Oshane Drews (198-SG-2001) is a 24 year old 198cm shooting guard playing his second professional season with the Rostock SeaWolves. He began his basketball career at RSV Stahnsdorf and then played 2 years with the Junior Loewen Braunschweig (NBBL) and SG Braunschweig (2.Regionalliga). He then played 2 seasosn with the Dragons Rhondorf and then made the next step to the Uni Baskets Paderborn (PRO A). He came to the Rostock Seawolves in 2023. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a game against the Frankfurt Skyliners.
You began your basketball career at TUS Lichterfelde and then played with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (ProB) averaging 6.7ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, FGP: 55.6%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 51.1%. You were 16 years old that season. How do you remember that season? Did you mature quicker with more minutes? I think that game reps are very important for one´s development. I made a big jump in my game. The funny thing was that then I had no idea what the Pro B was. The trust and minutes I got really helped me as a young player.
How valuable was head coach Denis Toroman in your early basketball development? Did it surprise you then that he gave you so much trust?
Yes a little. I remember at the middle of the season when I began to play more, he came to me and said, “I wish I could of given you even more minutes up to now. That opened my eyes and I concentrated more, worked harder and got more minutes.
What memories do you have of Daniel Kirchner? That same season he got a chance and then went to Dresden and has become a solid Pro A player. Did you see that coming then? He had always had had a good shot, was fast, could jump and dunk. But at that time, he hadn´t had such a big role with us.
You then played 2 seasons with the Junior Loewen Braunschweig (NBBL) averaging 16.1ppg, 8.8rpg, 3.9apg, 2.6spg, FGP: 48.7%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 57.1%. You were injured your first season and bounched back in your second season. How vital were these 2 years in your basketball development? That was the first time that I had practiced with a BBL team. I saw how difficult it was to play in the BBL. The BBL was worlds apart from what I had experienced as a player. It really opened up my eyes, how much more work I ha din front of me to improve my game.
Who won a 1-1 in practice, you or Simon Roosch?
I did.
You played 2 ANGT games with FC Bayern Munich. What memories do you have playing with them and great talents like Bruno Vrcic and Sascha Grant? I just remember being really flashed. We traveled in style and stayed at a 5 star hotel in Belgrad and had a police escort. It was a cool experience. FC Bayern Munich welcomed me with open arms. I didn´t play much though.
You then played 2 seasons with the Dragons Rhoendorf (ProB).How tough was that first season. You began great playing 2 games and then Covid cancelled the Regionalliga season. How tough was starting great and then having the season end? I still had knee problems the first season. The season ended abruptly. But we still moved up to the Pro B. That next summer, I had an operation and was fit for my second season. In the end, I didn´t miss anything my first season.
You then had your break out season in the Pro B averaging 11.7ppg, 4.1rpg, 4.2apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 50.3%, 3PT: 29.7%, FT: 58.3%. How did your game grow that season under Julius Thomas? I improved so much with the Dragons. My game grew much. I became more flexible and versatile. I became stronger and more athletic and became a better defender. I also got used to that level.
What memories do you have of the Bernau win? You had 25 points a season high and teammate Paul Albrecht a triple double? That is still a blur for me. I will never forget my fast break dunk. That was a good win. Everyone was happy.
You then joined the Uni Baskets Paderborn (ProA) averaging 7.5ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 53.5%, 3PT: 38.1%, FT: 64.0%. You made another jump in your game under Steve Esterkamp? Did he just let you play your game? Yes he did. He gave me a good role. He prepared me for the BBL. He is a good coach. I really like his style.
Last season with Rostock you played 15 BBl games and 7 Fiba Europe Cup games with Rostock. Which player had the biggest impact on you in your first BBL season? Possibly Chris Carter? I think that Eric Lockett had the biggest impact on me. We have same build and define ourselves with our defense.
How did you experience the Fiba Europe Cup season? You scored 4 points in 5 minutes against Jonava?
I like playing in the competition and enjoyed the trips. It was interesting to se how other countries played. I would have liked to have played more though.
What was it like coming back to Rhondorf scoring 31 points in the 2-0 playoff sweet? I actually had the Dragon Dome bigger in my memory. I had a lot of fun and the fans gave me a nice welcome.
Who is the toughest player that you ever faced in the NCAA or anywhere on a court that reached the NBA? I have trained in USA and once trained with Bam Adebayo.
Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time? Derrick Alston Jr, Bryce Hamilton, Robin Amaize, Mike Smith, Jequan Lewis
Please name your personal NBA, Euro and German Mount Rushmore? Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Shaq, Michael Jordan Drazan Petrovic, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Giannis
Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Schroeder, Franz Wagner, Daniel Theis
Oshane Drews (198-SG-2001) is a 24 year old 198cm shooting guard playing his second professional season with the Rostock SeaWolves. He began his basketball career at RSV Stahnsdorf and then played 2 years with the Junior Loewen Braunschweig (NBBL) and SG Braunschweig (2.Regionalliga). He then played 2 seasosn with the Dragons Rhondorf and then made the next step to the Uni Baskets Paderborn (PRO A). He came to the Rostock Seawolves in 2023. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a game against the Frankfurt Skyliners.
Congrats on the big 84-68 win in Vechta. Is every game now like a do or die game?
We want to win every game. Every game counts now. We don´t go easy into games. We still see ourselves as the underdog. That is the reason why we have come so far this season.
Rostock had the slim 18-15 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Rostock exploded for 31 points. What was the focus going into the second quarter? We changed our defensive sets a lot. It took us a while to get it going in the first quarter. We defended better in the second quarter and they didn´t adjust well.
Everything was clicking with many guys getting involved. Was that one of the best offensive quarters this season? I think it was one of the best this season. We are a defensive orientated team, but I feel like we have have improved a lot on offense.
Malik Osborne and Pedro Bradshaw were huge. How vital have they been for the success? It is never easy for a player to come in the middle of the season. You have to understand your role quickly. With Bradshaw we got a player who is great off ball and Osborne is a very strong offensive player that has helped us a lot on offense now.
Rostock managed the lead well in the second half. Did the defensive intensity lose some steam in the second half with such a comfortable lead? We lost a little concentration with our different defensive sets and switches. They also adjusted well.
Johan Grunloh had a strong game with 14/10. Will he go to the NBA or possibly go to the NCAA? I think college is out. He will get drafted and then play in the NBA
Frankfurt has a 2 game winning streak. Rostock easily won in Rostock 83-66. What will be key to getting the win on the road? Both have new teams and both have had runs. We can´t underestimate them only because they are lower in the standings. We will come in motivated. We need the win. The team that wants it more will win.
Your playing your second season for the Rostock Seawolves. Has Rostock become like a second home?
What I really like about Rostock is that is near to my home Berlin. If we hadn´t come back so late from Vechta and I hadn´t slept so late, I would have returned home on my off day.
How exciting is the easyCredit BBL this season? Between position 3 and 14 is only a 2 win difference. Will Rostock make the playoffs this season? Our goal are the playoffs. I feel like that if we keep playing the way we are now, we will reach it.
The team began 4-8 and then after Christmas won 6 of 7 games. What were the reasons for the team picking up their game? We had a crisis meeting after the bad start. We changed the team a bit as well as our tactics. We understood what we needed to do to execute the game plan the right way and be successful. The new players and underdog mentality has been key in our success.
How vital has head coach Przemyslaw Frasunkiewicz been for the success of the team? What have you enjoyed most about his teaching philosophy?
We had many injuries and our game plan changed a lot. Coach knew how to make the right adjustments and kept the offense and defense flexible.
What has it been like being teammates with American Bryce Hamilton? How valuable has he been to the success? Bryce is a great player and our offensive leader. You can give him the ball and he will do his thing.
Is Robin Amaize like a role model for you? What is the most important thing that you have soaked up from his game? He is also a super player. He plays different than Americans do. What I try to do is take things I like from players and try to incorporate it into my game. I like his mentality and IQ. I try to soak that up from his game.
Your averaging 5 minutes per game, 1 minute more than last season. How tough is it in general finding minutes with this stocked BBL roster?
It is difficult to get minutes. I wasn´t even planned to be on the team. But I stayed and have gotten my chances. I just will keep working hard and earn minutes.
How tough is it being as efficient as possible? Do you sometimes let your defense make noise letting it spark your offense? Yes I do. I always want to get into the game with my defense. It is tough to do something on offense with little touches. I think that I could do more on offense. The problem is when I come in, I try not to make mistakes. That mentality leads me too think twice during decision time. The BBL is so quick that you need to decide quicker. That second thought often leads to my option being gone.
Clay Wilson (191-G-1992, college: Princeton) is a former professional player that is an assistant under legend Dave Smart at the University of the Pacific. He began his coaching career at Green Country Defenders in Oklahoma. He then was an assistant at Cornell as well as at North Texas and also was director of player development at Texas Tech. He also was the co-founder, co-owner, and trainer for Elev8hoops in Oklahoma. He helped create one of the largest skill development programs in the region with more than 600 clients. He also co-founded the Clay Wilson and David Mason Skill Academy. As a player, he began his basketball career at Lincoln Christian high school and then played at Princeton (NCAA) from 2011-2015. He had a brief pro career playing 2 seasons in Germany with the VfL AstroStars Bochum and also played in Latvia and New Zealand. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.
Thanks Clay for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you?
Miles! Thank you so much for reaching out. I am a huge fan of yours and have followed you and your stories for many years. You do a phenomenal job, and I still log into Eurobasket daily to keep track of recruits, friends, former teammates and coaches. I currently live in California and just finished up our season with the University of the Pacific in the West Coast Conference. The WCC is a tremendous league with many international players.
You retired in 2019 as a player and now are coaching. Has time flown by since your last season in Latvia?
Time has definitely flown by. As a player, there is a lot of down time during the season and time to rest and train, but as a coach, there is so much to do that you stay busy and the seasons fly by.
You began your career at Lincoln Christian High School where you were named the Oklahoma Class 3A player of the year after averaging 27.8 points, six assists and six rebounds per game as a senior. You finished your career as one of the top 100 scorers in the history of Oklahoma high school basketball. What does that mean to you being one of the top 100 best scorers in the state? A lot of great players have come from Oklahoma.
It’s very humbling. I never take my high school experience for granted. Lincoln Christian School is an unbelievable place filled with unbelievable people, and I loved every minute. I was blessed to have some great coaches and play with great teammates over my four years there. Individual accolades are great, but I wouldn’t have achieved anything without my team. To have my name mentioned in the same conversation as some of the greatest players in the state’s history is really a blessing.
You played at Princeton University (NCAA) from 2011-2015 being a Ivy league runner up in 2013. What do you remember from these early years in your basketball life?
My college experience took me through the full spectrum of emotions and helped me become the man I am today. From the first day of practice, where I separated my AC joint diving on a loose ball, my college experience was riddled with injuries. The list of injuries is pretty extensive, so honestly, for me, college basketball taught me more about being a great teammate, persevering, and leading than how to be a great player. I remember the frustration from not playing and the joy from playing well, I remember the sadness in defeat and the triumph in wins. I remember learning how to persevere through tough times, and how to love on my teammates. I played every role for my team during my college career, and I think my college experience truly set me up to be a great coach. Some coaches were the star player in their playing days, and I think they are good at teaching other star players. Some coaches were role players and I think they are good at teaching role players. When I look back at my college experience, I am grateful for the way things turned out. Although I didn’t meet my own expectations as a player, I learned valuable lessons along the way that I use as a coach to this day. During my four years at Princeton I experienced the full spectrum of being a collegiate athlete: I was an overlooked recruit. I became a highly touted recruit. I was the young player far away from home. I was the senior captain. I was the worst player on our team. I was the best player on our team. I was the sixth man. I was a rotational player. I was frustrated. I was hurt. I was healthy. I was fulfilled. I think going through this range of roles over my time in college has given me deep insight in how to relate to my players now as a coach. I have been in their shoes and I believe everything happens for a reason.
You played 3 seasons with TJ Bray. What memories will you always have of him? It´s a shame his playing career was so short.
TJ Bray is one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had. I tell my current players stories about TJ and how good of a leader he was. I remember we had a freshman late for the team bus and TJ, as a sophomore captain, told our team nobody was allowed to get on the bus until everyone was there. He risked himself getting in trouble to save our freshman getting in trouble. That’s the type of person TJ is. He cares about the team more than anything and that’s how he played. He was an incredible passer and was extremely selfless. I think TJ could have played in the NBA if he kept playing. He played at his own pace and breathed life into our team. Our team was confident because TJ had the ball.
How did Mitch Henderson groom and prepare you best for a professional career?
Coach Henderson was all about precision. We used to do 5 on 0 offense for hours and hours. If one dribble or pass was off by even a few inches, we started over. For me, this level of detail and precision was exactly what I needed to make it to the next level. Other players were bigger and more naturally athletic than I was, so accuracy and exactness was key in me being able to succeed overseas. Another thing Coach Henderson did to prepare me for life was to allow me to see the fight it takes to be good. We are both super competitive people and I am grateful for the opportunity he gave me to fight for everything. I am very grateful for Coach Henderson and love to see Princeton continuing to succeed.
Did you already have a feeling during your Princeton days that you might go into coaching one day or did that come later? Definitely. I actually chose to go to Princeton because at the time, Princeton had the largest coaching tree in Division 1 basketball. I have known since I was 3 years old that God has called me to coach. I thank God everyday for allowing Sydney Johnson, Mitch Henderson, and Brian Earl to recruit me to Princeton.
Who won a 1-1 in practice you or TJ Bray? Haha TJ is a far better player than I am. I will say I am a better shooter though.
You played your rookie season in Germany with the VfL AstroStars Bochum (Germany-ProB) averaging 13.2ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 38.2%, FT: 78.9%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being a rookie overseas where you knew that you were far away from home? I think my first wakeup call was actually getting my car from the AstroStars and realizing it was manual. I didn’t know how to drive stick at the time and learning how to drive stick shift, while reading street signs in a different language while on the Autobahn isn’t the best idea.
What memories will you always have of Ryon Howard? Was he like a mentor for you as a rookie? Ryon Howard is a consummate professional. He never missed a day, played hard every practice, and always did what was best for the team. I feel very fortunate to have played with him. He’s a winner through and through. I learned so much from him over the years.
You had many great games in Germany like scoring 30 points against Recklingshausen. What was your fondest moment on the court in Germany?
I think my fondest memory on the court in Germany was when we were down by more than 20 points at halftime to the #1 team (Iserlohn) and came back in the second half to win on the road. That was incredible and our GM and our President were so proud. Jerry Brown was on the team for Iserlohn. He now coaches in the WCC with me and we talked about this game recently.
You also played a season with 2 Cheap Cars Super City Rangers (New Zealand-NBL) averaging 19.9ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 43.8%, FT: 80.0%. Being able to live in New Zealand is everyone´s dream. What was your coolest experience there?
I love New Zealand and I try to go back as often as I can. The coolest experience by far was meeting Tania, Joe, and Bailey Sampson. These three people have become extended family. They were the first people I met when I got off the plane and they are some of the best people I know. They traveled to Cornell, Texas Tech, and recently just traveled to California to watch me coach. We went on several road trips together and I really immersed myself into New Zealand Culture. I am a big ‘Lord of the Rings’ fan as well so going to Hobbiton was an unreal experience.
I´m sure you will never forget your 48 points explosion and 11 three´s against Manawatu J. Unfortunately you lost the game. What memories do you have of that experience? I actually was coming off ankle surgery, so my contract stated that the team had the option to keep me or waive me after that game. I was essentially playing for my contract and everything went in. That was one of the best shooting performances I have ever had and it’s fun to go back and watch some of the crazy shots that went in.
You played your last pro season at BC Valga-Valka/Maks&Moorits (Latvia-LatEstBL) averaging 9.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.9apg, FGP: 43.2%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 66.7%. What memories do you have of Latvia? My time in Latvia was interesting. My shoulder was so messed up that I needed surgery and I never really could get comfortable. I came to the country after the start of the season, played for two different coaches, had some contract issues and realized that God was calling me back to America to coach. I sometimes wish that the Latvian chapter in my story could be deleted, but I do believe it happened for a reason, and without it, I might still be playing and not coaching like I was called to do.
You retired at age 27. Did you realize that you had other opportunities like coaching? Why did you retire so young? I loved playing basketball, and I always said I wanted to play for as long as I could. I think my body ended up giving out on me. I put it through the wringer and I worked so hard to try and make it, that I think I put too many miles on my body too early. I definitely knew from a young age that I wanted to play professionally and then coach so I am thankful to be living my dream.
How would you like fans to remember Clay Wilson as the player? Hard working, tough, tenacious, grateful and a phenomenal teammate.
You are the co-founder, co-owner, and trainer for Elev8hoops in Oklahoma with more than 600 clients. You also co-founded the Clay Wilson and David Mason Skill Academy, instructing more than 400 campers. What was the biggest challenge of being able to have success?
The hardest part for me was the energy and the hours. I am passionate about helping others and sometimes I give so much that I forget I need to be replenished. I love seeing others succeed and grow. I wish there were more hours in the day and that I had unlimited energy to be able to help out each athlete.
You have trained many guys that went on to become pro´s. Is there a player that was really close to your heart that you helped train and become a pro? I loved working with Tylor Perry. He currently plays for the 905 Raptors, but he was super consistent. Always counted out because of his height, but his heart and his belief makes him great. We worked on his game for hundreds and hundreds of hours and he has put in the work to be great. We still talk frequently.
You were an assistant coach at Cornell from 2018-2021. What was your fondest moment in those 3 years? I was fortunate to work with some great people and coach some great players. Brian Earl gave me my start in coaching and I am forever grateful for him. He is a great coach and a great person. I think my fondest memories are just seeing people grow. I loved recruiting Chris Manon and Nazir Williams who have both gone on to become ‘All Ivy’ players. Neither one of them had many offers out of high school and were both underrecruited. Believing in people, stirring up that same belief in others and watching them succeed will never get old.
You helped develop Jim Boeheim who is a professional player in Germany. What memories do you have of your coaching relationship to him and how did you help him grow? Jim is the best! Great person, high character, hard worker, super talented, and extremely respectful. I loved working with him. He actually taught me a lot and I am proud to call him a friend. I remember working with him every single day on his shot. Out of conference he shot a poor percentage, and we just put the time in and he trusted it. His numbers in conference were way better. I would send him texts just encouraging him, but we all just need someone to encourage us every now and again. Shooting well is all about hard work and trusting that hard work. Jimmy will have a long career and make a lot of money playing basketball before he retires.
You were a coach for 2 years at North Texas and helped develop guys like Tylor Perry, Thomas Bell, Rubin Jones, Aaron Scott, and JJ Murray. What steps do you feel did you make as a coach in these 2 years? Grant McCasland helped me in so many ways during my time at North Texas & Texas Tech. He helped me see what it was like to Win at an elite level. The way he holds people accountable and teaches is second to none. I honestly believe he will win a national championship very soon. Under Coach McCasland and current North Texas Head Coach, Ross Hodge, I feel like I learned how to truly win. I have always been super competitive, but they both made me realize that achieving the ultimate goal takes everyone and it takes zooming out and looking at the big picture while keeping the small details in focus. North Texas was vital to my growth as a coach. They are two of the best coaches on this planet and I will keep learning from them for the rest of my career.
You were Director of Player Development in 2023-24 at Texas Tech and now are an assistant at Pacific under Canadian legend Dave Smart. What have you learned from him? He is one of those guys where I´m sure you able to soak something up every day? Coach Dave Smart is a legend. I like to call him a ‘mad scientist’ because he knows the game at such an elite level and has made a major impact on the game of basketball. He is relentless in his work ethic and his pursuit of greatness. He’s the first to the office and the last to leave even after all he has accomplished. I have tried to soak up as much as I could from him these past two years. He has seen every style of basketball and has worked with so many players and coaches over the years. I am extremely fortunate to know him, work with him these past two years, and to call him a friend. Dave will be someone I try to learn from the rest of my life.
What goals do you still have as a coach? Could you ever imagine coming overseas to work?
My ultimate goal is to impact people, help them grow, and to love people well. I believe that winning on the court translates to winning in life. I believe that I am impacting athletes positively in my role as an assistant coach, but I aspire, one day, to become a head coach. I LOVED living overseas and I could definitely picture myself going back overseas to coach. There are so many great coaches all over the world. I love learning different aspects of the game and different styles of coaching.
Who is the best player that you ever battled on the court that reached the NBA? I played against Bradley Beal several times in the EYBL. He is a great player.
Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?
Ian hummer – Overseas pro TJ Bray – Overseas Pro Josh Richardson – NBA Dillon Boucher – New Zealand Olympian Lindsay Tait – New Zealand Olympian
Please name your NBA Mount Rushmore? MJ, Lebron, Kobe, Steph
Who is your GOAT?
MJ is the goat, but my personal two favorite players ever are 1.) Pistol Pete Maravich and 2.) Steve Nash
Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn´t they have left it alone? I haven’t seen it, but I’ll check it out.
Marcus Graves (185-G-1996, college: Sacramento St.) is a 28 year old 185cm point guard that was born in San Diego that is playing his 6th professional season and second overseas with the VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier (Germany-ProA). He began his basketball career with Independence High School and also played at Westview High School. He then played 3 seasons with Sacramento State University and as a senior averaged 17.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 5.4apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 43.7%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 79.2%. He played his first 4 pro seasons in the G-League with the Stockton Kings, Salt Lakke City Stars, Wisconsin Herd and G-League Ignite. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.
Thanks Marcus for talking to germanhoops.com. Let´s talk about your game. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description? I would call it a mix of a lot of people. Growing up I loved watching guys like Steve Nash, Jason Kidd, Russell Westbrook.
You averaged 5apg in the NCAA and once 7,0apg in the G-League. Are you a pass first point guard? 100%, I just try and play basketball the right way, make the right play every single time.
You’re a player that can fill the stat sheet very well. What other strengths does your game incorporate? Getting other guys involved and managing the game, that’s been something I’ve tried to focus a lot on.
You have always been kind of a streaky three point shooter. What do you have to do to reach the magical 40% plateau? Just keep being confident and keep putting in the work.
How have you seen the development of your defense in the last years? What kind of a defender are you now and what kind of defender do you still want to become? I’ve been trying to improve every day, it’s all just a mentality. I have the defensive tools and it’s been something I’ve been trying to focus on.
On what areas of your game are you working on most so you can continue to improve your game? Being a more consistent shooter, I think that will open up a whole new world for me.
You played 4 years in the G-League for 4 teams. What positives did you get from these years? What was the biggest challenge?
Just learning how to be a professional and stay true to myself. The G is very up and down and as an individual you have to hold yourself accountable.
You had a really good stint with Wisconsin. Do you feel like you could have had a NBA call up with more time? Potentially, I only played half a season there and felt like it was a really great spot for me.
You played your rookie season with the Stockton Kings (NBA G League) averaging 7.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.2apg, FGP: 44.4%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 71.7%. What do you remember being your wake upcall to being a pro player?
Just adjusting to a role. Most guys come from college and were the best player on their team so adjusting to fitting into a role was challenging for me at first.
How big of a role model was a guy like Gabe Vincent. He began in the G-League and had to pay his dues and later reached the NBA in your rookie season and never left? Gabe and I have a great relationship, we share the same mentor/trainer and agent so we usually are together all summer. The bond and brotherhood we’ve created runs deeper than basketball. Seeing where he is today is no surprise because I’ve seen the work he’s put in.
In your second season you played with the Salt Lake City Stars (NBA G League) averaging 8.9ppg, 3.1rpg, 3.8apg, FGP: 47.2%, 3PT: 31.8%, FT: 75.0%. What memories do you have of head coach Nathan Peavy and assistant Bryan Bailey? Both played in Germany in the BBL. Will one get a NBA head coaching job one day? Both were great guys, it was a short season because it was the bubble but I had a great experience with both of them.
In the 2020-2021 season you split time with the Stockton Kings (NBA G League) averaging 8.9ppg, 2.9rpg, 4.6apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 25.9%, FT: 73.0%, in Feb.’22 signed at Wisconsin Herd (NBA G League) averaging 11.8ppg, 4.4rpg, 7.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 34.4%. What was it like splitting the season with 2 teams. How difficult is it in the G-League to find a groove when you have to move around? You showed you could with the Herd?
It was tough getting traded mid season but for me when I switched teams I just went in with the mindset to be myself, and Wisconsin was a great fit for me.
What was it like playing with Frank Mason? Was it a challenge battling him in practices?
Frank was a good dude, great player. Obviously has had great accomplishments in his career and playing against him and learning things from him is something i don’t forget for sure.
You Played your last season in the G-League with the G League Ignite (NBA G League) averaging 6.3ppg, 2.9rpg, 4.2apg, FGP: 39.5%, 3PT: 26.9%, FT: 73.5%. Did you lose faith in the NBA process?
I didn’t lose faith, Ignite came to me and I thought it would be a unique experience in my basketball life. I loved that year, on and off the court it’s something i wouldn’t trade for anything.
What was it like being teammates with ultra veteran Pooh Jeter? What could you soak up most from his game? Pooh is definitely one of my top teammates ever. Great basketball career and player but the thing I learned most from Pooh was just being present, his energy and love for basketball and life every day is something you don’t see a lot.
You played 3 years at Sacramento State University (NCAA) and made a big jump as a senior averaging 17.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 5.4apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 43.7%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 79.2%. How did your game grow in your senior year?
I had back surgery the year before so sitting out a whole year I had a lot of time to develop my game and my body and the work all showed my senior year.
You were teammates with Nick Hornsby and was reunited last season playing against him in the Pro A. Is he one the most versatile players that you ever played with? Nick is like a baby Draymond Green, he just plays basketball the right way and does a little bit of everything.
You had many huge games in the NCAA. What was your biggest personal game in the NCAA? Probably having the first triple double in Sacramento State history
How did head coach Brian Katz groom and prepare you best for a professional career? Creating a routine and embracing the underdog role. Understanding I’ll never be given anything has always stuck with me
Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Cody Demps? We are probably even
Who was the greatest player that you ever faced on the court? Victor Wembanyama
Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?
That’s tough, so many great ones to just narrow down to 5, definitely a lot on this Trier team now.
Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore? LeBron, Kobe, MJ and Steph Curry
Marcus Graves (185-G-1996, college: Sacramento St.) is a 28 year old 185cm point guard that was born in San Diego that is playing his 6th professional season and second overseas with the VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier (Germany-ProA). He began his basketball career with Independence High School and also played at Westview High School. He then played 3 seasons with Sacramento State University and as a senior averaged 17.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 5.4apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 43.7%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 79.2%. He played his first 4 pro seasons in the G-League with the Stockton Kings, Salt Lakke City Stars, Wisconsin Herd and G-League Ignite. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.
Thanks marcus for talking to germanhoops.com Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you at the moment? I’m currently playing in Trier, Germany and hoop life is great, just enjoying the vibes.
Your playing your sixth professional season and second overseas with the VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier (Germany-ProA). Could one say that Trier has become your second home? Trier has been great to me and my family and we have enjoyed our 2 years here
What have you enjoyed most about the city Trier and the Gladiators organization?
It’s a beautiful city and just seeing my daughter grow up every day and enjoy life has been most enjoyable for me.
How big is the desire to move back to the BBL after so many years in the Pro A? That’s the goal, been our goal since last June and that’s all we have been focused on
How tough was losing that series to Frankfurt last season? Trier had that series in their own hands. Could one say that the team choked? It was tough for sure especially me not being able to play at all in the playoffs because I was hurt. I wouldn’t say we choked I think you just got to give credit to Frankfurt. They were the better team for five games. But we definitely haven’t forgot that feeling.
The team was packed last season with talent as well as this season. Is this years version stronger than last season´s?
I think we are a lot deeper of a team this year. We have a lot of the same guys and adding the guys we did is only going to benefit us in the playoffs.
A big strength is the offensive power that the team has. How big of a goal is it to improve as a team every day on the defensive end? That is really our main focus. We know we are going to score points. We have so many threats on that end and we understand that to get what we want out of this season that defense has to be the focus.
Your now playing your second season with Behnam Yakhchali. Is he the most versatile shooting guard in the Pro A? B is unbelievable, the work ethic, the mindset, he is probably one of the best players and people I’ve been around.
How enjoyable has it been playing with Jordan Roland? How do you guys compliment each other best? Jordan has been great, super genuine guy. When he came to our team we were kind of in a weird spot with losses, injuries and stuff and he kind of brought a spark to our team that’s rejuvenated us. We play really well off each other.
What has it been like being teammates with beast Maik Zirbes? Is he the ultimate leader on the club? I love playing with guys who have so much experience like Maik, it’s just a great opportunity to hear their journeys and learn and get better in so many ways. He’s been a great leader for us.
How tough was it losing JJ Mann. Is he the difference between first and second place this season? It was super tough losing JJ, not only as a basketball player but just his personality and competitiveness daily. It’s tough to say what could’ve been but this is our journey and I think it’s been a successful season so far.
Everybody gives 180% on the team, but which player is the unsung hero this season?
I think of guys like Nolan Adekunle, Marco Hollersbacher and Evans Rapieque. Guys who have just given their all to the role they are in and and been so selfless to our team.
Your playing 1 less minute than last season and your scoring and assists are down a bit. Has your role changed or just too much guard power? Like I said i think we are just a deeper team and have so many guys that can score and make things happen. One thing that makes our team so difficult to guard is that you can’t really take away 1 or 2 players because we have 8-9 more guys waiting for their opportunity.
You had a bit of a lull in 4 games in March. How confident are you that your total A game will come before and in the playoffs?
I’m always confident in myself. Stats may call it a lull but also sometimes on our team it’s just not your night and you have to do other things that don’t always show up on the stat sheet.
Who wins a 1-1 in practice, you or Jordan Roland? Great great great question. You will have to ask Jordan that!
With only 3 games left in the regular season, the routes of the VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier and EPG Guardians Koblenz were going in 180 degree turns. The VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier were getting prepared to give their best showing in the Pro A playoffs with the massive focus of finally moving back to the BBL while some Guardian players might already have thoughts of what their summer vacation destinations might be. However The Guardians actually still had the goal of staying in the Pro A as they were even with the Artland Dragons at 7 wins a piece battling for the last spot in the Pro A. But the EPG Guardians were 1-15 in 2025 and getting wins was as difficult as Mac McClung getting an NBA opportunity. How in the world were they supposed to win the Davey vs Goliath showdown against Trier. It seems like it´s a big mental problem with believing they can win games. How in the world were they going to defeat the team that scores the most points in the Pro A with such an unstable defense? On a mild early Spring Sunday, the EPG Guardians Koblenz wanted to give their best effort for their fans in the last home game of the season and stayed with Trier for a half, but in the second half allowed 63 points to lose their 16th game in 2025 118-87. “We did a good job eliminating their three in the first game, but today they were letting it rain three´s. It sure looked like they were in playoff mode. They gave the first punch of the game and controlled game until the end. It was tough against their bigs as they had BBL size. We would rotate our 3 and 4 players against their 5”, stressed EPG Guardians Koblenz guard Ty Cockfield. The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier already had position 2 secured, but they still came to play and showed that they are getting prepared for the post season. They erupted on offense for another 100 plus point game, but also know that they have to cut down on points allowed. “We shared the wealth today. It helps that we have so many guys that cans score in double figures. We always have a high assist rate each game. But we know that we can still work on our defense. We have to make sure we have a lot in our defense tool box”, warned The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier guard Jordan Roland (185-PG-1997, college: Northeastern, agency: Diamond Sports). Trier demonstrated what it means to be team first. “Playing as a team is important. It is uncommon in the Pro A that teams have success with only 1 guy. We can have many different scorers step up each game”, warned Jordan Roland.
Leon Friderici at the FT line
The EPG arena was at it´s loudest this season as 400 plus The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier fans made the trip to Koblenz. Their team didn´t disappoint either as they totally jumped all over the Guardians leading 13-2 with only 2,55 played. Their guard terror sparkled as they attacked the paint and got lay in´s from 2018 JBBL winner Nolan Adekunle, Iranian guard Behnam Yakhchali, and American Clayton Guillozet. A focus of Koblenz was to defend the 1-1 well, but they couldn´t match the guests intensity or physicality. Ex BBL player Dominque Johnson then nailed a trey and the Guardians offense began to groove. But it was Ty Cockfield that carried the Guardians as he took the 1-1 route and scored a few baskets, but Koblenz trailed 21-10. Trier was able to continue to execute their offense and extend their lead thanks to the beast Maik Zirbes who was an absolute menace on the court. He would add 12 points in the last 5 minutes as he always was able to find his way to the free throw line. Guardians center Ben Stevens was totally overwhelmed by his physicality. Trier also got good support from ex Jena guard Nate Hinton who added 7 points. Roland also added a three pointer to give Trier the overwhelming 35-17 advantage. The EPG Guardians Koblenz got some fortune closing out the first quarter with a 5-0 run as Cockfield continued to do a good job finding his spots and made a pull up jumper while ex University Of Alabama at Birmingham forward William Lee dropped a trey as the The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier led only 35-22. “I saw run and gun basketball. That was simply terrible. We looked like a practice team. They got way too many open shots. We were playing kindergarden defense. If this continued we would lose 125-80”, warned EPG Guardians sport director Thomas Klein.
Jordan Roland from outside
In the second quarter, the EPG Baskets Koblenz played their strongest quarter at both ends, but an annoying run at the end by Trier spoiled their good play a little at the end. Both teams began with mini runs as the The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier got back to back baskets from ex Sacramento State guard Marcus Graves made a lay in with a fancy eurostep and Yakhchali made the perfect touch down pass to German big man Martin Linsen for the transition bucket while the Guardians punched back with superb play from Leon Friderici who found Lee back door for the massive 2 handed dunk and Friederici then scored on transition, but Trier still had the 39-26 advantage. Koblenz was slowly picking up their game and then stifled The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier with a brutal 9-2 run to trail only 41-35. In the run, the Guardians got 5 points from Cockfield who made a lay in and got to the line while Lee and Johnson made lay in´s. Koblenz stepped up their defensive intensity which led to sloppy offense by Trier. Koblenz also raised their physicality rate and stepped up their 1-1 defense. Koblenz also played more as a team and gained more self-confidence. The Guardians continued to keep up the pressure and incredible 1-1 player Ty Cockfield continued to carry his team doing all he could making a lay in and even helping out on the offensive glass with a tip in. Lee also added a tip in as Trier led only 45-41. However the EPG Guardians Koblenz were unable to keep the momentum allowing Trier to get away again as they closed out the first half with a 10-4 run to lead 55-45. Ex Hagen German Marco Hollersbacher did the most damage dropping 2 three´s. Linsen and Zirbes also continued to dominate inside scoring 2 baskets. “We played more together and increased our physicality. We did a good job getting Trier out of their concept”, stressed Thomas Klein. The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier shot 58% from the field and 29% from outside and had 17 rebounds and 6 turnovers while the EPG Guardians Koblenz shot 51% from the field and 18% from outside and had 14 rebounds and 7 turnovers.
Michael Bradley with the runner
The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier decided the game for themselves in the third quarter exploding again with many points as they scored 30 points having the comfortable 85-63 advantage after 30 minutes. Cockfield began the second half with a pretty reverse lay up, but he was really challenged in the second half. After scoring 21 points in the first half, he would only get 6 in the second half. “I always get up for games like this where I get challenged from BBL type teams. They put bigger guys on me in the second half and it was tougher to shoot over them”, said Ty Cockfield. The good play by Koblenz continued as they then scored 2 more times going on a 7-2 run to trail only 57-52. Friderici made a lay in and Johnson another trey. Koblenz showed that when they combine a high intensity and physicality, They can give a team like Trier problems. However The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier then showed just how lethal their offense can be punching back with a lethal 19-5 run to extend their lead to 76-57. In the run, Trier got good support from many faces as Roland and Adenkunle dropped three pointers while Hollersbacher scored twice with a dunk and Zirbes and Adekunle also scored easy buckets inside. That high intensity and physicality was present again with Trier and the Guardians couldn´t match it. Here and there, the Guardians found ways to execute as young French player Alaxandre Bouzidi found an opening in the zone for a lay in, Johnson connected on a 20 footer and Friederici made a lay in, but the guests always had an answer and punched back. Athletic forward Marco Hollersbacher scored on the drive and Hinton hit a trey and Zirbes made a hard dunk. “We tightened things up defensively in the third quarter. We wanted to slow down Cockfield and did. We locked down on defense and hit shots”, stated Jordan Roland. “They are a playoff experienced team. They eliminated what was working for us before. They took away our drive as the 4 man guarded me. We didn´t move the ball well and our shots didn´t fall well”, added Ty Cockfield.
Maik Zirbes with the lay in
In the fourth quarter both teams took their foot of the defensive gas pedal as a total of 57 points were scored. The EPG Guardians couldn´t make any ground as they allowed 33 points. Both teams found their offensive rhythm right away. The incredible Behnam Yakhchali began with 5 points as he showed his 3 level scoring ability with a lay in and contested trey while Cockfield and Friderici found their spots and scored lay in´s, but Trier led 89-67. Then three´s began to rain as Marcus Graves nailed 2 back to back while Johnson also nailed one and made a lay in, but Trier still led nicely 95-72. The game looked like run and gun as defense continued to take a back seat as fans were seeing great offensive execution from both teams. The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier continued to execute well while also getting some hands up on defense and making stops and cruised out on a 14-4 run to lead 109-76. In the run, Roland continued to knock down shots scoring 5 points while Zirbes who has won 10 pro titles in his career carried on being a beast scoring twice and Hinton dropped a trey. The scoring continued down the stretch for both teams as the Guardians received three pointers from Czech Republic forward David Bohm and another trey from Johnson while Trier continued to play their bench as 2018 JBBL champion Evans Rapique dropped 2 three pointers and 2018 NBBL champion Hendrik Drescher also hit a trey. Ben Stevens ended the game with a pretty hook shot. “We might have taken a step back from defense in the last minutes. We have to be focused for 40 minutes. We ended the game executing at a high level”, stated Jordan Roland. “I think that both teams took their feet a bit off the gas pedal on defense. It looked a little like street ball, but I think that some guys had that lets go home mentality. We didn´t play as intense as we wanted to. Some guys fight to the end and some didn´t. It is hard to win when all aren´t on the same page”, said Ty Cockfield. The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier had 7 guys score in double figures and were led by Jordan Roland and Maik Zirbes with 18 points a piece. Amir Hinton and Martin Linsen added 13 points a piece while the EPG Guardians Koblenz were led by Ty Cockfield with 27 points while Dominique Johnson added 17 points. The Vet-Concept Gladiators Trier shot 63% from the field and 43% from outside and had 34 rebounds and 9 turnovers while the EPG Guardians Koblenz shot 51% from the field and 26% from outside and had 28 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
On the last regular season game day in the Pro B, there were very exciting duels in both the north and south concerning the last playoff places, but in Frankfurt there was a game that had absolute no meaning for one team the Frankfurt team. On account of a disgusting 7 game losing streak in the crunch-time of the season, they weren´t going to be in the playoffs this season. It could have been exciting for Frankfurt on this last game had they not lost 2 of the last 3 games by only 2 point margins which was extremely bitter. For Fellbach, it had no real meaning either as they had secured home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Fellbach hadn´t been playing great basketball as of late as they had lost 3 of their last 5 games, but wanted to end the regular season on a positive note with a win and have some momentum in the playoffs while Frankfurt wanted to end the season on a positive note as well. On a very warm early Spring evening, the favorite SV Fellbach Flashers found to their game midway through the first quarter and never looked back leading by as much as 27 points as their experience totally overwhelmed the Skyliners youth as they played catch up basketball all night long as Fellbach won 82-68 securing third place in the Pro B south. “Our goal coming in was to get the win and keep building into the playoffs. We noticed that they didn´t hit the 3 well the last games so we played zone. We wanted to play it safe and trust our game plan. Our offense was good, but became a little stagnant in the second half when they switched more. I feel that we can still reach the next level on offense”, warned SV Fellbach Flasher Malik Whittaker. The Skyliners Juniors came in as the underdog lacking experience and a big man that could challenge Mayr as Malik Kordell was injured and just couldn´t get a groove on the defensive end. “Fellbach was a tough opponent. We wanted to enjoy the last game. We fought until the end and learned from our mistakes in the last games where we lost some tough games. We found a solution for the zone in the fourth quarter by making quicker passes and not being selfish and taking good shots”, stressed Skyliner Junior Namori Omog.
Jamie Edoka from outside
The Skyliners Juniors were without Bruno Albrecht, Malik Kordell and Chuku Chukwuma and held strong for the first 5 minutes as they got 2 great individual efforts by 17 year old German Jamie Edoka with runners in traffic while Felix Hecker dropped a trey and 20 year old German Leo Cosic made a lay in. Fellbach countered with super execution spreading the love around playing inside out ball as Whittaker added 5 points with a lay in and trey while ex Fordham (NCAA) guard Zaire Thompson made a step back jumper and Mayr free throws as the game was deadlocked at 9-9. But The Skyliners Juniors couldn´t keep up as Fellbach cruised out on a 11-2 run to lead 20-11. In the run they got super production from Mayr with 4 points and a massive 2 handed dunk, a dunk from Bulgarian forward Jeremy Kolev and a lay in from Whittaker. Fellbach did a good job getting the ball inside and attacking the constant mismatches with Daniel Mayr (218-C-1995). Fellbach defended with a high intensity and forced the Skyliners Juniors to many turnovers. German Julius Messer then hit a trey, but Fellbach continued to apply pressure ending the first quarter with a 5-0 run as Thompson dropped a trey and ex Reutlingen forward David Grubic made a lay in as the Fellbach Flasher led comfortably 25-14. “Fellbach had a lot of experience and played a tough zone. It was tough going against the much taller Mayr. Frankfurt made small mistakes like not seeing a player, making a bad pass or just over dribbling”, stressed Skyliner Junior Florian Dietrich. The SC Fellbach Flashers shot 53% from the field and 40% from outside and had 9 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 46% from the field and 29% from outside and had 7 rebounds and 8 turnovers.
Daniel Mayr at the FT line
In the second quarter the SV Fellbach Flashers could build their lead a bit more in which they allowed the Skyliners Juniors to only 8 points and led 42-22 at the break. After ex Idstein guard Mickey De Sousa and glue guy Marvin Esser traded baskets, it was the SV Fellbach Flashers that found their way on another run of 8-0 to extend their lead to 35-17. In the run, they were able to get 2 baskets inside from Whittaker and Mayr as the American dominated with his 1-1 strength and Mayr used the mismatch while the other 2 buckets were on transition as Whittaker scored again as did ex Tuebingen NBBL player Nik Schlif. Fellbach defended well, but Frankfurt was also sloppy on offense, but their inexperience and youth also played a role. Frankfurt defended well down the stretch allowing only 7 points, but on offense just couldn´t execute well against their zone as they would get stifled time in and time out again and Fellbach got big blocks from Mayr and Brian Butler. Mayr scored 4 points and Thompson dropped another trey while the Skyliners Juniors got a lay in from Joschua Zentgraf who played a career high 31 minutes and had 9 points and 9 rebounds including 6 offensive rebounds. German Maximillian Peters also added a three pointer from the corner. “We were sloppy on offense which led to easy baskets by them. We tried to play fast against their zone, but without success. We were lacking experience which led to turnovers”, stated Florian Dietrich.
Dusan Nikolic with the runner
In the third quarter the Skyliners Juniors were able to execute better, but couldn´t get any ground on Fellbach losing the quarter 22-17 and trailed 64-39. The Skyliners came out roaring and had a great start going on a 8-2 run to trail only 44-30 as suddenly there was some hope again for the young team. In the run, the Skyliners Juniors got 3 points from the universal genius Ivan Crnjac who stayed very cold on this night going 1/6 from the field, a trey from Edoka and another lay in from Cosic. However the Skyliners Juniors couldn´t take that momentum and build on it as Fellbach punched back with a 11-0 run to lead 55-30. Whittaker was a scoring machine with 7 points while Mayr added 4 points. Fellbach continued to attack the paint area and Whittaker´s athleticsm and quickness helped him carry to easy buckets. Frankfurt wasn´t lively enough at both ends allowing Fellbach to have easy execution. After another Edoka trey, Fellbach went on another run of 7-2 to lead 62-35. Mayr kept getting the ball inside and punishing the Skyliners Juniors with 5 points. Butler also added a turn around shot as 2 points was all he had on this night, but he dished out 4 assists, one prettier than the other. On this night Mayr really looked like a man among boys. “It wasn´t just easy today for Daniel, but in general the game comes easy to him. He is a very skilled big man that does a great job finding the weak side shooter, getting to the ft line and making shots”, warned Malik Whittaker. The Skyliners Juniors closed out the third quarter strong with a 4-2 run as Dusan Nikolic made a lay in and Omog a 15 footer at the buzzer. “We wanted to come out into the third with a good quarter. In the past, we haven´t had good starts. We put our foot on the gas”, commented Malik Whittaker. “Mayr dominated in the third quarter. It was difficult against him as he was 2 heads bigger than us. It was even more difficult when Butler was on the court at the same time. Both are so strong and smart and know how to find the open man”, explained Namori Omog. The SV Fellbach Flasher shot 66% from the field and 38% from the three point line and had 17 rebounds and 8 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniors shot 42% from the field and 29% from the three point line and had 18 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
Malik Whittaker with the runner
The Skyliners Juniors didn´t give up in the fourth quarter, but closed out their season with a explosive 29 points while keeping Fellbach to 18 points. Felix Hecker began strong scoring 5 points and Nikolic added a trey and Peters a lay in as Fellbach suddenly only led 69-47. Mayr continued to be active scoring 4 points, but Frankfurt stepped up their defensive intensity knowing as it would be 5.5 months before the start to the new season. Hecker continued to be motivated and found his rhythm dropping 2 more three´s as his high rainbow shot is always beautiful to observe as Fellbach led 76-57. Nikolic also added 5 points as the Skyliners Juniors had strung along a lethal 14-4 run to trail only 78-63. In the last minutes Moritz Schneider and Grubic made lay in´s while the Skyliners Juniors got a floater from Edoka and 3 points from Zentgraf to end the game. The Skyliners Juniors may have lost the game, but they conquered Fellbach´s zone in the last quarter and most Skyliners had smiles after the game. “We weren´t focused to finish the game. We have to work on that. We will face teams in the playoffs that will hurt us if we aren´t focused”, warned Malik Whittaker. “We never gave up. We wanted to end the season well and not go disappointed into the break. We put more pressure at both ends of the court and weren´t selfish”, warned Namori Omog. The SV Fellbach Flashers were led by Daniel Mayr with 27 points and Malik Whittaker added 22 points while the Skyliners Juniors were led by Felix Hecker with 14 points while Jamie Edoka added 12 points. The SV Fellbach Flashers shot 62% from the field and 36% from outside and had 25 rebounds and 12 turnovers while the Skyliners Juniros shot 47% from the field and 37% from outside and had 26 rebounds and 14 turnovers.
There was no live stats in second quarter, so stats in article from 3 quarters,
There was a time in Boston in the 80´s when the Celtics played, you were either at the game or watching it on TV with Celtics legend Bob Cousy doing the color commentary or listening on radio to the one and only Johnny Most with the raspy voice. They were winning titles with great players led by the big 3 with Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale. The so called BIG 3 are not to be compared, but this past season in Frankfurt there were 3 guys that had the most touches on the court. They have been one of the big reasons for the NBBL U-19 team being successful again. However, the big 3 of the Celtics back in the 80´s wouldn´t have been successful without key players like Danny Ainge, Dennis Johnson or Bill Walton. It was the same with the Frankfurt team as there were 2 very vital players, with Maximillian Peters and Julius Messer (200-SF-2007) who played in a specialist role. These 2 don´t carry the big load like the portrait big 3, but give key energy, scoring production and defensive intensity in every game. Messer is a very talented player that already has had some special moments on the court with the German youth national teams., “I have been lucky to have played 15 international cups. I have been with the U-15, U-16 and U-17 national teams. Unfortunately, I haven´t played any European or World cup games but played some memorable national team games. I remember playing against Turkey in Istanbul which was an intense and fast game. Another fond moment was playing against France. It is amazing to see how athletic these players already are for their ages. It was a new challenge to step up to, that I enjoyed”, stressed Julius Messer.
Julius Messer who lists French youth national player Nathan Holiman as his toughest opponent was born on April 8th, 2007 and grew up in Frankfurt Riedberg. Like many kids in Germany, he didn´t begin with basketball, but with soccer at the age of 3. But with time, he grew more and was too tall and his soccer coaches didn´t like that. “I wasn´t having fun with soccer so I tried basketball and liked it right away”, remembered Julius Messer. He began to play basketball at age 7 at Frankfurt Riedberg and had a tryout with the Skyliners at age 9. He then began to play with the Skyliners U-10 team. He was scoring 40-50 points a game by the time he played with the Skyliners U-12 team. In those days he was facing his current teammate Ivan Crnjac who back then played for Eintracht Frankfurt. He did have to fight with injuries and then Corona came. In this time, he was also visiting easyCredit BBL games of the Skyliners and already had basketball role models. “The first player that I was a fan of was Lebron James. I remember buying his #6 Miami Heat jersey. A few years later I began to enjoy watching players like Kevin Durant and Jaylen Brown. Going to games in Frankfurt, I really became a fan of Mike Morrison of the Skyliners, because he dunked the ball with authority and brought a lot of energy to the game”, Julius said with a smile in his face.
The athletic wing names Ivan Crnjac, Namori Omog, Chris Widmer, Noah Koch and Maximillian Peters as his closest teammates. Besides reaching the Top Four the year prior, the season2022-2023 with the Frankufrt Skyliners JBBL U-16 team was their biggest success so far. The team had a Cinderella season. The German sharp shooter remembers having a great semi-final game, but something then happened in the hotel that effected his game in the final. “The top 4 was tough for me. I remember hurting my finger in our last practice before the game. It was a very painful experience I had my hand taped and the pain severely effected my shooting. I had a good semi-final game by scoring 27 points. Back in the hotel Alba Berlin player Matthieu Gurijcic saw that my left hand was bruised and when the final game took place the next day, he was smart enough to not allow me to go right. “The atmosphere was amazing in the arena. The vibe was great. We had grown together so well during the season. It was too bad we couldn´t win the final. All in all it was a great experience”, remembered Julius Messer. A lot of those guys from the final from 2 years ago like Crnjac, Omog and Peters were still his teammates with the NBBL U-19 team. “We are like brothers. We also see each other at the national team meetings. We have grown close. A guy like Noah Koch who is in Vechta now has become a life long friend”, stated Julius Messer. Last season he got extra vital experience spending a year in the United States in North Carolina at Greensboro Day school which produced ex NBA and Real Madrid player Wayne Robinson. He was in the starting 5 of the team, that thought him to be a specialist in his role. To play for such a school brought a lot more pressure to perform at a high level. “I played for Coach Freddy Johnson who is the the 5th most winningest coach in the United States. It was brutal how disciplined you had to be to compete every day. I learned that you are judged by results. If you made one mistake, you would be subbed out right away. If the pass wasn´t perfect, you were out. Your self confidence was gone right away. I always thought that they didn´t play defense in USA, but they do and it´s very important”, stated Julius Messer. In this season 24/25 Ace Flagg, the brother of Cooper Flagg is on the team
This past season the young German who has Lebron, Jordan, Durant and Shaq on his NBA Mount Rushmore and Doncic, Giannis, Tony Parker and Jokic on his Euro Mount Rushmore was out for a long time not with an injury, but had a sickness called Mononucleosis. He couldn´t practice sports as it would be bad for his heart. He missed a month of school as he had no strength. He finally returned back in December and had some very strong games in the NBBL and Pro B. “I came back strong after my sickness. I worked very hard so I could fit in well with the team chemistry. I accepted not being in a key role right away”, said Julius Messer. In the NBBL, he averaged 9/4and in the Pro B 3/1. “My role this past season in the NBBL season was to attack closeouts, play defense and catch and shoot while in the Pro B to play good defense and take shots whenever I´m open”, stated Julius Messer. He was very fortunate to have 2 good coaches with Thore Bethke in the NBBL and Sepher Tarrah in the Pro B. “I have known Thore a long time since the U-14. I did a lot of individual training with him working on my shot. He has also helped me with attacking closeouts and decision making. Sepher has a lot of trust in me. I’ve to continue working hard to start gaining more minutes in the Pro B”, stressed Julius Messer. The NBBL recently lost to ratiopharm Ulm ending their season. “We played as a team. We worked hard in every practice and played hard in the games”, added Julius Messer.
The 2023 JBBL finalist who lists Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Schroeder, Franz Wagner and Isaac Bonga on his personal Germany Mount Rushmore is a 200cm forward that wasn´t able to give me a comparison to another NBA or Euro player concerning his playing style. His teammates Ivan Crnjac and Namori Omog also couldn´t help me. I guess the best thing is just to watch him play and come up with your own comparison. “I´m a player that is athletic, can shoot and play defense”, said Julius Messer. Even if his shooting is his biggest strength, he does have other attributes. “I love to go coast to coast, am quick and love the drive”, stressed Julius Messer. It’s no surprise that he can rise way above the rim to dunk. He showed it last season at Greensboro and in game 1 against ratiopharm Ulm, he went coast to coast with the massive 2 hand jam. But he isn´t only a strong offensive player but also takes a lot of pride on the defensive end. “I´m an aggressive defender and even when I get beat, I never give up. I always keep fighting”, warned Julius Messer. Like his teammates Ivan Crnjac and Maximillian Peters, he also has the goal of becoming a pro player but knows what he needs to work on to make the next step. “I need to be more consistent with my shot and defense. I feel like sometimes I play too hard. I need to play smarter and at times I could go harder for the rebound”, warned Julius Messer. It will be interesting to see where his basketball journey will go in the next few years.
In the 26 year history of the Frankfurt Skyliners, the club has won 3 titles. The first one I didn´t witness and the second one only the last few months, but the third one I did. In the 2015-2016 season the Skyliners won the Fiba Europe Cup led by future World Cup champion coach Gordon Herbert and point guard Jordan Theodore who had his break out season that year and would go on to higher leagues overseas including the Euroleague. The success of the team wasn´t only based on these 2 gentlemen, but all in all, that team was a collective that all played for each other and played their roles to the best of their abilities. All players from top to bottom including Max Merz did their share for the success. One player that was very special was Aaron Dornekamp, a player who had his awakening in Frankfurt and then went to higher leagues in Spain with the ACB. Doornekamp is 39 now and still balling now in his 9th season in the ACB. He is a guy that always gets lauded by former teammates. It isn´t any different for ex NBA player Tyler Cavanaugh (206-PF-1994, college: GWU) that was teammates with him early in his career in Spain. “ Aaron had a huge impact on me that year he made me feel welcome on and off the court and was a great role model for me in how to have a successful career overseas as a player and as a father. I am very grateful that our paths crossed especially when I was still a young impressionable player. My wife and I are grateful for the Doornekamp family”, stressed Tyler Cavanaugh. But it isn´t only Doornekamp that totally enriched his life during a season, but many others. Cavanaugh has had incredible fortune being on teams that have had high character guys like Luke Sikma and Niels Giffey that have impacted his life and also helped him continue to develop as a player and person. It is no wonder that a Philip Scrub is on his list of 5 best teammates of all-time. Scrubb was also on that Skyliners 2015-2016 winning team and had an instrumental role coming from the bench.
Tyler Cavanaugh who lists as Jabari Parker as his toughest opponent in the NCAA was born on February 9, 1994 in Syracuse, New York. He began his basketball career at Jamesville-DeWitt High school and then played 64 NCAA games at Wake Forest University.In those 2 seasons, he averaged 5.0ppg, 2.5rpg and 8.8ppg, 3.8rpg and saw his minutes rise from 16 to 21. “The summer between my freshman and sophomore seasons at Wake, I worked really hard to change my body and get into better physical condition to handle the physicality of the collegiate game and that helped me really improve the next year”, stated Tyler Cavanaugh. In 2013 he was named to the ACC All-Academic team. He then made the jump to George Washington University averaging 16.8ppg, 7.6rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 54.4%, 3PT: 41.7%, FT: 82.7% and 18.3ppg, 8.4rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 47.2%, 3PT: 40.9%, FT: 84.8%. He crowned his 2 year stay there winning the NIT title in 2016. “That was a very very special run of basketball for myself and our team! Winning the NIT Title was huge for our university and something that had never been done before. We missed out on the NCAA Tournament by 2-3 games that season and were very disappointed but after Alex Mitola hit the game winning shot in the first game against Hofstra we were very motivated to get the chance to play for the title in Madison Square Garden. It was a very special experience for me getting to cut down the nets in MSG since I was a kid from upstate NY watching so many of my idols play games in that arena”, remembered Tyler Cavanaugh. He had incredible games in the NIT win like scoring 20 points or more in 4 of the 5 games. There were some close games like against Hofstra and Florida. “Every game was special in its own way but that first game against Hofstra was definitely the toughest”, said Tyler Cavanaugh. In the 2 years he played 73 games and scored in double figures in 70 of 73 games showing brilliant consistency. He scored 33 points against St Bonaventure and 30 points against Dayton and Duquesne. He made massive strides in his game due to the guidance of coaches Mike Lonergan and Maurice Joseph. “They really helped me grow into a more dominant player at the college level giving me opportunities to have a bigger role on the court which thankfully I was able to take advantage of”, commented Tyler Cavanaugh. He picked up numerous awards in his 2 year stay at George Washington including ACC All-Academic Team -2013, All-Atlantic 10 Second Team -2016, 17, Atlantic 10 All-Academic Team -2016, 17, NABC All-District 4 Second Team -2016 NIT All-Tournament MVP -2016, and Reese’s College All-Star Game East Team Perfect Player -2017
The 206cm power forward who lists Keenan Evans, Landry Nnoko, Axel Bouteille, Sasu Salin, and Philip Scrubb as his 5 best teammates of all-time played NBA Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks in 2017 and then signed a 2 way contract with them. He then split time with the Atlanta Hawks (NBA) playing 39 games averaging 4.7ppg, 3.3rpg, and with the Erie Bay Hawks (NBA G-League) played 14 games averaging 11.4ppg, 6.3rpg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 91.3%. He made his NBA debut against the Cleveland Cavaliers playing 3 minutes and losing a heartbreaker by 2 points. He didn´t have much time to be in awe as he faced the likes of Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, Derrick Rose and Kevin Love. “That first game was absolutely wild I think I was in shock. The previous 24 hours to get me to that game was crazy getting a phone call before a g league game in Maine and then taking three flights to get to Cleveland. The one thing I will never forget is my first offensive possession of that game I caught the ball at the top of the key and realized that LeBron was guarding me, just a surreal experience to live out your dream”, expressed Tyler Cavanaugh. He played his first game as a rookie in the G-League and 2 days later made his NBA debut and then would be with the Hawks for more than 2 months before playing a G-League game. He saw so much from the NBA in that span and like every player before him had that NBA Wake up call. “It took me awhile to digest the fact that I was in the NBA because everything happened so fast but it was a special experience playing against the best of the best and being treated like that too. I spent a lot of time with Josh Magette who was on a two way with the Hawks at the time. Other than that I wasn’t super close with any of the guys”, said Tyler Cavanaugh. In his rookie NBA season he scored in double figures in 7 games including 16 points against New Orleans. In his second pro season he played 11 games for the Utah Jazz and also played with the Salt Lake City Stars (NBA G League) averaging 17.9ppg, 7.8rpg, 2.5apg, FGP: 50.7%, 3PT: 40.6%, FT: 82.2%. Despite only playing 11 NBA games, He saw the season as one in which he was able to develop further. “I really improved my game that season and took another step as a player even though I didn’t get much opportunity in the NBA since we had such a good team. Experiencing a playoff series was really cool and seeing the preparations that go into that”, added Tyler Cavanaugh. In Salt Lake City he was coached by the German connection of German Martin Schiller and Americans Bryan Bailey and Nathan Peavy who all played in Germany who had a big impact on him. “These guys all really helped push me to start my career overseas, I had never truly considered it until I started having conversations with them and knew that it was the best next step for me in my career. I learned a lot from them and Shawn James who was also a part of our staff that season”, stressed Tyler Cavanaugh. He also saw at close hand what kind of a business the NBA world is. “ I was told they had a plane ticket booked back to the G League the next morning for me but I had my best game against the New Orleans Pelicans and they told me that I would be sticking around a bit longer after that. Also the trade deadline is a a very interesting time as well”, added Tyler Cavanaugh.
The New York native who lists MJ, LeBron, Kobe, and Steph on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore came overseas in 2019 and after seeing how the NBA works. It was a no brainer for him to test the waters overseas. “It’s tough to continue in the NBA and G-League for more than a few seasons because you can get lost in the shuffle a bit with all the new players each season and it is such a grind not knowing and living on the edge of your seat all the time. Financially it made the most sense to start my journey overseas as well. I was ready for a new experience and a style of play that better fit my game”, said Tyler Cavanaugh. With Alba Berlin he right away won his first tile overseas averaging 9.2ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 90.9%; in the BBL and in the Euroleague averaged 6.4ppg, 3.3rpg, FGP: 37.9%, 3PT: 35.7%, FT-1 (97.0%). Despite having success on the court, it wasn´t always an easy experience. “That season was very difficult for me adjusting to the style of play that Aito implemented as well as adjusting to being so far away from home. I was definitely home sick that year but living in a major city like Berlin helped ease the adjustment”, stated Tyler Cavanaugh. He scored 14 points in the Euroleague against Anadolu Efes and Maccabi Tel Aviv. He had the great opportunity to have another great player as a teammate with Luke Sikma. He couldn´t have asked for a better teammate to have as a rookie overseas. “Competing with Luke everyday was instrumental in my adjustment to the FIBA game and I was intrigued at how differently he played and viewed the game. I learned a lot from him and how easily he was able to dissect a game without scoring the basketball. a great passer and tenacious rebounder but also someone hat just played extremely hard every time he was on the court”, remembered Tyler Cavanaugh. He played his second season in the top country league in Europe with the ACB in Spain with Iberostar Tenerife CB Canarias (Spain-Liga ACB) averaging 7.8ppg, 4.5rpg, FGP: 61.5%, 3PT: 46.6%, FT: 84.2%; and in the BCL averaged 9.1ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 62.2%, 3PT: 52.4%, FT: 84.6%. He was able once again to make steps in his game. “ That was a very special season for me being a part of such a special group of guys and having a lot of success in both leagues. Personally I really started to understand the European game better that year and how I was going to have success as a player overseas. Playing with veterans like Marcelinho, Gio, and Aaron helped simplify the game for me so I could focus on my strengths as a player. Unfortunately we weren’t able to win any titles that year but I have a lot of great memories from that season and developed some great friendships along the way”, added Tyler Cavanaugh. He scored in double figures in 15 games in the ACB including 19 points against Gran Canaria and in the BCL scored in double figures in 5 games including 18 points against VEF Riga.
The 2024 Fiba Europe Cup finalist who lists Michael Jordan as his GOAT then played 2 seasons with B.C. Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania-LKL) averaging 11.6ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 89.7%; and in the Euroleague 9.7ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 54.1%, 3PT: 37.8%, FT: 76.7%and in his second season averaged 7.4ppg, 3.2rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 55.2%, 3PT: 41.4%, FT: 84.4%; and in the Euroleague 5.9ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 35.0%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 76.9%. He won the league cup in his first season and league title in his second. “ Every season presents a new role and opportunity within a team and because of our struggles in my first year with Zalgiris I knew there would be big changes in year 2. We had a special group led by Keenan Evans and were able to accomplish some great things that season but for me personally winning the LKL Title was very fulfilling. After missing 4 months of the season with the back injury and being able to come back and contribute to the championship was very special for me”, remembered Tyler Cavanaugh. He scored in double figures in 32 of 60 LKL games including 26 points against Siauliai and in the Euroleague scored in double figures in 15 of 44 games including 22 points against Anadolu Efes. Once again he was able to be teammates with another ultra teammate Nils Giffey who won 2 NCAA titles with UConn and he even battled him in 2012 in the NCAA and was coached by Tautvydas Sabonis who was an assistant coach and the son of legend Arivdas Sabonis. “Niels is definitely the ultimate teammate. He will do whatever is necessary for the team to win and is a very versatile player. I had the privilege to play with him in Berlin and in Zalgiris and was able to learn a lot from him as he helped in my adjustment to the European game. I spent a lot of time working with Tautvydas those two seasons and he helped me to improve my game a lot. Lots of early mornings and hours spent in the gym with him. We developed a friendship too and I think he has a brought future ahead of him as a coach”, stressed Tyler Cavanaugh.
In the 2023-2024 season he went to Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul (Turkey-BSL) averaging 15.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.9apg, FGP: 59.4%, 3PT: 47.1%, FT: 85.6%; and in the FIBA Europe Cup averaged 14.9ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 54.5%, 3PT: 43.5%, FT: 89.2%. He lost a real heartbreaker in the Fiba Europe Cup final to Chemnitz. Was this his strongest season so far overseas? “ Yes for sure. It was an important season for me after coming off of my back injury and the fit with Bahcesehir worked out perfectly”, said Tyler Cavanaugh. This season he is back with the Turkish team and going very strong in the Eurocup and battling for the playoffs in the BSL. “Living in Istanbul and playing for Bahcesehir has been a great experience for my family and I. Last season was difficult, coming up short in the FIBA Europe Cup Championship game and not meeting expectations in the Turkish League but we have enjoyed our experience here. The people, food, and culture in Turkey have been some of the best parts and we are very grateful to be with such a great organization”, stressed Tyler Cavanaugh. Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul (Turkey-BSL) is holding their own in the BSL and reached the Eurocup semi-final. The interesting thing is that there are 8 new guys this season. “We have had a great start to the season because we have a great group of guys who have really come together and developed into a team. It’s always tough when you have a completely new team but we have gelled very well together which is easier when you have such high character guys like this team has. We still have a lot of goals to achieve ahead of us in the next few months”, warned Tyler Cavanaugh. He has had the luxury of playing with ex NBA player Marco Simonovic as both push each other to the limit each day to be the best they can be. “He is very valuable for our team because of his size and his ability to play inside and outside. It’s been great competing with him everyday ion practice and I feel like we are making each other better which is crucial in order for our team to reach our goals”, expressed Tyler Cavanaugh. It also seems like there isn´t 1 star on the team, but a collective of hungry guys playing for the team. My role is to be a leader on and off the floor and be a consistent presence on the court for this team. Playing smart, playing tough, rebounding the ball and knocking down open shots”, warned Tyler Cavanaugh. At 23-1 in the Turkish first division, it looks like Fenerbahce will run away with the title, but to Bahcesehir Koleji Istanbul with Tyler Cavanaugh and other teams will do all they can to make this post season exciting.
Christian Hinckson (201-G-1999, college: Binghamton) is a 25 year old 201cm forward from Queens, New York playing his second professional season overseas with BG Hessing Leitershofen (Pro B). Last season he played his rookie season with Starlites GIG (Malta-BOV League D1) averaging 13.1ppg, 7.4rpg, 2.5apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 81.3%He began his career at John Bowne high school and also gained experience at Tilton Prep school. He began his college career at Manhattan College (NCAA) averaging 3.6ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.0apg and 7.2ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.3apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 35.2%, 3PT: 45.5%, FT: 72.1%. He then moved on to Binghamton University (NCAA) averaging 3.1ppg, 3.4rp, 7.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.0apg, 1.0spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 41.1%, FT: 75.9% and 6.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 52.9%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 71.4%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.
Thanks Christian for talking to germanhoops.com. Your playing your first season in Germany with BG Leitershofen. What kind of an experience has it been and what do you appreciate most about the opportunity? My first year in Germany has been a great experience so far, I am enjoying my time out here and love it. What I appreciate the most is that I’m able to play basketball everyday as my career and to showcase my talents in a well- respected market.
The club is in it´s third Pro B season and finished 9 and 11ththe last 2 seasons. This season the team is battling the RheinStars for the top spot. What has been the secret to the success? Buying into the culture and embracing roles has been a secret to our success. It’s a fun brand of basketball we play and we have great players that compliments our run and gun style of play.
The team scores a lot of points with 93 per game, but also defend very well allowing 77 points per game. What is the team´s biggest strength on defense? Our defensive versatility and aggressive style of play is our biggest strength on defensive. We have guards/wings who pressure the ball well and our bigs are athletic and agile so we can guard multiple positions with different matchups.
Leitershofen split with the RheinStars this season and the 2 games were decided by not more than 7 points. How hungry is the team to win the pro B South and be better than last season´s finalist? We are really hungry, our as coach Richie would say we need “Saliva” meaning to be the hunters and killers as we perform. Our goal is to move up to Pro A so we are doing whatever it takes to make it there.
Your averaging 8/3/2/1 stats and shooting 36% from outside. What exactly is your role on the team?
My role on the team is to use my versatility on both ends to make plays. Defending, scoring, play-making anything that can be done to help the team win I do.
You were efficient in the NCAA. Your showing this season that your efficient. Did you develop that in the NCAA? Yes the NCAA most definitely has helped my efficiency. Playing division 1 basketball humbled me and made me realize at every level there are roles on each team, so being efficient in your role and time played is very important.
Talk a little about the big man combo of Elias Marei and Ferenc Gille? How do they compliment each other best and what do you appreciate most about their games?
Elias and Ferenc have done plenty of good this season for our team. They do a great job being vocal on the defensive end and rim running in transition. What I appreciate the most about their games is their motors and how hard they play. Every game for sure you know you will get 100% effort out of them.
How valuable is in being teammates with fellow American rookie Asa Williams He played at 3 JUCO schools. Do you feel that chip on his shoulder?? Asa has made my journey here in Germany much easier. Coming from America, we had a few mutual friends prior to knowing each other and are able to relate. He’s also my roommate so we spend a lot of time together off the court. Without a doubt I feel that chip on his shoulder, he is a fierce competitor and we speak about it all the time about how much this opportunity means to him and the adversity he has faced playing basketball. He is having a special season, breaking records etc. and I’m rooting for him and his success.
How valuable is Dragos Dickulescu? Is he the motor of the team? Dragos is extremely valuable to our team and has been our go to guy. He’s a very smart player and is talented. He has been a great leader and motor for us and his resume as a pro speaks for itself.
Let´s talk about your game. You’re a 201cm guard. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description? I was told by prior teammates I play like Khris Middleton or Kawhi Leonard but I’ve never been able to compare myself.
You have always been a guy that can fill the stat sheet well. Would you call yourself a Swiss army knife? Your game reminds me a bit of Pro A player Cam Henry of Kirchheim. I would definitely call myself a Swiss Army knife! Versatility has been my game for most of my life and I have played several different positions all throughout my career. I do not know of Cam, but I’m interested to look up his highlights now
Your shooting the three pointer very well at the moment. What do you still have to do to make the next step as a shooter? To make the next step as a shooter I would love to start taking and making deeper shots.
How would you describe your defensive game? You were a star defender in college. What kind of a defender are you now and what kind of a defender do you still want to become? I would say I am a smart and versatile defender. I know how to use my physical gifts to my advantage. I know I am a pretty good defender but there is still room for growth for me in every aspect of defensive. I want to be known as a two way player.
You played at Manhattan college from 2018-2020. What kind of an experience was that for you? You made a big increase of minutes to 13 more in your second season.
I enjoyed my time at Manhattan college and played a different style of basketball than I was used to. My first few year I got used to the speed and physicality of the college game. The year after that my minutes increased because I had a productive summer and worked on my weaknesses.
You had some big games at Manhattan including 16 points in a 57-53 win over Fairfield. What was your fondest moment there? My fondest moment at Manhattan was off the court. The bond I built with my teammates was like no other and I still keep in touch with most of them.
You then played at Binghamton University (NCAA) from 2020-2023 averaging 7.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 1.0apg, 1.0spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 41.1%, FT: 75.9% and 6.9ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 52.9%, 3PT: 33.8%, FT: 71.4%. What memories do you have of these 3 years? You scored 20 points in a 81-79 win over Columbia.
What was most memorable through those years was the atmosphere we played in. Loved playing in front of about 2 to 4 thousand people every home game.
How did head coach Lavell Sanders who played 14 years in the Czech Republic groom and prepare you for a professional career?
Coach Sanders helped me a lot and I am thankful for him. He prepared me for Europe by teaching me a lot of the terminology and reads I see here in Germany and simplified my game a lot. It was an honor learning from him since he was once a professional and knows the ins and outs of the European game.
Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Miles Gibson? Miles and I had many battles 1-1, I would say it’s an even split.
Who is the best player that you ever battled on the court that reached the NBA? Ex teammate Hamidou Diallo
Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time? There are too many to name.
Please name your NBA Mount Rushmore?
Lebron James
Michael Jordan
Kevin Durant
Kobe Bryant
Who is your GOAT?
Lebron James
Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn´t they have left it alone?
Haha I may get some hate for this but I have never seen the sequel. I watched the first one and it was great but had no idea there was a sequel.
German Hoops 