Nikita Khartchenkov (201-SF-1987) is a 35 year old 201cm forward that has been been playing professionally for almost two decades and played more than 500 games. Currently he is playing for his 14th professional team and third year with the EN Baskets Schwelm. He played for clubs like TV Langen, Khimki Moscow, Braunschweig, Chemnitz, MBC, Duesseldorf, Freiburg, Sibu (Romania), Essen, Leipzig, Hagen, Schalke and Iserlohn. He played 114 easyCredit BBL games and 72 pro A games and shot 40% or better from outside in 6 seasons. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his basketball career.

Nikita thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you at the moment?

Hi Miles, it is always a pleasure! I’m living in Essen and playing for Schwelm. Basketball life is going well. After a bad season start we found together as a team and we perform way better now.

Before we get to basketball, please explain how you have experienced COVID in the last 2 years? What were the biggest challenges for you as a player?

It’s crazy to realize that it is already the third year affected by COVID! For us players it is strange to play with less fans or even without any crowd at all. It’s an individual think to treat this situation. I felt, that we had a team that was able to find the motivation in each other faces. Of course it was not the same like playing at home and hear the crowd or playing away and make the opponents crowd silent. But to be honest, we have to be thankful that we were still allowed to do our favorite think- to play the game! On the other hand it was a very hard situation especially for children and seniors. I only can imagine how hard it was for them! I hope that the situation will get better!

With everything that you have experienced off the court with COVID, how do you feel did you grow as a person and get stronger as a man?

I think basketball is a good preparation for any situation in life. I could adapt to the situation and kept my focus on the things I do. The good thing is that I saw my kids more often while I was working from home and they had homeschooling!

Your playing your 19th professional season and have played for 14 organizations. What have you enjoyed most about the basketball globetrotter life?

There are a lot of things! Basketball specifically it is the process to grow together as a team and become a unit during the season. On the other Hand it is a huge life experience by getting to know the teammates from different countries, different mentalities and backgrounds and to find with everyone ‘the same language’. That gain is not written in any contract but makes you develop as a person and human being!

How do you feel physically? What have been the biggest challenges body wise to keep being able to play professional basketball?

I feel good so far! I was blessed not to have bigger injuries during my career. I have the advantage towards most players that I’m playing usually between 2 three point arcs, so I don’t run that much. Biggest challenge right now is the time management. Unfortunately I don’t have much time to visit the weight room. But a short time for core exercises is very helpful for myself.

You never played for one pro team for more than 3 seasons. You are playing your third season with the EN Baskets Schwelm. Can you imagine ending your career with them one day?

At the moment I’m not thinking about the retirement: I love the game, I have no physical issues, the opponents are still putting ink on the scouting report when they are preparing for Schwelm. I like the situation in Schwelm. It’s an organization with ambitions, lovely crowd a great gym. A lot of volunteers, which are helping in every possible situation. I can imagine to retire here, but don’t ask me how old I will be.

You played parts of 6 years in the easyCredit BBL and played 2 seasons in the Pro A. The rest in the Pro B and Regionalliga. How much of a challenge was it always having a job during the pro B/Regionalliga years and juggling basketball? What kind of jobs did you have?

The biggest challenge is the 24 hours shot clock. I have to separate the focus between Basketball, Job and family. To coordinate everything in the balanced way- this is the biggest challenge! But once you get used to a certain rhythm-you can manage it! My first job was in a Tax and Audit company named KPMG. Starting from this year I changed the employer and start to work in the public sector also as a financial and tax specialist.

You come from a basketball family. Your father was a well known Russian player and coach. How vital has he been for your early basketball development. Did he help develop your shot?

All I know as a Basketball player- I learned from him! The conversations during lunch or after his team had a game…Basketball was present everywhere. He also developed my shot and he is the only person, who sees why I missed a certain shot and knows how to correct it.

You signed with the Opel Skyliners when you were 15 years old, but never played a game. Talk a little about what happened with the Skyliners and why the match wasn’t made in heaven?

After staying one season in Freiburg where my father was coaching the second Bundesliga team, I had two offers to stay in Germany with Rhondorf or Frankfurt Skyliners. At that time I was also a prospect for the U-16 team, but didn’t have a citizenship yet. When I was 15 years old, the decision was made to sign a 9 year contract with Frankfurt . I think also because of the fact, I got German citizenship then. In public interest is what the official document said, so at that time that is how I had both citizenships. The first two years I played for TV Langen in the youth sector, Regio and second Bundesliga. When I was 17, my father took the project Khimki 2. At that time I knew that would be the best situation development wise. I talked with Frankfurt if I could play for Khimki and it was no problem for them. After the second year with Khmiki, I played for the German U-20 team where Emir Mutapcic was the coach. He was also coach with Braunschweig and he invited me to go to Braunschweig. Again Frankfurt had no interest to invite me for a try out. I think the Frankfurt coach didn’t even know I was under contract with Frankfurt. After two seasons in Braunschweig, I was about to resign there, when Frankfurt management wanted to make use of their rights. Again there was no talk for a try out. But there were talks what kind of buyout Braunschweig had to pay Frankfurt to get my rights. At the end of the day, Braunschweig wasn’t ready to pay the buy out. After that experience, I wasn’t ready to play for Frankfurt. Frankfurt offered me to play for Kronberg (Reg 1) if I want to stay under contract. Of course that was no option for me. I then started a process with my lawyer to get out of the contract with Frankfurt which I had signed at age 15. Surprisingly I lost the process and had to pay a pretty sum for the free agent status. Because that I wasn’t a local player in Russia anymore because of the non Illegality to play for the Russian national team, it was almost impossible to get a job in the Russian Superliga A while the imports were always top international or ex NBA players. Was the decision wrong to sign with Frankfurt at age 15? I don’t know. Nobody knows how my career would have worked out had I stayed in Russia. The intention was positive for sure.

You were 16 years old when you were with TV Langen in 2003-2004. What memories do you have from that time? How big was your ambition to be a professional player?

I remember my guest family, the Kuehl’s. They were treating me very well and helped me a lot in this situation. Even If I knew the language and mentality, subconsciously it was still a tough situation. As an individual coach I had an old friend from my father, who worked individually with me, Jo Herber, Robin Benzing, Malik Badiane. From the team perspective I had all options to develop the game: U18 team, Regionalliga and that time 2. Bundesliga Nord.

What memories do you have from the Albert Schweitzer tournament in 2003? What talented guys do you remember playing against there?

It was a great tournament! We had a team which was underestimated from a lot of experts. Still we finished on the 7th place an performed really good. I remember the game against the US where we lost very close at the end. Before that I had a small injury, but I couldn’t miss this one. At the end I scored 32 Points, but it was not enough against Kyle Lowry and co, Sergio Rodriguez and Ersan Ilyasova were also guys to mention! I like both players a lot!

You then were two years with Khimki 2 from 2004-2006. What memories do you have of the basketball there? How was the youth development there in comparison to in Germany? Things have obviously changed now as Germany made big strides in youth development in the last decade.

At Khimki I played for the team coached by my father. Don’t even think it was easy because of that! He expected a lot from me as a player! That time I played with Khimki-2, the team was a mix from experienced guys and young and talented players. We had a good chemistry and learned a lot from each other. During the regular season we had 60 games which was a lot for that time. Also the Superliga B was allocated through whole Russia. I just remember the game against Vladivostok: 9 hours flight. On the other hand I played with the Khimki youth team, which had 5 guys from my hometown Saint-Petersburg. We were always fighting for the gold medal against CSKA. Remembering it with a smile!

When you were Khimki you were two years younger than Vitaly Fridzon who is still playing today with Zenit in the Euroleague. What memories do you have of him and did you think then a guy like that could have such a long and decorated career?

In my second year with Khimki 2 Vitaly was playing almost the whole year with us. Then for the playoffs the first team had some injury problems and they took him to the roster, where he became a good roleplayer pretty fast. He is a very good example, that there are many options to play the game. some players are athletic, others a smart and some are just working the hell out out of their selves. Vitaly never had a special talent in Basketball skill, but with hard work and staying after every practice at the gym, he could compensate a lot and had (and still have) an incredible carrier!

You then played two seasons with Braunschweig playing mainly for the farm team, but got a chance and played 32 BBL games. What memories do you have from this time? You came to Braunschweig having played a super U-20 EM in Turkey. When you look back do you feel like you were personally able to take all you could from the situation?

When I signed with Braunschweig I was very sure that I will have my role around 15 minutes in the first season in BBL. Coach Mutapcic had other ideas and I was the perspective guy in his eyes. When coaches feel unsecure on their position they don’t want to ‘risk’ and let young guys play a lot. Still I had the 2. Bundesliga team where I could show my ability to play. Thanks also to Liviu Calin during that time. He been a hard but always a fair coach and person! I always tell the younger guys: Do whatever you can what is in your responsibility and range. There always be some underwater stones which you will not see, but be honest to yourself and try your best!

How do you remember Emir Mutaptic as a head coach? How do you remember him helping you with your game in that time?

Muki knows the game very good! Back in the days he was also a good player. I think his priority in Braunschweig was to make his own name as a Headcoach and not thinking about development of young players. So basically he had no impact on my development.

In 2008-2009 you took a step back to play Pro A and had a great season with BV Chemnitz 99 averaging Score-5 (18.3ppg), 2.8rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 41.7%, FT: 81.1%. How thankful are you for head coach Torsten Loibl for giving you a great opportunity to get minutes and play your game?

I like to remember the Chemnitz times! Thorsten helped me a lot especially in the situation where I had to pay my buy out for the Opel Skyliners. Also I learned from him the ‘japanese’ mentality: Always stay positive! He was leaving it even in stressful situations during the games!

In the 2009-2010 season you returned to the BBL with the Mitteldeutscher BC Weissenfels (Germany-1.Bundesliga) averaging 6.8ppg, 1.1rpg, FGP: 40.0%, 3PT: 41.0%, FT: 75.5%. How do you remember your game growing? How were you a better player then then in Braunschweig?

Coming to MBC I collected already a lot of experience in Pro A and was ready for the next step. The preseason and the first half of the season were very good for me individually and for us as a team! Then Bjoern Harmsen made some changes by cutting playing time from three players including myself. At that moment I was too motivated to understand those changes. During the whole season we played good team Basketball and finished with a 18-16 record.

What memories do you have of Bjoern Harmsen. He is a coach that has been lauded time in and time out for his basketball knowledge. Do you remember having a special 1-1 moment with him that you will never forget?

That time his scouting was on the next level! We knew every play and breath from the opponent! And we where preparing very disciplined and professional for the games!
1-1 moment: sure. But this moment will stay 1-1!

In 2010-2011 you split time with the Duesseldorf Giants (Germany-1.Bundesliga) averaging 4.1ppg, 1.2rpg; and in Feb.’11 moved to USC Freiburg (Germany-ProA) averaging 13.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 34.9%, 3PT: 29.3%, FT: 82.0%. In Duesseldorf you played for Murat Didin. He isn’t always the easiest guy to play for. Were you able to come to terms with his eccentric character?

I think whoever played for Murat remembers him as ‘Baba’ and the craziest coach ever! I make it short: we had 9 players which we changed before the season started! Under this circumstances it would be unrealistic to expect a good season. My turn to go came in January and I was not discussing much about it.On the other hand, he was playing the game as a coach, not working it. He tried to read situations, maybe even provoke opponents! Very eccentric as you already mentioned.

In 2011-2012 you went to play for CSU Atlassib Sibiu (Romania-Division A) averaging 17.1ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.2apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 35.2%, FT: 83.1%. You had a great season scoring 40 and 38 points in games but returned back to Germany. You would never play out of Germany again. Did you get home sick?

Sibiu was a great experience for me! We had 9 Imports including myself. The arenas in Romania were great and the fan culture also. After the first season I had a chance to sign with another Eurochallenge team from Romania, but they kept their American at the end. The GM from Sibiu heard about the request from my agent, so he was not happy with this situation and didn’t offer me to stay for the second season. Home sick? No!

In 2012-2013 you split time with Uni-Riesen Leipzig (Germany-ProA) averaging 15.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.8apg, 2FGP: 42.3%, 3FGP: 36.6%, FT: 78.9%, and in Jan.’13 moved to the Nuernberger Basketball Club (Germany-ProA) averaging 14.6ppg, 2.3rpg, FGP: 50.6%, 3PT: 41.0%, FT: 83.6%. You had great stats for two different teams in one season. What has been your secret to always being consistent whereever you have played?

I’m wondering, where you finding all this stats! I try to adapt my game to the team which I’m playing for. In case Leipzig and Nuernberg there were actually different styles of playing Basketball, but what didn’t change, was the height of the Basket.

From 2013-2015 you played parts of two more seasons in the BBL with Phoenix Hagen which were your last. Why do you think that you didn’t have a longer BBL career?

In my second year in Hagen, the coach was not really interested to let me play or even practice. It was a pretty hard situation to accept, but the Teams also didn’t see me playing for a while. The fact that a player needs game minutes is still very important. After realising the situation I was thinking to play Basketball semiprofessional and invest more time for the education regarding the Job in future. Also I couldn’t move around forever with my family.
The time as a professional Player was great, but there was a lot more in life.

People will always remember you as having a deadly three pointer. Do you feel people saw you too much as one dimensional?

Back in the days young players where watching MJ and Kobe driving to the Basket, finishing crazy dunks and fade away jumpers. Since Curry came to the game and changed it in the NBA but also for the young players, who start to work more and more on their shots. Now a days don’t matter where you come from, the new generation is a shooting generation! Back in the days specially in the BBL you couldn’t see that many shooters, because the most imports were coming from the states where the focus still was on athleticism and fast game instead of shooting the ball well. A deadly three pointer is not the worst thing in my opinion. Off course, the distance shot is my strength, but there are also other options when my shot is guarded well. I think people see the most used part of my game and this is the distance shot.

I always thought that your offensive game should have been used more in Hagen under Ingo Freyer. Did that club simply have all the offense they needed with their Americans Bell, Dorris, Gordon and Dugat?

Playing in Hagen was a Basketball cultural shock even for me. The game plan was being aggressive, attack don’t matter what and what the score or shot clock says! The guards you mentioned where very good individuals! I remember once after 10-12 games played in the season Ole Wendt came to me and said: look we both are leading in the BBL plus-minus stats! What I want to say is that the mix is important: you can run and gun a lot, but there are also periods where you need to slow the pace down and play smart Basketball. That time was also a pleasure for me to play with Bernd Krull! Ingo has his own vision of Basketball. He was thinking about what he could do with Hagen resources to compete in the BBL. So he made his own idea to play run and gun Basketball. People who understands the game might not like it, but it worked. I think it is important to have an own signature as a coach.

You must have a special David Bell story. I can imagine you guys had some shooting battles in practice?

Dave was a great shooter with a very quick release! I remember him making arounds90+ out of 100 attempts, and this day by day! Because of his quick trigger and a very flat flying curve I didn’t have much options to win shooting competitions, but as long it came down to 5-5 in practice we had great moments against each other!

How tough was the 2014-2015 season. After you left Hagen, you were briefly with Essen in the Pro A and ended in the Regionalliga with Schalke. Was that your basketball low point going from the BBL to the Regionalliga in one season?

Leaving Hagen was the right decision! I wanted to leave after the first season, but I didn’t have similar options. During the second season I was not even allowed to practice from the coaching staff. All that and the fact, that I rarely had playing time destroyed my rhythm a lot! When I agreed to play for Essen it was fix, that I will do it just for three games. For the rest of the season I decided to start an education to prepare the situation for the time after the active carrier. For that reason Schalke was the right situation, because I couldn’t practice twice a day anymore. Off course it was a huge drop level wise, but I think in this situation it was the right decision.

In Schalke you were teammates with Lithuanian sniper Andrius Mikutis. What was it like being teammates with such a great shooter? You met him again this season in the Pro B.

He is not only a great shooter, he is also a great teammate and professional! His shot is very dynamic and high percentage. This season we changed home wins with each other while both games had been very close. At least we could secure the point difference. If we meet in the playoffs it’s going be a really good competition again!

You played two seasons in Iserlohn. How was it for once not being the oldest player as Jozo Brkic was older. Did you become a mentor for younger players as you got older?

Jozo is older then me, but he stood young. At the end it’s not about the numbers in the passport. I am always open and helping guys to improve their game and also mentality. There are players who listen and change things, but sometimes players are thinking they already knowing everything. My favorite part is still when I can show it in my own person on the court! This are the moments when I feel the respect from my teammates. It’s not about the age or what you did in the past- it’s always about now!

How have you seen the further development of younerman Daniel Mayr who had so much misfortune in his life with brutal injuries. One has to wonder where he would be today had he been able to play with the Fraport Skyliners in 2016 and not been out of action for 3 years.

He is a very tall player with a soft touch! But there are things in life you can’t control. It’s a very bad luck to be injured that long at this age! But Basketball is not only a game, it’s a life lesson! Whatever you do, what is in your responsibility- you have to do it at your maximum level. This works out on the Basketball court and is the right attitude for the ‘regular’ life. Now his focus has to be not on: ‘Where I could play, if everything would be going well’, but ‘I’m in this situation right now. I will do my best to play my highest level possible!’

How disappointed are you that you can’t play against highly talented 15 year old half brother Ivan Khartchenkov in the Pro B who is with FC Bayern Munich 2? How far will his path go and do you mentor him?

It is disappointing that we will not play against each other this season! But who knows, maybe the time will come next year! I believe that if he will keep working hard on his game and improve it step by step, and the fortune will be on his side, he will make it to the highest level! We do talk before and after the games, sometimes I can watch them.
He understands and make clear analysis of his strengths and also weaknesses. In fact he has the game in his blood!

You had many memorable BBL games. Which was your most memorable game? Possibly your 19 points in the Hagen win over Oldenburg where you had more points then Americans Rickey Paulding and Julius Jenkins?

This could be one of the most memorable one. Before this game I was playing maybe 5 minutes a game for a while. For some reason Ingo Freyer thought: ‘Why not let Nikita start and run the whole offense over him against Nemanja Alexandrov.’ It worked out very well and we kicked Oldenburg out of our gym that night. Another memorable game was MBC vs Bamberg in Weienfels. My match up was Casey Jacobsen, one of the greatest shooters in BBL history and I was his match up to. Funny fact was that both teams where running turnouts the whole time while the shooters where on the court! This game was exhausting for both of us! At the end we won in a close game. I had solid 12 points, I think Casey had 14. That was a good memory!

Please name your toughest players to play against in the BBL, Pro A and Pro B.

Rickey Paulding, Casey Jacobsen, Julius Jenkins, Kyle Hines, Jason Edwin.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time.

Zack Wright, Vitaly Fridzon, Anton Ponkrashov, Ahmad Smith, Donte Nicholas.

Please list your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present heads?

Thats a very tough one as long I have only 4 calls. I will stay in present days: Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, Luka Doncic and I even take today Ja Morant.

Will a Luka Doncic be in the same class of a Lebron James, Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan in 15-20 years?

Legends you are mentioning already have some titles in their portfolio. Luka is not there yet. His individual game is from another world. He controls his action and the defender very well. Two pieces have to be done in my opinion to join him the mentioned Superstars: A team around him which is capable to win titles and that himself will always enjoy the game and have fun! Now you see him smiling, making jokes and still being focused during games.
I think he will be right there!

What was the last movie that you saw?

House of Gucci. But it wasn’t worth to watch it. One more word to you, Miles: Thanks a lot for being a part of German Basketball for that long period! Keep loving and following the game! My best wishes to you in everything you do!

Thanks Nikita for the chat.

Less than a year ago, I decided to catch up with Henry Dugat (183-PG-1987, college: Baylor, agency: BIG) concerning the winning of the 2021 NCAA title of his alma mater Baylor. I remember him transporting that pride and just enormous excitement that he was feeling. So winning the title for the first time in their 114 year history and reaching the big dance only 13 times was a massive achievement for the school that nobody will ever forget especially fellow players who have slipped on the Bears jersey. It is interesting how much Baylor basketball has grown and developed further in the last 14 years. In it’s first 101 years, the school reached the big dance only four times, but since 2008 when he was there the school has played in the NCAA tournament nine times in the last 14 years. For a player that has balled in five countries overseas and eight different organizations, it is only typical that he has seen a lot in his career, but that I would be getting in contact with him again less than a year after our glorious Baylor win interview and discuss war is something that I would never have dreamed of doing. But having that COVID experience the last two years was definitely a good preparation for any new unwanted ugly surprises that the Ukraine would give everyone living there. ‘I think life was different for everyone during COVID dealing with so much uncertainty. One thing I noticed that was difficult for me was not knowing what to expect but within that I believe I became stronger in focusing on what matters most to me in life’, stated Henry Dugat.

Henry Dugat is a 35 year old 183cm point guard from Dayton, Texas that played his 13th professional season and fifth in the Ukraine and first with SK Cherkasy Monkeys (Ukraine-Superleague). He is a point guard that also played in other countries like Mexico, Venezuela, Sweden, Germany, Hungary, and France. When Russia invaded the Ukraine last week, the American who played up tempo basketball in Germany for current EWE Baskets Oldenburg head coach Ingo Freyer was in Cherkasy. Cherkasy is a beautiful city of 279,000 inhabitants on the Dnieper river 187 kilometers away from the country capital Kiev where he actually lived for two years from 2016-2018 with Budivelnyk Kyiv (Ukraine-Superleague). He also played two seasons for BK Dnipro (Ukraine-Superleague) which is 479 kilometers away from Kiev. When the terror broke out in the Ukraine on February 24, he was still in Cherkasy and like so many other people tried to flee the country. It wasn’t any different for other Americans playing in the Ukraine. Guys like Max Mahoney who had a stellar career at Boston University and played his rookie season in Germany with the Kirchheim Knights needed three days to get back to home soil while Michael Stockton who is the son of NBA legend John Stockton also made it safely home a few days before the invasion. It wasn’t any different for Dugat, but he had to remain in the war zone for 48 hours before finally starting the trek home. ‘Fortunately I was able to get out of Ukraine on Saturday and begin my travel back home. It wasn’t easy because there were so many people leaving as well so it was a really long process. But there was an uneasy feeling in the air when I left’, stated Henry Dugat.

For any one watching the news about the saddening Ukrainian conflict in the last days, it is just horrifying to see the footage of how Russia has taken control and been dropping bombs, using their massive arsenal of soldiers on land and just creating havoc for all the innocent citizens there. There have been so many horror stories that have surfaced in the last days. I have heard stories from my relatives in Germanywho back in the day were living in cellars in 1945 while they heard the sirens and bombs as they were crouched in the corner praying to live. It wasn’t any different in 2022 in the Ukraine where citizens in Kiev were hanging out in cellars and even had the courtesy to take in friends. In hospitals pregnant women were camped out in the cellar to protect their babies in their wombs. But The Ukrainian folk aren’t going down without a fight. News reports (RTL Germany) picked up how a Ukrainian woman boldly went up to a Russian soldier giving him sunflower seeds and saying ‘what are you doing in our country? I give you some sunflower seeds so when you die, flowers will grow’.

The last days weren’t easy for the American as he was constructing a plan to get home again. Even if his family and friends were far away, he always had contact with them as they constantly checked in on him. When the season started he had a number of Americans on the team like ex UCLA great Isaac Hamilton or ex NBA and UConn great Rodney Purvis and Duvaughn Maxwell, but as he played his last game on February 17th was the lone American on the team. Despite losing his last game against Krivbas, he played a solid game having 18 points, 9 boards and 7 dimes, but had no American teammates to talk about the day to day struggles with the drama in the country. Sometimes having that other American by your side can do wonders in cold places and where nobody can tell you where the next Mcdonalds is. Especially that rookie from North Dakota needs that fellow American who can help him adjust and just have a friend in time of need. But for a player who has been overseas so long, he didn’t need any adjustment time to getting through the hard times without his own kind. ‘It wasn’t tough, although we missed guys that left, over the course of the season I was able to build a bond with every person on our team and organization’, expressed Henry Dugat. Just having to deal with war right at your door step has to be something incredibly difficult to digest, but if your club doesn’t want to let you go or help you make things easier in hard times is something that is incredibly difficult to believe and something that is even more difficult to digest. But there were other Americans that had their own horror stories about how their clubs treated them. ‘I don’t believe every organization handled the situation comfortably. Some organizations didn’t offer Americans or foreigners the opportunity to leave. The guys that left had to on their own accord against the wishes of the club without payment for time already worked. Or the option to go elsewhere and play. There were other organizations within the league that I believe handled this situation better’, commented Henry Dugat.

The American who has won two titles in the Ukraine and was a three time Superleague allstar and was the games MVP in 2020 has began the trip back to Texas. His loved ones and family must have been freaking out in the days leading up to his return. ‘They were really ready for me to return home. They were concerned, Naturally so’, stated Henry Dugat. Even if he is on his way home, the war in the Ukraine is still ongoing. He may be very far away from the Ukraine, but his thoughts and prayers go out to the people of the country that he called home for five years. ‘I want to thank my friends and all people of Ukraine for my time there. I received so much love from the people of Ukraine and I made lifetime friends in Ukraine and I don’t wish this situation on any people I hope for everyone to stay safe throughout this’, stressed Henry Dugat. Having been in the Ukraine and witnessed the Russian invasion from the eyes of an American, he will never forget the experiences that he had there. When all is said and done and he hangs up his jersey, he will always look back on his time in the Ukraine as one that had a big impact on his life. He won titles there, formed special relationships and saw a country struggle. ‘Ukraine has made a great impression on my life. I hope everyone can stay safe through this’, warned Henry Dugat.

John Murry (192-G-1995, college: Austin Peay) is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Indianapolis, Indiana that is playing his third professional season in Germany with BSG Grevenbroich (Germany-Regionalliga). Before that he had experience with the Kitchener-Waterloo Titans. He played two years at Owens Community College playing 63 games and two years at Austin Peay State University (NCAA) playing 56 NCAA games and as a senior averaged 16.7ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 81.1%. He and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber talk weekly about basketball.

Grevenbroich suffered a 106-97 loss to Wulfen. With the loss the team has a three game losing streak. The team gave up more than a 100 points for the second consecutive game. How tough is it giving up so many points so late in the season where everything counts?

It can be frustrating at times because we beat ourselves by just turning the ball over early, then we have to fight and claw our way out of a hole when it gets late in the game, instead of taking care of the ball and being sound defensively that way we can squeeze out a win in the end.

It was another shoot out loss for Grevenbroich. Were there any moments where you could have won the game?

Yes, at points we were down 4 to 6 points, where all we needed was a stop and a bucket and just couldn’t get over the hump.

What was worse giving up countless three’s or having 20 turnovers?

It’s the turnovers that kill us and put us in the hole, 20 TO’s is almost 40 points depending on how you look at it, we definitely have to be better in taking care of the ball early on and down the stretch.

Wulfen had 6 guys scoring in double figures. How tough does it continue to be not having more support from more people?

It definitely plays a negative role in our depth, especially when it gets late in games and you need fresh legs to finish out the game, it simply comes down to sticking to defensive principles and reacting before hand, not after the ball is already in the air.

How much of a factor does the short rotation play concerning what happens on the defensive end?

That’s the story of the season for us, not being locked in on defense and taking pride in getting stops. It comes down to each individual being focused when it’s game-time.

You had an amazing game of 40 points. How taxing is it continuing to leave your heart on the court and not getting the win?

Mentally, it weighs a lot because you ask yourself, what more can you do but just staying positive through the whole situation is what makes the following day a little better when the sun rises.

You shot the ball really well. Was it finding your spots something that worked really well on this day?

Finding my spots, confidence, studying the game helps me so much. I spend tons of hours watching film and working on my game so that the live games will be easier as time goes on.

You next play the ETB Miners who you lost to by 11 points in the first game. How key will it be giving a better showing on the boards this time?

It will definitely be key for us to box out, especially with their taller line up, we will have to work even harder on the glass in order to make sure we stick the W in the end.

Thanks John for the chat.

As the Pro B season is the stretch run, the battle for the playoffs continues as the Fraport Skyliners and the White Wings Hanau are two teams that want to make the promised land. Hanau came into the game with a 7-10 record and in ninth place and a win less than Bavarian team Oberaching. Hanau had been idle since February 6 where they last beat Oberaching and wanted to get some of that rust off their legs. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors on the other hand had just digested a tough 82-70 loss in Koblenz 48 hours earlier and were back on the mat ready to begin a new winning streak. The Frankfurt squad who were sporting a 9-9 record and were in sixth place wanted to find back to their winning ways of the last weeks where they had successfully upended Karlsruhe and Speyer and did surviving crunch-time as versatile German Matthew Meredith (200-SG-2000, agency: LUMANI 10.7) led the charge with 27 points and key free throws in the last minute to squeak home the crucial 82-77 victory. ‘We have proven this season that in close games we stick together and have the gas to make the right plays. Our team chemistry is just very good. When we play like that, we are a different team. Even if Tisdale scored 25, we still did make it tough for him’, stated ex Nurnberg guard Matthew Meredith. Hanau had been idle for many weeks and just didn’t have enough strength and execution at both ends of the court for 40 minutes. ‘We were up and down. We had dealt with Corona and were sluggish at the start. We didn’t get our energy until the second half. Our defense was good, but we didn’t execute our offense the right way’, stressed ex Bowling Green (NCAA) guard JD Tisdale.

The first quarter was a tale of two stories as Frankfurt jumped all over Hanau only then to see the guests rally back and then potent scoring accompanied both teams until the end of 10 minutes. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors broke out on a swift 9-0 run and stopped Hanau’s first 4 possessions. In the Frankfurt run, they came out with high intensity and executed well as they got baskets from ex Trier forward Nils Leonhardt and an offensive rebound and put back by big man Jordan Samare and Matthew Meredith wasted no time driving home 5 points. Hanau was still asleep as they couldn’t match Frankfurt’s intensity or work on the boards. But Hanau slowly began to find their game and got a pair of three’s from Germans Stefan Vasovic and Philipp Walz and four points from Tisdale and suddenly trailed only 15-10. Their offensive rampage continued with Daniel Loh and Tisdale baskets as Frankfurt suddenly was staring at a 15-15 contest. Frankfurt lost offensive rhythm as Hanau matched their intensity and began to see results as they attacked the rim with success. Down the stretch, both clubs gained added confidence as their shots began to fall better as Meredith hit two three’s as did German Dion Braimoh. Walz added a trey also, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors had the narrow 27-26 advantage after one quarter. ‘Hanau had missed many games and couldn’t find their rhythm. It was good that we had a good start. We just couldn’t keep it as they came back’, commented Matthew Meredith. Both teams were shooting over 60% from outside while Frankfurt landed at 59% from the field and Hanau at 47% and Frankfurt had the close 10-8 rebound edge.

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors did a great job continuing to execute at a high rate on offense and also kept Hanau at bay allowing only 9 points in the second quarter and led 47-35 at the break. Hanau once again had a bad start not executing on their first three possessions, but Frankfurt couldn’t take total advantage getting only three points as German Leander Schwalm made a big offensive rebound and put back and free throw for the 30-26 advantage. Frankfurt continued to keep the pressure up and went on a 8-3 run to lead 38-29. Meredith took responsibility hitting a catch and pop jumper and free throws while two time ANGT participant Alvin Onyia also scored on a lay in where he displayed his speed getting by two defenders. Frankfurt defended very smart forcing the guests to hurried shots as their pressure was spot on. German Philipp Hecker then nailed a trey to cut Frankfurt’s lead down to 38-32. But that didn’t rattle Frankfurt as they held their momentum going on a 9-2 run to lead comfortably at half-time. Frankfurt continued to be very potent on the offensive boards as their bigs were very active. Jordan Samare added five points with a three pointer and lay in. Marco Voeller also contributed with an offensive rebound and put back and Leonhardt scored on transition. ‘My teammates gave me good shots and I just played my game. We played good as a team and was consistent on defense’, stated Matthew Meredith. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued to shoot over 40% from the field and outside while Hanau shot 50% from outside. Frankfurt also began to dominate the boards 25-15.

The third quarter became a real tight dogfight as Hanau’s offense got jumpstarted as they scored 23 points, but couldn’t get over the hump as Frankfurt led 64-60 after 30 minutes. After having two weak starts in the first two quarters, the White Wings Hanau came out more focused in the third quarter hitting Frankfurt right away with a lethal 8-0 run to cut Frankfurt’s lead down to 47-43. Hanau let the three ball fly as ex Coburg forward Matthias Fichter scored as did Braimoh again. Vasovic also added a lay in. Frankfurt was hit with the turnover bug and couldn’t find a way to control Hanau’s nice inside out game. The game remained tight as when Frankfurt hit, Hanau was able to match their blow. Meredith and Braimoh traded three’s and Frankfurt led only 50-47. After Leonhardt brought some life into the BCM gym with a two handed dunk after getting the touch down pass from Hadenfeldt, Fichtner responded with clutch five points to dead lock the contest at 52-52. Frankfurt always had an answer and then found some new burst of energy on offense going on a 8-0 run to lead 60-54 s Hadenfeldt and Voeller connected back to back with three’s. Voeller also added a lay in. Tisdale did all he could trying to keep Hanau close as he scored three points to cut Frankfurt’s lead to 61-57. But Frankfurt always had an answer as Meredith hit a trey. But Tisdale saved his best for last as with four seconds to go went coast to coast finishing with a hard left handed dunk, but Frankfurt still led 64-60. ‘At the end I pushed down the lane and I think that they were expecting me to kick, but I was able to finish well. We brought more energy and got stops. We had good rotations, but still couldn’t get over the hump’, stressed JD Tisdale. ‘We stepped up our defense after they had their run. We made the right steps on defense and Voeller carried us’, said Matthew Meredith. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued to shoot over 40% from the field and outside while Hanau shot 59% from outside. Frankfurt still had the massive overwhelming 34-21 rebound edge and led the offensive rebound battle 13-5.

In the fourth quarter the Fraport Skyliners Juniors did a good job taming Hanau as they couldn’t get over the hump. Tisdale got Hanau on the board first with a lay in to cut the Frankfurt lead down to 66-62, but whenever it seemed like Hanau was threatening, Frankfurt always had an answer. Samare scored back to back baskets as he was fed each time by the underrated passer Nils Leonhardt. Frankfurt continued to be aggressive on defense and get easy baskets. Both teams really stepped up their defensive focus, but Hanau just couldn’t execute consistently. After Brazilian Victor Demetrio scored to cut Frankfurt’s lead down to 70-66, Meredith answered with free throws. Frankfurt got a big basket from Leonhardt with 1,33 to play as Frankfurt led 74-67. Philipp Hecker then hit a three pointer to cut Frankfurt’s lead down to 74-70 with a minute to go. Then came the free throw marathon as Frankfurt kept up their poise and execution rate as Hanau couldn’t get over the hump. Frankfurt got vital free throws from Meredith, Schaum and Hadenfeldt to clinch their 10th win of the season and keep their playoff hopes alive. ‘We showed our will at the end. We wanted to win very badly. We stayed concentrated and made the right plays and were rewarded’, stressed Matthew Meredith. ‘Both teams wanted it badly, but Frankfurt had the better end of the stick. We lost too many 50/50 balls and had too many turnovers’, stated JD Tisdale. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors had five guys score in double figures led by Matthew Meredith with 27 points. Marco Voeller added 12 points and Jordan Samare had 11 points while The White Wings Hanau were led by JD Tisdale with 25 points. Dion Braimoh chipped in with 16 points. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 43% from the field and 34% from the three point line and had 44 rebounds and 15 turnovers while the White Wings Hanau shot 42% from the field and 46% from outside and had 35 rebounds and 17 turnovers.

After a week off because of a Covid case, the Bona Baskets Limburg returned back to action. They had extra rest and wanted to make amends after the loss in Fellbach. They definitely didn’t have their work cut out for them on this weekend as they faced the potent 12-5 second place team Giessen Pointers. The good news was that the Bona Baskets Limburg had defeated them on the road in their first meeting 77-67. In that game they played the kind of defensive game that head coach Danny Stallbohm preaches and forced Giessen to 19 turnovers while keeping Lischka and Kennternich in pretty good check. But Limburg had a really difficult task this time as they welcomed a very strong Giessen team as they came to Limburg having won eight of their last nine games and in their last three games had averaged 95 points and only allowed 59 points on average. What made the hard task even more uncomfortable for Limburg was that they were without captain Justin Stallbohm who was recovering from COVID and KJ Sherril who had tested positive shortly before the game, but the home team still gave a spirted effort, but could only stay with Giessen for 30 minutes as in the fourth quarter they caved in losing 82-70. ‘I thought we played a good first half. We were up 10 points at the break, but down three points after three quarters. The difference was that we hit well in the first half and not so well in the second half. We got tired. You can notice how much our two players Justin Stallbohm and KJ Sherril were missed’, stated Limburg forward Noah Westerhaus. The Giessen Pointers gave the best example that a game has 40 minutes and they stepped up their game in the fourth quarter and played their game getting the win. ‘We began the game welll and then changed our defensive scheme which got us out of control. But we then changed some things and did a better job stopping their penetration which helped us get the game under control. Our focus was to focus in on Matej Kljacic and pack the paint and force them to shoot from outside’, stated Giessen guard Christopher Miller (192-G-1993, college: Salem).

The Bona Baskets Limburg began well getting the 5-2 advantage as Kljaic scored on the penetration and ex Koblenz forward Noah Westerhaus nailed a trey, but after that the guests slowly began to take control of the game. Giessen stepped up their intensity on defense and rode a 10-2 run to capture the 12-7 lead. Young German Paul Carl got back to back buckets on transition and sniper Christoph Kennternich made free throws and a three pointer. Giessen did a good job getting their transition game going and being aggressive on defense and kept Limburg out of an offensive rhythm. But Limburg got big support from 35 year old giant Mantas Bernatavicius who made some big defensive plays and got rebounds which led to back to three’s from ex Bochum forward Jari Beckmann and ex Bernau guard Julius Zurna to trail only 14-13. The GIessen Pointers however fought against that lightening spark of Limburg getting a lay in and free throw from New York native Christopher Miller and a Karl Maruschka lay in who has 29 pro B games on his resume as Giessen led 20-16 after 10 minutes. ‘Giessen did a good job getting on transition and just controlled the game and played their pace. They also didn’t allow Limburg to get the kind of shots that they wanted’, stressed Giessen Pointers 2 guard Corey Lewis who was taking in the game from the stands. Giessen shot a potent 53% from the field while Frankfurt was at 33%. Giessen also had the 11-6 rebound edge.

In the second quarter, both teams showed that basketball can always be a game of runs. There were exactly three runs but at halftime, the last run and lead belonged to the Bona Baskets Limburg at 36-26. The Bona Baskets Limburg didn’t waste anytime going on a brutal 10-0 run to lead 26-20. Limburg did a great job defeating the zone of Giessen and being patient working for the best shot as Kljaic and Julius Zurna hit consecutive three pointers. Beckmann then made a jumper and Westerhaus made a lay in. Limburg defended more aggressively and Giessen didn’t practice the best shot selection and just looked sloppy on some plays. The Giessen Pointers then struck back with a rapid 6-0 run as they made clever decisions and got good support from two of their young Germans Fritz Rostek and Robin Njie and veteran Benjamin Lischka who played 157 BBL games made a lay in to dead lock the contest at 26-26. In those few minutes, Limburg couldn’t execute against the Giessen zone, but soon did as they closed out the second quarter with a key 10-0 run to lead 36-26 at the break. Limburg got important baskets inside from Bernatavicius, Kljaic and Beckmann and Westerhaus nailed a trey. ‘Limburg did a good job switching their defenses to keep Giessen guessing and turnovers was a key also’, stated Corey Lewis. Giessen’s field goal percentage dipped down to 37% while Limburg’s was raised to 40%. Limburg got control of the boards19-17 while Giessen had 10 turnovers.

In the third quarter the Giessen Pointers picked up their game as Limburg was hampered with their offensive execution and trailed 48-45 after 30 minutes. Giessen began with a 4-0 run as Miller made a floater and Lischka free throws as they only trailed 36-30. Limburg stopped the run with a clutch trey by Zurna to up their lead to 39-30. But Giessen continued to chip away as they made key stops and didn’t allow Limburg to get a smooth offensive rhythm. The Giessen Pointer then struck with a 11-0 run to retain the lead at 41-39. In the run, pivotal was sharp shooter Kennternich who hit 9 three’s in a game three times in his career guided the team with two. Giessen also received support from young German Njie who made 4 points and Miller made a pull up jumper. Giessen connected very well against the Limburg zone. Limburg got the lead back with a Beckmann three pointer to lead 42-41. But Limburg couldn’t keep the lead as Giessen got vital support from Maruschka who made four free throws and Kennternich continued to be a menace from outside making another trey. ‘We played more together. We didn’t panic when we were down 10 points. We have been in situations like that before. Our focus was getting our offense going making the extra pass’, stated Christopher Miller. ‘Giessen played good defense. We didn’t shoot well the last games so they let us shoot in the first half and we made the shots. In the third, they defended us closer and we had no answer’, stressed Noah Westerhaus. Both teams weren’t shooting their best being under 40% while Giessen continued to control the boards 31-25 but had 11 turnovers while Limburg had 8.

In the fourth quarter both teams combined for 59 points as both offenses were executing at a very high level. The Giessen Pointers didn’t waste anytime deciding the game right away going on a fierce 19-4 run to extend their lead to 67-49. In the run, Giessen got key support from Maruschka who had 6 points and just remained very aggressive in the paint. Christopher Miller continued to play his game showing why he is the Regionalliga’s young version of Rickey Easterling as his mid range game is deadly. Kennternich as usual nailed a three pointer and also made free throws. Giessen had total control of the game and upped their intensity at both ends. They also got very good production from their young Germans. A mini 4-0 run by Limburg to cut the Giessen lead down to 67-53 didn’t scare Giessen as they always had an answer in the fourth quarter. Miller came back and bang scored 4 points to keep the overwhelming Giessen lead at 71-55. Miller finished with 17/8/5/2 stats and shot 72% from the two point mark. Miller is one of those guys that could surely average 25 points per game in the Regionalliga, but choses to be that allrounder who does all he can for his team to win. ‘I have matured a lot as a player. If I score 17 and we win by 20 it’s ok. I know If I am needed to score more, I will. I fight myself a lot, because I know that I can score more, but our goal is to reach the Pro B. I’m just doing my job to win’, warned Christopher Miller. Both teams continued to go back and forth until the end as Limburg just couldn’t get over the hump. Kljaic was very strong in the last minutes scoring 10 of the Limburg 15 points. Njie helped his stat sheet with 4 points while Lischka made a lay in. Kennternich wasn’t a factor at the end, but his three’s throughout the game were massive. ‘I always know where Kennternich is. When we run a play, I try to be in same corner as him so when I drive, I can kick it out to him. When he is hot, he is hard to stop’, stressed Christopher Miller. ‘Every game there is always one or two guys that help cost us the game. We did a good job containing Lischka in the first half. We wanted to play zone and contain Kennternich and Lischka, but we couldn’t control him’, stated Noah Westerhaus. The Giessen Pointers were led by Christoph Kennternich with 19 points while Christopher Miller had 17 points and Karl Maruschka chipped in with1 6 points while the Bona Baskets Limburg were led by Matej Kljaic with 22 points and 10 assists and Jari Beckmann had 143 points and Noah Westerhaus 13 points. The Giessen Pointers shot 50% from the field and 25% from outside and had 38 rebounds and 13 turnovers while the Bona Baskets Limburg shot 39% from the field and 27% from outside and had 29 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

The end spurt for the fight of the Pro B playoff places continues to be in full gear as the EPG Baskets Koblenz continued their chase of the Dresden Titans who had two wins more. They returned to their new living room where they are still unbeaten this season, but have overcome some really fierce battles. Koblenz last beat Orange Academy five days ago and once again made a comeback led by the brutal energy of Brian Butler (196-F-1991). This time they met the young and always tough Fraport Skyliners Juniors who were coming off a wild 96-95 victory on the road over Speyer. In that game, they had to hold their breath in the last seconds as a game winning attempt by ex EPG Baskets Koblenz guard DJ Woodmore didn’t want to fall. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors definitely had revenge on their minds after their disastrous start to the season losing 98-72 in their own living room to Koblenz. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors wanted a good start to the weekend as 48 hours later they would meet Hanau at home but they couldn’t as the EPG Baskets Koblenz played a fierce defensive game coupled with Brian Butler‘s Brutal energy to win 70-52. An hour before tip off, the surprising news flash came that the EPG Baskets Koblenz had let go of head coach Mario Dugandzic. Dugandzic had been missing because of a Covid case and the assistant coaches Tobias Hosper and Gerald Gomila had done a good job since weeks and now all of a sudden were the real head coaches. One could see that the players were very motivated. ‘I’m very happy how we performed. We had a good rhythm on offense and played good defense the whole game. It wasn’t an easy game with the firing of Dugandzic, but all stepped up. They played together and had fun’, warned EPG Baskets Koblenz manager Thomas Klein. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors as always gave everything, but their youth was quite evident and they just couldn’t match the overwhelming experience of Koblenz. ‘We never really found into the game. We had a lot of problems with their physicality and switching on defense. We didn’t really play with self-confidence in the first half, but that got better in the second half. We fought until the end’, warned Fraport Skyliners Juniors head coach Sepehr Tarrah.

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were without Matthew Meredith who was at home sick as his versatility was missed. The first quarter was one of those typical quarters where no club could get a real rhythm on offense as the defense took center stage. The EPG Baskets Koblenz got on the board first as young German Leo Saffer scored on transition. That flash of offense didn’t ach Frankfurt as they struck back with a 5 point run as ex Wurzburg guard Philipp Hadenfeldt made a lay in and then a steal which led to a trey by Calvin Schaum and 5-2 advantage. But Koblenz continued to execute on offense taking the 9-5 lead as American Shemabri Philipps hit a three pointer, ex BBL player Dominique Johnson connected on a lay in and free throws and Leo Saffer continued to be aggressive inside and made free throws. Koblenz was defending very well not allowing Frankfurt any easy shots. Schaum connected on a contested three to cut the Koblenz lead down to 9-8. The EPG Baskets Koblenz would keep the lead even if Frankfurt was on their heels. Saffer continued to look rejuvenated with a dunk and Frankfurt got a big offensive rebound and put back from 16 year old Dusan Nikolic who was only playing his 4th pro B game. ‘He played well. We had some guys leave and he moved up to the team. He learns very quickly. The good thing with him is that when he makes a mistake, he doesn’t make the same one’, warned Philipp Hadenfeldt. Marvin Heckel then dropped a three pointer for the 14-10 advantage. Koblenz did a great job containing German 18 year old talent Alexander Richardson who would end the game with 0 points on 0/7 shooting. ‘He is very talented. For him to play well at the next level, he has to be able to withstand the physicality. Even against guards he has problems on the switch. He needs time and will find his way’, added Frankfurt head coach Sepehr Tarrah. Ex NBBL champion Leander Schwalm who also won the JBBL title with Alba Berlin made a lay in and Brian Butler ended the first quarter with a tap in as Heckel served up the dime for the 17-14 Koblenz lead after 10 minutes.

In the second quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz made their move leading by as much as much as 11 points and had the 37-27 advantage at the break. The EPG Baskets Koblenz began very well getting a trey from young athletic wing Emmanuel Womalla and a Heckel lay in for the 24-16 lead. Koblenz continued to defend with passion and physicality and were great on the close outs and made Frankfurt take much time to get into their sets while on offense they were finishing better and were more aggressive on the boards. The EPG Baskets Koblenz were executing better on offense and got further key buckets from Phillipps who connected from outside and Heckel made a lay in for the 33-22 lead. Frankfurt got no production from their young bigs Richardson and Jordan Samare, so oldie Marco Voeller had to step up and did scoring five unanswered points cutting Koblenz’s lead down to 34-27. Frankfurt was unable to keep that momentum as the EPG Baskets rode into the break with a Butler free throw and Niclas Sperber lay in on transition and the 37-27 advantage. ‘Our offense was more efficient, but still not good enough on the finish. We continued not to allow Frankfurt a offensive rhythm. The points they made were either open looks or individual plays’, stated Thomas Klein.

In the third quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz were able to up their game a bit more and lead mostly by double digits and let it rain three’s late getting the 50-35 advantage after 30 minutes. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors didn’t waste any time getting on the board first as Philipp Hadenfeldt nailed a 20 footer, but Koblenz answered with two baskets from German big man Moses Poelking. On the first basket he executed the perfect pick and roll with Heckel and on the second finished himself. Frankfurt finally got some production from German Jordan Samare who scored twice, but Koblenz made him work for it as nothing came easy, but Frankfurt still trailed 41-33. Then came a phase where Frankfurt defended really well producing many stops, but couldn’t take advantage of it on offense as either misses or turnovers stopped them. The EPG Baskets Koblenz then saved their best for last dropping three three’s in a row as Johnosn, Indrek Sunelik and Sperber all connected. All Frankfurt got in this time was a left handed hook shot from Voeller who did a good job being as physical as possible getting his way in the zone. Even if Koblenz had been up and down in the third quarter on offense, they stayed very consistent on defense.’ We played brutal defense switching well and double teaming when needed. On offense we were finding better shots’, explained Thomas Klein.

In the fourth quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz continued to control the game and even when Frankfurt cut the lead down to 8, there really wasn’t any hope at the end of the tunnel as Brian Butler came in and took over as usual. Both teams had their offense going in the first minutes as Koblenz got points from Womalla and Heckel while Frankfurt got more production from Voeller, Samare and a trey from Nils Leonhardt to cut the lead won to 54-42. Frankfurt still had some energy left and were defending very well and were rewarded on offense with a Hadenfeldt three pointer and Samare free throws to cut Koblenz’s lead down to 55-47. But then came the closing punch as Brian Butler came in and led his team on a 11-0 run to up their lead to 66-47. In the run, Butler did his magic scoring an incredible 8 points. Give Butler the ball inside and he will produce. Heckel also added incentive with a three pointer. ‘I always come in and want to give 110%. I want to push everyone on the court. There was a good balance in the minutes and I was ready to come in and give all my energy’, stressed Brian Butler. In the last few minutes, Phillips and Poelking put the exclamation mark on the win with baskets. Heckel had the nicest play of the game with his over the shoulder no look pass to Poelking for the dunk. ‘There is always that one play that hurts our run. The Heckel three did it for us. Then the momentum switched and it was hard to stay with them mentally’, stated Philipp Hadenfeldt. The EPG Baskets were led by Brian Butler with 14 points and Marvin Heckel added 12 points while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Jordan samara with 12 points. The EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 39% from the field and 33% from outside and had 32 rebounds and 10 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 40% from the field and 25% from outside and had 31 rebounds and 19 turnovers.

February 24th ‘2022 won’t only be a historical day in the history of the Ukraine, but also in all of Europe. It was the day where Russian president Vladimir Putin declared war on the Ukraine. It was the day where he sent tanks and troops into the 4 million inhabitant country and also the day where fighter jets invaded the country. After this day, nothing will be the same in Europe again. When a country is under attack, things like basketball get very unimportant. I reach Fraport Skyliner Will Cherry (185-PG-1991, college: Montana) on the night where seemingly millions of Ukranian citizens let tears flow down their cheeks after a day that must have felt like an eternity. He was tuned in on TV to the Ukrainian drama as I reach him. He had been made aware of the Russian attack by his teammates. The Oakland native is one of those guys that doesn’t waste much time watching TV, but spends his time more watching Netflix and being on his computer. He has played in numerous countries in Europe like Lithuania, Turkey, Croatia, Greece, Israel and Italy. Despite having seen tension in Turkey, he has always felt safe in Europe. ‘I have heard of guys not being allowed home or getting their money from their Ukrainian teams. When I was in Turkey, the government was being overthrown. I saw a little of it. Bombs were going off and I heard the fighter jets over my apartment. I was living near the Syrian boarder. It was scary, but it didn’t come to the point that I had to be geared up to go home like in the Ukraine’, warned Will Cherry. There have been some upscale Americans playing in the Ukraine that had spent time in the NBA like Will Cherry with Archie Goodwin and Toure Murry who both played in the easyCredit BBL as well as Drew Gordon. ‘I know Drew Gordon. He is my boy. I actually didn’t know he was playing there. I know Dangelo Harrison who plays with Promety as well as my ex assistant coach from Alba Berlin who is there. It’s just crazy what’s happening’, stated Will Cherry. It is difficult for Will Cherry to imagine what real war is like, but one thing is for sure, he wouldn’t have stuck around to find out. ‘I would of left early. It’s crazy that some teams aren’t allowing guys to go home. Safety is bigger than money. Life is more important than basketball’, stressed Will Cherry. Don’t put Will Cherry on an expert panel discussing about the Ukrainian crisis. ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with the Russian leader. I don’t dip into politics. I do know that there is a lot of fake stuff going on. War is never good for anyone and usually nothing good comes out of it. War happens for selfish reasons 98% of the time’, warned Will Cherry.

War and politics isn’t Will Cherry‘s game, but basketball is. After a 26 day break in January because of Covid cases, the Fraport Skyliners came back and suffered a 5 game losing streak and currently have another break of 19 days on account of the Fiba window. Some easyCredit BBL teams allowed their players to go home, but the Fraports Skyliners remained in Frankfurt. They had some days off. The American would have liked to go home and get his mind straight again. Despite not going home, the break was still useful for him as he had missed some games due to injury. ‘I was forced to rest and get my back good again. This is a great opportunity for the team to lock in on some things and fine tune parts of our game. We have to be ready for the next games. Their will be many games in a short amount of time. We will have to be ready to rock and roll’, stressed Will Cherry. Even if the Fraport Skyliners only have 5 wins, they are a club that is way better than their record shows. ‘We should of beat Chemnitz. We had a hot start against Ludwigsburg and then ran out of gas. It was the same with Oldenburg. With the exception of Munich, we should of beat everyone even Alba Berlin. It’s not like teams are rolling over us. When teams are deeper than us, then it will weigh on us. We keep running out of gas’, stressed Will Cherry. One can always say what could have been, but at the end of the day, the position in the standings don’t lie. ‘We should of beat Chemnitz both times. We were better than Bayreuth for three quarters and then lose the fourth quarter 26-7. That just can’t happen. We let a lot of games slip away. You have to win the games that you should, because if you don’t it will come back and bite you in the butt. We should have 10 wins. We definitely want to make up for the loses in the next games’, expressed Will Cherry.

The Fraport Skyliners have had problems scoring the ball this season and it wasn’t any different against Euroleague teams FC Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin where they averaged only 54 points. It’s no secret that Frankfurt is very dependent on Cherry and he was definitely dearly missed in those two games. Don’t the Fraport Skyliners need an extra scorer for the stretch run? ‘I don’t know. That is up to management. I feel that we are good, but when certain guys are missing, it forces other players to do things uncharachteristically. We have a very young team. Some guys can adjust on the fly while others can’t’, warned Will Cherry. Even when Frankfurt plays good defense, they don’t win, because they can’t score. ‘We played great defense against Alba Berlin. But we scored only 2 points in the fourth quarter. Something like that just can’t happen. Defense has been our calling card this season with the exception of Oldenburg. It was the same old story. We ran out of gas’, added Will Cherry. The team next face off against ex Pro A team MLP Academics Heidelberg on March 6th and will be prepping seriously when they arrive in Spain next week. ‘We will lock in and concentrate on Heidelberg in Mallorca. As of now were just putting in the work and being sharp in the gym. We aren’t lying around’, said Will Cherry.

Despite the woes that the Fraport Skyliners have had in the wins department, Will Cherry has been mostly consistent this season and left it on the court each game. He is as focused as one can be in basketball hard times and doesn’t want to let his team down. ‘All we talk about is getting on a win streak. We gave up too many games. I always try my best. Even if I don’t have a good game, I try to find a way to impact the game. I will not let Frankfurt go down to the second league’, warned Will Cherry. He has had a very strong season scoring in double figures in 9 of 11 games and always being that scoring weapon while also knowing when to set his teammates up as he currently is averaging 15,5ppg, 3,5rpg and 5,3apg and getting 1,2spg. His turnovers haven’t been great as of late as he has coughed up the ball 13 times in the last three games and before that held them to 13 in his first 8 games, but he knows that. ‘I had one game against Oldenburg where I had 5 turnovers. That really pissed me off. I have to take care of the ball better. It is very uncharachteristic of me to turn the ball over so much. It can happen when I have the ball in my hands so much. I just can’t let this happen’, warned Will Cherry. The next weeks are the real weeks of truth for the Fraport Skyliners. Will they get higher up the standings or move further down? A stretch of games arrive now where Frankfurt must make ground. They will have three games in eight days and wins against Heidelberg and MBC, two teams near the bottom are mandatory. The players are more than mentally prepared for this important challenge. ‘At the end of the day, it’s just basketball. We are better than both of them and just have to play better. We have to take care of business. Heidelberg had a huge win against MBC having a great fourth quarter. These are all must wins. We are more than ready mentally’, warned Will Cherry. The month of march will be instrumental where their journey may go in April. ‘Hopefully we can have been 5-1 or 4-2 by April first. That would sound really good to me. We have to strive to win these games’, stressed Will Cherry. After talking about the Ukraine and war and the Fraport Skyliners, there is still some time left to talk NBA vs the easyCredit BBL. A month ago, I asked Will Cherry how many points Lebron could score in the BBL and he answered with 80 points. So how many points could Slovenian super star Luka Doncic score in the BBL tomorrow? ‘He wouldn’t even be close to scoring 80 points. Luka isn’t built or is as athletic as Lebron. Even if Lebron was 50, Luka couldn’t match his strength or athleticism. But Luka is still a killer. It’s just harder to score the way he does in the NBA, because he doesn’t have as much space in Europe. I honestly feel Luka could average a triple double in the BBL of 20/10/11 in the BBL’, warned Will Cherry. So now that were at the debate of how many points NBA greats could score in the BBL, how many could Michael Jordan score? ‘Jordan could probably go for 100 points. Who knows’, smiled Will Cherry. I wonder how many Mr NBA 100 points Will Chamberlain could have gone for in the easyCredit BBL? That question and debate will be for another time.

Mike Caffey (183-PG-1993, college: LBSU, agency: Players Group) is a 29 year old 183cm point guard from Corona, California that is playing his sixth professional season and second in the Ukraine and first with BC Kyiv Basket (Ukraine-Superleague) averaging 10.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.7apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 38.4%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 76.3%. Last season he played with BC Zaporizhye-ZOG (Ukraine-Superleague) playing 51 games: Score-3 (17.2ppg), 4.2rpg, Assists-2 (7.5apg), Steals-2 (1.9spg), FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 33.1%, FT: 75.6%. He also has gained further experience overseas in countries like Slovakia, Finland, Grece and Hungary. He began his basketball career at Centennial High School. He then played at Long Beach State University from 2011-2015 playing a total of 131 games and as a senior averaged 16.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.6apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 72.8%. germanhoops.com spoke to the American who was fleeing Ukraine as war had broken out there.

Mike thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Russia is at war with the Ukraine and your there. Your trying to get away now. How is the state of Kyiv the capital where you have played this season?

Beautiful city, a lot of active workers. But days and weeks before the bombing Kyiv and the people here have been very calm about the situation as you know this situation between Russia and Ukraine has been going on for 8 years.

Russia has sent in troops and are attacking the country from all area’s. How much are you fearing for your life?

It’s a scary situation but I feel good about our plan getting me out of here safely.

At the moment your at the airport trying to get to Hungary or Poland and get a flight home. I have seen pictures of the city Kyiv where there is unending traffic. How crazy is the situation at the moment? In the capital?

I’m actually still in the city. Close to my apartment. Once bombings went off flights out of Kyiv started to cancel. And local people started packing up and heading out by car. Which cause a big traffic jam every way out of the city.

Have you had contact to other Americans trying to leave? I’m sure having that contact to fellow Americans in a time like this is very helpful?

Most Americans have left but there’s still a couple from the other Kyiv team ‘Budivelnyk’ and the managers and agents are figuring a way out how to get us all out safely. But yes it’s helpful to get insight from their point of view.

Other Americans from the club Promety have already left. Do you know if the league will shut down now?

At this point the league has cancelled all future games. Prometey’s players are out of the country training for their upcoming champions league game.

Talk a little about the last days in the Ukraine. How did you experience the tension there leading up to the peak today where the country is being attacked?

Tension the last few days grew stronger because of all the post and articles about an invasion so I was pretty much packed and ready before the bombings went off just in case of a quick exit

How tough was it being the only American on the team? Did you form a special extra relationship with a Ukraine teammate over the past weeks to help get through this hard time?

It was different for the little time it was but our team was all close before the Americans left so it wasn’t to hard to connect with the guys once guys left the team.

How did your club handle the situation for the club? You’re the only American on the team. Were they able to comfort you and just really take care of you the last days as the whole war topic was growing?

Yes, the team and my agent would keep me updated with everything going on and was helpful throughout the situation leading up to today

As a guy who hails from California where life seems to be great 360 days a year, how scary has this experience been for you? How have you coped mentally during the last days?

Mentally it was draining just because we aren’t used to living in a possible war zone so it’s been a scary situation.

Covid has been a very tough situation for everyone and now your also confronted with war. When you do get back home, will you view life is a totally different light?

With playing in Ukraine for 2 years I’ve built relationships with a lot of people so I believe I would look at it different just for the concern about my Ukrainian friends

It must be a very tough time for your loved ones at home in Texas How have they handled the tough situation? They are so far away and must be freaking out?

It’s been a tough situation for my family because that’s all the news talks about back home so it was stressful to get calls and text everyday about the situation but they are happy I’m coming home

This was your fifth season in the Ukraine and I’m sure you have formed some relationships there not only with your teammates, but also other people. Even though you want to get home, how tough is it still for you leaving and knowing your friends there have an unknown future?

It’s very tough because you care about the people you’ve built relationships with. And it’s a tough situation for them because this is their home and can’t just get up and leave like me so it’s definitely been tough to think about

Will you think differently when you decide to play again in Europe? Could this tough situation have an effect how you choose your jobs in the future?

Oh most definitely. Safety will be the first thing I look at when I sign my next contract.

Please leave some parting words on the Ukraine folk who are trying to get through this calamity?

I just want to wish all of Ukraine good health and safety as they go through this crazy time in life and hope everything goes back to normal soon.

Thanks Mike for the chat and get home safely.

Stanley Whittaker (183-G-1994, college: Keiser)s a 27 year old 183cm point guard from Philadelphia playing his third professional season and first in Germany with PS Karlsruhe. He played his rookie season in Lithuania and last season had his break through with UBSC Raiffeisen Graz (Austria-BSL) playing 24 games: Score-2 (21.5ppg), 6.3rpg, Assists-2 (8.0apg), Steals-1 (2.6spg), FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 40.5%, FT: 78.4%. He played his college ball at Frank Phillips (JUCO) and Keiser (NAIA). He teams up every week with Miles Schmidt-Scheuber to talk basketball.

Congrats Stanley on the big 101-94 win over the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. How good did it feel getting revenge from the first loss?

It felt nice to get a road win against a really good team. I wish we could’ve closed the game in better fashion though. But glad we got the win.

The first quarter was very even, but in the second quarter PS Karlsruhe broke away scoring 33 points. What adjustments did the team make at both ends?

We locked in defensively we held our ground got stops and was able to get out and run.

In the fourth quarter, Ps Karlsruhe began great going on a 10-0 run to lead 93-67. I don’t think there was anyone in the arena that didn’t think the game was over. Was PS Karlsruhe too sure at that moment?

We got too relaxed and got out of character as a unit which mounted their comeback. We have to mature more as a group in those moments and put teams away.

The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven stormed back closing out the game with a brutal 27-8 run. Why did PS Karlsruhe totally lose rhythm?

We took our foot off the gas and both offensively and defensively we were pretty bad.

Kevin Yebo exploded being a one man show. Did you forget him on the scouting report?

No, he’s just a good high energy player that plays extremely hard and gets after it.

What was the biggest strength on the night of PS Karlsruhe? You did a good job on the boards, taking care of the ball and hit many three’s.


Our defense I think, before the 4th quarter I think our defense was stellar. We also took care of the ball and played together.

You had a very good game with 19/10/5 stats. That was the second most rebounds that you scooped up this season. Are you trying to be more of a help on the rebound?

I figured we would need more help on the glass so I just wanted to help my big guys out because they do a lot of hard work and exert a lot of energy on both ends of the floor.

You next battle against the Uni baskets Paderborn whom you lost by 31 points. That was a terrible shooting night for the club. How sure are you that the team won’t shoot like that again?


Just have to be better than the first time we played them. I think we’re in a good rhythm defensively so we have to build on it.

You have a two week break now. Will the players get some time off? How will you spend the time?

I’m sure we’ll be practicing over this stretch haha but hopefully we can get some days off to recover a bit.

Thanks Stanley for the chat.

Gordon Herbert (agency: BeoBasket ) is a Canadian/Finish coach who is currently in his 27th year coaching and is head of the German national team. He has a long coaching resume that includes having coached in Finland Austria, Russia and in Germany he coached Wurzburg, Alba Berlin and was with the Fraport Skyliners for more than a decade. He also coached the Canadian national team and was active with the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a World Cup qualifying game against Israel.

Welcome back to Frankfurt. What has it been like being in Basketball City Mainhatten. What have you missed most from the facility?

It’s nice to be back in Frankfurt. I missed the people in the Skyliners office the most. Everybody around the team really made my job a lot easier during my years there.

You have been driving all around Germany the last months to observe German players. Have you noticed differences in the country on your drives that you don’t remember seeing 20 years ago when you were on road trips with Wurzburg?

I think the biggest difference is that there is a lot more construction now. Another big difference is the infrastructure of the BBL clubs. The organization and arena’s is among the best in Europe.

The German national team are training in Frankfurt at the Skyliner facilities. How were the first practices? I would imagine that the players are all in good shape. You are working on all parts of the game. On what area of the game will be most important to have tweaked well when facing Israel?

We only have a very short period of time to practice, 3 and a half days. We want to get our offensive and defensive packages right as best as possible. I thought that we played well in the last game against Poland. We need to build on that.

When you’re a club coach establishing an identity is always very important. It isn’t any different with a national team. But how difficult is it to do that when the team is always off for so many months?

It’s not as easy to build an identity when your coaching a national team. We didn’t even know until Saturday night which players would be able to come with all the Covid protocols. It is a tough situation in the world now and you need to find a way to adjust. We need to create an identity as best as possible in the short time. That is most important.

What kind of an identity is your goal with team Germany. With the Fraport Skyliners defense was always a large focus.

It will always depend on what players we have and what guys are committed. Then we focus on the short term goals. Having an identity is what we feel and what the people on the outside see.

Robin Benzing has gotten some criticism, but he is so important with his vast experience. Can you say he isn’t one dimensional as only an offensive weapon?

Robin has been great in camp. He has always represented Germany and been very committed. I really respect that from him. He is a great teammate. You can’t criticize that. We live in a negative society where it is easy to criticize with social media. We all have weaknesses, but he has made a great commitment for his country and he should be recognized for it.

You have nominated Hamburg Tower Max DiLeo who has come for the injured Karim Jallow. Couldn’t he become that special anchor on defense?

He brings something very special to the team. Sometimes it isn’t always about players that have the best all around skills, but often guys that have the roster spots 10-12 that bring an extra special quality. He brings special intangibles. Max wins battles, plays hard and is a great teammate. We will see what happens. We have three guys from Hamburg in Camp. They could all be in Heidelberg on Monday. Hamburg next play Munich on Wednesday. I had no problems from the Towers having them in camp. I want to give a big thanks to Marvin Wiloughby. Hamburg was no problem.

How have you seen the development of Bennet Hundt. Did the losing in Oldenburg effect his game in any way?

Losing can affect anybody. Losing brings negativity and when it comes it can have an affect on you. I think the losing did affect his game somewhat. But he is young and is a great person. He will fight through it.

How have you seen the development of Philipp Herkenhof who is averaging 7/3 stats in 18 minutes. How much can one rate his ability to see minutes on a deep roster like Ulm?

Yes Ulm has a lot of very talented imports. It is good to see that he has gotten a good role. They had injuries and his role grew. He really has stepped up his game. He is young and will get better. He can be a stretch 4 or 5. He is very skilled.

How have you seen the development of Skyliner Len Schoormann? He seems to be making strides on offense, but his off ball defense is a weak spot at the moment. Will you work on that?

We only have three days. We don’t have the time to get into shooting mechanics or other aspects of players games. We don’t want to interfere with the coaches of the players. We try to make our team as quick as possible and play to their strengths. I feel that Len has made good strides and he has a good coach working with him. He will continue to make good strides.

Have you had any extra communication to the German NBA players: Has the incredible rookie season of Franz Wagner surprised you?

I have had communication with all the German players in the NBA. I don’t really know of anyone that saw that success coming that Franz has had. We knew that he is an all-around good player, but he definitely has exceeded expectations. He is a great situation with Orlando getting many minutes and much responsibility. He has a chance to make mistakes there, but still grow. But my main focus now are the players I have now in Frankfurt.

How interesting is Isaiah Hartenstein? He seems to be a guy where the sky is the limit. Shouldn’t he be getting more minutes with the Clippers? Ivica Zubac isn’t better than him.

That is tough to say. I’m on the outside and can’t give you a definitive answer. He has played very well in the minutes that he has gotten. He is very talent and brings a different dimension to the game.

How excited are you to be playing Israel. How is the state of Israeli basketball now? Was it at it’s peak some years ago when they had more NBA guys?

It is very good at the moment. Their U-18 and U-20 teams have performed very well at the Euro’s in the past. They have great young kids like Blatt and Zoosman of Alba Berlin. Israel is a good basketball country and culture.

They have a very nice roster even with some NBA guys missing. Is there any special player to watch that may be off the radar?

I think Yam Madar is a very interesting player. He was a second round draft pick in the NBA and currently plays with Partizan Belgrade. He is very talented and will play against us this weekend.

Did it surprise you that an athletic dog like Shawn Dawson didn’t reach the NBA? You saw him play in the Fiba Europe Cup 7 years ago in Frankfurt and like Quantez Robertson is a freak athlete that can leap out of the arena.

It is tough to say. I don’t know him so well. He is in Spain at the moment. He is a very talented player. There are so many guys in Europe that can play in the NBA, but it’s all about timing and being in the right place at the right time.

It seems like many in the basketball world have a story with Pini Gershon. Have you had any dealings with him over the last 20 years?

Pini was coaching Pirus when I was coaching Aris in Greece. We had some really good games. He is a very nice person, but I don’t know him so well. I know other coaches like David Blatt with whom I have worked with and Sharon Drucker better. But he definitely has an interesting character.

Germany will first play in Israel and then in Heidelberg. What kind of games can we await?

I think that we have to play the way we did against Poland. We have to be physical and play as a team. I hope that we have some guys that can step up when we need it. But first and foremost we have to be a team and then have the individual talent. All say that there should be no I in a team, but that’s not true. First you need team and then I. I learned that from Peter Jenson who I worked with. He was at 5-6 Olympics.

Thanks Gordie for the chat.