Matt Haarms (221-C-1997, college: BYU) is a 26 year old 221cm center from the Netherlands that is playing his third professional season and first with Zunder Palencia (Spain-Liga ACB). He played his first 2 pro seasons with the Fraport Skyliners averaging 7.4ppg, 4.5rpg, Blocks-2 (1.3bpg), FGP: 58.5%, FT: 69.4% and 7.8ppg, 4.3rpg, Blocks-3 (1.5bpg), FGP: 61.9%, FT: 77.2%. He began his basketball career wit the FIATC Joventut Badalona (Spain) U18 team and then played with Sunrise Christian Academy. He then played at Purdue from 2017-2020 playing a total of 102 games averaging 9.4ppg, 5.4rpg, 1.1apg, 2.1bpg, FGP: 67.9%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 69.5% and 8.6ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 63.4% in his last 2 seasons. He played an extra year at Brigham Young University (NCAA) averaging 11.3ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.1apg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 60.6%, 3PT: 19.4%, FT: 80.3%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his ex school Purdue and their 2024 run to the NCAA final

Thanks Matt for talking to germanhoops.com. Have you remained a fan of college basketball since turning pro or has it diminished?

I still like it. It is just difficult to watch it overseas with the time difference. I stick to checking the scores and seeing how my teams are doing.

You played 3 years at Purdue and last night they lost in the NCAA final to UConn. Were you able to watch the game live or on tape in the morning? I mean it had to be an incentive just to watch Zach Edey play?

I watched the game in the morning. I had to get up early anyway. Edey is an amazing player. He is really fun to watch. Nobody can stop him. I feel like he was the best college basketball player the last 2 years.

With what kind of a feeling did you go into the final playing against the defending champs?

I thought that we could beat UConn. They were both the best 2 teams in the tournament. It was like destiny that they met in the final.

Did you have any contact with former players leading up to the final?

No not really. I was just following the games. I think everyone was just in awe. It was the first time since 1980 that Purdue was in the final.

Purdue lost 75-60. It seemed like one of those games where UConn was just a little better from start to finish. How do you summarize the end result?

I agree with you. UConn had no big run in the game, but they had a good strategy. They had the lead and then just kept adding on throughout the game. Purdue played a good game, but UConn was just a little better.

Zach Edey was a 1 man wrecking crew with 37 points and 10 rebounds. He had a great game but how much were those extra scorers missing?

I think no matter how many defenders they threw at Edey, he would just do his thing. When Purdue plays really well, it is when they have a supporting cast. UConn did a good job focusing on limiting our shots from outside. UConn was just on another level.

Edey was a beast dominating every game at March madness and even had 40 points against Tennessee. Would Purdue have had any chance without him?

I think that Purdue would still be talented without him However without him, it would be a lot tougher. They a team forces you to play a certain way then it´s hard to break it.

How special is Zach Edey. How much stock did his game give him in the NBA Draft. How high could he go now?

It has already grown this season before the tournament. He is so good now and is at another level. I think he will find a spot in the NBA and fit in really well.

Have you ever met him or played against him during the summers? If so who won a 1-1?

I met him in 2020 shortly before Covid came when he came to Purdue on a visit. He was a good guy and humble. He wasn´t being recruited the way he should have been. He made a good impression on me. I hear only good things about him.

Despite the loss how proud are you of being an ex Boliermaker?

I really proud of this team. I´m really happy for the fans, because they deserved this. They are some of the best fans in the NCAA.

Head coach Matt Painter has been there since 2005. I can imagine he won´t hang it up until he gets that title?

I don´t know what he will do, but he has been so committed to the program since the start. You can´t imagine Purdue basketball without Matt Painter.

Matt Painter is such a special coach that has reached the NCAA tournament 15 times and won 5 conference champions. How special of a coach is he?

He does such a great job. He does a great job focusing on what players do best and play around that. He is never stuck on playing one way.

How special is a guy like Braden Smith? He has 2 more years to go.

He is a fantastic player. He is still so young, but already so good. He is a special competitor. He will be one of the leaders going into the new season.

Where will the journey of the Boilmakers go in the next years. They lose Edy, Jones and Gillis to graduation.

It will be a very different team. Matt Painter is a very creative coach and will find the right mix. It will depend on what talent he brings in. You never really know what will happen until the first game.

Thanks Matt for the chat.

Ludvig Hakanson is a 28 year old 189cm guard from Sweden playing his season with Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB (Spain-Liga). He has played a total of 9 years in Europe´s top league ACB with clubs like Surne Bilbao Basket, Moviestar Estudiantes Madrid, Montakit Funelabrada, Baloncesto Sevillia and FC Barcelona where he began his professional career. He also played for teams like VEF Riga(Latvia) and  Stelmet Enea BC Zielona Gora (Poland). He spoke to germanhoops.com before game 2 of the quarterfinals of the Basketball Champions League competition.

Thanks Ludvig for talking to germanhoops.com. Your 28 years old, from Sweden and played parts of 9 seasons in the ACB Europe´s best league. How crazy is that? On a list of the most famous Swedish players you are 4^th behind Jerebko, Taylor and Eriksson. None of them have played longer in the ACB than you. How does a humble Swedish man like you understand this?

I have never thought of that way. I came to Spain as a 15 year old with the goal to play in the ACB. Everything happened so fast for me. I had my first opportunity with FC Barcelona and then my next chance with Sevilla. I had up and down times and never went straight up, but the ACB is where I want to be.

Only Jerebko and Taylor reached the NBA. Was the NBA ever there for you to take? Or was a guy with your game not suited for the athletic game and less team play?

As a young guy you always dream of the NBA. I honestly never felt like the NBA was in reach for me. I don´t think like I was ever close to reaching the NBA. The Euroleague was always my goal and still is.

You have been out of Swedish basketball wise since 2010. How has the basketball game changed in Europe since then?

I feel like play is always getting faster and more three´s are being taken. The pace is always very fast. Many of the successful teams in the ACB play fast. It continues to be very tactical and team orientated now.

Your playing this season with  Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB. How enjoyable has the season been? They are one of the top teams in the ACB?

It has been a great season for us. The club did a good job bringing in guys that were hungry. We have guys that work hard everyday and just enjoy the moment. We are trying to get in best position for the playoffs and final 4 of the BCL.

What has been the secret to the success? Dustin Sleva told me that you have a special coach with Sito Alonso? How has he helped the team most in finding success?

I had known coach a little bit, but the success has surprised me a bit, but he has done a great job where all 13 players feel important. Every player can step up on any night. Every player feels very involved. He has given every player a lot of confidence.

Your on a good way to reaching the Basketball Champions League semi finals. You easily beat the MHP Riesen in game 1. Will you expect a different game in Ludwigsburg?

Even if we beat them easily in game one, they are an extremely good and physical team. They are a very dangerous team that play at a very high pace. Game 2 is like a final for us.

How valuable has been your consistency to have stayed so long in the ACB? Is that the biggest reason for your longevity?

I think so. I have always been consistent with my daily and summer work. I always have prepared myself to present the best version of myself. Even if I´m 28, I still feel relatively young. I think I still have room to develop and I hope I can stay in the ACB and continue to get better.

You were always a guy that had to compete against the best players each season on your team and always found your role. What was your secret to always finding that role and never getting lost in the shuffle?

I think that I found my strengths at early age and always used them as much as possible. You can´t do everything on the court, but I try to show my best skills each game. I think having that mentality has helped me through out my career and coaches have always seen me as being useful.

You played 3 years in Bilbao averaging 8.3ppg, 2.0rpg, 3.3apg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 83.9%; 9.4ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.0apg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 85.9% and 12.1ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.4apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 47.5%, 3PT: 36.1%, FT: 90.8%;. You had so many teammates from other countries something very special that you see in the ACB. How would you rate your basketball IQ now in your career? Is it one of the better ones with Murcia?

Yes I think so. I think that overall with this team we have a lot of experience and guys that have high IQ´s. As the point guard I´m a close communicator with the coach on a daily basis. I see myself as always being the second hand of the coach on the court.

One could say this was your most productive time as a scorer. How did your game grow in Bilbao?

The Bilbao years were very important. My role grew each year in Bilbao. I began with a small role my first year. In my second year it was better and in my third year, I was a starter and had a big role. Scoring is my biggest strength, but as a point guard, I have to get trust from my teammates. I thank Bilbao for giving me this opportunity.

In between your ACB time you also spent a season with  Stelmet Enea BC Zielona Gora (Poland-EBA) averaging  11.1ppg, 2.2rpg, 5.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 60.9%, 3PT: 44.4%, FT-3(92.0%) and in the VTB United League averaging 11.5ppg, 2.6rpg, 5.2apg, FGP: 54.3%, 3PT: 35.9%, FT: 92.2%? You had fine teammates like Drew Gordon and George King and won the polish league title. What was special about this team?

We had great chemistry that season where every player wanted to prove something. We had a really good coach and it was really challenging to play in the VTB. The travel was crazy. I learned a lot from Drew Gordon especially how to play the pick and roll. It was a good opportunity to be important at that level.

You played 2 seasons with Movistar Estudiantes (Spain-Liga ACB) from 2017-2019 averaging 6.1ppg, 1.7rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 31.6%, FT: 78.0% and: 5.2ppg, 1.1rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 45.9%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 76.1%. You played with so many incredible point guards but where does the great Omar Shariff-Cook rank?

He is top 3 in my career. He is one of the best players that I ever played with. We had different playing styles, but I learned so much from him. I learned to know your teammates and how to find your teammates better. He also taught me how you can get your teammates to like you. He had the best passing skills I ever saw.

You also played a season with  Montakit Fuenlabrada (Spain-Liga ACB) averaging  6.1ppg, 1.8rpg, 3.2apg, FGP: 40.2%, 3PT: 27.1%, FT: 92.0%; and in the Eurocup averaging 8.3ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.6apg, FGP: 47.8%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 50.0%. How was that season for you?

It was up and down. I came in mid season and there had been a lot of high expectations. It was a tough season for me. I still got pretty good playing time and had great teammates.

You were 0-5 against Luka Doncic in the ACB. You scored 26 points in your first game against him. Was that one of your best games in the ACB?

I remember that game. It wasn´ my best game ever in the ACB, but my first big game in the ACB. My time in Sevilla was great. Being able to finish the season with a game like that gave me a lot of self-confidence.

What memories do you have of these games. If someone had told you Luka Doncic would dominate the NBA like he did would you have believed it?

It is hard to say but probably yes. I had never seen something like him. A player that was so young and so mature. If not him then who would have been the star in the NBA? Everybody felt that he was something special.

You were with FC Barcelona from 2011-2015 starting as a youth player. Do you remember your first day in Barcelona? Was it a culture shock?

Yes it was. I went to Barcelona 2 times before I actually began. The first time was for my try-out and the second time was after I signed just to see everything. Back in 2010, basketball wasn´t big in Sweden. I came to Barcelona and everything was different. The level of practices, living conditions and how professional everything was was something to get used to. It was a wow moment. I was a crazy basketball kid. I had practiced like a professional since age 8 and coming to FC Barcelona was like a dream.

Did it help that guys like Swedish players Eriksson and Spires were with you? Are those guys like brothers to you today?

Yes they are like brothers for me. It is never easy to move abroad, but having those 2 there made it all easier. We lived together and we tried to help each other. We are still very good friends today.

You saw so many incredible players there in your 4 years with Navarro, Jasikevicius, Mickeal, Huertas, Nachbar, Lampe or Tomic just to name a few. Which player there had the biggest impact on you as a young player?

Who had the biggest impact is tough as there were so many great guys that I had as teammates. I learned a lot from Satoransky and Huertas. We practiced each day together. I also tried to soak up as much as possible form Navarro especially how to take advantage out of every screen and how to make the right passes. Navarro drove me to and from practice every day. I also learned a lot from Nachbar, His work ethic was incredible. He taught me how to relax and focus on the right things.

In your last season you played 7 ACB games and 6 Euroleague games. How fierce do you remember the day to day battles with Tomas Satoransky?

It was super tough to play against him. He defends and reads the game really well. He is super professional and I tried to take things form his game. He is probably one of the hardest workers I have ever played with. His work ethic is impressive.

How difficult in general is to remain with a top team like FC Barcelona? What was missing in your early age that kept you from possibly remaining longer there and furthering your development?

I pretty much knew from the start that I would be working hard every practice just to get in for a few minutes per game. I knew in my last year that I would have to go after my fourth year and go somewhere where I could prove myself at the ACB. I went to Sevilla and then showed that I could play at that level. I could have returned a few years later, but I´m happy now that I went to teams where I could have bigger roles.

You played at the 2013 Euro as a 17 year old playing 5 games and averaging 4,0ppg. What memories do you have of that championship? That team had Jerebko and Taylor but couldn´t get far

I have great memories. I had just played at the U-18 Euro and then the senior team called me up. I passed cut after cut and then suddenly I was on the roster for the 2013 Euro in Slovenia. Being able to start in the third game was a huge moment for me. Being 17 and getting minutes helped me see how the game works at the senior level. It gave me a lot of confidence. Even if we won only one game, it will always be a great memory.

Who is the toughest player that you have faced in your career that was in the NBA?

The toughest player that I ever faced was Shane Larkin when he was with Baskonia. It was super hard to defend him. He could hit the pull up jumper from anywhere. He is the fastest guy that I ever defended.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Marcelo Huertas, Bostjan Nachbar, Simon Birgandar, Dario Brizuela and Howard Sant-Roos

Please name your Euro Mount Rushmore?

Luka Doncic, Juan Carlos Navarro, Giannis, Dirk Nowitzki, Nikola Jokic

Who is your goat?

Michael Jordan

Thanks Ludvig for the chat.

With the crunch-time of the Pro A regular season in full swing, the second place team Fraport Skyliners continue to grind away chasing top team Romerstrom Gladiators, but with the playoffs only around the corner, they want to secure second place and go into the post season fresh, motivated and prepared. They have been playing solid basketball as of late having won 5 of their last 6 games. Especially at home, they have been a rock having won 5 of their last 6 games as well. Their next opponent was no cake walk as they greeted medipolis Science City Jena who were resting in sixth place and in a battle with Hagen and Kirchheim for the fourth spot. They had been up and down recently having lost 2 of their 3 games including 2 bitter crunch-time games against Paderborn and Bremerhaven where they had lost by a combined score of only 7 points. They did win their last game against Nurnberg by 20 points and were extra motivated to keep their winning streak alive in Frankfurt. Jena had won the first contest in their living room by 11 points and ex Skyliner Rasheed Moore returned to Frankfurt where he had played 2 seasons. It was a game that brought that playoff feeling with low scoring and hard nosed defense and no team could truly get away from the other until overtime where Medipolis Jena displayed their ice cold 3 point attack that lifted them over the Fraport Skyliners 77-65. “This game had that playoff atmosphere. We knew going in that it would be a battle. Key for us was being able to stick together and fight for 45 minutes on the road”, stressed Mediplois Science City Jena forward Rasheed Moore. The Fraport Skyliners played solid defense for 40 minutes the way they know how, but offensively never found a real rhythm and it was simply one of those days where nothing fell. In overtime, their offense continued to sputter and their defensive pressure ran out of gas. “This was a playoff atmosphere and a real battle at both ends of the court. We played good defense for the most part, but offensively we struggled to finish on the rim and hit three pointers. They had a big front court which made it difficult for us”, stressed Fraport Skyliners forward Ife Ajayi.

Justin Onyejiaka at the FT line

On a rather mild early spring day only 2,750 fans found their way into the arena. Medipolis Science City Jena were without their freak of nature Amir Hinton and in the first minutes didn´t seem to have needed him as they rode out on a rapid 7-2 lead. The guests moved the ball well playing good inside out ball as Moore began with a left handed lay in which was followed by a beautiful spin and finger tip roll in by German Stephan Haukohl and ex G-League player Blake Francis (183-PG-1998, college: Richmond) nailed a trey. Frankfurt´s offense sputtered as they had problems moving the ball and getting efficient shots. Frankfurt kept chipping away and really had to work for their shots and then found some daylight tying the game at 8-8 with a turn around shot from ex Indiana State (NCAA) guard Cameron Henry and a lay in from ex Schwenningen forward Jacob Knauf. Frankfurt was able to battle back as they heightened their defensive intensity which reward them on offense. Knauf added another three pointer as Frankfurt rolled with a 7-0 run and 11-8 advantage. Both teams reached the free throw line and after 10 minutes the game was dead locked at 12-12. “It was a very low scoring game where both teams showed their good defensive play. The game was also more physical than usual”, stated Rasheed Moore. The Fraport Skyliners shot 36% from the field and 33% from outside and had 7 rebounds and 5 turnovers while Medipolis Science City Jena shot 25% from the field and 20% from outside and had 8 rebounds and 5 turnovers.

Blake Francis with the step back shot

The second quarter continued to be a real old fashioned battle with 2 teams playing hard defense and not giving away any simple gifts. There would be 6 lead changes and at the break the game was dead locked at 30-30. The Fraport Skyliners had the better start going on a 12-4 run to start to lead 22-16. Frankfurt did a good job getting to the free throw line and got an offensive rebound an put back by Ife Ajayi and lay in by ex Carleton great Aiden Warnholtz. At the end of the run, fans saw another incredible David Muenkat highlight play as he threw down an alley op dunk getting the perfect feed from Aiden Warnholtz. “That was a nice dunk. It came off a loose ball and then within 5 seconds came the dunk. It was an exciting moment”, stressed Trevian Bell. That dunk helped Frankfurt have the momentum a little while longer as Florida native Kevin McClain made free throws and German Jordan Samare connected for a three pointer to lead 28-21 with a few minutes to play. However Frankfurt couldn´t keep the momentum as they allowed a 9-2 run for the 30-30 score after 20 minutes. Sometimes in basketball all you need is a big play to get a team back on track and that is exactly what ex Richmond (NCAA) guard Blake Francis did making a trey and concerting on the 4 point play. German big man Robin Lodders added a tip and lay in to complete the run. “Francis always has moments like that. He is a phenomenal scorer. For him all it takes is to see one go in and then 2 or 3 will follow”, added Rasheed Moore. The Fraport Skyliners shot 32% from the field and 20% from the three point line and had 20 rebounds and 7 turnovers while Medipolis Science City Jena shot 33% from the field and 20% from the three point line and had 16 rebounds and 6 turnovers.

Jacob Knauf from outside

In the third quarter the game continued to be a real dog fight as there were 8 lead changes and Medipolis Science City Jena took control of the game late to have the 52-46 lead. Francis opened up the second half with a three pointer to give Jena the 33-30 lead. Once again Frankfurt was aided by 2 big defensive plays as Booker Coplin and David Muenkat served up blocks and they took the lead again with a Coplin three to lead 36-35. Jena went on a 5-0 run to lead 40-36 as Moore nailed free throws and Joshiko Saibou dropped a trey, but Frankfurt punched back with Cameron Henry free throws and the second sensational dunk of the game by David Munkat to dead lock the game 40-40. This time he went coast to coast and flew by his opponent Nils Schmitz to go for the 2 handed dunk. “I think that dunk was better than his first dunk. I think that having to go end to end is more difficult than doing an alley-oop dunk. I knew that as soon as he was by his man, it was over. That dunk didn´t surprise me, because he is so athletic”, explained Ife Ajayi. The ups and downs by Frankfurt continued as they were unable to profit further from the dunk as they gave up a 12-6 run to Jena to trail 52-46 after 30 minutes. In the run it was Blake Francis again who supplied the energy with 5 points while Robin Lodders also added 4 points. “It went back and forth. You kind of expected each team to have them. Key was not to allow the other team´s run to get to big. A big strength was packing the zone. We took the mis match opportunities and knew when to help and when not to”, commented Rasheed Moore. “The game continued to show 2 teams playing physical defense”, said Ife Ajayi. Medipolis Science City Jena shot 32% from the field and26% from the parking lot and had 28 rebounds and 9 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shit 33% from the field and 23% from the parking lot and had 31 rebounds and 9 turnovers.

Alex Herrera at the FT line

In the fourth quarter it looked like Medipolis Science City Jena would take the win, but once again the Fraport Skyliners exhibited their come back skills in crunch-time at home forcing the game to overtime. Both teams had difficulty executing in the first minutes as Frankfurt got a Jordan Samare dunk on their fifth possession while Jena got a Moore tip in at the 6,32 minute mark to lead 54-48. Frankfurt´s offense wasn´t spot on as their ball movement was average at best and when they attacked, they literally couldn´t hit the ocean missing shots they usually made in their sleep. Cameron Henry then finally drilled home an open three pointer to trail 54-51. Frankfurt continued missing shot after shot and time was running out as Jena led 57-52. Somehow Frankfurt stuck together and Jacob Knauf hit a clutch three pointer to trail 57-55. Jena had a few bad minutes as they had turnovers allowing Frankfurt added opportunities. German Lorenz Brenneke added a lay in to tie the game at 57-57 with 1,39 to play. Saibou countered with a lay in with 1.30 only to see Aiden Warnholtz tie the game at 59-59. Coplin gave Frankfurt the 61-59 lead with under a minute to play only to see Blake Francis nail a clutch three for the 62-61 advantage. After a Henry turnover, the game seemed over, but Rasheed Moore missed a free throw and Jena led only 63-61. Jacob Knauf hit big free throws to send the game into overtime 63-63. “We put our foot down and got stops and made tough shots. The group that was in there gave us a good push and Cam Henry took over”, stated Ife Ajayi. “We expected them to make big shots. We stuck together and Francis made a big shot as well. We are a veteran team and stayed grounded. It was a team effort”, said Rasheed Moore. In the overtime period, it wasn´t that continued back and forth tug of war, but moreover just Medipolis Science City Jena that went to work and rolled over the Fraport Skyliners to take the 5,00 minute extra time 14-2 and win 77-65. It went bang, bang, bang on the first 3 Jena possessions as Moore began with a three pointer that was followed with back to back three´s by Saibou. Henry did stop the run with a big dunk, but most of the damage had been done. Saibou added another lay in and Moore free throws sealed the season sweep for Medipolis Science City Jena. “We hit 3 open three´s off good ball movement. You need to have the confidence to make those shots. I got us started and Saibou did the rest”, smiled Rasheed Moore. “Those 3 three´s were lethal blows to us. They were very poised and got us under screens and hit the shots. Kudos to them for staying focused and making tough shots”, stated Ife Ajayi. Medipolis Science City Jena was led by Blake Francis with 21 points while Joshiko Saibou added 20 points while the Fraport Skyliners were led by Cameron Henry with 15 points and Jacob Knauf had 10 points. Medipolis Science City Jena shot 33% from the field and 33% from outside and had 41 rebounds and 14 turnovers while the Fraport Skyliners shot 31% from the field and 24% from outside and had 45 rebounds and 18 turnovers.

Some teams of the Pro B South and North were playing for all the marbles as there was a real fight for the position 4 and last home court spot in the playoffs as well as for the last playoff spot at position 8. However for the Dragons Rhondorf and Team Ehingen, the last game day was meaningless for them in the standings as Rhondorf had secured position 1 and Ehingen had been saved to stay in the league. Even with a loss and Schwenningen win, Ehingen would remain at postion 12 because they had swept the season series. However for the Dragons Rhondorf, this game did mean something as they have been banged up for weeks and had lost 3 of their last 4 games and wanted to go into the post season on a positive note with a win. Two weeks ago they had lost in Frankfurt on a bitter buzzer beater and last weekend had given an unacceptable performance in Speyer losing 95-76. However on the last game day, the Dragons Rhondorf gave an incredible offensive performance and shaped up their defense in the second half blowing out Team Ehingen 106-74. “We gave a good team effort. We did a good job sharing the ball and giving 37 assists. If we can keep doing that, it will be hard to beat us. It was fun out there”, warned Dragons Rhondorf guard Badu Buck (195-SG-1999). Team Ehingen were missing 3 starters and did all they could offensively, but defensively just weren´t on the same page and couldn´t slow down the Dragons consistently. “We had a lot of young guys get many minutes. They played hard. But Rhondorf just played smart and efficient and had more experience. But I feel like our young guys handled themselves well”, stressed Team Ehingen forward Adam Thoseby.

Daniel Zacek from outside

Team Ehingen were without 3 key players with Jorke Aav, Valteri Mervola and Jared Grey while the Dragons Rhondorf were without Janne Muller who had competed at the Albert Schweizer tournament and Leon Bulic. Team Ehingen jumped all over the Dragons Rhondorf first as they took a quick 10-4 advantage. Adam Thoseby found his offensive rhythm quickly scoring 5 points while ex Tuebingen guard Daniel Zacek added a trey and German big man Vincent Neugebauer made a lay in. Ehingen came into the game aggressive at both ends while Rhondorf seemed a bit shocked. However in basketball, the tide can change so rapidly and did for the Dragons Rhondorf as ex Paderborn guard Badu Buck ignited for 2 three´s to dead lock the game at 10-10. The game remained tight a little bit longer as Thoseby and Zacek scored again for the 15-14 Ehingen advantage. However the Dragons Rhondorf then displayed how lethal their offense can be scooting out on a 16-5 run to lead 28-20. In the run Rhondorf let it ran three´s from ex Bamberg guard Tyrese Blunt, Matej Silic and ex Orange Academy guard Marko Rosic. Thoseby continued to be aggressive and added 4 more points to keep Team Ehingen in range trailing 30-23. “We knew that Thoseby could play like that. We could of done a better job on him. He is a guy that needs the ball in his hands. We needed to have stopped him better as a team”, stressed Badu Buck. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 41% from the field and 33% from outside and had 13 rebounds and 0 turnovers while Team Ehingen shot 64% from the field and 67% from outside and had 7 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

Antonio Pilipovic at the FT line

In the second quarter the Dragons Rhondorf continued to execute their offense very well scoring 35 points and defensively still allowed too many points, but at the break they had a comfortable 19 point lead. Team Ehingen came out strong cutting the Dragons lead down to 35-32 getting 2 buckets from German Finn Doentgens where Rhondorf did a bad job denying and guarding the entry pass better and Thoseby dropped a trey and Zacek a runner. Rhondorf held on to the lead getting a Buck lay in, but Ehingen did a great job getting their bigs involved as Neugebauer scored twice as Rhondorf had the slim 37-36 advantage. However the Dragons Rhondorf then exploded again and went on a 19-5 run to now to really open up the game leading 56-41. In the run, it was superb role player Mamadou Diallo who added 11 points including a trey and 4 mid distance shots. Rhondorf showed their depth and ability to get everyone involved. Marko Rosic also added a three pointer, Antonio Pilipovic a finger tip lay in and Buck a turn around shot. Team Ehingen´s lack of experience showed on the defensive end as they couldn´t slow down the superb team play of the Dragons. Thoseby continued to be a walking bucket adding 2 scores as nobody could slow him down. “I was motivated to play. Rhondorf is the best team and I wanted to help my team get going. I picked my spots well. It helps when you hit your first shots. Then the hole looks big”, smiled Adam Thoseby. The Dragons continued to share the ball beautifully getting baskets from their bench as 2019 NBBL finalist Jekabs Beck scored and Matej Silic also scored as Rhondorf led 65-46 at the break. “Diallo was great. I like him and really value his game. He never has an excuse, but just comes to work and does his job. He is a good teammate and deserved the start tonight”, added Badu Buck. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 55% from the field and 40% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 3 turnovers while Team Ehingen shot 54% from the field and 58% from the three point line and had 17 rebounds and 11 turnovers.

Finn Doentgens at the FT line

In the third quarter the Dragons Rhondorf polished up their defense and led by 30 points after 30 minutes. Thoseby got Team Ehingen on the board first with a trey to trail 65-48. Rhondorf then went on a 7-0 run sparked by three´s by Buck and Texas native Avery Sullivan to lead 72-48. After a 20 footer by Thoseby, Rhondorf went on another run of 7-0 to lead 79-52. In the run, it was the superb guard duo of Buck (5 points) and Blunt who carried the Dragons. Team Ehingen didn´t share the ball anymore and were just sloppy on offense coughing up the ball. Team Ehingen had no offensive rhythm and continued to allow runs of Rhondorf. After a Jeno Pildner lay in, the Dragons Rhondorf closed out the third quarter with a 8-2 run to lead 87-57 after 30 minutes. In the run the Dragons Rhondorf continued to get good looks from outside as Beck and Blunt scored. Ferenc Gille also added a lay in. “We defended the way we wanted to and helped us to continue our offense well. We were able to extend our lead”, stated Badu Buck. “They had a deeper rotation. They overran us and we ran out of gas. They had more gas”, stated Adam Thoseby. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 55% from the field and 50% from the parking lot and had 32 rebounds and 8 turnovers while Team Ehingen shot 45% from the field and 37% from the parking lot and had 26 rebounds and 17 turnovers.

Avery Sullivan

The game was decided after 30 minutes and in the fourth quarter both teams took their feet off the gas pedal as there was less scoring. When you lead by so much, the concentration wanes a bit and the Dragons Rhondorf got their first field goal at the 7,23 minute mark as Silic scored and Rhondorf led 91-61. Team Ehingen answered with a mini 4-0 run as Neugebauer scored inside. The German big man did a consistent job finding his spots and using his body to his advantage shooting 45% from the field. Thoseby added a trey as the guests trailed 93-66. However the Dragons Rhondorf wanted to give their fans one last regular season offensive explosion going on a massive 13-0 run to extend their lead to 106-66. In the run, the Dragons Rhondorf let it fly again from the parking lot getting 3 three´s from Rosic, Pilipovic and Beck and young German Dyami Janeck scored his first Pro B points. Team Ehingen closed out the game strong with a 9-0 run as Jeno Pildner added 7 points and Leon Geissler a lay in. “Pildner did a good job. He was aggressive. This was the first time he got a good chunk of the minutes. He really showed what he could do”, commented Adam Thoseby. “When you lead by a lot, you lose some air. We may have gotten tired. But we still defended well as a team in the second half”, expressed Badu Buck. The Dragons Rhondorf were led by Badu Buck with 21 points while Mamdou Diallo added 17 points and Marko Rosic had 15 points while Team Ehingen were led by Adam Thoseby with 32 points and Vincent Neugebauer had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Dragons Rhondorf shot 51% from the field and 47% from outside and had 44 rebounds and 12 turnovers while Team Ehingen shot 43% from the field and 38% from outside and had 36 rebounds and 23 turnovers.

Thomas Laerke (194-G-1991) is a 33 year old 194cm guard from Denmark that played in Germany this season with the Telekom Baskets Bonn 2 (Regionalliga) team averaging 13,5ppg, 5,0rpg, 3,5apg and 1,3spg. He spent time in the United States as a teenager and played at Findlay Prep. He returned back to Europe and played his first 3 pro seasons in Spain. He then spent his most successful time with Danish top club Bakken Bears playing there 9 seasons and winning 9 titles. He also spent time in Finland and Portugal. He spoke to germanhoops.com during the season about basketball.

Thanks Thomas for talking to germanhoops.com The other day I was checking German Regionalliga box scores and I saw your name. I thought wait a minute, he is playing in Germany. I remember seeing you play a Eurochallenge game almost 10 years ago in Frankfurt with Bakken. Usually guys like to find a home later in their career like you did with Bakken but instead after 9 years at Bakken you go to Germany and Portugal last season and this season in Germany at age 32. I guess you want to experience new cultures after such a long time in Denmark?

Yeah well, you almost make it sound like 32 is old! I plan on playing until I´m 38-40 years old. No but seriously. I have been in Bakken for a long time and I think it´s important to keep evolving. Not only as basketball player but also as a person. If you stay at the same place for a long time there is a chance that you stop getting better in life. Also if I only have 6 more years left why not try as much as possible!

What kind of an experience has it been playing for Telekom Baskets Bonn 2? What is your role? The typical veteran guy that brings leadership?

I have been here for a week now. It is a top professionel club and i haven’t met anyone that haven’t been nice yet so I can’t complain! Again you mention i’m a veteran like I´m old, but I guess i am one of the older players. My job is to help. My job is to do you what i can do to help us win

In your first game 17 year old German Janne Muller exploded for 38 points. How good is this kid? He had a great way of finding solutions for hi sage. What have do you enjoy most about his game?

It was literally the first time I’ve seen Janne! 38 is a lot on any level so I’m just going keep passing him the ball

Last season you had a short stay in Germany with the Kirchheim Knights. What memories do you have of that and why was it so short?

Yeah Kirchheim was cool. Again good people all around. I guess Germans are just nice people huh? It was really only a one month contract since I was an injury replacement. But it was a good month! Thank you Kirchheim!

Last season was a real rollar coaster ride. After Germany you spent time with Esgueira/Aveiro/OLI (Portugal-Liga Betclic) averaging 7.4ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.3apg, 2FGP: 46.2%, 3FGP: 37.3%, FT: 30.0%, in Mar.’23 signed at Aceitunas Fragata Moron (Spain-LEB Silver). How was this time? I guess you couldn´t complain about the weather?

Yeah but back to my first answer. Let me try as much as possible. I really loved Portugal. I really think that Liga Betclic is a really underrated league. Very very competitive league so that was really fun to play there! And when you live basically on the beach and the whether is nice it´s hard to complain.

Your best times as a professional player came with the Bakken Bears winning a total of 9 titles with 6 league titles and 3 cup titles. Which league title was the sweetest for you?

The best title was the first no doubt. I’m going be very honest and just say that the more titles you win the less it means. I know its wrong to say but after 6 in row you are expected to win. Which means i´ts not impressive if you win, it´s just bad if your bad if you don’t win big enough

How thankful are you in general for having been able to play so long with the Bakken Bears? The organization has made big strides in the last years especially with well known players. What kind of a player did you become with them during all those years?

Aw playing in Bakken is the best. I miss Bakken sometimes. If any of you players are reading this and have a chance to go play there go. It´s a club who is always trying to get better and do better. There is a culture that was built by players before me. A culture that’s hard to explain. It helped me mature a lot when I needed it!!

When you play together with guys for long, bonds do arise. How was it with Nicolai Iversen who you played many years early in your time at Bakken? Are you guys like brothers?

Sometimes it’s almost like the players that you’ve gone through the most struggle with is the players you have the strongest bond with. Of course Iversen is one of my closest basketball friends. The longer we play the more players we meet and we can’t become best friends with all of them but I think we all have a few that really sticks.

Later you won many titles with Ryan Evans and Michel Diouf. What memories will you always have with them on and off the court?

I had great times with them! What a lot people don’t realize is that some players here in Europe could play on a much higher level, maybe even NBA. Ryan Evans is one those players. He can play anywhere. One of the toughest competitors I know. Michel is just different. Ask anyone who has played with Mich. They will tell you that he is the funniest player ever! Best locker room guy. You don’t always understand what he is saying but it sounds funny

You were teammates with Quentin Peterson. He has made huge strides. He played NBA Summer League last summer. What do you remember being a woow moment with him on the court?

Man every practice was a wow moment. Few players can score like him. A player when you contest his shot and hopes he misses. But again that´s the thing. There are so many players. So many good players. I can’t understate enough how much it is about situations in our profession. QJ can score with the very very best of them.

Please name your top 5 teammates at Bakken Bears?

Morten Sahlertz 2 Nicolai Iversen 3 Chris Christoffersen 4 Deshawn Stephens 5 Michel/Ryan/Tyler Ong

You played your first 3 seasons in Spain from 2010-2013. How important were these early years for your basketball development?

Honestly I was a little bit too young mentally to get the most out of the experience. I didn’t fully understand that it is more important to be a good guy and teammate and maybe less about stats. It was humbling. And of course Spain is always a good basketball country! We had a coach, Angel Navarro, who kept stressing that I should go out and have drinks and stuff with me teammates. I just wanted to practice and that was it. I later realized that a good mix of those two are the healthiest. Unless you are Kobe Bryant. But im not.

You played against a young Marcus Errickson when he was with FC Barcelona 2? What memories do you have playing against other young players that later would become well known players?

Yeah I remember that i didn’t think much of him back then. But man he is skilled. floaters, threes you name it. Respect

You played a season at the well known school Findlay prep and was teammates with Canadians and future NBA players Cory Joseph and Tristan Thompson. What memories do you have of these guys. How did they treat you as a Danish kid on and off the court?

Of course they are great players. I would still say that i’ve played with and against better players but we know how it works with this job. Tristan understood the ways around professional basketball especially off the court at an early age. He understood the business side. He taught me about food. He taught me how to open a cup cake, put another cake and ice cream inside the cup cake and then put caramel on top. Great guy. Cory Joseph i just have one thing to say. He is a great, smart player but even a better person

Who was the toughest player that you ever faced that reached the NBA?

No doubt at all. Kyrie Irving for sure. We played him in high school. He knew how to dribble back then as well

Please name your 5 favorite European players of all-time?

That changes from day to day because I like players for a lot of different reasons.. But right now. 1 Gabriel Iffe 2 Nando De Colo 3 Juan Carlos Navarro 4 Jokic 5 Vasilije Micic

Who is your GOAT?

My goat right now is Jokic. Mostly because of his off season work.

Thanks Thomas for the chat.

It hasn´t been a glorious Albert Schweitzer tournament for the German U-17 squad coached by Dirk Bauerman as they went into the game against China with a 0-4 record. One can´t forget that Germany has a very young group of young men with little experience and had to cope with some real growing pains especially against Serbia where they mustered only 35 points, but as in all the other games gave it all they had, but just couldn´t compete with them in a way they would have liked for 40 minutes. Their next opponent was China who like them had not won yet and had been so close the day before losing a bitter 94-88 contest to Egypt in overtime. Germany had a night to rest and forget the Serbian game as quickly as possible as it had been a real learning experience and now were focused to finally get their first win against China. 24 hours after the tough loss to Serbia, Germany came out showing real heart and controlled the game against China until they gave China their first lead of the game at the 39,37 minute mark and they never looked back as Germany lost a difficult 63-62 game to China. “It was impressive how the boys came back after the loss to Serbia. It was a great performance at both ends of the court. The zone in the second half got to us. We didn´t have the needed experience and preparation to overcome that”, stressed Germany head coach Dirk Bauermann. China had a slow start, but step by step found to their game and never stopped fighting and in crunch-time had an ice cold Boyuan Zhang (203-F-2007) who was a walking bucket who scored 11 of the teams last 13 points to help them gain the last seconds win over Germany. “We had a slow start and nobody stepped up in the first half. In the second half we came back with real team spirit and improved our defense and played transition”, stressed Boyuan Zhang.

Xi Rui Feng at the FT line

In the first quarter it was all Germany as they left their Serbia blues behind them and just came together and played team basketball and had fun leading by 13 points after 10 minutes. Before anyone was really aware what happened in the gym, Germany was ahead 10-0. Germany found their offensive rhythm quickly finding their touch from outside as Vechta forward Marko Petric and Frankfurt´s Ivan Crnjac connected for three´s while uUm´s Jervis Scheffs connected for 4 points. Ivan Crnjac wasn´t only versatile on offense, but also was a menace on defense getting a big block. China finally got their first field goal at the 7,14 minute mark as Zhang drove to the rim for the bucket. Germany was playing with very high energy at both ends and continued to let it rain three´s as Colognes Kenan Reinhart and Ludwigsburg Julis Baumer let it fly for the comfortable 16-4 lead. China really couldn´t muster much offense. They had problems with Germany´s aggressive defense that did a great job on the quick and strong Chinese ball handlers and also were the better rebounding team. Zhang added another basket as his quick footing and rapid drive to the hoop gave Germany fits all day long. Petric closed out the first quarter with a lay in off the inbounds pass as Baumer found him in an instance as Germany led 18-5. “We started off giving the right signal. We showed that the loss to Serbia didn´t affect us”, said Dirk Bauermann.

Nevio Bennefeld with the finish

Germany continued to control the game well in the second quarter, but had a few down minutes at the end allowing China to creep closer trailing only by 7 points at half-time. Germany got the first baskets from Petric and a jumper from Alba Berlin big man Nevio Bennefeld. Germany did a good job closing the zone, but China got better into their game getting three´s from Jin Bo Fu and Zhang to trail 22-11. Germany stayed calm and executed their offense solidly as Scheffs showed his 1-1 qualities scoring on a spin move and Bennefeld remained aggressive making a 20 footer for the 26-15 advantage. Leverkusen big man Lukas Klein added a lay in on the pick and roll as Baumer found him and Germany led 29-15. At this point, it looked like Germany was on it´s way again to running away with the game, but China had other ideas. China closed out the second quarter strong with a 9-2 run to trail only 31-24 at the break. In the run China was fortified by getting to the free throw line. The damage could have been worse by China, but they missed 3 free throws. They also got big baskets from quick guard Fang Liu and walking bucket Boyuan Zhang. Germany had problems taking care of the ball as China´s aggressive on ball pressure annoyed their rhythm. Paderborn guard Tom Bruggerman closed out the second quarter with a lay in. Germany still had the lead, but China was threatening with their high tempo game.

Jin Bo Fu from outside

In the third quarter China continued to heighten their game and at one point trailed only by 3 points, but Germany made a valuable adjustment by totally getting big man Lukas Klein involved as he scored basket after basket and after 30 minutes Germany led 50-40. Germany was seeking that offensive flow from the first quarter, but just couldn´t find it as China just kept chipping back. China received free throws from big man Xi Rui Feng and another three pointer from Zhang to cut Germany´s lead down to 34-29. After Nevio Bennefeld scored on a pretty spin move, China reacted with a lay in from Li Lui off the no look pas from Yang Liu and free throws from Xi Rui Feng as Germany led only 36-33. Germany closed out the third quarter with a 13-7 run as Lukas Klein contributed 10 points as he was fed over and over in the paint area. Julis Baumer found him three times including once for a thunderous dunk. Germany did a fine job exploiting the big body of Klein and thus getting easy baskets. “China came back. They aren´t a bad team. There are always ups and down. That´s part of the game”, stated Dirk Bauermann. “We did a good job staying consistent and keeping the game close”, added Boyuan Zhang.

Lukas Klein at the FT line

In the fourth quarter China continued to fight and play their high energy style. They switched to zone and in crunch-time it was Boyuan Zhang who took matters into his own hands and just supplied a show for the audience. China got going quickly getting a lay in by Zhang and three pointer by Zheng Wang to trail Germany only 51-45. Jervis Scheffs then stepped up hitting back to back off balance shots showing that he can be that guy who can take over offensively when needed. “Jervis is a guy that can take over a game. He already showed that last season. He has nerves of steel”, commented Dirk Bauermann. Germany then got a transition bucket from Bennefeld to lead 57-48. Then it was time for the Boyuan Zhang show as he scored 11 unanswered points. Every play the ball went to him and nobody could stop him. He got to the free throw line netting 2 free throws while making a trey and 3 lay in´s to deadlock the contest at 59-59. “Coach adjusted our defense and we went to zone. They couldn´t score and we got transition baskets from our zone”, commented Boyuan Zhang. Scheffs then hit a massive three pointer with 1,17 to play to give Germany the 62-59 advantage. Wen Hao Fu then made a basket to trail Germany 62-61. After a Scheffs miss, Zhang made clutch free throws for the 63-62 lead with 23 seconds remaining. Germany had one last chance, but Scheffs jumper came up a little short. “I just knew that I needed to step up. I wanted to help my team. I enjoy taking the clutch shots”, smiled Boyuan Zhang. “We knew how dangerous Zhang was coming into the game. He hit big shots”, stressed Dirk Bauermann. China was led by Boyuan Zhang with 28 points and Xi Rui Feng added 10 points while Germany was led by Lukas Klein and Jervis Scheffs with 13 points a piece. China shot 35% from the field and 33% from outside and had 40 rebounds and 15 turnovers while Germany shot 35% from the field and 19% from outside and had 38 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

That Serbia would be an incredibly tough opponent to crack was no secret before the game started, but that Germany would lose a U-17 game at the Albert Schweitzer tournament by 63 points and only muster 35 points was an extremely tough pill to swallow. Germany came into the difficult game with a 0-3 record as they had only averaged 59 points per game and had coughed up the ball way too much while Serbia was 2-1 and were super strong on the boards getting 20 offensive rebounds on average. Germany would have to be extra physical on the boards, but simply couldn´t match Serbia´s intensity or physicality for 40 minutes and were crushed 98-35. The deficit grew every quarter from 15 to 30 to 40 and to 63 points as the horn sounded. If one observed head coach Dirk Bauermann on the sidelines, you could see a guy that was angry inside, but didn´t show it as much on the sidelines. These are 16 and 17 year old boys who are still young and are allowed to make mistakes. Serbia on the other hand were at another level and the ex Leverkusen super coach totally accepted that. “This was an extremely important learning lesson for my team. They witnessed a tough aggressive physical Serbian defensive team and very clever offensive team. It was a great experience where the boys had to get out of their comfort zone. It was an aha experience where they can get new motivation. They saw today that what they have been doing until now wasn´t enough. We have 6 guys missing that will probably play in the world cup and I think with them, this game would have looked a lot different”, stressed Germany head coach Dirk Bauermanm. Serbia played an incredible game from start to finish with little down phases and despite the big win head coach Branislav Ratkovica didn´t flash that massive winners smile, but was humble in the win. “We were older and had a lot more experience. Our focus going in was to play tough for 40 minutes and get on transition and get easy baskets. We knew that if we play good defense, our offense will follow. I was a little surprised by the end result. Germany is talented and have big bodies. The score didn´t show their real face”, warned Serbia head coach Bransilav Rathkovica.

Lukas Klein

Germany was without key players Declan Duro, Mathieu Grujicic, Fynn Lastring and Davi Remagen while Serbia was without captain Mitar Bosnjakovic who plays with Real Madrid and had won 3 Adidas Next Generation tournaments. Serbia didn´t waste any time jumping all over Germany. Serbia came out instantly with a high intensity as their best shooter Andrej Kostic connected twice once from the parking lot and high energy guard Savo Derzgic made free throws. Germany couldn´t come to terms with their aggressive pressure and didn´t score until the 6,29 minute mark as Ulm´s Jervis Scheffs made a lay in. Germany then saw some light at the end of the tunnel and got a 4 point play by Alba Berlin´s big man Nevio Bennefeld and a lay in by MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg guard Julis Baumer as suddenly Germany trailed only 10-8. But that didn´t faze the versatile and deep Serbian squad as they punched back with a 16-3 run to lead 26-11 after 10 minutes. In the run, Serbian was fortified by 5 different players in the points department as Aleksa Stanojevic, the son of ex Alba Berlin great Jovo Stanojevic showed his dunking qualities while defensive specialist Marko Tofoski showed he can attack scoring twice in the paint while Ognjen Srzentic made a steal and dunk and high energy guard Aleksandar Vojinovic (196-F-2006) dropped a trey for the damage. “We knew going in that we had to be focused. Sometimes a game can become difficult if you let the opponent play. We came in very concentrated and played like we were”, said Branislav Ratkovic. Serbia shot 52% from the field and 44% from outside and had 14 rebounds and 5 turnovers while Germany shot 33% from the field and 40% from outside and had 3 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

Milos Sojic at the FT line

In the second quarter Serbia was able to heighten their game at both ends especially on defense as Germany almost went 7 minutes without scoring as they held them to only 5 points. Serbia continued to play with incredible on ball pressure and produced stop after stop while on offense they continued to execute at an efficient rate. Serbia stopped Germany 6 times and in this period got buckets from Srzentic, free throws from Milos Sojic, a massive dunk by Kostic and a offensive rebound and pretty hook shot by Aleksa Vlajic for the 34-11 advantage. Germany couldn´t hit the ocean including the non contested shots which was very bitter especially on a day where little was falling. Serbia was making good decisions in the set play. There could have been more damage, but Serbia was in a phase now where they weren´t executing as well. After 10 Serbian stops, Germany finally got on the score board in the second quarter with a trey from Ludwigsburg guard Julis Baumer at the 3,25 minute mark. But that instant spark by Germany didn´t faze Serbia as they ended the second quarter with a swift 12-3 run to lead 46-16 at the break. Stanojevic continued to be an offensive force as he scored on transition and also made a big dunk while Aleksa Dimitrijevic nailed a three pointer as did Drezgic. “We played our best defense of the game in that 7 minute span. Our aggressiveness and long arms were key. When we raise our arms, there isn´t much space. They did miss open shots, but when your constantly being pressured and using energy, even those shots are tough to make”, said Branislav Ratkovica. Serbia shot 52% from the field and 40% from the three point line and had 26 rebounds and 10 turnovers while Germany shot 23% from the field and 25% from outside and had 12 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

In the third quarter the dominating play of Serbia continued as their offense remained consistent and there was little change on defense they continued to play with high intensity not giving Germany anything easy. Both teams had problems executing in the first few minutes as both teams were stopped 4 times a pierce. Stzentic finally put Serbia on the board which was followed by a Tofosci lay in as Serbia led 53-16. Germany then finally got on the board for the first time in the third quarter as Ivan the universal genius Crnjac made a lay in. Germany then had some positive possessions as Bennefeld made a crushing dunk and lay in as Germany trailed only 57-22. Germany now was definatley more relaxed and got better looks and made better decisions. Serbia continued to score when they wanted to as Duric and Stanojevic scored, but Germany was aggressive as Ivan Crnjac who had been cold in the first half got to the free throw line twice and Scheffs made a beautiful finger tip roll in ala Tiny Archibald as Germany trailed 65-27. However Serbia simply had too many weapons and showed how anyone can go off at any time as Vojinovic got going in the last minutes scoring and getting to the free throw line twice as Serbia led 69-29 after 30 minutes. “We never let up. We continued to be tough mentally. I always push them to be consistent with no let ups”, added Branislav Ratkovica. Serbia shot 50% from the field and 31% from the parking lot and had 38 rebounds and 13 turnovers while Germany shot 25% from the field and 14% from the parking lot and had 22 rebounds and 17 turnovers.

Andrej Kostic from outside

In the fourth quarter Serbia continued to march down the court as if they owned it as Germany seemed to be counting down the seconds until the fiasco was finally over. Serbia once again began with a lightening strike going on a 20-0 run to lead 89-29. In the run Serbia was led by the always aggressive Aleksandar Vojinovic as he had his most potent stretch of the game contributing 9 points. With most Germans already pooped, he just seemed to be like the Duracell energy bunny as he ran up and down the court as if it was only the third minute of the first quarter. As usual Serbia was aided by everyone as Sojic scored and Tofoski added a trey while the bench also came up big as Andrija Duric scored as did Stefan Pilsnic on transition. Germany was always a step slow or maybe 2 or 3 steps to slow and just were on 1-2 levels lower than Serbia with the intensity and physicality. It really looked like a game of men among boys. Young 15 year old raw talent Killian Duck of FC Bayern Munich finally got Germany´s first points of the fourth quarter with a lay in. Baumer added that with a dunk and Germany had had their first and only 4-0 run of the game to trail 89-33. But there would be no more German runs, but Serbia slammed the door shut on Germany for good with a 9-2 run to end the game. In the run Serbia was sparked by Stefan Pilsnic who looked anything like a boy with his shaved head producing 7 points as he scored from all areas from the near, mid and long distance. “We know that we have good players. We just want to be the best with what we have. We know that we are talented offensively, but if we also step it up on defense then we know that we can beat anyone”, warned Branislav Ratkovica. “Today everyone saw a game of men vs boys. My boys saw how intense the game is internationally. Now we have to get used to it. It was a great experience for them to see what they still have to do to get better”, warned Dirk Bauermann. Serbia was led by Aleksandar Vojinovic with 16 points. Savo Drezgic added 14 points while Aleksa Dimitrijevic had 12 points while Germany was led by Nevio Bennefeld with 8 points and Ivan Crnjac had 7 points. Serbia shot 53% from the field and 34% from outside and had 53 rebounds and 18 turnovers while Germany shot 23% from the field and 9% from outside and had 29 rebounds and 24 turnovers.

U of Kentucky pic credit

Sacha Killeya-Jones (212-C/F-1998, college: NC State) is a 25 year old 212cm center that was born in Highland park, New Jersey and is playing his first season with ACB team Surne Bilbao Basket. He began his basketball career at Virginia Episcopal school and then played 2 seasons at the University Of Kentucky (NCAA) playing 48 NCAA games. He began his professional career in 2018 with GBA Sparta Praha (Czech Republic-1Liga) averaging 18.7ppg, 8.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 53.7%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 66.7%. In the 2019-2020 season he balled with BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn (Estonia-EstLatBL) averaging 10.6ppg, 3.9rpg, FGP: 61.1%, FT: 64.7%. In the 2020-2021 season he played with MKS Dabrowa Gornicza (Poland-EBL) averaging 19.0ppg, 8.9rpg, 2.0apg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 60.8%, 3PT: 18.2%, FT: 64.4%. In the 2021-2022 season he played with Hapoel Galil Gilboa (Israel-Winner League) averaging 18.4ppg, Reb-5 (7.6rpg), 1.1apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 67.2%. Last season he played with Oklahoma City Blue (NBA G League) averaging 7.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.2apg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 62.1%, 3PT: 22.6%, FT: 58.3%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a Fiba Europe Cup game against the Niners Chemnitz.

Thanks Sacha for talking to germanhoops.com. Your playingyour first season for : Surne Bilbao Basket (ACB). Whatkind of an experience has it been playing for thisorganization. What have you appreciated most aboutthis club?

It has been really fun being able to play here in Spain. The cities’ location and the Clubs facilities have made it my favorite experience so far overseas.

2 years ago you led the Israeli Winners league in scoring and then played in the G-League. It took you 6 years to get to the best league in Europe. What was your biggestchallenge in the last years in being able to get to the ACB?

Honestly I feel it’s been injuries, I had a small knee injury in my rookie year of 2019 that led to me missing 3 months before going to Kalev, and this injury also led to me tearing my patella tendon in late 2020 and missing a full year. After that I came back and had a great year in Israel, and a good summer league with the Lakers. I decided to take a risk go to take an Exhibit-10 deal with the Thunder. After a great training camp I broke my toe the 2nd game of the year, and missed 90% of the G-League season because of it. I was lucky enough to get this opportunity in the ACB after that and I think I’m now proving that I belong.

You had very strong games in a loss to FC Barcelona and a 3 point loss to Real Madrid. What do you feel does your game still need to have to someday be able to suit up for a Euroleague team?

I think I just need to continue to develop my reading of the game, I can be turnover prone sometimes when I’m trying to do too much. But I’ve learned a lot this year and I’m getting better every game.

You fill the stat sheet like no other and are an excellent defender. What do you still need to do to become an elite 2-way player?

Consistency, I think I’m doing well blocking shots and scoring the ball this year. But if I can limit turnovers and continue to be a consistent threat from 3, with the addition of continuing to develop my PnR defense, I can take the next step.

You played the last 2 summers in the G-League with the Los Angeles Lakers. What kind of a feeling was it wearing the Lakers jersey? Did you ever meet Magic Johnson or other legends?

I’m really grateful to the Lakers for giving me that opportunity the last 2 years. There’s a lot of great people in that organization that taught me about the game and were fun to be around. It was an awesome experience that I won’t forget.

You were teammates with Scottie Pippen and Shaq´s son. What were these guys like. What will youremmeber most about them?

Shareef and Scottie are great guys, both down to earth and making their own paths.

You played a season with the Oklahoma City Blue (NBA G League) averaging 7.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 1.2apg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 62.1%, 3PT: 22.6%, FT: 58.3%. How tough is it in general to make your mark when you arent averaging 30 minutes a game and everyone is else is palying for their stats. What positives could you take from your G-League season?

It’s always tough in the G-league with everybody competing for shots and trying to showcase their skills, especially in a guard dominated league. Coming off of my injury and missing most of the season, I was just trying to get my footing and show how I can affect the game. Which I think I did the last 3 games of the year. I think if I had stayed healthy I would’ve had a very different year.

What was the best example in the G-League where you saw at close hand that the NBA will always be a business first?

On any G-League team you will always see guys who are assigned down from the NBA team be given a ton of minutes and shots. I think it can be difficult some times for guys who are starting in the G to have to change their role week to week.

You played the 21-22 season with Hapoel Galil Gilboa (Israel-Winner League) averaging (18.4ppg), Reb-5 (7.6rpg), 1.1apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 67.2%. Was your 18/14 game in the 87-83 win over Euroleague team Maccabi Tel Aviv one of your best wins as a pro? What memories do you have of that game?

That Maccabi game was super fun, it was by far the best crowd we had in Galil and we fought super hard for that win. Definitely a win I’m really proud of.

You played the 20-21 season with MKS DabrowaGornicza (Poland-EBL) averaging19.0ppg, 8.9rpg, 2.0apg, 2.0bpg, FGP: 60.8%, 3PT: 18.2%, FT: 64.4%,. What memories do you have of thisCovid season? You played well despite all the restrictions of COVID.

My biggest memory of this year was unfortunately my injury. It was really disappointing considering how well I was playing, I felt I was on pace to have a breakout year.

You played the 2019-2020 season with BC Kalev/CramoTallinn (Estonia-EstLatBL) averaging 10.6ppg, 3.9rpg, FGP: 61.1%, FT: 64.7%. You played your first VTB game against top Euroleague team CSKA Moscow and played against guys like Mike James, Mr Euroleague Kyle Hines and other ex NBA players. What do you remmeber being eye opening playing against a club like that?

I think on the scouting report they had 8 or 9 guys shooting over 40% from 3 and we lost by like 30 points. It really showed me that there’s a lot of levels to competition in Europe.

You played your rookie season with at GBA Sparta Praha (Czech Republic-1Liga) averaging18.7ppg, 8.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.6bpg, FGP: 53.7%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 66.7%. What do you remmeber being yourwake up call where you knew that you were far awayfrom home?

The food is always the biggest wake up call. Anytime I can’t order Korean wings on Uber Eats I know I’m not home.

You played 2 seasons at Kentucky (NCAA) winning the SEC title in 2017 and 2018. Which title was sweeter?

2018, that was a fun SEC run and the championship game against Tennessee was one of my favorite games of my college career.

You averaged 6 minutes as a freshman and 13 minutes in yoursecond season. You had 7 future NBA players each season on the roster. What positives do you feel did your game get from the Wildcats experience?

I learned a lot. How to become a more physical player, mental toughness, what real conditioning feels like, how to deal with fan expectations and the media, how to play in front of huge crowds. There are countless things I’m grateful for from my time at UK.

You played with top NBA players like DeAaron Fox or Shai Gilgeous Alexander and many more. Which teammate had the biggest impact on you in those 2 years?

I probably learned the most from playing against Bam everyday. Just having to figure out how to fight against a guy that is strong and athletic when I was a skinny 17/18 year old, it was great for my development.

How did head coach John Calipari groom and prepare you best for a professional career?

He did a great job of teaching us how to deal with media and fans. How to be professional about taking care of our bodies in practice and staying on top of our skill work.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Bam Adebayo?

-I’ve never lost a 1-1 ever ever.

Who was the toughest player that you have ever faced in yourcareer that reached the NBA?

Taco Fall when I was 16 and 185 pounds.

Please list your 5 best teammates of all-time?

-It’s impossible to only name 5. It’s honestly a tie between Unai Barandalla, Adam Smith, Kristian Kullamae, Alex Reyes, My sons Alex Renfroe and Melwin Pantzar… Deeeeenzel11, Gio Tsalmpouris, Thijs De Ridder, Tomeo Rigo, Tryggvi Hlinason, Keith Hornsby and Xavi Rabaseda.

Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore?

-2016 Lebron, 2013 Lebron, 2018 Lebron and 2009 Lebron

Who is your basketball Goat and why?

-Bron, no explanation needed,

Did you see the sequel to the classic coming to america? Shouldn´t they have left it alone?

-Nope. But as a bonus question. The best movie of all time is Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai. “There is something to be learned from a rainstorm. When meeting with a sudden shower, you try not to get wet and run quickly along the road. By doing such things as passing under the eaves of houses, you still get wet. When you are resolved from the beginning, you will not be perplexed, though you will still get the same soaking. This understanding extends to all things.”

Thanks Sacha for the chat.

I don´t know how many guys I have interviewed in my life that have answered yes that they have a chip on their shoulder, but I know it´s been many. You know those special players who can do it all, but for whatever reasons have been doubted their whole career or even been a bit off the main stream radar. These guys are all over the place overseas. Personally they are my favorite guys to interview, because they always have a special story to tell and just have the biggest hearts. If you were to ask Dustin Sleva (203-F-1995, college: Shippensburg, agency: Octagon Europe), a guy who played NCAA 2 and had to pay his dues in the France Pro B for 3 years if he has a chip on his shoulder, then it would only be self-evident that the answer would be yes. He had to grind for so many years and now it has all paid off. He currently is showing his extra ordinary basketball talent in Europe´s top league after the Euroleague called ACB in Spain with team Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB. He has been having a solid season in the ACB and Basketball Champions League and I´m sure even with his current success, the chip on his shoulder will never go away. “I’m fortunate that I was able to get this opportunity to play in Murcia. Everywhere I go I love to play with a chip on my shoulder and show people what I’m capable of”, stressed Dustin Sleva. This season he did something very unique in that he helped defeat FC Barcelona and Real Madrid where he scored 14 points against the latter and battled against so many former NBA players like Jabari Parker and Sergio Rodriguez just to name a few. “Playing against Jabari Parker was very surreal for me. I used to watch him play at Duke when I was playing division 2 and always dreamed to play against the blue blood university’s but I never got that chance. That’s why playing in Europe at a high level is amazing. I get to play against all the guys that starred at the big schools that I didn’t get to chance to play for or against”, stated Dustin Sleva.

But before Dustin Sleva who mentions ex Crailsheim and current Miami Heat guard Haywood Highsmith being his toughest cover in the NCAA 2 could play against FC Barcelona, he had to pay his dues as a player. He was born on September 23, 1995 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his basketball career at Montour high school and then had a stellar career at Shippensburg University (NCAA2) playing a total of 103 games winning a PSAC title and reaching the D-2 Sweet 16. He was able to improve his scoring average each season. In his freshman season he averaged 9.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.1apg, FGP: 64.1%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 72.7% and in his second season averaged 15.8ppg, 11.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 39.2%, FT: 77.5%. His game really took off in his last 2 seasons as he averaged 21.7ppg, 10.7rpg, 3.5apg, FGP: 59.9%, 3PT: 41.1%, FT: 80.1% and in his senior year averaged 21.4ppg, 10.8rpg, 3.0apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 37.4%, FT: 82.4%. He was able just to be himself and had a lot of freedom. He had some massive games against Slippery Rock, Indiana PA and Kutztown and remembers exactly what his favorite game was there. “I would say the PSAC Semi final at Indian University was the most memorable game in my career. We beat them at home and then went on to win the championship”, said Dustin Sleva. In his last 2 seasons he played 61 games and scored in double figures in each game. He scored 30 points or more 5 times and 20 points or more 36 times. He also registered 36 double doubles. He wouldn´t have become the player he did when he left without the stellar guidance from head coach Chris Fite. “Coach Fite was a similar player to me so he really understood my game and put me in positions to excel. I am forever indebted to him after he took a chance on me and jump started my career.”, added Dustin Sleva. During his years there, he battled 2 future easyCredit players with Kameron Taylor now in the ACB and Rasheed Moore in Germany. “Kameron and I still talk when we play against each other. Rasheed and I battled a lot in our years playing together. There’s a different type of respect you have for those guys that came from the PSAC. It’s not easy at all to be able to grind through d2 then through those lower leagues in Europe to be able to make it to the top”, stressed Dustin Sleva who remembers having no chance in the post as a freshman against teammate Dylan Edgar in 1-1 battles in practice. He picked awards there like ll-PSAC Eastern Division First Team -2016, 17, NABC NCAA D2 All-Atlantic District Second Team -2016, All-PSAC East Division Player of the Year -2017, 18, NABC NCAA D2 All-Atlantic District First Team -2017, 18, NABC NCAA D2 All-Americans Team -2017, 18, and All-PSAC East Division First Team -2018.

The modern day forward who lists Gautier Dennis, Nick Kellogg, David Kramer, Braydon Hobbs, Ryan Boatright, Evans Ganapamo and all his Murcia teammates as his best teammates of all-time came overseas in 2018 and did something extremely rare playing 4 seasons with one club Paris Basketball. Something like that just doesn´t happen often with money being thrown around and players moving on to the next best contract. Did he ever think of becoming a team lifer? “Of course, I thought I was going to finish my career with Paris. Looking back it is a little naive to think about that but I believe that everything happens for a reason. I was in a tough place that last year and it was hard for me to leave. I grew as a person and player when I did leave. I love the club and I’m still in contact with a lot of the staff there. I’m hoping they win Eurocup and finish in euroleague next season. It’s incredible to see the progress from my first year to what the club is doing now. Paris is like my second home and I grew up a lot in the 5 years that I was there. I learned French, met my fiancé there and still have a lot of close friends from my time in France”, remembered Dustin Sleva. Like every other American, he had a wake up call and it was a monumental one. “I have too many memories to put here. I would need to write a book. I think I matured 10 years in 1 in my first year in Paris. I was in a big city alone without knowing the language, not really knowing how to cook and also learning how to be a professional. My wake up moment was probably getting crushed my Nantes in my first professional game. But not my only one”, stressed Dustin Sleva. In his third season with Paris he helped the team move up to the Pro A averaging 14.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 43.0%, FT: 87.4%. He was able to develop under head coach Jean-Christophe Pratt and helped understand Euro ball. “Coach Pratt took me from an American basketball player to a European basketball player. He basically taught me all the basics of spacing and positioning on the floor. It’s not easy to be able to have patience with a rookie American but he gave me a lot of patience and tough love”, commented Dustin Sleva. He was surrounded by incredible teammates including Daniel Dillion and Jevohn Shepherd who steered him in the most positive direction on and off the court. “Those guys were like my dad that year. I still talk to both of them today. They both gave me a lot of confidence and also taught me how to be a pro. They were great teammates and are great friends to me”, expressed Dustin Sleva. In his fourth season, he proved that he could be a solid player in the Pro A averaging 11.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 37.5%, FT: 71.2%. He scored in double figures in 19 games including 23 points against Roanne and 22 points against ChalonsReims, but it was another game where he scored 9 points that was his most memorable. “My favorite game was my last game against Levallois away to secure our spot in the league and also playing at Bercy arena in front of my family who were visiting and having a great game against Monaco”, said Dustin Sleva.

The Pennsylvania native who lists Lebron, Jordan, Bird and Magic on his personal NBA Mount Rushmore played NBA Summer League in the summer of 2022 with the Golden State Warriors playing 4 games and averaging 2.8ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.0spg. He was really fortunate to have played against historic teams like the Celtics and Lakers, but it was actually meeting a basketball legend that made his experience in Las Vegas the greatest. “Summer League was an incredible experience. I actually had to play my way into a spot in the Vegas summer league team. I was only supposed to play in the Classic in San Francisco, but after playing a couple good games the organization invited me to Vegas. I was thrilled. I learned a lot. My greatest memory was being able to talk about European basketball with Dejan Milojevic. In the short time I was with him I was able to pick his brain about rebounding and different concepts on defense and offense. That time was even more precious now after he sadly passed away. For him to spend extra time with me to work on my game when he didn’t have to was really special to me. I was so fortunate to be able to learn from one of the best”, stressed Dustin Sleva. Even if he got worthwhile advice form the Warriors coaching staff, it is Milojevic that will forever stay most in his mind. “I learned a lot from everyone there. Like I said before, “Deke” taught me a lot. I understand more about the NBA concepts and life. I never had an opportunity like that before and I believe I made the most of it”, warned Dustin Sleva. After beginning last season with Paris Basketball (France-Betclic ELITE ProA) averaging 3.4ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.3apg in the pro A and 6.4ppg, 3.1rpg, 1.0apg, 2FGP: 61.5%, 3FGP: 36.4%, in the Eurocup, his run ended there after after 19 games and he finished the season in Germany with the Basketball Lowen Braunschweig. He needed no time to adjust and joined a special program that was on the rise under head coach Jesus Ramirez. It was a short time, but crucial in his development after leaving Paris. “Playing is Braunschweig truly helped me grow as a basketball player. Jesus played a huge role in developing my game further and he and Kostas Papazoglou also gave me loads of confidence after I left Paris. I really needed that at that time. He’s a great coach and Braunschweig is a great city and a great place to play. They are progressing with a young team and it is fun to watch them battle for playoff position this year. We battled with every team. We were tough and young. It’s the clubs DNA and I am proud that I played a role to help the team stay in the BBL. He averaged 13.4ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 58.0%, 3PT: 47.2%, FT: 70.7%. He showed his consistency scoring in double figures in 16 of 20 games including a 31 point outburst in a win over Wurzburg.

This season the American who calls Lebron James his Goat has made the jump to Universidad Catolica de Murcia CB (Spain-ACB) as they are the big surprise of the ACB season currently in fourth place. As usual the secret of the success is having a good understanding between an ambitious coach and having many guys with chips on their shoulders, “I think coach Sito gives us our identity as a tough team that fights and our gm Alejandro, did a great job to put our team together with a bunch of guys that are unselfish and play to the limit of each play. We take pride in our defense and enjoy playing with each other”, stressed Dustin Sleva. 3 special teammates are Howard Sant-Roos a guy that played with his ex team Braunschweig more than a decade ago on their farm team and was teammates with Dennis Schroeder before he was in the NBA and guards Dylan Ennis and Troy Caupain who are 2 players that could be playing in the Euroleague. “ Howard and I actually talk about Braunschweig a lot. We both enjoyed our time there. I love playing with Howard. He gives me a ton of advice especially defensively and he is one of our anchors on defense. He’s helped me improve a lot defensively just by watching him and also from his advice that he gives me. Dylan and Troy are excellent at what they do. Dylan gives us unlimited amount of energy and he seems to always be the guy that hits those important shots throughout the game. Troy is a true floor general. He has all the intangibles of a true point guard. He knows the ins and outs of each player and how to keep everyone involved throughout the game. They are both extremely important for us”, warned Dustin Sleva. The big surprise team now have a quarterfinal date with German team MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg and he has some revenge on his mind. Last season, he suffered a gruesome 93-92 loss to them scoring 11 points, but fouling out. “That was a game that we had and needed at the time and it was a devastating loss. I remember that they are a tough team that likes to play physical and fast. It’ll be fun to match up with them again. I think the tougher team will win. They are a tough team like us with talented players”, added Dustin Sleva.

The modern day forward who feels that sequels usually should be left alone is a player that compares his game to a Kevin Love. At first glance, one would always mention shooting as the biggest strength in his game, but it is actually something else something that Fraport Skyliner legend Quantez Robertson was also known for in his game. “I would say the strength that would get me the farthest is my shooting ability but I would have to say that my high motor is my biggest strength. It not only allows me to give it all in every game but also allows me to put in quality individual work each day”, said Dustin Sleva. This season in the ACB, he is averaging 8,0ppg and 4,0rpg in 21 minutes of action while shooting 37,5% from outside while in the Basketball Champions League he is averaging 10,3ppg, 4,7rpg and 1,4apg in 23 minutes of work while shooting 34% from the parking lot. He has reached 40% or better from outside 4 times in a season in the pro´s and twice in the NCAA2. He knows that he still has to grind to reach that elite status. “I always like to think of myself as the best shooter on the court no matter who is on the court. I love to play with this level of confidence because of the work that I put in to be a great shooter. But I can definitely improve in many areas. I wouldn’t say elite yet. I’m improving on becoming a better shooter off of screens and on the move. I always been a great pick and pop and spot up shooter. To take that next step to be truly elite, I want to work to be able to be able to knock down shots off pin downs and go screens at full speed and contested. Those are truly elite shooters in my eyes”, warned Dustin Sleva. In the ACB, you meet the best players overseas and you can´t take a play off. He has always been a solid defender and came into the ACB with the right mind set defensively and it has paid off for him. “I think this year has been the best defensive year of my career. My motor and intensity each play plays a huge role in that but also being able to learn from coach Sito, Rodions Kurucs and Howard have helped me tremendously. I would say I’m a good defender. I take pride in my defense. I want to help the team in any way I can. I never want to be a liability”, stressed Dustin Sleva. It will be interesting to see where his basketball journey will go as he is high up on the ladder at the moment. Is he satisfied now? I doubt it. He isn´t finished yet with his climb as that chip is always on his shoulder which has helped him through out his career be the best player he can be.

Even if the Fraport Skyliners entered the Munster game in third place, there had to be an uneasy feeling with head coach Denis Wucherer. Ok so one can get swept by Trier, but getting swept in the season series by a sixth placed team like Hagen in the crunch-time part of the regular season has to be disheartening. In this phase of the season, teams have to be focused and tweeking everything for the post season. No team in the Pro A is a cake walk and for Frankfurt they had to be ready for the next annoying opponent with the Uni Baskets Munster. They were currently in 8th place and one of the surprise teams of the season. They have been playing really spirited basketball as of late winning 7 of their last 8 games and showing that they want to reach the post season. They have had a knack this season of winning a hand full of crunch-time games and wanted revenge for the bitter 91-67 loss to Frankfurt in their living room at the start of the season. The Uni Baskets Munster were a much different team then and the Fraport Skyliners had to be ready. Frankfurt was ready and once again destroyed the Uni Baskets Munster by the score of 91-60. The Fraport Skyliners showed again why they are the leagues best defensive team while offensively totally overpowered the guests hitting 13 three´s as 8 Skyliners connected and shot 53% from the 2 point area and demolished them on the boards 54-28. “We began well on defense bothering their 2 best players Scott and Touray. That led us to play good team defense and we sustained it well for 40 minutes. On offense we really got all we could as they allowed us everything. We also hit many shots which helped”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Ife Ajayi. The Uni Baskets Munster had no identity on defense and on offense weren´t able to share the ball. They reached their peak and now are struggling to make the palyoffs. Their unacceptable play for 40 minutes led one to wonder how they could be playing for the playoffs. “We didn´t come out to fight and had no energy. We went a lot farther than people expected us to come this season. We have to play like a playoff team now, but we aren´t doing that. We only beat 1 playoff team this season with Jena”, stressed Uni Baskets forward Nathan Scott.

Ife Ajayi at the FT line

It didn´t surprise anyone that on Easter Sunday and the weather surprisingly warm for late March that only 2,400 people came to watch the game. The Fraport Skyliners had their woes as big men Lorenz Brenneke and Jacob Knauf were out, but after 40 minutes one could of carefully proclaimed that they didn´t need them on this afternoon. But those who did come saw a great start by the Fraport Skyliners as they jumped all over Munster rapidly to lead 9-2. Frankfurt let it rain three´s early as Canadians David Munekat and Aiden Warnholtz scored while ex Vechta forward Justin Onyejiaka used his great athleticism and attacking to score in the paint. Frankfurt began aggressively on defense not letting Munster inside the paint. Munster then was rewarded by 5 points from ex Skyliner Cosmo Gruehn who played youth basketball with Isaac Bonga back in the day. However Munster couldn´t make any ground as Muenkat got in the zone quickly connecting two more times from the parking lot lifting Frankfurt to the 19-9 lead. Frankfurt was focused and had a high intensity and defensively didn´t let the guests get into a flow and slowed down Scott and Touray nicely. Frankfurt continued to be super aggressive offensively as their bench stepped up as ex EWE Baskets guard Kevin Mcclain scored twice inside as Frankfurt led 25-11. However Frankfurt wasn´t able to close out the first quarter with the momentum as they allowed Munster on a 6-1 run to trail only 26-17. In the run, it was less Munster team play, but more superb isolation from the Americans as ex Shippensburg (NCAA2) guard Carlos Carter made 2 off balance shots and ex Auburn Montgomery (NCAA) American James Graham also scored. “We knew we had to make up for missing 2 of our bigs. We are a deep team and came out strong on the right note. We felt it early on offense and locked up on defense. Our play gave us a lot of self confidence”, warned Ife Ajayi. The Fraport Skyliners shot 63% from the field and 50% from outside and had 11 rebounds and 4 turnovers while the Uni Baskets Munster shot 38% from the field and 17% from outside and had 7 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

James Graham with the shot

In the second quarter the Fraport Skyliners continued to control the game and stayed consistent at both ends and upped their lead to 21 points at half-time. Frankfurt continued to execute beautifully and went on a 19-7 run to begin the second frame to lead 42-24. In the run, it was the David Muenkat (201-F-2000, college: St.Francis X.) show as he connected on 15 of the 19 points and was a one man wrecking crew as he had 22 points at the break. He nailed one three pointer, but did most of his damage with his overpowering play and aggressiveness on the drive. He scored a pretty lay in where he used every once of his athleticism and then followed it up on the next play with a tap in. You don’t only see acrobatic dunks or massive blocks in his tool box. “He is young and I´m so proud how he has played. He is so versatile. We talked a lot this week that we have to shoot more. He had a great night. When he gets in a flow, his confidence rises”, stated Ife Ajayi. But it wasn´t only Muenkat who was doing damage but also Justin Onyejiaka who followed him with back to back baskets as he scored 5 points and Frankfurt had the 47-26 advantage. Defensively the Fraport Skyliners were tough and kept the zone closed which continued to force the guests to tough shots. If there was one guy who could make the off balance shot then it was James Graham as he connected twice in the last minutes while also be a force on defense swatting away 2 balls. “I take pride on 1-1 plays. I love defense though. I never want guys scoring on me. I always like the challenge to guard 1-5. I´ll guard anyone”, warned James Graham. Fraport Skyliner Jordan Samare closed out the second quarter with a trey after getting the kick out pass from Booker Coplin as Frankfurt had the comfortable 51-30 lead. “Our team defense carried over to our offense. We didn´t let them into the zone. We take a lot of pride of being the best defensive team. We switched 1-5 and our half court trap annoyed them as well as our constant pressure”, added Ife Ajayi. The Fraport Skyliners shot 54% from the field and 40% from the three point line and had 26 rebounds and 6 turnovers while the Uni Baskets Munster shot 37% from the field and 20% from the three point line and had 14 rebounds and 8 turnovers.

Justin Onyejiaka with the shot

In the third quarter the Fraport Skyliners continued to be consistent at both ends and execute well as they scored 27 points and upped their lead to a mind boggling 34 points. In the first minutes the Fraport Skyliners lost a little focus as they seemed blinded a bit by their big lead. The Uni Baskets Munster had some misfortune as James Graham was hit with a technical foul. However ex Bucknell (NCAA) guard Avi Toomer who won 2 Patriot League titles nailed back to back shots and Nathan Scott who played at Central Washington (NCAA) hit a three pointer as Frankfurt led only 56-38. The guests profited off careless Frankfurt turnovers. After Marco Voeller made free throws, Adam Touray who played 4 easyCredit BBL games made back to back lay in´s as Munster finally found some ways inside to trail 58-42. However as if this seemed to be Munster´s calling card to continue their run, they were smothered by a lethal 20-2 Frankfurt run to decide the game after 30 minutes as Frankfurt led 78-44. In the run the Fraport Skyliners weren´t aided by David Muenkat who surprisingly remained scoreless in the third quarter, but were led by the duo of Ife Ajayi and the Swiss army knife Cameron Henry who played at Indiana State with 8 points a piece. Ajayi added 2 three´s, while Henry displayed his fine 2 way player skills also making a three pointer and reverse lay in. “We gave up. Coach kept saying we have to play like a playoff team, but we didn´t. Our biggest weakness was our passing. We didn´t pass the ball and had too many turnovers and were destroyed on the boards”, said Nathan Scott. “We noticed they were going to roll over. We knew we had to tap them out. We never let up on defense continuing to make them work hard for every shot”, commented Ife Ajayi. The Fraport Skyliners shot 53% from the field and 43% from the parking lot and had 38 rebounds and 10 turnovers while the Uni Baskets Munster shot 37% from the field and 24% from the parking lot and had 18 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

Cosmo Gruehn from downtown

In the fourth quarter as is usually the case when your up big, the Fraport Skyliners let up, but still defended with heart and passion allowing only 16 points and easily sealing up the home win. The Fraport Skyliners actually began off hot going on a 8-1 run to extend their lead to 86-46 as McClain and Ajayi connected for three´s and ex Alba Berlin German Nolan Adekunle made a floater. The game was long decided now and the Fraport Skyliners checked out mentally allowing the Uni Baskets Munster to end the game with a 14-5 run. In the run the guests were led by Cosmo Gruehn who scored 8 points with 2 three´s and American Carlos Carter scored 5 points. With 2,28 to play, the Fraport Skyliners had 5 Germans on the court something you see rarely in the pro A. “It was cool to see so many Germans on the court at the same time. It was nice to see Bruno Albrecht get a lot of minutes. It was a tough week for us with injuries so coach rested Muenkat and let the Germans play more”, stated Ife Ajayi. “I really have no answer for how we played today. We didn´t play like a playoff team. We play lesser teams now and have to win”, warned Nathan Scott. The Fraport Skyliners were led by David Muenkat with 22 points and 12 rebounds while Ife Ajayi added 15 points and Justin Onyejiaka had 12 points. The Uni Baskets Munster were led by Jasper Guenther and Carlos Carter with 10 points a piece. The Fraport Skyliners shot 45% from the field and 37% from outside and had 54 rebounds and 14 turnovers while the Uni Baskets Munster shot 38% from the field and 26% from outside and had 28 rebounds and 15 turnovers.