energy bundle Quantez Robertson, he makes as much noise on the court as a hungry wild boar does when a little baby boar gets gets served food first, but after the game Super Tez was very reserved, but felt the Hessen derby flair. “The atmosphere was good, but not as good as the Auburn-Alabama games, but I am very happy how well the fans supported us today. They helped us get back into the game. It is always important to get wins at home”, stressed Skyliner guard Quantez Robertson. Dashaun Wood played in his first German derby and remembered the rivalry with his school Wright State and Butler, but was impressed with the crowd enthusiasm in the Ballsporthalle. “The Giessen fans brought a lot of energy, but our we had more fans and they got us going. Playing these type of games is what a player always dreams about”, stated Dashaun Wood.

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Roger Powell Doesn´t Dunk, But The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Force BG Goettingen To Slip Over Their Own Violets 70-58

Basketball lady luck in the Lok Halle has been about as distant for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners in the last years as German soccer star Lukas Podolski scoring goals in a rapid pace in the German Bundesliga, Lebron James finally winning that first NBA crown or Minnesota Viking quarterback legend Bret Favre winning that second Superbowl after the 1997 win against The New England Patriots, but Frankfurt finally won for the second time 70-58 after winning in 2008 where half of the team was sick and Murat Didin had to play Maksym Shtein who had his best game as a pro in the BEKO BBL scoring 24 points. Perhaps new Skyliner Roger Powell was that mini me version of Michael Jordan being that most cherished good luck charm? Powell may look like Michael Jordan, but has an ego the size of a split pea. “I was definitely no good luck charm. This victory came because our team played well and coach prepared us well”, stressed ex Utah Jazz Roger Powell. BG Goettingen is usually as strong as steel at home, but this season seem to have been melting a bit in the Lok Halle having a 2-2 record and might be looking for their own good luck charm. “Frankfurt didn´t have any special luck and we didn´t slip on any violets. Our defense was ok, but not as intense as it could be. We played 25 minutes of hell and 15 minutes of heaven. Frankfurt played harder and wanted it more. We played well in spurts and when we didn´t, they capitalized on our mistakes”, commented BG Goettingen center Jason Boone. If there is one guy that could replace American talk show host Jay Leno and entertain the most bored lady in a nursing home then its AJ Moye, who fires entertaining quotes as rapidly as Tobi the dragon sprouts fire. “I don´t think we had any luck, but then again perhaps it was the luck of the Irish with coach Gordon Herbert”, joked Skyliner American AJ Moye.

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Can Roger Powell(Deutsche Bank Skyliners) Pick Some Violets From The BG Goettingen Rim November 3rd?

The German basketball community got a real pre Halloween trick or treat eye candy display in terms of a Roger Powell tomahawk dunk in Artland last weekend which was as delicious as a Lionel Messi(FC Barcelona) full field scamper and goal like Diego Maradona did at the World Cup in Mexico in 1986, tennis goddess Anna Kournikova giving a tennis clinic in a see through bikini, or Barry Bonds hitting a mammoth moon rocket from San Francisco across the bay to Sacramento. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners next play 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goettingen on the road, but that almost seems secondary as the Roger Powell dunk has stuck in the heads of many basketball lovers like the rescue effort of the Chilean miners last month. Roger Powell may look like a combination of Michael air Jordan and Dennis the worm Rodmann, but for any player to have Air Jordan roots in their game is about as taboo as living in Boston and being a New York Yankees fan, because there is only one Michael Jordan. “Nobody has the Michael Jordan touch of air except himself”, stressed Gloria Giants Duesseldorf Giants guard Steven Wright. After just one game, the dunk of Roger Powell already seems to be as memorable as a teacher getting that first apple from a student. Powell had Marius Nolte, Boumtje Boumtje and Darren Fenn looking up in amazement as he soared to the hoop for the dunk and many more people who saw it on TV. “I dont know if Powell will have a dunk like that in Goettingen, but Powell is real athletic and that dunk was real nice and the best that I have seen this season. It was a monster treat”, laughed ex Braunschweig guard Steven Wright. BG Goettingen are known as the Veilchen(German word for violet) and perhaps Powell will find some violets on the rim or just do some other kind of dunk chaos on the court in Goettingen? “Hopefully Powell can violently slam over the violets”, joked Phoenix Hagen American Mark Dorris. BG Goettingen center Jason Boone sees the arena elements as maybe being a problem for Powell. “The dunk floor in Quackenbruck is very springy. I have seen a lot of nice dunks in that arena. The Lokhalle is an old train repair station and the elevation levels are a little different there. We will have to wait and see what Powell can do”, warned BG Goettingen center Jason Boone.

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Roger Jordman Powell Sends Toby The Dragon Whimpering back Into The Dungeon A Monster Dunk As The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Demolish The Artland Dragons 82-56

Skyliner captain Pascal Roller is usually as reliable with his shot as Larry Bird was in crunch time, Tom Brady early in his career with unforgettable fourth quarter comebacks or Red Sox slugger David Ortiz coming through with big clutch hits in the late innings, but in the first five games of the season Roller was averaging a dismal 10% from the field and 11% from outside was about as unlucky as the couple Cairns-Lawrence who experienced the 9/11 Terrorist attacks, 2005 London bombing innocent and 2008 bombing in Mumbai, but Roller finally found his shooting touch back last weekend shooting 4/6 against Braunschweig, but had misfortune again shooting only 1/6, but it didn´t harm The Deutsche Bank Skyliners as they recieved enough production from AJ Moye, Dominik Bahiense De Mello or Brad Buckman as they took apart the Artland Dragons 82-56. Roller might be one of the few shooters on earth that can have a bad shooting day, but always be remembered for the incredible worth of his talent of making big time shots. “Pascal is just a clutch shooter. You can wake him up at 2.00 am and he will make the winning shot. He will always have his ups and downs, but when it counts he always makes the shot. I can remember with the German national team he would not have played 38 minutes and coach Dirk Bauerman just put him in for free throws”, warned ex North Carolona Tar Heel Ademola Okulaja. “Roller found his shot at an early age. He has been shooting like this since he was 15 or 16 years old. He is just a pure technical shooter, that doesn´t think, but just shoots. He could always rely on his shot even if it didn´t fall tonight”, added ex BEKO BBL player Marvin Willoughby. “We had Buckman in the first half, Moye in the second half and the leadership of Roller the whole game”, said Quantez Robertson.

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