BBL

Justin Gray(Fraport Skyliners): Konrad Wysocki Was A Great Locker Room Guy

Justin Gray is a 27 year old 188cm guard from Charlotte, North Carolina that is playing his firstseason with the Fraport Skyliners. He is versatile enough to excel at point guard as well as big guard. An enthusiastic, high-energy guard who brings a swagger to the team. Gray is one of the team’s vocal leaders, possesses great quickness, and is an exceptional perimeter shooter. He started his basketball career at Wake Forest where he played with NBA superstar Chris Paul. Gray played at wake Forest from 2002-2006 and in his senior year played 33 games: ScoreACC-4(18.2ppg), 3.6rpg, AssistsACC-5(4.3apg), 1.0spg, FGP: 36.7%, 3PTACC-4(36.1%), FTACC-5(83.4%): Finished career ranked 8th in Wake Forest history in scoring (1,946 points), 1st in three-point attempts (860), 2nd in three-point field goals (319) and 8th in assists (382). His 319 career three-point field goals are 7th best in ACC history. In 2006-2007, he started his professional basketball career for Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium-D1): 32 games: 14.0ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.9apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 51.0%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 51.0%. In 2007-2008, he played for Dexia Mons-Hainaut (Belgium-D1, starting five): 36 games: 15.1ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 46.0%, FT: 89.0%. In 2008-2009, he played for CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Rep.-NBL): Eurocup: 6 games: 15.5ppg, 1.3rpg, 3.8apg; Czech Rep. League: 43 games: 10.9ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 77.2%. In 2009-2010, he played for PGE Turow Zgorzelec (Poland-PLK, starting five): EuroCup: 6 games: 9.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 23.8%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 85.7%; Polish League: 30 games: 14.6ppg, 2.7rpg, 3.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 53.6%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 89.3%. Last season, he played for PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece-A1, starting five): Greek League: 18 games: 11.8ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 81.3%; EuroCup: 6 games: 11.5ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 79.3%, left in March’11, in Apr.’11 moved to BC Donetsk (Ukraine-Superleague): 16 games: 6.4ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 37.5%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 70.4%2011: Guangzhou Free Man (China-NBL, starting five): 9 games: 24.4ppg, 5.4rpg, 3.0apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 37.8%, 3PT: 41.8%, FT: 85.4%.  He reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004, was Czech Rep. League Champion -09, Czech Rep. Cup Winner -09, and played at the Polish League All-Star Game in 2010. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

You have played against Chevon Troutman in your career. Does he belong to the top centers in the beko BBL?

When he is at his best yes. He is a big key for the success of FC Bayern Munich. I would put John Bryant at the top with him.

How much of a factor was Muli Katzurin for you coming to the Fraport Skyliners?

He was very key for me coming to Frankfurt. I had played for him at Nymburk and know he coaches. Another important reason was that Frankfurt is a great organization and I heard only good things.

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Gran Canaria Were On The Beach In Thought The First Half, But Were All Business On The Court In The Second Half As Taurean Green Leads The Attack Past The Fraport Skyliners 71-58 In Eurocup Play

With the days getting shorter, temperatures falling to a point where you want to make that first visit to the sauna, and the first shoppers getting ideas about Christmas gifts, a get away trip to exotic Gran Canaria could be more than enticing. When thinking about Gran Canaria, the first thoughts may be how warm the micro climate currently is, if there is ever a possibility of hot lava oozing down the side of a mountain on the island of volcanic origin,12 time wind surfer world champion record holder Bjoern Dunkerbeck giving a clinic on the court, tennis player Carla Suarez Navarro ever reaching the top 10 in the WTA rankings, or how many of the yearly 2,2 million tourists  actually know where the island is geographically before going there. However for many one of the last thoughts that the team could actually have a professional basketball team is high. For many players also basketball isn´t the first thing that they think about when they have the island Gran Canaria in deep thought. “ I played against Gran Canaria with Polish team Turow some years ago. You think more about the water before basketball, but when you see the great atmosphere in the arena and the fans, you quickly know that that would be a great place to play at. I was surprised how close the gym was to the water”, stressed Skyliner guard Justin Gray. “When I think of Gran Canaria, I think of holiday and going to the beach, but then once you see the basketball atmosphere there, you see that there is a lot of basketball tradition there and feel great being able to play there”, stressed ex Bamberg forward Spencer Nelson.

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Hansbrough Watch – Nov 22

My article on Ben Hansbrough’s lack of playing time yesterday received quite a lot of attention, so I decided to follow up on it with the inaugural edition of our brand-new Hansbrough Watch!

From now on, the Hansbrough Watch will keep you up-to-date on Ben’s playing time – or lack thereof – after each FC Bayern game.

Before I tell you how much burn Ben got in Bayern’s Eurocup loss to Cedevita Zagreb, however, I’d like to add a few things to yesterday’s article.

As you may remember, the official reason for Ben’s non-existent minutes is that he still needs to adjust to the European game. The flaw in this reasoning is so glaring that I didn’t mention it yesterday, but after today’s game (can you guess yet how many minutes Ben got?), I thought it was time to drop the … nonsense … and expose that explanation for what it is: A load of … nonsense.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Hansbrough

Ben Hansbrough is a household name among basketball fans in the US – and not just because he is the younger brother of Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough. He happens to be an excellent basketball player himself. After averaging 18.4 PPG and shooting 43,5% from three-point range in his senior year for Notre Dame, he was voted the 2010-2011 Big East Player of the Year.

Although he was projected as a possible secound-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Hansbrough went undrafted (which some called “the biggest snub of the year”). There were lingering doubts about his ability to defend quicker, more athletic NBA guards and to create shots at the next level. He also missed the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago due to an ankle injury, which certainly didn’t help his stock.

Soon after the draft, Hansbrough announced that he had signed a one-year contract with FC Bayern München of Germany’s BBL, the highest division in Dirk Nowitzki’s home country. Ben’s signing caused quite a stir among basketball fans in München (or Munich, as you Anglophones call it) and Germany. He was even anointed an early candidate to win BBL MVP in 2011-2012 by some over-enthusiastic fans in online discussions. That may have been a bit too optimistic, but all experts agreed that Hansbrough would be a very good BBL player. And he should be.

Yet nine games into the 34-game BBL season, Ben Hansbrough has been turned into Bench Hansbrough. He hasn’t started a single game yet. In FC Bayern’s season opener in early October, Hansbrough logged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 23 minutes – a good debut. Since then, his playing time has steadily decreased. Here’s an overview of his BBL minutes so far:

23:22
19:17
15:17
DNP-CD
10:20
2:22
8:05
DNP-CD
DNP-CD

A grand total of 78 minutes in 9 games – or less than 9 minutes a game. Officially, he’s averaging 13 minutes, but that doesn’t take into account the three DNP-CDs. And even the 9 MPG are skewed by the fact that most of those minutes came in the first three games of the season and he hasn’t had any significant playing time in the last six games. (Seven, if you count the Eurocup game against Benetton Treviso last week, in which Hansbrough collected another DNP-CD).

So … what happened? Why is Hansbrough not playing? There are several answers to this, an “official” one and two “intelligent guessing” ones. Let’s break them down:

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Je’Kel Foster Connects With The Money Ball Shot And Unseemingly Impossible Offensive Rebound Leading FC Bayern Munich Past The Fraport Skyliners 58-57

When going to the beautiful Bavarian city of Munich for a day trip, one has a bundle full of delightful options to pick from like going to the October Fest beer festival and seeing which German celebrities are drunk, experiencing if one is permitted entrance to the famous P 1 club and seeing what models are gawking at German soccer legend Oliver Kahn, hanging out that the pretty Marine place and counting how many different nationalities are taking photos in the gap of an hour, going to the Bavarian Film studios to witness how film is made in German style or just relaxing in the English garden and observing the beauty of the Chinese tower, but until recently the choice to go to a Sunday matane basketball game and see top class basketball has been more of a dream than reality. However ever since FC Bayern Munich has returned to the Beko BBL this season since the departure in 1974 when Germany won the World Cup and FC Bayern Munich soccer was starting its rise, it has become an option for basketball fans to go to games. What is nicer than to run elbows with an Uli Hoeness philosophizing about Thomas Muller against Mario Gotze, but never losing touch with the Davidson-Troutman battle underneath or sharing a Hot Dog with German soccer stars Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jerome Boateng or Holger Badstuber. Even though Basketball is slowly trying to become a house hold name in Munich, it is other things that one thinks about first before thinking about dunking home a ball in the Audi Dome. “I like Munich, because you are so close to the mountains and lakes only 30 kilomters away while in Bamberg I had to drive 300 kilometers”, joked FC Bayern Munich youth coordinator Volker Stix. For 2008 cup winner Darius Hall who is in the later stages of his basketball career, it is like night and day to Quackenbruck. “I first think of the soccer team when I hear the word Munich. It is a great place for Americans, because you have such a diverse choice of eating places and movie places. Munich really has a lot to offer to Americans”, joked Darius Hall. “I like the parks where I can spend a lot of time with the kids and the beer gardens as well”, smiled Serb power forward Alexsandar Nadjefji.

FC Bayern Munich remained undefeated at home after they followed up their big Eurocup win against Benetton Treviso five days earlier with a big, but also very fortunate 58-57 win. It was a game where the defense intensity seemed to pick up with each quarter. Sometimes playing at home and coming off a big win gives a team that extra kick to make the right plays and win that luck in the waning minutes to help propel a team to victory. “This was a classic win for us. This was a tough win and a kind of knock down grind out win. We had the better luck at the end getting those offensive rebounds. However this was win we wanted to get more”, warned FC Bayern Munich center Darius Hall.

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Marcus Slaughter (Brose Baskets Bamberg): The Win Against Panathinaikos Athens Was The Biggest In My Professional Basketball Career

Marcus Slaughter is a 26 year old 203cm forward from Riverside California. He played at San Diego State from 2003-2006. In his senior year, he played 30 games averaging 16.5ppg, 11.0rpg, 1.9apg, 1.2spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 49%, FT: 76.2%. He started his professional basketball career in Turkey for Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir playing 29 games averaging 13.3ppg, Reb-3(10.2rpg), 1.3apg, 2.3spg, 2FGP: 51.6%, 3PT: 12.5%, FT: 67.2%. In 2007-2008, he was with the Miami Heat in preseason and then played in Israel and France for Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem, Israeli League: 8.0ppg, 6.4rpg, ULEB Cup: 5 games: 5.6ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.8apg, waived in Dec.’07, in Jan.’08 signed at BCM Gravelines Dunkerque Grand Littoral 15 games: 9.5ppg, 7.2rpg, 1.4apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP-3(63.2%), FT: 58.9%. in 2008-2009, he started with the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven(8 games: 18.8ppg, 10.0rpg, 1.3apg, 2.6spg, 1.3bpg, FGP: 59.8%, 3PT: 60.0%) before moving to France to Le Havre playing 21 games: 16.0ppg, Reb-1(9.5rpg), 1.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 65.4%; Eurocup: 6 games: 12.2ppg, 8.7rpg, 1.0apg, 1.5spg, 1.8bpg. In 2009-2010, he played for Sluc Nancy Basket Pro (France-ProA): EuroCup: 6 games: 8.5ppg, 9.0rpg, 2.8spg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 50.0%, FT: 76.7%; French League: 29 games: 12.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.5spg, Blocks-5(1.4bpg), FGP: 64.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 69.1%. Last season, he played for Blancos de Rueda Valladolid (Spain-ACB, starting five): 34 games: 9.9ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 65.0%, FT: 67.5%. He is back in the Beko BBL with the Brose Baskets Bamberg.  He spoke to German Hoops after the 79-76 win against 2011 Euroleague champion Panatinaikos Athens.

Congrats On the 79-76 win against 2011 Euroleague champion Panathinaikos Athens. Was this the biggest win for you in your professional basketball career?

Yes it was and I think it was the biggest win in my professional basketball career and for Bamberg in their history as well.

In the first half Panathinaikos Athens was getting much damage done inside. Why couldn´t Bamberg stop them more?

They have a great point guard with Diamantidas who was able to find players all throughout the game. It was tough all throughout the game. They were working the screen and roll very good, getting second chances and offensive rebounds which hurt us throughout the first half.

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The Fraport Skyliners Want That First Time To Be Memorable In The Audi Dome Against FC Bayern Munich And Remove Their Leather Breeches

The first time is always very special like getting that first autograph of Lebron James after waiting for hours during a grueling wicked wet Miami hurricane, seeing your photo in the school newspaper making a 99 yard touchdown, getting that very first text message form that special someone that you thought never knew that you existed, driving for the first time in a corvette as a gift from dad after getting your license, getting that first pay check and treating your friends to dinner, or a young kid seeing his first Michael Jordan highlight DVD and enjoying his god like basketball skills. FC Bayern Munich belongs to the most famous sporting team names in Europe and have won enough titles in soccer to let German soccer legend Franz Beckenbauer who won 15 with the team forever be affiliated as Mr Bayern Munich. FC Bayern Munich is playing their first season in the Beko BBL which was made possible not by Beckenbauer, but the friendly guidance and assistance by Uli Hoeness who is the current president of the soccer club and they want to quickly leave a mark in the Beko BBL and European basketball community. The Beko BBL have had many highlights in the last years like increased attendance, BG Goettingen winning the Eurochallenge or Dashaun Wood playing one of the most dominating seasons since American Wendel Alexis did in the 90s with Alba Berlin, but for opposing players to see the red and white colors of Bayern Munich should especially give German players stimulating goose bumps as that first time playing against FC Hollywood should be memorable and cherished as if a player was playing that first time against the Boston Celtics, FC Barcelona or The New York Yankees. “It was great playing against FC Bayern Munich recently. They have a great winning tradition in that city and I wont forget that experience. A great first moment for me was playing my first Beko BBL game against The Fraport Skyliners. I thought a lot during that game of how last season I was playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the PRO B and now I am playing at a higher level and playing against some of the best talent in the world”, stressed Walter Tigers Tuebingen guard Josh Young. A famous phrase in German is “Die lederhosen aussziehen) which is a common expression that opponents want to remove the leather breeches of the FC Bayern Munich soccer players and this is something that the Fraport Skyliner German players may have on their mind as well.

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Jon Leuer(Fraport Skyliners): A Good Shooter Needs That Quick Release To Be Successful

Jon Leuer is a 22 year old 208cm power forward from Long Lake Minnesota that is playing his first season for the Fraport Skyliners. He has great team mentality and defensive smartness. Knows how to score (and to gain fouls) in the low post, has a good outside shooting too. He played at Wisconsin from 2007-2011. In his senior year, he played 34 games averaging  18.3ppg, 7.2rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 47.0%, 3PT: 37.0%, FT: 84.3%. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks (NBA,2rd(40). He spoke to German Hoops recently about basketball.

Are head coach Muli Katzurin and the players on the same page?

Yes we are. We are still trying to figure each other out. It hasn´t shown on the court yet. We just listen to what the coach says and try to get better in practice each day.

Who impressed you most with Alba Berlin?

DaShaun Wood impressed me the most. He did a good job controlling the tempo of the game. He has been one of the best players that we have played against. He does so much for that team. He distributes the ball so well and is a good defender as well.

How was it playing against Tony Gaffney recently? Do you think he can get back to the NBA?

Gaffney is a great player that does many good things for his team. He has the ability to play in the NBA, but it is tough because there are so many good players that want to play there. He just has to find the right fit.

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Kevin Hamilton(BBC Bayreuth): Any Pass That I Can Get To Kevin Durant Should Be An Automatic Assist

Kevin Hamilton is a 27 year old 193cm guard from Queens Village, New York that is playing his first season for BBC Bayreuth. He played at Holy Cross from 2002-2006 and played together with ex Skyliner Keith Simmons. In his senior year, he played 31 games averaging 17.6ppg, 6.3rpg, 3.5apg, 3.3spg, FG: 38.1%, 3PT: 33.2%, FT: 77.7%. In his rookie season 2006-2007, he came to Europe and played in Poland for Polpak Swiecie playing 19 games and averaging 13.0ppg, 4.5rpg, 3.8apg, Steals-2(2.3spg), 2FGP: 44.8%, 3PT: 38.2%, FT: 64.2%. In 2007-2008, he played in France for Besancon Basket Comte Doubs (France-ProB) playing 2 games and averaging 6.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.5apg. He also had a short tenure in Mexico with Pioneros de Quintana Roo-Cancun. In 2008-2009, he returned back to Poland to play for SKK Kotwica Kolobrzeg playing 32 games averaging 11.0ppg, 5.1rpg, Assists-1(6.4apg), Steals-1(2.8spg), FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 66.5%. He was not lazy in the last three summers staying in game shape and playing in Puerto Rico playing 90 games. In tue summer of 2009, he played for Indios de Mayaguez playing  35 games and averaging 10.5ppg, 4.7rpg, Assists-3(6.3apg), Steals-2(1.7spg), FGP: 45.4%, 3PT: 28.1%, FT: 70.6%. His father was a draft pick of The Boston Celtics in 1980. In 2009-2010, he played his first season in Braunschweig playing 39 games: 10.1ppg, 3.8rpg, Assists-3(5.4apg), Steals-2(1.9spg), FGP: 63.7%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 77.6%. In 2010-2011 for Braunschweig, he averaged 9,oppg, 4,1rpg and 4,3apg. Last summer, he played in Puerto Rico for Indios de Mayaguez (Puerto Rico-BSN) averaging 10,6ppg, 4,4rpg and 8,0apg. He spoke to German Hoops about the Kevin Durant rumors.

How is your injury rehab coming along? When can we see you on the court again?

I am not sure. My rehab is coming along well. It could be anywhere from 4-6-8 weeks.

BBC Bayreuth has won three of the last four games. How happy have you been with the play of point guard Danny Gibson?

Danny has done a great job. The team has responded well to his play. He has done a good job leading the team.

What has changed since new coach Marco Van den Berg taking over the reigns?

He has implemented a whole new philosophy on offense and defense. He is a very good basketball coach. He is a basketball junkie. He motivates the team well and we believe in his system. It has been great with him.

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Torrell Martin Doesn´t Need To Display Traffic Dunks But Shows His Taste Of Ray Allen Leading Bremerhaven Past The Fraport Skyliners 63-55

3 years ago around this time, The New England Patriots were still recovering from their surprising and disheartening Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, Keith Simmons was starting his first season with The Deutsche Bank Skyliners and thoughts of playing the next three years in Turkey were still far away and Marcus Slaughter was learning the hard way not to eat a curry hot dog before a basketball game. Three years ago the Eisaberen Bremerhaven were in the midst of a 16 game losing streak despite strong play from Marcus Slaughter who was the top Eisbaeren scorer in their first seven games. Now in 2011, the basketball world of the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven is solid as they rest in position six whereas the Fraport Skyliners basketball world in the last four years has been as radiant as the smile of actor George Clooney, the surfing success of American Kelly Slater or the hit making of French artist David Guetta, but this season the team is going through unexpected and unwanted growing pains as their losing streak grew to five games as they let the game slip out of their hands into the bushy white claws of the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in the fourth quarter losing 63-55. Frankfurt played a lot better than in the last games, but sometimes during losing streaks, basketball luck and lady luck don´t always mesh. “Long losing streaks are always tough and they wear down a team mentally. Losing at the end was tough, because coach prepared us well and we showed  a lot of improvement on defense. I remember going through a 13 game losing streak at Northwestern. We stuck together as a team and continued to work hard. We stayed tough and broke the streak”, stressed Skyliner guard Michael Thompson. Bremerhaven point guard Jamison Brewer who has 54 NBA games under his belt knows something about losing streaks. “I remember as a freshman at Auburn, we lost 12 games in a row and all in the last minute and three in overtime. If Frankfurt really has a team belief then they will dig down look in the mirror and come together as a unit. They have a good team and coach and if they continue to work hard, they will see positive results”, stressed Jamison Brewer. “I think that Frankfurt have a nice squad. Many teams go through a process of meshing and finding the right team chemistry. I think that Frankfurt will be fine”, warned Mike Smith.

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