Travis Walton is a 23 year old 187cm point guard from Lima, Ohio. He is playing his first season with Ratiopharm Ulm. He played at Michigan 
State from 2005-2009 where he served as team captain for three consecutive years, being the 3rd in history of Michigan State school to do that. Led the Big 10 in assist to turnover ratio 2.4 to 1 and broke Magic Johnson’s career assist record at Michigan State. Walton possesses great toughness, strength and leadership skills and is an exceptional defender. Last season he played shortly for Lugano Tigers (Switzerland-LNA, starting five), left in Dec.’09: 13 games: 8.9ppg, 1.2rpg, Assists-5(4.9apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.7% before returning back to Michigan State to help the coaching staff. Some achievements that he has received were Big Ten Tournament Semifinals -06, 08, 09, Big Ten All-Defensive Team -07, 09, NCAA Sweet 16 -08, Big Ten Regular Season Champion -09, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year -09. He spoke German Hoops about basketball recently.
BBL
Chris Moss Steals The Super Murat Didin Energy Doner For Himself Launching The Deutsche Bank Skyliners past The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf With A Buzzer Beater 68-66
This season the name Gloria Giants Duesseldorf sprinkles about as much fear to BEKO BBL teams as does a tank filled with tiger sharks that 
have been fed frequently while a person falls in accidently, Cleveland Cavalier point guard Mo Williams currently not shooting out the lights from the parking lot as he is only at 26.6% from that distance or Los Angeles Clippers center Blake Griffin entering the TD Garden in Boston and seeing his opponent Shaq dancing around on the floor with a ballerina outfit, however The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had been well aware that The Brose Baskets Bamberg had left the Burg Wachter Castello arena in Duesseldorf recently with a bitter loss and were as focused in crunch time to win as were the Pittsburg Steelers getting past the New York Jets in the AFC championship game, Jacob Burtschi of Phoenix Hagen sinking the cherished money ball as often as possible in Trier last weekend in the three point shooting contest and Salu Benjamin Tadi sweeping away the BEKO BBL players last weekend in the BEKO BBL allstar slam dunk contest in Trier as Frankfurt escaped the elegant doner palace of Turk coach Murat Didin with an exciting 68-66 come from behind win as they finished the game with a 6-0 run and back breaking buzzer beater by American Chris Moss. “We were up by two points with a minute to play, but we missed an easy rebound and made two 
mistakes. This was a sin for our efforts. We deserved to win this game. We shot 43% from the free throw line against Bremerhaven and only 57% against Frankfurt. We hustled a lot, but we missed too many free throws, made too many small mistakes which disturbed our gift to win the game”, stated Gloria Giants Duesseldorf coach Murat Didin. The win was about as far from pretty as was actor Mickey Rourke in his role in the fighter, but a win is a win and Frankfurt will take it. “We have to give Duesseldorf a lot of credit. They played very well. We didnt play with a lot of energy which is unacceptable. We were lucky that we on today”, stressed Skyliner forward Chris Moss.
Can A Super Murat Didin Energy Doner Creation Propel The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf Past The Deutsche Bank Skyliners January 29th?
With the 2011 NFL playoffs starting to get near the peak of the Superbowl, the Australian Open tennis tournament in its second week, and all
Germans glued to their TVs to see which nasty insect will be eaten next in the German TV show Im a star getting me out of here camp, basketball fans should not forget that the BEKO BBL will start the second half on January 29th as the Deutsche Bank Skyliners want to get both feet off on the winning track with a victory in the elegant jazzy Burg Wachter Castello arena against The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf. In anticipation, that ex Skyliner coach Murat Didin might give his team the same spiced up extraordinary energy Doner that the Brose Baskets Bamberg got earlier this season as The Deutsche Bank Skyliners will have to be as focused as Bart Scott from the New York jets was in his post game interview after the win against The New England Patriots, comedic actor Sasha Baron Cohen who will be playing Saddam Hussein in the upcoming project “The Dictator” and the way UCONN junior Kemba Walker has been playing like a Pitbull winning games in crunch time and being known as the Kemba show. Frankfurt has been perfect at home and have lost all four games on the road and might have to hope that the special powerful Doner that Didin produces gets lost on game day. “Didin should put in some peppers and some special Turkish spices that his team is not used to eating to help give the team the extra energy to get by Frankfurt”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum.
This season, The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf have had another season to forget as it started off bad and only got worse. Of course, Didin didnt make things any easier on himself signing five new players on the eve of the first game in Bremerhaven. The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf started off the season with a 8 game losing streak before winning two games in a row against MBC and Phoenix Hagen. One should not forget even though the Giants are in last place, they dont share the longest losing streak in the BEKO BBL this season as the Giessen 46ers currently are riding on a 13 game losing streak. However instead of getting on a healthy winning streak the team lost their next six games in a row before getting on the win column again beating the 3 time BEKO BBL team Brose Baskets Bamberg 72-69. How important was this win for the BEKO BBL stopping the Bamberg dominance? “No disrespect to to Duesseldorf, but any win that they get is very important. It could of been against any other team and it would of been just as important”, warned John Bynum. Since the win, Duesseldorf has lost two more games to the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven and Bamberg again. A big problem is their defense as they have given up 80 or more points 10 times, but the team has improved. “Duesseldorf made some changes and made themselves better and they seem to improve with every game as does every other team. With the second half starting, I am sure they will continue to improve and win some more games”, stressed California native John Bynum.
Chris Moss (Deutsche Bank Skyliners): I Am Good At Taking Charges And Its Not Pretty But Helps the Team
Chris Moss is a 30 year old 204cm forward that grew up in Georgia and now lives in Chesterfield, Virginia and is playing for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners. He started his basketball career at west Virginia where he played from 1998-2002. In his senior year, he played 28 games averaging 17,5ppg and 8,0rpg. In 2002-2003, he came to Europe to start his professional basketball career as he played for Ironi Nahariya (Israel-Premier League): 5 games: 11.2ppg, 5.0rpg, 2ast – Golbey-Epinal (France-ProB): 26 games: 17.3ppg, 7.5rpg, 18ast. From 2003-2010, he played in Spain including 2 seasons in the LEB Gold and 5 years in the ACB. He played for Menorca from 2003-2008. His best season in the ACB was 2005-2006 for Menorca as he played games 26 games averaging 14.1ppg, 7.3rpg, 2FGP: 50.0%, FT: 67.0%. He played for CB Murcia from 2008-2010. Last season, he played 31 games averaging 5.8ppg, 6.7rpg, FGP: 43.4%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 73.3%. He took some time to talk to german hoops.
My Personal Basketball Diary Of The 2011 BEKO BBL Allstar Day In Trier
After years of having the BEKO BBL Allstar game in Cologne and two years in Mannheim with many empty seats and an atmosphere that was
missing some kind of electric shock to pep things up and Howard Stern to help get the crowd get going, the BEKO BBL decided to hold the festivities in smaller venues in Bonn last year and in Trier this year and have been able to fill the seats and bring an atmosphere that one can describe as breathtaking possibily only topped by a game 5 playoff bedlam game in Bamberg against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners.The BEKO BBL once again presented a versatile show for the fans for 7 hours with great acts performing on the floor, an interesting NBBL allstar game with the 24 best young German players showing their tricks, a sharp shooting three point contest that was won by Jacob Burtschi, a very entertaining slam dunk contest in which Salu Benjamin Tadi ran away with the trophy keeping some professionals like Quantez Robertson and Torrell Martin displaying wide jaws in astonishment and possibly a trip to the doctor on Monday to check if they can still smile without having aches, and a high scoring BEKO BBL Allstar game in which the North won again 114-104 for the 11th time in the last 13 years showing a dominance that Bamberg once had over The Deutsche Bank Skyliners from 2005-2010 where Frankfurt had just as many problems winning as the Giessen 46ers momentarily have, but a savior in Michael Hakim Jordan who is on the way who will bring some of his Wolf sneer to the Osthalle to scare away the opponents and then greet them with his million dollar smile after the game for a beer.
Kimmo Muurinen(Deutsche Bank Skyliners): I Think Its My Dirty Work Like Diving For Loose Balls That Doesn’t Get Noticed As Much
Kimmo Muurinen is a 29 year old 202cm forward swingman with great athletic ability, agility and versatility that comes from Finland. He played in the NCAA from 2002-2004 for the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. In his senior year, he played 28 games: 6.1ppg, 3.7rpg, 22ast. He turned professional in 2004 and played for Honka Espoo Playboys (Korisliiga) until 2009. In his five years in Finland, he played 164 games. His best season was 2005-2006, where he played 40 games: 14.1ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 54%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 77.6%. Last season he played for Martos Napoli (Italy-SerieA, starting five): 12 games: 7.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 51.7%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 56.3%, in Jan.’10 moved to Scafati Basket (Italy-Lega2): 18 games: 4.4ppg, 3.3rpg. Some awards and achievements in his basketball career have been Finnish National Team -00-10, Polar Cup Finalist -00, Finnish League Rookie of the Year -01, Finnish League Quarterfinals -05, Finnisn University National Team -05, World University Games -05, Finnish League Regular Season Runner-Up -06, 07, Finnish League Semifinals -06, 09, Eurobasket.com Finnish League All-Domestic Players Team -06, Finnish League Champion -07, 08, Qualifications to European Championships 2009 -08: 8 games: 11.8ppg, 4.8rpg, FGP: 54.3%, 3PT: 43.8%, FT: 82.1%, Finnish Cup Semifinals -09, and Qualifications to European Championships 2011 -10: 8 games: 2.8ppg, 3.9rpg. He spoke with German Hoops about basketball.
Dru Joyce(TBB Trier): I Go Out And Try To Be A Good Leader
Dru Joyce is a 25 year old 183cm point guard from Akron, Ohio that is playing his first season for TBB Trier. He played at St Marys high school
with Lebron James and Romeo Travis winning three state championships and compiling a 103-5 record. He played at Akron(NCAA) from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he played 33 games averaging 10.0ppg, 2.4rpg, 4.3apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3Pts: 39.6%, FT: 65.6%. In 2007-2008, he played for Ratiopharm Ulm playing 34 games averaging 9.5ppg, 2.0rpg, Assists-2(4.4apg), 2FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 32.6%, FT: 72.8%. In 2008-2009, he played his second season in Ulm and played 34 games averaging 10.1ppg, 1.8rpg, Assists-2(4.5apg), FGP: 42.8%, 3PT: 34.8%, FT: 73.0%. Last season, he played for Energa Czarni Slupsk (Poland-PLK, starting five), Polish League: 6 games: 4.5ppg, 1.5rpg, 3.0apg; in Nov.’09 moved to Anwil Wloclawek (Poland-PLK): 27 games: 7.5ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.4apg, FGP: 41.0%, 3PT: 39.1%, FT: 75.9%.. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
What is it like playing against John Goldsberry? He doesn´t score much, but does everything as a point guard. Where would you rate him in the BEKO BBL?
He is one of the top point guards in the league. He is one of the best because he is leading the team to wins. Bamberg doesn’t need him to score. He sets the table for the team.
Chris Moss Made John Bryant Feel Like Tip Toeing On A Tight Rope As The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Got Revenge Against Ratiopharm Ulm Winning 74-67.
After The Deutsche Bank Skyliners witnessed a combination of a seemingly huggable teddy bear and the curliness of Seth Rogens hair in John Bryant 9 days ago in Ulm where he showed more the banging fierceness of Shaq lost in the Kuhberg arena without his Kazaam DVD than the shyness of a Dwight Howard after missing a pregame meal and not being effective as the gang of Gordon Herbert wanted to extend their unbeaten streak in the Ballsporthalle to 11games and were as focused to halt John Bryant and Ratiopharm Ulm in their tracks like American rapper Gucci Mane was too shock the world with an ice cream tattoo on his cheek, Dallas Mavericksowner Mark Cuban suing The United Football League for not repaying a loan and Borussia Dortmund staring off the second half of the Fussball Bundesliga with a win against Bayer Leverkusen. It wasnt pretty at the end, but Frankfurt was able to win again at home with a 7-0 run at the end and didn´t let John Bryant dominate again like in Ulm. “We used our home court advantage well tonight. It is never easy to stop Bryant and the best you can do is slow him down. Bryant will play well anyway, but we were able to shave his totals from Ulm from 22and 12 to 9 and 13”,stressed current BEKO BBL top scorer Dashaun Wood. Despite the loss, Ratiopharm Ulm coach Mike Taylor was pleased with the way his boys played and sees a few things that can be corrected especially in crunch time. “We need to grow and execute better at the end of games. Guys still get excited and make mistakes. There are little fine details that the team is missing for example on the last play as Bryant was double teamed on the lob pass and Guenther didnt go to the wing to improve the passing lane. Its small things that cost us games. We need to approach game winning possessions in the fourth quarter like fourth quarter game winning possessions and not like first quarter possessions”, warned Ratiopharm coach Mike Taylor. “We got stops at the end on defense which was big. We can always improve on defense”, stated Skyliner Chris Moss. “We didnt use our chnaces at the end and we had enough of them. Mckinney hit a big three pointer. We have to make less mistakes at the end to be able to win”, warned German National player Robin Benzing.
Can Chris Moss Bring The Bushy Hair Of John Bryant To Stand Up Tall In Trepidation And The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Get Revenge On Ratiopharm Ulm January 15th?
It is always a highlight when two professional sports teams can play against each other in a short span of time. Frankfurt and Ulm may be 290 kilometers apart in distance and more like an ICE train series then a subway series, but who could forget playoff series of the the shuttle series of the 90s between The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the 80s west coast Hollywood-east coast beantown duels between the Los Angeles Lakers and The Boston Celtics or the subway series between The New York Yankees and New York Mets? The BEKO BBL has given the fans an early taste of what the 2011 playoff atmosphere might be like as teams have faced off against one another twice quite frequently recently as 8 time BEKO BBL champion Alba Berlin sweeped the MBC wolves right off their den patio within 72 hours, Phoenix Hagen and Alba Berlin meeting each other within 96 hours this week and The Deutsche Bank Skyliners will meet Ratiopharm Ulm for a second time within 218 hours. The many gatherings by separate BEKO BBL teams seem as frequent as Lionel Messi had to say gracias this week for being named best player 2010 or Peyton Manning have to hear the last days “why did it end already this season for the Colts”? MBC didn’t learn from their loss in Berlin and will it be an advantage for Frankfurt to play so quickly against Ratiopharm Ulm again? “It should be an advantage for Frankfurt. Frankfurt is aware what Ulm did well and you also know what they didn’t do so well in the short time span and can adjust better. It also gives the coaches a better way of preparing when there is such a tight span of time in between”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum. You cant really call Frankfurt-Ulm a special distance name besides possibly the ICE series, but you could also call Alba Berlin-New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig an ICE series, but John Bynum has his special series favorites from back home. “It was always fun watching the Sacremento Kings-Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat-New York Knicks and you could never go wrong watching the Lakers and Celtics, but there are not too many more close distance rivalaries going on unless your talking college sports”, explained John Bynum.
Quantez Robertson(Deutsche Bank Skyliners): I Am Already Working On My Dunks For The Slam Dunk Contest.
Quantez Robertson is a 24 year old 190 cm guard from Cincinnati Ohio. He is playing his second season in Germany in the BEKO BBL for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners. He played at Auburn from 2005-2009. In his senior year he played 36 games averaging 6.0ppg, 3.9rpg, 3.2apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 39.4%, 3Pts: 23.6%, FT: 62.3%. He reached the NIT elite 8 with Aubrun in 2009.He is seen as an athletic freak with amazing lateral quickness and long arms and is good enough to play in the NBA based off of his defensive skills alone. Last season, he played 48 games: 6.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 49.3%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 60.0%. This season in Eurochallenge play he played 6 games averaging 6,7ppg, 4,3rpg, 1,2apg and 1,3spg. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
How was your new years eve in Germany?
It was nice. I celebrated with a couple of teammates and we went out to eat.
