EuroCup

18 year Old French Phenom Theo Maledon Lifts LDLC Asvell Villerbanne Past The Fraport Skyliners 70-58 In Eurocup Action

The last time the Fraport Skyliners won a game, it was 2018 and some holiday lovers were still digesting their Christmas food while others were already in the gym working on shaving some pounds off their frames. Now a few weeks into 2019 the 2000 BBL cup winner Fraport Skyliners are still waiting for their first win in the new year as they were riding a hideous 5 game losing streak having lost twice to ratiopharm Ulm, to BBL cellar team Crailsheim Merlins, Eurocuo team Lok Kuban and top BBL team FC Bayern Munich. A big problem in their game is that they can´t play consistent as they demonstrated in Munich getting down by 20 points, coming back to cut the deficit to three points and then trailing in double digits again only to lose 80-71. Injuries continue to be a big worry and concern and the departure of Canadian Brady Heslip left a void in the offense, but not on defense. Their French opponent LDLC Asvell Villerbanne have had a great season up to now leading the France Pro A in the standings and came into the Frankfurt clash having a 2-0 record in Eurocup action and definitely not the type of opponent where the Fraport Skyliners would have good cards of winning. The Fraport Skyliners wanted to have some kind of success experience going into the big cup semi-final game on the weekend against 8 time BBL champion Alba Berlin, but were unable to handle LDLC Asvell Villerbanne as they fell 70-58 moving to 0-3 in Eurocup action. After the loss, American Jason Clark did have a smile on his face as it was his birthday, but when the topic came to the loss, the 29 year´s demeanor shifted to disappointment. “We came out well and had defensive intensity in the first half. It was a low scoring game, but they broke away in the second half. They started to do things on offense that they couldn´t do in the first half. We stayed with them, but they ran away with it at the end. We are still fighting which is good. Nobody is giving in. We have that fighting spirit”, warned ex Georgetown guard Jason Clark. Despite winning the game and moving to 3-0 LDLC Asvell Villerbanne guard Demarcus Nelson who played at Duke(NCAA) form 2004-2008 wasn´t happy with the play of his team, but glad for the win. “Our fight got us this win. We made a lot of mistakes in the first half, but cut them down in the second half. We were able to run some things on offense better in the second half. This wasn´t one of our better performances, but it was an important win. Our experience was key as was that we have many guys that can do multiple things on the court”, added Demarcus Nelson.

 

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber meeting 18 year old French shooting star Theo Maledon as many see as a potential 2019 NBA Draft pick

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Lokomotiv Kuban Overwhelm The Fraport Skyliners in Eurocup Play 92-69

Fraport Skyliners head coach Gordon Herbert has seen tough times in Frankfurt, but none worse than what he has seen lately as loses and injuries have pilled up and felt as badly as all the firework rubbish around Central Park and Times Square on New Years Eve. The Frankfurt walked wounded list that sits at the side of the bench looks like the waiting room of a hospital which has effected the play of the club as well as the many games in a short time has also given the team fatigue and heavy legs as Crailsheim noticed with the ever growing short shots that Frankfurt was putting up. With the Fraport Skyliners stuck in a three game losing streak, basketball life doesn´t get any easier as 72 hours after their ugly loss to cellar team Hakro Merlins Crailsheim, the team had to continue to do double duty as they faced top Russian VTB team Lok Kuban who came into the Eurocup in Frankfurt with a solid 8-4 record in the VTB and were well prepared having polished off Stelmet Enea 73-41 and came to Germany with a lot of self confidence with ex NBA player Dorell Wright and Jajuan Johnson and nice role players Jamel Mclean, Trevor Lacey and Mateuz Ponitka. A great winning experience would have done the Fraport Skyliners wonders as they waited for some of the injured players to return and were looking for their first Eurocup win in the second stage as they lost the first game in Ulm. The Fraport Skyliners looked very sharp in the first few minutes, but then allowed Lokomotiv Kuban to play their game and take a big lead and maintain it to the end winning 92-69. The many injuries, turnovers and simply real serious inconsistency plagued the Fraport Skyliners all night long. After the loss ex Georgetown(NCAA) guard Jason Clark tried to explain why his team was unable to put some kind of scare into the Russian team. “We got outgunned tonight. We started out well. But then we had a three minute dry spell and allowed them into the game. I believe that if we had continued to play the way we started, it would have been a totally different game. We have way to many injuries and turnovers. We have been talking about this for weeks. We need to find a way to get it done. We have to find the energy and motivation to get it done”, stressed Jason Clark. The Russian side won their first game in the second stage to move to 1-1 and for long lengths of time displayed excellent team basketball and execution that helped them get the victory as 6 players scored in double figures. After the win ex  North Carolina State (NCAA) guard Trevor Lacey reflected on the win and in his tone one could easily notice that it was just another day at the office for the team. “We had a short rotation with some guys missing, but we played together for 40 minutes and executed well down the stretch”, stated Trevor Lacey.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and ex Boston Celtic Jajuan Johnson after he dropped 10 points in the win

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Mateusz Ponitka (Lokomotiv Kuban) Playing For Lok Kuban Is One Of The Biggest Challenges In My Life
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Mateusz Ponitka in 2018 in Frankfurt after a Lok Kuban 92-69 win in Eurocup play

Mateusz Ponitka is a 25 year old 196cm guard that is playing his first season with Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia-VTB). Last season he played with Iberostar Tenerife CB Canarias (Spain-Liga ACB) and played 33 ACB games averaging 13.6ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 62.1%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 78.4%;and played 16 BCL games averaging 11.1ppg, 3.8rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 59.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 80.0%. He started his basketball career in 2008 with Kasprowiczanka Ostrow Wlk. He then played three seasons with Tempcold AZS Politechnika Warszawa (1Liga). In the 2012-2013 season he made the jump to Asseco Prokom Gdynia (PLK) playing 34 games averaging 8.7ppg, 4.2rpg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 27.2%, FT: 70.7%; and played 10 Euroleague games averaging 8.8ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 61.0%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 38.1%. He then played two seasons with Telenet BC Oostende (Belgium-Scooore League), a season with  Stelmet Zielona Gora (TBL) and a season with Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir (Turkey-BSL). He spoke to germanhoops.com before the Eurocup game against the Fraport Skyliners.

Mateusz thanks for talking to germanhoops.comWelcome to Frankfurt. Two years ago you didn´t make the trip for a BCL game against the Fraport Skyliners. Is this your first time in Frankfurt? What does the city and it´s basketball mean to you?

First time in the city so I cant say anything about it.

In the last six years you have played many times against German teams in international club competition against Alba Berlin, Ludwigsburg and Artland to name just a few. Could you guess if you have a positive or negative all-time record against these teams?

I know I lost once to Alba and once to Ludwigsburg for sure but I believe it´s positive

I will help you. You have a very respectable positive record of 10-3. What do you believe has been your secret to having so much success against German teams?

I don´t know if there is some secret. German teams most of the time play very physical and tough. I like those  kinds of games. Plus many times we are coming during the summer with the national team to Germany so there were already few places I played. Unfortunately Frankfurt is my first time.

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Brady Heslip Recovers From His 48 Seconds Of Hell Powering The Fraport Skyliners Past Rytas Vilnius 65-63

On the weekends Quantez Robertson plays againsttop guards in the easyCredit BBL and this season during the week he playsagainst the top guards in the international competition Eurocup and in the pastweek the ex Auburn(NCAA) standout had a few meetings which players he oncedueled against in the BBL in his illustrious 10 year career. Only a week ago,he battled ex NBA player Brian Roberts who lasted five years in the big show NBAand had a positive 7-4 record against the Cincinnati native and won a titleover him in his rookie season. This week the freak athlete didn´t have one but potentiallytwo top guards who he had faced with DJ Seeley and Chris Kramer. He faced DJSeeley only once and that was in his rookie season when he was balling with medi Bayreuth and the ex Cal-Fullerton guard came away with the hard fought 72-64 win in Frankfurt. With Kramer it was a totally different story as he played against the ex Purdue guard from 2011-2017 12 times and had a negative 5-7 record against him. They had some unforgettable battles as five of the 12 games ended by only a two point difference. Not only did Quantez Robertson wantto come out on top again, but also his team Fraport Skyliners who have beenstinking up the easyCredit BBL the last weeks having lost four of their lastfive games. They had a huge motivation to win again especially in the Eurocupwhere a win would have brought them to the next round. Quantez Robertson onlyhad to face Seeley as Kramer didn´t make the trip and helped lead his team to ahard fought 65-63 victory reaching the next round. Robertson finished with 12points and 9 boards including mixing it up in the paint securing 6 offensiverebounds and always loves the challenges of facing the top guards. “It isalways fun battling talented guys. Playing against a Roberts and Seeley showswhere my defense is at. It also shows that I can score with them going bucketfor bucket”, smiled ex Auburn(NCAA) star Quantez Robertson. The FraportSkyliners played a poor first half, but played a lot better in the second halfand Canadian sniper Brady Heslip recovered from his 48 seconds of hell and crawledout of his hole in the fourth powering the Fraport Skyliners to the tough win.After the win an exhausted Jason Clark who played 24 minutes and had logged thefourth most minutes on the team reflected on the grind out win. “It was a verytough win. We were getting beat bad in the first half, but we never gave upfighting. We wanted to make a statement in the second half. Everybody wanted towin. We were more aggressive on defense and had more pressure on the ball whichhelped us take them out of their offense”, stressed ex Georgetown guard JasonClark. The Lithuanian team Rytas Vilnius played a solid game, but couldn´t keeptheir consistency at both ends of the court in the second half. “I thought thatwe played a good game. We had very good moments and some bad moments. We just couldn´t pull out the win at the end. We played good defense and executed aswell as we could on offense”, stressed ex Cal-Fullerton(NCAA) guard DJ Seeley.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and assistant coach Uvis Helmanis who played in the BBL with Bamberg 15 years ago

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Going To Europe Was The Best Route For James Michael McAdoo´s Goal To Return Back To The NBA

James Michael McAdoo is a 25 year old 206cm forward from Norfolk, Virginia that is playinghis fifth professional season and first season with Fiat Torino (Italy-Serie A). He began hisbasketball career at  Norfolk Christian H.S and then played at NorthCarolina(NCAA) from 2011-2014. In his senior year he played 34 gamesaveraging 14.2ppg, 6.8rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 45.8%, FT: 53.7%. He turned professional in 2014 and played partsof three seasons with the Golden State Warriors playing a total of 126 gamesand won two NBA titles there. Last season he played three games with thePhiladelphia 76ers  and also split timewith the Delaware 87ers (NBA G-League) and Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario(NBA G League). He spoke to germanhoops.com about his basketball career.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing James Michael McAdoo after a Eurocup game in Frankfurt, Germany in October 2018


James thanks for talking to germanhoops.com You were recently in Germany for a Eurocup game against theFraport Skyliners. Was that your first time back to Germany sincewinning the 2010 U-17 world championships title? What do you know in generalabout Germany and it´s basketball?

Yes  this was my first time back in Germany since the world championships. I obviously know Germany because of Dirk and his impact on the NBA and how hereally revolutionized the way big men play the game of basketball. I also know that they have one of the best leagues in Europe with very talented teams and very great organizations. 

Your dad Ronnie is a second cousin to former NBA legend Bob Mcadoo. What stories do you remember hearing about  him growing up and haveyou ever met him before?

I just remember my mom and dad telling me about when he played for the Lakers. They lived in California and he would give them tickets to go and see the Lakers play. They were so good and fun to watch with so many Hall Of Famers on one team. They really were one of the best teams the NBA has ever seen. 

You played four seasons in the NBA and won two NBA titles. What was your main motivation for coming overseas and turning your back on the NBA?

I just wanted to go play and work on my game. I want to become a better basketballplayer and I felt playing overseas was best for me at this time of my career. The NBA is great and I wouldn’t say I turned my back on the NBA. I want to get back to the NBA and I saw this as the best route to do so. 

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The Fraport Skyliners Aren´t Rewarded With Massive Come Back Falling To Unicaja Malaga 84-78 In Eurocup Play

It was June 17th, 2010 and the tension and excitement couldn´t have been any more extreme in Bamberg as it was game 5 of the finals between Brose Bamberg and the Deutsche Bank Skyliners from Frankfurt and with a few seconds to go captain Pascal Roller who for years was one of the better free throw shooters in the BBL was unable to sink free throws to keep the game going and Bamberg won their third BBL title and first in the Chris Fleming era 72-70. There were two players on the court with one screaming pure joy out with Brian Roberts and the other experiencing his first big tough loss in his rookie season with Quantez  Robertson. Nine seasons later both guys are still grinding away and have had great careers as Brian Roberts made it to the big show playing five seasons in the NBA and registering 320 games for three teams with New Orleans, Charlotte and Portland while the other Quantez Robertson now 33 is in his tenth season with the Fraport Skyliners and has given the name lifer a new meaning and now belongs to the top identity figures with Rickey Paukding having played with only one team in their careers in Germany. Last season Roberts returned back overseas and played with Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus (Greece-A1) and this season is balling with Unicaja Malaga(ACB Spain) and still going strong at age 32. The two exceptional players that had many battles in the BBL returned and faced each other for the first time in more than six and a half years as their last meeting was on April 3rd  2012 in Frankfurt as the Fraport Skyliners whipped Bamberg 76-68 as Robertson finished with 12 points and Roberts with 13 points. Quantez Robertson may have won their last meeting, but Roberts has the 7-4 lead in overall meetings and more importantly won that BBL title that Robertson is still chasing. Both met again in Frankfurt on a mild autumn night and fans saw a game of runs and a massive Fraport Skyliners comeback that wasn´t rewarded as they fell to Spanish side Unicaja Malaga 84-78. Unicaja Malaga moved to 6-1 and Frankfurt to 4-3 in Eurocup play. “We talked a bit. It is crazy that he has been in Frankfurt so long. I joked with him asking why he doesn´t have a German passport yet. He has put in good work here. He still plays the same and hasn´t lost a step”, stressed ex NBA player Brian Roberts. “Tez did  a good job on Roberts. He didn´t score until late in the game”, added Jason Clark.  Frankfurt played out their hearts and saw the real break through of some of the young kids Garai Zeeb, Elijath Clarance and Trae Bell Haynes in the third and fourth quarter as the club was carried by them. “We showed growth tonight. Some of our main players struggled, so we put in our young guys and they showed that they can play. They showed a lot of heart and that was the reason why they were in the game. The young guys did what they were supposed to. A big congrats to them”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Jason Clark. Unicaja Malage came into the game remembering their big 90-64 rout at home, but this time it wasn´t as easy on the road. “We had our ups and downs and it wasn´t easy playing against them. Playing small ball was an advantage for them. They played good transition and we made too many turnovers which helped them come back. We moved the ball well in the second and third quarters, but they played more aggressive in the fourth quarter and were able to come back”, stressed Polish national player Adam Waczynski.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber with ex NBA player Brian Roberts who steered 8 points in the win

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A Slice Of Pizza And 33 Points From Erik Murphy Powers The Fraport Skyliners Past Fiat Turin 85-75 In Eurocup Play

The return Eurocup game between the Fraport Skyliners and Fiat Turin had two major stories involved that separated 50 years. The one major news story before the game was the return of 78 year old head coach Larry Brown who had been back in the states for a month on account of health issues and had been cleared to return and the other story was a buzzing one of 28 year old ex NBA player Erik Murphy who may never ever be close to being on the shooting level of a Dirk Nowitzki, but knowing the genuine character of the big German, he would surely have praised the American for his almost spotless shooting in the last two games had he witnessed it. “It was good to see coach Brown again on the sidelines. You never want to see a coach or player be out because of health problems. He looked healthy and had high energy. It is always nice seeing someone doing what they love”, stressed ex Chicago Bull Erik Murphy. Murphy hasn´t just been hot in the last 48 hours, but has been severely red hot. He led the Fraport Skyliners to the 83-79 win at home against the Telekom Baskets Bonn where he produced 22 points and then stormed on to the court in Turin and gave an unforgettable Eurocup performance dropping 33 points in the comfortable 85-75 victory. ”We came out ready to play and had a good first half letting the defense set the tone. We were focused and were able to take things away from what they do well. Despite some runs of them and shots made, we were pretty much in control of the whole game”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Erik Murphy.

His two game total stands at 55 points while shooting an amazing 20/26 from the floor.

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