German Players

No Early Valentines Day On Viktor Frankl-Maus´s Mind As He Slams Dagger Into TG s.Oliver Wurzburg´s Hearts Leading the Dragons Rhondorf To 84-77 Win

The expressions on the faces of the players of the Dragons Rhondorf and TG s.Oliver Wurzburg were like night and day last weekend as the two teams fighting for the right to play in the playoffs continued with the Dragons Rhondorf losing a bitter game in Frankfurt while the Bavarian team Wurzburg slapped the top ranked team PS Karlsruhe. After the 91-82 loss in Frankfurt, Rhondorf beast Aaron Nelson was lying on the floor in front of his own bench feeling as worn out as a antelope who has been chased around and beaten all day long by cheetah´s in the jungle. Nelson had had another typical day at the office scoring 33 points and securing nine rebounds, but still lost on the road in Frankfurt. About 120 kilometers away TG s.Oliver Wurzburg were having a serious slugfest with the top ranked Pro B team PS Karlsruhe and somehow managed a 89-86 win where they took apart the leagues number one defense scoring 53 points in the first half. In the fourth quarter, they showed real heart and discipline withstanding all PS Karlsruhe comebacks never letting them get the lead back and also showed their German consistency as they had the majority of the load scoring most points as the American tandem of Barksdale and Sanford produced only one bucket. Both teams need wins as the season is winding down with a month left and both teams are fighting for a playoff place as both have 14 points and identical 7-10 records, but Rhondorf currently has the eighth and last playoff spot while Wurzburg was in ninth place. The Dragons Rhondorf won the first meeting of the season on the road 81-71 as they had their problems rebounding and taking care of the ball, but the fact that Wurzburg connected only on two tries from downtown sealed their fate. TG s.Oliver Wurzburg took the court in Rhondorf wanting revenge for their loss at home while the Dragons wanted to take advantage of their home court and fans saw an exciting basketball game that was filled with runs and a massive comeback by the Bavarian team, but the home team Dragons Rhondorf had nerves of steel in crunch-time overcoming TG s.Oliver Wurzburg 84-77.

http://sportdeutschland.tv/play/87271310c6c1013431af7054d2ab776f

After the win, a thrilled Mike Lucier who hit the last four free throws of the game explained the secret to sweeping TG s.Oliver Wurzburg. “We both needed the win and we knew that they would come out and play well. They fought well and made a nice run at the end, but we did a good job not losing control and closing out the game strong. Viktor Frankl-Maus was huge at the end, getting the steal, basket and making the no look pass to Wendeler for the basket. He has been doing it all season long and we can always count on him when he has the ball in his hands”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf forward Mike Lucier. After the contest a disappointed Vincent Sanford was trying to analyze why they lost and also found some positives. “We had problems executing and finishing around the basket. We didn´t do a good job handling their runs and had bad phases on defense. I thought we played defense as hard as we could and did a pretty good job on Aaron Nelson”, stressed ex Georgetown guard Vincent Sanford. “This was a super win and I am very happy. We had some dumb mistakes, but tomorrow nobody will remember that. It was important that we won and stayed together without Aaron Nelson who left the game hurt”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf CEO Boris Kaminski.

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Alex Foster (RheinStars) We Dug Ourselves A Deep Hole But Are Climbing Out

Alex Foster is a 24 year old 203cm forward that grew up in Portland, Oregon and also has the German citizenship and is playing his second professional season with the RheinStars(Germany-ProA). Last season as a rookie with the RheinStars he played 29 games averaging 9.6ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 33.5%, FT: 78.4%He played at Emory (NCAA3) from 2011-2015 playing a total of 108 NCAA3 games and as a senior played 20.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 44.6%, 3PT: 39.9%, FT: 79.8%. He was able to improve his scoring and rebounding average each season. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Thanks Alex for talking to German HoopsHow did you get into 2017 and did you have any new years resolutions or are you more a guy that doesn´t believe in that hype?

I brought in the New Year with friends here in Cologne, but didn’t make any big new years resolutions. I still have some goals from 2016 that I’m working towards.

This season the RheinStars didn´t have a long holiday break as you had a game on the 23rd of December against the ETB Wohnbau Baskets and on the seventh of January against Baunach. Do you feel this was more beneficial in keeping the team sharp or could a few more days rest helped the club?

Last season we only got two days off, so this year’s holiday break felt much longer. Unfortunately, we went into the break after a bitter loss. It was tough having to wait so long to play again, but once I put that loss behind me, I enjoyed the holidays with my family. As for the team, I think everyone came back from the break with some extra motivation for the second half of the season.

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Brian Butler (ScanPlus Baskets) Ready To Mix It Up At The 2017 EasyCredit BBL Slam Dunk Contest

Brian Butler is a 25 year old 196cm German forward playing his second season with the ScanPlus Baskets Elchingen (ProB) where currently he is averaging 13,5ppg, 6,5rpg and 2,1apg. He started his basketball career with the  FC Bayern Muenchen junior team (NBBL) and then moved to  BG Illertal/Weissenhorn (ProB) where he played from 2010-2013 playing a total of 74 Pro B games. He then played two seasons with Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (ProA) playing 65 Pro A games. He spoke to German Hoopsabout his season and being invited to the 2017 EasyCredit BBL allstar game slam dunk contest.

Brian thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on getting elected to the 2017 EasyCredit BBL Slam Dunk contest. What was your first response when you heard of this honor?

Thanks ! I was speechless! I did get a call from our manager past Friday after practice so my first reaction was what did I do wrong and then he told me that the BBL called and asked if I can compete in the slamdunk contest and that my coach and him agreed that I can. So I was really happy and thankful that they let me go.

How cool is it in general that the league makes an exception and invites a player from a lower league? Two years ago Weissenhorn German Marvin Omuvie was invited.

It’s really cool for me it’s an big opportunity to show my talent on a bigger stage of course it’s just dunking but yeah it’s what I can do best and I love doing.

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Makai Mason Says Hello To Germany And Gets Invited To German National Team

On a saturday morning in mid July, basketball freaks in Germany could expect one or two basketball rumours to be surfacing online about a player heading to a Beko BBL, Pro A or Pro B team, but generally it’s too early for any team to give a press release as those tend to surface later in the afternoon. In the last 24 hours, there had been some basketball rumours being talked about like ex Beko BBL player Filiberto Rivera who has been out of Europe since 2011 and been playing in the Americas the last years or Kyon Anderson from TCU who was linked to medi Bayreuth, but the most surprising news of the early weekend and something that became reality was that a young man by the name of Makai Mason (185-G) had suddenly popped into the minds of basketball fanatics in Germany, but did anyone know him?  At first glance, the name doesn’t really sound German and at second glance why would the German basketball federation announce a press release with his name? Apparently nobody really knew that he had ties to Germany and he came out of the wood work and notified the German basketball federation that he had a German passport and asked may I play for Germany? After his hello, the German basketball federation invited him to a training camp on July 21st in Wurzburg where he will meet possible new teammates for this summer. The German basketball federation had to react as they had some cancellations as Anton Gavel, Lucca Staiger and Konstantin Klein all withdrew from competiting this summer.

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TJ DiLeo (Giessen 46ers) Jordan Theodore Is An MVP Candidate Especially Because Of The Season Frankfurt Is Having

TJ DiLeo is a 25 year old 190cm guard from New Jersey that also has the German citizenship and is playing his third professional season and third for the Giessen 46ers this season. As a rookie with Giessen he played 38 games averaging  10.2ppg, 2.8rpg, 2.5apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 48.8%, 3PT: 34.4%, FT: 74.6%. Last season he played 38 games averaging 9.9ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.9apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 50.3%, 3PT: 36.6%, FT: 82.7% He played at Temple from 2008-2013 playing a total of 126 NCAA games. In 2010, he played for the German U20 National Team in 2010 and played for the European Championships U20 in Croatia  playing 9 games: 10.7ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.1spg, FGP. He spoke to eurobasket after the 86-61 loss to the Fraport Skyliners.

T.J thanks for talking to German Hoops. A tough 86-61 loss to the hands of the Fraport Skyliners at home snapping a 4 game winning streak In the third quarter, Giessen was trailing by 10 points and in the fourth quarter halfway through Frankfurt closed the door extending the lead by 20 points. Frankfurt wore Giessen down. Did the last weeks of crunch time wins wear the team down a bit mentally?

I don’t think it was our previous games, more Frankfurt’s style of play. They are a great team. We knew this game would be different than the last few. I actually think learning to win close games will help us in the future, because we undoubtedly will have some more this season. Unfortunately we couldn’t keep it close today

Giessen has a deep rotation and played all 12 players, but the Fraport Skyliners still wore you down. How does the style of the Fraport Skyliners wear teams down?

They are very physical and disciplined. They play hard for 40 minutes, they stick to their principles, and they eventually wear you down. Defensively, their guards are almost unscreenable, and they have great rotations from their bigs and weakside players. Offensively they play their systems very well. Their spacing is good and they have great chemistry especially with their bigs.

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Maxim Schneider (TV Langen) I Think That I Have Gotten More Responsibility This Season Than I Have Ever Had Here

Maxim Schneider is a 23 year old 184cm point guard playing his fourth season with TV Langen. He started his basketball career in 2008 with DJK MJC Trier (Regionalliga). He spoke to German Hoops after the 61-60 loss to the Licher Basket Baeren.

Maxim thanks for talking to German Hoops. A tough 61-60 loss to the Licher Basket Bahren. What were the main reasons for the win loss against Lich?

It was almost like last week where we played good for 35 minutes and couldn´t hold the lead at the end. The Lich zone killed us. We had a miscommunication on the last play. Sharda called a different play than what the others expected. The Tom Alte shot wasn´t planned.

TV Langen play against Lich, Speyer and Saarlouis in the play downs. How do you see the chances overall for TV Langen?

I think that we will have a good chance against Speyer. They play a structured basketball like we do. Saarlouis will be tough because they play more college style. Rickey Easterling is tough and we need to control him. Despite the Lich loss we still have good cards in the play downs.

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Kevin Luyeye (TV Langen) I Don´t Need To Score, But If I Do Then It´s Nice

Kevin Luyeye is a 23 year old 196cm forward that is playing his first season with TV Langen. He started his basketball career with ASC Theresianum Mainz (ProB) in 2008 where he played until 2010. He then moved to the Deutsche Bank Skyliners Frankfurt II (ProB): 18 games: 1.8ppg, 1.6rpg, also played at Eintracht Frankfurt (2.Regionalliga). He then moved back to ASC Theresianum Mainz (Regionalliga) for two seasons. Last season he played for SG TVD-BIS Speyer (ProB) playing 28 games and averaging 7.6ppg, 2.9rpg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 22.5%, FT: 44.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after the 76-66 loss to TG Wurzburg Baskets Akademy.

Kevin thanks for talking to German Hoops. A tough loss against Wurzburg tonight. What were the main reasons for the loss?

We gave the game away in the fourth quarter with many turnovers. We weren´t playing aggressive and lost our self confidence.

TV Langen was in the playoff hunt until last weekend. It lost five of the last six games. Why was the team unable to win games in these important stretch?

I think that the loss to Hanau was the deciding point. We still had a chance for the playoffs, but that loss robbed us of our self confidence. We had many tight loses and our motivation left us. We didn´t have much luck the last weeks.

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Tom Alte (TV Langen) I Am A Better Shooter Than What I Get Credit For

Tom Alte is a 20 year old 205cm German center playing his second season for TV Langen. He started his basketball career with KIT SC Karlsruhe (Regionalliga) in 2012. Last season for TV Langen he played 12 games: 0.5ppg, 1.2rpg, played also for Schoder Junior-Giraffen Langen (NBBL). He spoke to German Hoops after the 88-67 loss against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors.

Tom thanks for talking to German Hoops. What were the main reasons for the 88-67 loss against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors?

We had problems with our pick and role defense. Frankfurt stayed aggressive hitting shots against our zone. We also had some unneeded technical fouls that hurt us

Niklas Kiel is two years younger than you. What has been your impression of his game and how much potential does he have?

Kiel has a lot of potential and can really go far. He is big, can move and shoot. He has all the tools to go far.

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Lennart Okeke (Fraport Skyliners Juniors) Coach Detlef Has Done A Great Job Stabilizing My Shot And Teaching Me When To Insert It Best Into My Game

Lennart Okeke is a 18 year old 191cm guard that plays NBBL and Pro B for the Fraport Skyliners. He started his basketball career in 2011 for Eintracht Frankfurt. He played his first German Pro B game at age 16. Last season he played for the Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt II (ProB) 9 games: 2.3ppg, 1.4rpg, 1.2apg, played also at Eintracht Frankfurt U19 team (NBBL). He spoke to German Hoops after the 69-42 NBBL win against the Young Tigers Tuebingen last weekend.

An easy NBBL win against the Young Baskets Tuebingen 69-42. What were the main reasons for the loss?

This win showed that we have gotten better as a team. This was the same type of game that we had in Tuebingen earlier this season, but then we had Niklas Kiel and Armin Musovic in the lineup. Today we had many young players in the lineup and played very well as a team.

How do you explain the success and consistency of the team that always has changing lineups?

 The coaching staff does a great job getting all guys on the same page. No matter who is playing the coaching staff has everyone ready so that playing together doesn´t become difficult. We learn the basics well so that even if someone has never practiced with the team, they can do it right on the court.

Today you played two games in a span of seven hours. How do you prepare for a game like this?

I go to bed early and eat well. Last weekend I had three games so I had a similar schedule. When I played national team we had something like 11 games in 12 days so the body always has to be prepared. You always have to have energy. During the three hour break between NBBL and Pro B games today I will go to Jules Akodo´s place eat and rest.

You played recently at the 2015 NBBL allstar game. What kind of experience was this day for you?

It was a great arena playing on a big stage in front of so many people. I thought that it was great that even though we didn´t practice as a team there was still a flow in the game on the court. We were treated very well there getting food and drinks. I felt like a professional that weekend.

You scored ten points. How happy were you with your own performance?

I thought despite the circumstances that I did a pretty good job. My teammate Kevin Bright had told me from his experience that often in these type of games that players play their own game and push it so it isn´t easy to get the ball.

What players impressed you the most in the NBBL allstar game?

 Of course my two teammates Niklas Kiel and Armin Musovic as well as Mahir Agva who I played with in the U-16 as well as game MVP Harris Hujic who is big but can shoot and has good ball handling.

You are playing your second full season in the German Pro B. You averaged in double figures in minutes in your first 8 games, but as of recent the minutes have gone down. Have you had a talk with coach why this is?

I feel that we had a big roster the last games and coach also had some of the injured players back so my minutes went down a bit.

If you could describe yourself to a German player that fits your style who would you take?

That’s difficult, but looking back at the 2015 Allstar game I would say David Brembly who won the three point shooting contest. I think that we share many similarities in our games. We bot can shoot the three pointer, penetrate and are athletic.

What is a hidden strength in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away?

I think it is my three point shot. Last season I was more known for my penetration, but I have improved my three pointer.

Kyle Fossman has been getting many minutes at the position two with Armin Musovic playing point guard. What tips have you took from the play of Fossman that has helped your play?

I think just getting confidence in my shot. When you see him play you can see that he shoots with confidence.

How difficult has it been for the team with so many different lineups this season. Is there still a chance for the playoffs? I am sure the team takes it a game at a time.

I think that we still have a chance for the playoffs. We have good players and if we can bring much energy than we can always beat teams.

Head coach Eric Detlef is a guy that is very good with young players. How has he helped your game mature?

Coach has helped me much giving me a good strength and conditioning plan and also doing individual training with me. He has done a great job stabilizing my shot and teaching me when to insert it best into my game. He just gives me confidence in my game

What memories do you have of your first Pro B game back in 2013 where Dresden won 88-80. Did you remember Taylor Brown´s 28 points or Andrew Jones´s 38 points more?

I had heard that the Americans were always good. Brown and Jones really impressed me with their scoring in that game.

You also play NBBL. How do you keep school and sport balanced? What is the toughest in getting this all done?

You need to make a structured plan. You can´t live day to day, but be prepared and know what is happening that week. If you have an important test in school you need to tell coach well in advance if you will miss a practice. I have learned discipline and responsibility.

How do you see your future? Will you study in Germany, go to the States or start an apprenctiship and how serious are your basketball ambitions beyond the Pro B?

A year ago I was thinking about going to the States to go to college, but now I will finish school in 2015 and then study at university in Germany. I hope that I can reach the Beko BBL in the future. We will see what will happen.

It was made public that you teammate Jakob Merz has to retire at age 17 due to injury. How did you react to this?

This news really shocked me very much. I am very close friends with him and to see such a young talent have to retire at such a young age is very sad. He has such a strong personality and I know that he will get through this. He has already coped with this so well. It is just so hard when you have played from such a young age and now suddenly have to stop.

Who wins a one on one in practice you or Kyle Fossman?

I would say me, but it goes back and forth

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

Prometeus.

Thanks Lennart for the chat

Jan Moritz Overdick (TV Langen) The NBBL Isnt About Me But It Is Important That We Play Well As A Team And That Everyone Contributes

Jan Moritz Overdick is a 17 year old 207cm power forward from Germany that plays NBBL and Pro B for TV Langen. He started his basketball career for TV Hofheim and moved to TV Langen in 2012. This season he has played seven games for TV Langen in the Pro B averaging 4,0ppg and 2,1rpg and in the NBBL is averaging 20,4ppg and 8,2rpg. The German spoke to German Hoops following the 65-52 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt.

A tough 65-52 loss to Eintracht Frankfurt this weekend. The first quarter was very tight, but Eintracht Frankfurt broke away in the second quarter and never looked back. What were the main reasons for TV Langen not being able to come back?

Eintracht Frankfurt played with more intensity for 40 minutes than we did. We were unable to react the right way against their aggressive defense. They made us crazy with their defense and we were unable to play our game. The second quarter decided the game for us. When you are down 15 points, it is difficult to come back against a team like that that has a deep bench.

How disappointed were you not being able to play against Niklas Kiel who injured himself in Schwelm?

I am sorry that he got hurt. I would have liked to have played against him, because you always wanted to compete against the best. He is one of the best German players from the year 1997.

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