BBL

EasyCredit BBL Playoff Preview 2018: FC Bayern Munich-Fraport Skyliners 3-1

March 23 2018 might not be a date that FC Bayern Munich basketball fans will remember in 10 years, but the name Scottie Wilbekin will forever be linked in their basketball history as the guy who presented a lethal shooting clinic at the most inappropriate time blocking the team´s Eurocup run to the final. If you had just arrived in the Audi Dome on that fateful night of March 23^rd and had the worst seat in the house and had forgotten your glasses, the 188cm guard who was rifling home jumpers left and right while then head coach Sasa Dordevic was scrambling to find the right defender to stop this annoying shooting rage, one may have thought that the Turkish team Darussafaka had given NBA superstar Steph Curry a one game contract. Not only does Wilbekin look a little like the Golden State NBA champion, but is also close to his size at 188cm and has a nasty habit of dropping trey´s as easily as it is for an American tourist to be holed up all evening at a typical Brauhaus Beer hall in downtown Munich. Wilbekin didn´t get the all-time Eurocup scoring record as that is held by Randy Duck of the Brighton Bears in 2003 with 49 points, but Wilbekin´s 41 points was 5^th best in it´s history and in good company with guys like American Mire Chatman and NBA player Bobby Brown with 43 and 44 points. One could say Wilbekin shot Darussafaka to the Eurocup final as he scored 24 points in the first game and in all hit FC Bayern Munich for 65 points in the two game series. Wilbekin will try to win a second title in Turkey to add to his Eurocup chip, but with the Fraport Skyliners facing FC Bayern Munich in the playoffs, FC Bayern Munich Marko Pesic max be feeling some déjà vu again and wondering if his stomach will be ready to take on a possible new shooting clinic from Mr Canada Philip Scrubb. Scrubb has been a shooter his whole career and shoots the ball with authority the way Shaq dunked back in the day. He comes into the playoffs shooting 47% from outside and even when his shot doesn´t fall, it is hardly ever a bad shot, but so close that one has to wonder when the day will come when he will have a 10/10 or better performance from outside. Recently Scrubb had 25 points at the break against Bamberg and was so hot everyone was expecting 40 plus points, but the defense closed him down better in the second half and finished with 33 points. In two loses to FC Bayern Munich this season Scrubb finished with 16 and 23 points. Scrubb has the ability to match a Wilbekin 41 points game and as he has shown so often this season might have to take things into his own hands in this series when the team needs instant scoring over a long stretch. If Scrubb can have a Wilbekin like shooting clinic in this series isn´t known yet, but if he does start with a 18-20 first half scoring onslaught in game one, it could be bombs away and then it will be interesting to see if Marko Pesic starts a nonstop finger nail chewing contest. If anything the 2018 easyCredit leading scorer Philip Scrubb will be on Pesic´s mind during and after the series win or lose as this Canadian national player will most likely be on his summer shopping list for next season.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing 2018 easyCredit BBL scoring champion Philip Scrubb after droping 8 points and dishing out 8 assists

Even FC Bayern Munich had some typical FC Hollywood moments this season with the peak of head coach Sasa Dordevic being dismissed after the Eurocup semi-final loss, they have been able to keep it together on the court this season as they didn´t encounter another Scottie Wilbekin type player this season as they finished in first place with a record of 31-3. They started off well with winning their first three games, but then surprisingly lost at home to Wurzburg and ex coach Dirk Bauermann. However that didn´t faze Germany´s most famous sports team as they then steam rolled the competition in the BBL and Eurocup. In the BBL, they won 20 games in a row and found a clear identity on offense just totally overpowering opponents with their scoring machine scoring 80 points or more 16 times. It also helped that they had a certain established team chemistry as they had held on to 7 players. They also did a good job bringing in the missing pieces that were able to strengthen the already very strong roster. Their powerful offense has led to nine players averaging more than 7,0ppg and their second five are often stronger than other teams´s starting five. They are very well fortified at every position and have that added athletic presence that team´s can´t match up to.

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EasyCredit BBL Playoff Preview 2018: Brose Bamberg-Telekom Baskets Bonn 3-2

There have been numerous important dates on and off the court in Bonn like the cities 2000 birthday in 1989, the construction and completion of city hall in 1737 or the yearly carnival festivities that take place in February which sets the city into a crazy frenzy that doesn´t stop until Ash Wednesday and then life goes back to normal for the majority with very little lunatics still living in their little own world days after the nutty partying has ceased. On the court for the Telekom Baskets Bonn there have also been very memorable dates to reminisce about. Dates that no Telekom Baskets Fan wants to ever be reminded about are the five BBL finalist years of 1997,1998,2001, 2008 and 2009 and not to forget the three cup finalist years of 2005, 2009 and 2012. Unforgettable dates that every Telekom Baskets Bonn fan has stored in their memory bank as securely as a bear has his honey during hibernation are the year the club was founded in 1995 and the year they started to battle in the BBL in 1996. Other memorable dates in the history of the basketball club are 2008 when fans moved the 500 meters from the always energetic and vibrant Hardtberg gym which was small and tight and resembled a school gym into the state of the art Telekom Dome which has been their home ever since and has hosted the BBL Allstar days in 2010 and 2015. However not too long ago, fans added a new long lasting date to their date saving list with January 28^th, 2018. For most people this was a normal day, but not with Telekom Baskets Bonn fanatic fans. This was the day of the Bamberg massacre. For many fans this day will live as a type of basketball holiday as the club didn´t only beat the Bavarian team, but whipped their buts so bad that they were probably still hurting hours after that certain players had to stand on the bus ride all the way home. A 20 point loss would have been a massive joy for Bonn fans, but Bamberg were whipped silly by 37 points 106-69 and thus this started the slow end to the Trinchieri era. Brose Bamberg would lose three more games in a row after the Bonn loss with the climax happening in Jena where they were embarrassed badly 85-68 and one could sense the players were playing against their coach. Bonn caught Bamberg a few months ago in a very bad time in their season, but things have changed since then and Bamberg has been reborn. It is May, the flowers are blooming, the weather is warm, the café´s are bustling and this is the time when Brose Bamberg come to life. Can the Telekom Baskets win a 5 game series against Bamberg? They have tried in the past and faltered and will do again.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing 2006 NBA champion Dorell Wright after dropping 14 points in the loss against the Fraport Skyliners

There weren´t many highlights in the regular season for Brose Bamberg since it was the worst performance since the 2008-2009 season finishing 22-12. Not too long ago there was even fear that the club may not even make the playoffs. The biggest problem for the club coming into the season was the loss of key players like Darius Miller, Daniel Theis, Janis Strelnieks and Nicola Melli. After being able to bring in the right players for countless years through the stellar work of scout Brendan Rooney who since has left, the club wasn´t able to bring in those key players that could make an impact like they were hoping for. The club got very talented players, but not all meshed the way management would have hoped for thus which resulted in the team starting off at 3-3. They did have some good performances, but were unable to find consistency and a good run until the beginning of March after the coaching change.

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EasyCredit BBL Playoff Preview 2018: Alba Berlin-EWE Baskets Oldenburg 3-0

Who could forget the refreshing and amazing playoff run of the EWE Baskets Oldenburg last season that made many a fans mild spring evenings so much more enjoyable as the 2009 BBL champion gave the word exciting a new meaning with some of their spectacular finishes that for some basketball fanatics would have made great scripts for future basketball movies. They may not have defeated a Munich or Alba Berlin in their run, but finished off two of that season´s big surprise teams with the scrappy medi Bayreuth club and the powerful offensive machine of ratiopharm Ulm. If someone had yelled into Ricky Pauldings face before the start of the playoffs with the words of “hey Ricky you guys will beat Bayreuth and Ulm and reach the final”, the first reaction of the Detroit native probably would have been “Say what” with that undeniable mischievious expression, but after a few seconds after grasping exactly what the fan had said would have probably carefully nodded up and down while inside had that why not feeling with his self confidence already being raised with that audacious remark by the basketball fanatic. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg really came to life last season in the playoffs disposing of big surprise team medi Bayreuth and title favorite ratiopharm Ulm and a big reason was the consistent scoring thrust from Ricky Paulding and the overall feisty and “I live filling up the stat sheet” Chris Kramer. Paulding slowly got going against Bayreuth scoring in double figures in three of the four games and had 18 points in game 4. But it was in the series against Ulm where he played from another planet as his 34 years of age didn´t show as he dropped 24 and 28 points in game one and two, 19 points in game 3 and saved his best for last netting 27 points in the thrilling 78-75 game five win. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg ran out of gas in the final getting swept by Bamberg despite a Paulding playing very solidly. A year later the EWE Baskets Oldenburg are back in the playoffs with a 35 year old Paulding and still sporting that fresh warm smile. This season he won´t be doing his magic against a Bayreuth or Ulm, but against the mighty Alba Berlin who may have won their share of cups in the last years, but haven´t won the BBL title since 2008 and haven´t been as close with talent and chemistry to winning again as they have been this season. Will the EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Ricky Paulding start a new Cinderella run this post season? As a fan, you would love to see another historic Paulding run with another string of amazing upsets, but the only upset this season will be if Oldenburg can somewhat control Luke Sikma.

: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Alba Berlin forward Luke Sikma after dropping 20 points, 10 rebounds and three assists in the 90-84 loss against the Fraport Skyliner

After two seasons of finishing in sixth place, Alba Berlin returned this season with a new coach with Aito and MVP with Luke Sikma that led them to a second place finish. The club started off well winning seven of it´s first 8 games, but then had a drought period in November where they lost three of six games. But after that they were nearly unstoppable winning 18 games in a row and then lost a bit of concentration losing in Giessen on the second to last game day. In the big winning streak they beat their top opponents Bamberg and Munich and got revenge for their loss in Frankfurt destroying them at home by 37 points. When you lead the league in scoring buckets with 90 per game and lead the league in least points given up per game with 74, you obviously are doing something right.

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Abdul Gaddy (s.Oliver Wurzburg) We Have A Very Good Will To Win And Can´t Ever Rely On Only One Player For Success

Abdul Gaddy is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Tacoma, Washington that is playing his fifth professional season and first in Germany with s.Oliver Wurzburg. Last season he played with VEF Riga (Latvia-LBL) playing 26 VTB United League games averaging 5.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.5apg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 27.5%, FT: 52.4%; In the Latvian LBL, he played 25 game averaging 9.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 5.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 50.0%. He played two seasons in Italy with Granarolo Bologna (Italy-Serie A) and as a rookie played with the Charlotte Bobcats (NBA), then moved to Maine Red Claws (D-League) playing 46 games averaging 9.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 5.0apg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 57.6%. He played at Washington(NCAA) from 2009-2013 and as a senior played 34 games averaging 10.9ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 30.9%, FT: 65.9%. He spoke to German Hoops before the last game of the season against medi Bayreuth.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Abdul Gaddy after a game in Frankfurt this season

Abdul, thanks for talking to German Hoops. There is one game left in the regular season and it´s do or die for s.Oliver Wurzburg. How exciting have the last days been for you?

It´s been pretty fun. We have been playing well lately despite having had injuries. It will be a fun day playing against Bayreuth. Both Frankfurt and us are playing for something. These type of games are the reason why we play the game.

On Friday night the Fraport Skyliners were destroyed in Berlin 106-69. Wurzburg played alter that evening in Ludwigsburg. Did head coach Dirk Bauerman tell you that result at halftime in the locker room? What were your feelings?

Coach Bauermann kept quiet. He didn´t look into the score of the Frankfurt game, because he was so consumed with our game in Ludwigsburg. After our loss he told us about the Frankfurt result. We knew after the loss that we had given up a big opportunity. But we can still make something happen against Bayreuth.

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There Was No Curse As The Fraport Skyliners Survive The Science City Jena Scare Winning 67-65

The weekend was supposed to start off with a bang for the Fraport Skyliners as the easyCredit BBL season was winding down with three games remaining as they were involved in a playoff dog fight with s.Oliver Wurzburg for the eighth and last place. Instead of beginning the weekend with a big victory in Berlin, the 2004 BBL champion stunk up the building so badly losing 106-69 that even NBA legend Jack Sikma who was watching his son Luke play must have thought did Frankfurt really deserve that? The embarrassing loss in Berlin brought back putrid memories from more than 10 years ago when coaches like Charles Barton and Murat Didin had to exit the then O2 arena with nasty 20 plus point slap in the face loses. The only positive effect to the lousy evening was that Wurzburg battled hard in Ludwigsburg, but ran out of gas in the second half losing 87-77. The Fraport Skyliners had one win more than the Bavarian team, but also knew that if they ended up late Tuesday afternoon tied in the standings that they would have an early summer vacation as Wurzburg would get that last ticket because they had the better head to head record. Wurzburg had an easy road game in Tuebingen while Frankfurt welcomed Science City Jena who had beat Giessen at home 48 hours earlier by 21 points and wanted to end their season in fine fashion as they were resting in 13^th place. Even if this was a huge must win for the Fraport Skyliners, it is always a delight for the fans to be able to observe three BBL legends of Derrick Allen aged 37, Julius Jenkins aged 37 and Immanuel Mcelroy aged 38 for another time as these guys just don´t want to quit. When looking at the three Americans, you see unending experience and the three role models combined share 112 years of age. The three players brought combined 43 professional seasons into this season including 38 seasons in Germany displaying their amazing dedication to playing in Germany. The three BBL legends also aren´t short on titles as combined they share 13 professional titles and they share 11 BBL allstar appearances. The three also share 1,163 BBL games, 268 international club games and 66 Euroleague games experience. You could almost call them brothers as all three have a dedication to the game and their body that has allowed them to play so long into their thirties. Unfortunately for the fans only 1/3 of the three legends were active as Jenkins and Mcelroy didn´t make the trip due to injuries, but the Fraport Skyliners still struggled very badly as with a lot of breaks at the end, they didn´t witness a curse, but got around it surviving the guests 67-65.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Chicago Bull Paul Zipser in the Fraport arena after the 67-65 Fraport Skyliners win against Science City Jena

There was a short span midway through the fourth quarter where it seemed like the basketball God had had it with the Fraport Skyliners and had set a curse on them. First Quantez Robertson made a steal, turned around and collided into Mike Morrison forcing a turnover, Robertson then missed two free throws and Tai Webster missed an easy lay up. Frankfurt was doing all it could to lose, but somehow the basketball God turned it´s head the other way in the last minute as Frankfurt escaped Science City Jena with a 67-65 victory. Mr Canada Philip Scrubb was calm after the win, but knew they had to quickly forget this loss and get focused for Oldenburg as a win there on Tuesday and a Wurzburg loss against Bayreuth would send them to the playoffs. “We toughed out a win. They hit shots early and quickly had confidence. We didn´t respond well to that and were sloppy taking care of the ball. We´ll take the win. There was no curse, but sometimes when you go through adversary, you don´t always get the bounces, but we did get the stops when we needed to. I hope we get all the right bounces on Tuesday in Oldenburg”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Philip Scrubb.

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Kyle Weaver (Science City Jena) Getting To The NBA Is Easy But Sticking There Is Hard

Kyle Weaver is a 32 year old 198cm shooting guard from Beloit, Wisconsin playing his 10^th professional season and first with Science City Jena. He started his career with Washington State and helped them reach the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2008 and was able to improve his scoring each season. As a senior he averaged 12.2ppg, 5.3rpg, AssistsConf-4(4.3apg), StealsConf-4(1.7spg), FGP: 46.3%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 73.3%: Is the first player in Pac-10 history to record 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 175 steals and 75 blocked shots in a career. Finished collegiate career ranked second in assists in Washington State history with 465, third in steals with 188, seventh in blocked shots with 93 and 17th in scoring with 1,162 points. He played in the D-league and NBA from 2008-2011. He played two seasons with the Oklahoma Thunder and briefly with the Utah jazz. He played in countries like Belgium, Germany, Italy, Israel, Poland and Greece. He spoke to German Hoops before the game against the Fraport Skyliners.

Thanks Kyle for talking to German Hoops. I remember your second season in Europe with Alba Berlin. That was 6 seasons ago. Since then you have played for 7 teams and in 4 countries. Has time flown by?

I remember my time with Alba Berlin well. Now that I look back at that time, you realize how much you have done and it´s scary. I´m happy to be back in Germany. At that time I didn´t think I would be back in Germany ever again, but now I´m back. With my bad situation with Aris, it´s great to be with Science City Jena especially being together with great teammates.

Now your back in Germany and playing with your 7^th team in Europe with Science City Jena. Your on a team now that boasts 3 BBL legends with Derrick Allen, Julius Jenkins and Immanuel McElroy. Did your arrival in Jena feel like a school reunion since you had battled two of them back with Alba Berlin and had Allen as a teammate?

I remember my time well with Alba Berlin and being teammates with Derrick Allen. Jenkins was playing with Bamberg and MEelroy was with Braunschweig. I always had a lot of respect for those guys and just with normal research had known what they had done in their career. I never knew those two at a personal level until now. It is really cool being able to know them better now at a more deeper level. They aren´t only great players, but great dudes.

The goal of Science City Jena was too stay in the BBL and they accomplished that early on. You have played with so many teams in your career and had many different roles. What kind of role have you had with Jena?

It is never easy coming into a new situation in mid season. It is always a challenge for all. The funny thing more than often guys go to a new team thinking about themselves and their roles, but guys don´t think how their arrival will effect the roles of the others. Coach has allowed me too be myself which is important. Coach Harmsen hasn´t wanted me too do too much or to little on the court. He has kept me honest. Allen, Jenkins and Mcelroy have pushed me too do more and always be aggressive. They want me to be a key player and that has built my confidence. In the last few weeks, I haven´t thought too much, but just played.

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Forget Lagerfeld And Hilfiger It´s Armani Cotton (Uni Baskets) Who Can Always Fill A Room Or Court With His Name

Cotton Sometimes having certain benefits can be so vital in life like if your a Donald Trump son your set for life, if your the son of ex Boston Celtic legend Danny Ainge named Austin getting a job with the green machine without ever having to write an application is as normal as Larry Bird dropping a trey from downtown in the 80´s or living in Trier Germany which is close to Luxemburg gliding over the boarder to get cheaper gas is a must for folk in that area, but what about if you have that special, catchy and simply fancy name? Well for New York native Armani Cotton having that exciting name has opened a few doors in his life. Strap on an elegant suit from Neiman Marcus or if you want to save a penny at Century 21 in New York City and visit a dignified party in a posh pent house on Park avenue and roll through the door at the well built stature of 6´7 is half the rent, but present yourself as Armani Cotton and all of a sudden party goers put down their champagne glasses and give a lasting gaze at the tall man and suddenly you become very fashionable. Of course when you next mention that you’re a Yale graduate and suddenly you have a few model like women at almost eye sight giving you that interested look. The American who not only got a great education at a top Ivy League school also got the total basketball experience helping win the 2015 Ivy League Regular Season crown as a senior and goes through life having an exotic name and it doesn´t bother him one bit. “People are always surprised, but in a good way though. It’s one of those names that you have to live up to so I’m glad I play a dope sport and am from NYC. It allows me to fit into the name better. A nice personality can go a long way too. Armani Cotton suits me”, smiled the American. However this memorable name that has given Cotton so much joy as well as certain fringe benefits almost would have had a slight road block as his real name at birth was Hunter, but thanks to his mom, Armani was born. “. My father’s name is Hunter and my mom gave me the middle name Armani so I wouldn’t become Hunter Cotton IV. I’ve been called Armani since I was born. I honestly didn’t register that ‘Hunter’ was my legal first name until I got a passport at around 10 years old. That being said, switching it up from time to time is a nice option to have. I might start doing that”, joked Armani Cotton. However filling up a room with his name isn´t the only thing he is able to do, but he can do the same with his basketball skills that he crafted at Yale and has further polished in Belgium and has done in Germany this season in his second professional season with the Uni Baskets Paderborn.

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The German Curry Philip Scrubb And The Fraport Skyliners Steam Roll By Brose Bamberg 83-72

Basketball BL / FRAPORT SKYLINERS - BROSE BAMBERG

Philip Scrubb scored 26 of his 33 points in the first half and proved once again that he is the league’s topscorer averaging 20.0 points per game

For many years there had been serious harmony in Freak City when head coaches Chris Fleming and Andrea Trinchieri had been at the helm as the most major scandal then would have been if a Daniel Theis and Elias Harris had gotten in a major fight, but not even that happened as despite major competition at their positions, the two Germans were very good friends. But this year the harmony was put on major hold as that once Bamberg consistency had disappeared quicker than ex NBA player Dorell Wright can fly to the rim as it has been a season to forget. Just some weeks ago, Bamberg wasn´t even in the playoff watch, but suddenly they have risen like an eagle and sit at position 4 as they came to Frankfurt. Only 48 hours ago, they disposed of the EWE Baskets Oldenburg winning their fifth game in a row which is their longest winning streak of the season. On the other hand the Fraport Skyliners haven´t played their best basketball either as they entered the game having lost three of their last four games and had lost their last two games at home against Giessen and FC Bayern Munich. Frankfurt erased their bitter three game losing streak with a solid 81-69 win in Bremerhaven and had no problems generating an offense without their second main scoring option Tai Webster as Phil Scrubb like always stepped up with 19 points and the club got steady contribution from Finish national player Shawn Huff and most importantly from Skyliner lifer Quantez Robertson who finally had his shooting stroke alive as he responded to his poor shooting of 3/15 in his last four games from outside going 6/9 in Bremerhaven getting 18 points. The Fraport Skyliners and Bamberg have had unforgettable duels in Frankfurt since the 2003-2004 season and Frankfurt wanted to gain more leverage in the playoff picture and did by playing an all around spirited game for 40 minutes as they were able to get a super defensive performance and had a red hot Philip Scrubb who produced 33 shooting 63% from the field leading the way. It was the second win in a row for Frankfurt as they stayed at position 8, but have Wurzburg breathing down their backs are slowly getting into playoff form and heightened their self confidence one bit more for the last three games. After the big win, all of the Frankfurt journalists swarmed around Scrubb, but a Jordan Sibert was all lonely and had a big smile on his face after the victory. “This win was big for our playoff hopes. We needed this win and got it. We still have a long way to go though. We gave a good game on both ends of the court and Philip Scrubb carried us. Defense was our key to the win. We did a good job with our rotation and our matchups and just helping each other out all night long”, described ex Dayton(NCAA) guard Jordan Sibert.

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Jordan Sibert´s (Fraport Skyliners) Secret NBA Word Is Domination But For Now Only The BBL Playoffs Are On his Mind

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Jordan Sibert in the Fraport arena in Frankfurt

Jordan Sibert may not know it yet, but he has a lot of NBA parallel´s with his new club the Fraport Skyliners and it starts each day when he wakes up and sees the enticing and mammoth Frankfurt skyline, when he drives to practice and ends each evening, when he returns home from practice and sees the lights and glitz of the Frankfurt high rise buildings. He would have a great chance of seeing that overwhelming Frankfurt skyline if he was living at the mall where most of his other teammates live, but he actually has an apartment 5 minutes away, but that inviting skyline is always lurking as you turn the next corner. In the NBA, cities have skylines just like in Frankfurt and the American remembers the one in Orlando where he lived when he was with the Orlando Magic. “The Frankfurt skyline reminds me a bit of the Orlando one, but Frankfurt´s is a lot bigger. Orlando has the Amway center and a few hotels to fill their skyline”, smiled Jordan Sibert. Just what NBA ties the Fraport Skyliners have had over the years, all he needs to do is have a 10 minute conversation with Fraport Skyliners CEO Gunnar Wöbke who would give him the low down with that sparkle in his eye. Sibert would hear the stories of how Mario Kasun helped the club win the 2004 BBL title before embarking overseas to play for the Orlando Magic or how dominant Jon Leuer was for a few months in 2011 as he strapped on the Skyliner jersey during the NBA lockout. Other interesting side notes that the ex Dayton(NCAA) star might hear was how they had a NBA draft pick with Malik Badiane on their roster as an unknown African gem, how Skyliner legend Pascal Roller and Tyrone Ellis played at the 2004 NBA Summer league with the Dallas Mavericks with the latter currently being an assistant with the Phoenix Suns. Ex NBA player Rick Hughes being briefly with the team before failing a medical test, or ex NBA player Desmond Ferguson dropping 7 threes in Giessen, current BBL player Danilo Barthel playing at the 2014 NBA Summer League being teammates with Shabazz Napier and battling Justin Hamilton on a daily basis, current teammate Isaac Bonga who is a projected 2018 NBA draft pick. And last but not least, the place where he practices each day the BCM has invited top players like Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Arroyo and Alan Anderson over the years as their teams practiced there with the latter dropping one of the finest thunderous dunks in 2009 with Maccabi Tel Aviv in a test game against Frankfurt. There are surely more stories that Wöbke could tell, but these are just some of the NBA stories that have been affiliated with the 2000 BBL cup winner.

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Braydon Hobbs Plays Game Changer Saving FC Bayern Munich From 18 Points Down Defeating The Fraport Skyliners 87-83

So often in the past years when the playoffs were drawing nearer, the Fraport Skyliners

Basketball BL / FRAPORT SKYLINERS - FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN BASKETBALL WEISSENFELS

BBL Topscorer Philip Scrubb made 5 of 8 three pointers and finished the game with 23 points

would go on a few days working vacation in order to do some last minute team building for the crunch-time period of the season. This season the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner went to the tourist infested Mallorca to digest their current two game losing streak that left them shaking their heads after the unexplainable and unacceptable loss to arch rival Giessen 46ers and their crunch-time fall out in Bayreuth. The Fraport Skyliners entered the top game of the season against FC Bayern Munich resting in seventh place and if the playoffs started tomorrow would have been in, but had teams like Bamberg, ratiopharm Ulm, Wurzburg and Giessen breathing heavily down their backs ready to attack as the club has a very difficult rest program. FC Bayern Munich didn´t enter the Fraport arena playing their best basketball either having won two of their last four games and playing a very suspect defense giving up 89 points on average in the last two wins. Their offense has been red hot as they scored 100 points or more in the last three games. FC Bayern Munich came to Frankfurt having a 12-5 overall record and positive 5-3 record in the Fraport arena. The Fraport Skyliners had had some very stellar performances against FC Bayern Munich in their living room in the past and were looking for their fourth win at home and another step toward a playoff spot, but instead saw an 18 point lead dwindle down in the fourth quarter as American guard Braydon Hobbs came from the bench and saved his team with the right kind of playmaking and just organizing the team the right way and had an incredible mix of big shots and handing out dimes leading FC Bayern Munich to an incredible 87-83 victory. For three quarters, it was the Fraport Skyliners playing energized basketball and shooting at a high rate, but were at their limit while FC Bayern Munich played uninspired and at times helpless as if it was a pre season game and were somewhere at 40% of their abilities. That all changed in the fourth quarter as the 2018 easyCredit BBL cup champion made a furious comeback to put another dagger in the playoff hopes of Frankfurt. After the victory, ex NBA player Jared Cunningham who has been playing up and down as of late and came into the game shooting 3/23 from the parking lot in his last nine games and finished with only 4 points was thankful the team could pull out the win. “Frankfurt came out very aggressive and we couldn´t get stops which resulted in them taking the lead. We came out harder in the second half started to make big shots and big plays which helped us get the win”, stressed FC Bayern Munich guard Jared Cunningham. Mr Canada Philip Scrubb had made not only huge shots all game long, but some amazing Steph Curry type shots from seemingly somewhere from the other side of Frankfurt, but when it counted most at the end, he was rejected by Reggie Redding ending the game. After the victory, Scrubb was as always prepared to digest another tough loss in his own living room. “We played well for 35 minutes. We were good for three quarters, but weren´t together in the fourth quarter and lost control. I know this was a tough game to lose, but this game showed that we can play with the best teams in the league. We will take some confidence from this game into the next one”, warned Philip Scrubb.

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