Interviews

Chris Frazier Will Be Under Construction This Summer And Next Year Will Be A Make Or Break Season

Chris Frazier is a 27 year old 182cm shooting guard that hails from Heidelberg, Germany, but also has the American citizenship and finished his fourth professional season and first with the Rostock SeaWolves helping them reach the pro A averaging 9,9ppg,1,2rpg and 1,6apg. He started his basketball career at TV Schwetzingen (Germany-2.Regionalliga) before moving to the States to play at Dubuque (NCAA3) from 2010-2014 playing a total of 107 games and as a senior played 26 games averaging 13.7ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 43.8%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 88.0%. He came back to Germany in 2014 and played with the Otto Baskets Magdeburg (Germany-ProB) playing 20 games averaging 16.1ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 45.0%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 80.6%. In the 2015-2016 season he made the jump to the BBL playing for the Crailsheim Merlins (Germany-BBL) playing 13 games averaging 2.3ppg. In the 2016-2017 season he played for the Artland Dragons (Germany-ProB) playing 25 games averaging 13.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 1.4apg, FGP: 54.9%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 79.4%. He spoke to German Hoops after his season with Rostock.

Chris thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how have you been enjoying your early off season?

Hi Miles always a pleasure. At the moment I am still in Rostock and enjoying my off time as best I can. It is hard for me to enjoy given the fact I am not to happy with my perfomance this season. I have a lot of work to do.

Before we talk about the amazing last season, I have to ask you about the somewhat surprising coaching change of Ralf Rehberger and Milan Skobalj. Was this as surprising for you? Wouldn´t a guy like Rehberger have deserved a shot in the Pro A

It was shocking to me to be honest. We had an amazing season with a lot of ups and downs; but Ralf managed to help turn things around and helped us to the promotion into the Pro A. We can´t forget that there also is a business side to this and the higher up believe that making a coaching is the way to go. Coach deserves a chance at coaching at the Pro A level and that time will come.

Congrats on a wonderful Pro B season with the Rostock Seawolves. How disappointing was it not winning the Pro B title? Does that give a bad taste on the great season?

It certainly does, but we did it to ourselves. They were the better team that day and that´s how it will stay.

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As Chris Carter´s Basketball IQ Continues To Develop Over The Next Few Years So Will His Efficiency

RASTA Vechta, Pro A Chris Carter is a 26 year old 195cm guard that was born in Brooklyn, New York and is from Port St. Lucie, Florida that finished his third professional season and second in Germany and first with SC Rasta Vechta (Germany-ProA) helping them win the Pro A title averaging 11,0ppg,3,4rpg and 5,3apg and shot 40% from outside. Last season he played for BV Chemnitz 99 (Germany-ProA) playing 40 games averaging 12.4ppg, 4.2rpg, Assists-4(5.7apg), Steals-4(2.1spg), FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 73.4%. As a rookie he played for Bipa Basket Odessa (Ukraine-SL Favorit Sport) playing 32 games averaging 14.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 5.0apg, Steals-1(2.2spg), FGP: 44.1%, 3PT: 27.4%, FT: 77.3%. He started his basketball career at Air Force (NCAA) and then played the last three years of school at Florida Tech (NCAA2) and as a senior played 21 games averaging 14.0ppg, 4.9rpg, 3.8apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 38.4%, FT: 75.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after the completion of his third professional season and first with Vechta.

Chris thanks for talking to eurobasket.com. Where are you at the moment and how have you been enjoying the early process of the offseason?

Hello Miles, thanks for having me. I just came back home to Florida a couple of days ago so I haven’t done much but try to get over this jet lag. But I will vacation soon and then get back to work later in the summer.

Congrats on winning the 2018 German pro A title. How thrilled are you that the club was able to be the best team all season and finish the season strong?

Thank you Miles, I appreciate it. I was excited to show that we were the best team from start to finish of the season. It was a testament of all the hard work we put in from the first day of practice.

You did lose the second game in the final to Crailsheim, but won the title due to a better point difference. Crailsheim were a very worthy opponent. What do you feel was the deciding factor in this 2 game series?

I felt like the best two teams made it to the finals this season and both deserved to move up to the BBL. I think the deciding factor was the way we came out in the first game at their house. We really set the tone and in result ended up with a 16 point victory which gave us a bit of a cushion in the second game.

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Dennis Mavin Feels Like He Isn´t Far Away From Being Able To Match Up Against The Best In The easyCredit BBL

Dennis Mavin is a 26 year old 190cm guard form Gainsville, Florida that recently completed his third professional season with the Giessen 46ers where he played two BBL games and also 9 games for their farm team in the Pro B averaging 18,4ppg,3,6rpg and 2,6apg while shooting 36% from outside. He played his first two professional seasons in Morocco winning 2 titles. He played a total of 123 NCAA games for two schools with Florida Atlantic (NCAA) and FIU (NCAA). In his senior year at FIU (NCAA) he played 33 games averaging 17.2ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.1apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 47.2%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 64.3%. He spoke to German Hoops at the end of his third professional season in Germany.

Dennis thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and what was the first eatery that you scoped out when you returned home?

At the moment I’m in the Bahamas on vacation enjoying myself before the summer grind. The first restaurant I went to was “Yamato” a Japanese restaurant.

After playing two seasons in Morocco, how did you experience playing your first season in Europe? Is this a territory where you want too remain for good in the next years?

My first season in Germany was amazing. I was blessed to be a part of such a great organization with so much history like the 46ers. I couldn’t have asked for a better situation. Europe is definitely a spot I want to remain at.

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Continuing To Develop His 15 Footer Will Help Expand The Game Of Justin Alston

Alston Justin Alston is a 23 year old 203cm forward from Maryland that completed his rookie season in Germany with the Romerstrom Gladiators averaging 11,9 and 5,1rpg. He completed his career at Boston University(NCAA) where he played from 2012-2017 amassing a total of 114 games and as a senior played 31 games averaging 12.0ppg, 6.0rpg, FGP: 57.1%, FT: 74.7%. He spoke to German Hoops after his rookie season in Germany.

Justin, thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a great rookie season with the Romerstrom Gladiators. Did the amazing playoff run erase a bit of the injury frustration that you encountered this season?

Thank you very much, and the amazing playoff run we were able to put together was a testament to all the hard work we put in this year. But for me personally it definitely was a blessing being able to continue to showcase my skills after the injury.

When you return home to Washington DC, what will be the first thing that you will do besides see family and friends? I can imagine find your favorite eatery?

I just returned to the states yesterday and the first thing I did was give my mom a kiss then head to Chick-fil-A and order half of the menu

Your rookie season started off well, but you got injured after the seventh game. How tough was this time off of three months. Was your injury experience in your junior season at Boston University a help in getting through this period?

Honestly I believe my injury was the best thing that could have happened for me, because I was able to step away from the game and learn the European game more. My experience in college helped me understand how to do this and come back and be effective.

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Jake Marvin Has Found More Than Just Basketball In Germany But A Special Bond To God And The Youth

Jake Marvin is a 203cm forward from Lincoln, Nebraska that recently completed his rookie season with TSV Neustadt temps Shooters (Germany-Regionalliga playing 24 games averaging 16.5ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 64.1%, 3PT: 42.6%, FT: 67.2%. Before turning professional he played with Hastings (NAIA) and as a senior played 30 games averaging 8.3ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 62.0%. He spoke to German Hoops about his basketball life.

Jake thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how have you been enjoying your early summer vacation?

Thanks for the interview. Currently, I am actually still in Germany, living in Wunstorf outside of Hannover. And to be honest, it hasn’t felt like too much of a vacation. I’ve been very active in my church and youth work here in the Wunstorf community. As the leader of the youth group for a local church, we’ve been busy with our weekly meetings, participating in service and preaching, as well as outside events like attending a weekend retreat, starting a little running group, and a financial seminar that I put on for the kids.

You went from the bank to the basketball court after playing your last college game in 2013. Why do you feel did it take so long for you to get a professional job?

Since college was over, I hadn’t actually been looking to turn pro until summer 2016. I had some injury issues my senior year, and at that point was ready for the next step in life. It wasn’t until I quit my bank job in the spring of 2016 that I began to think about the possibility of a return to basketball. I definitely wasn’t satisfied with sitting behind a desk from 8-6 every day and was longing for something more. I was healthy again, feeling good, and playing my best basketball in the Denver ProAm and other competitive leagues I was in. I thought that was the right time to chase the dream again. After making the decision to try again for the pros, it took me just one season to get my foot in the door and land my first opportunity. I knew all the while that God had meant for me to be doing this and opening the right doors at the right time. I’ve learned over the years to be patient and trust his timing.

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Byron Sanford Demonstrated As A Rookie That He Can Overcome Adversity Quickly And Be Efficient And Effective

Byron Sanford is a 25 year old 183cm guard from Louisville, Kentucky that completed his rookie professional basketball season in Germany with BBC Coburg averaging 11,6ppg, 4,6rpg and 2,5apg.. He played at Trevecca Naz. (NCAA2) and really excelled in his last two seasons as a junior he played 17 games averaging17.2ppg, 6.5rpg, 4.2apg, Steals-3(2.9spg), FGP: 55.5%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 72.0%. In his senior year at Trevecca Naz. (NCAA2) he played 32 games averaging 18.4ppg, 7.6rpg, 4.2apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 39.1%, FT: 69.5%. He was the G-MAC Player of the Year in 2016. He spoke to German Hoops after completing his rookie season in Germany.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Byron Sanford of BBC Coburg after hitting Frankfurt for 16 points in a bitter 76-73 loss on the road

Byron thanks for talking to German Hoops. You just compelted your rookie season in Germany with BBC Coburg. If someone had told you in September that the team would move back down to the Regionaliga would you have believed it?

No problem always a pleasure to talk with you. Never would have thought the season would have went the way it did. It was definitely a learning experience and something we can look back and all grow from.

After such a great first season where BBC Coburg moved from the Regionaliga to the Pro B, how disappointing is the fact that the club was unable to stay in the Pro B?

It is very disappointing given that I felt we had the right pieces to be very successful in the league. If you look at our season it very well could have been the opposite because we have so many single digit losses that could have very well went in our favor. If a few more things went right we would have been a playoff contender for sure! Even with our ups and downs as a team our fan support was by far the best in the league and that meant a lot to have ride or die support!

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Brad Tinsley Continues To Expand His Game Not Just Being Labeled Just A Scorer Or Just A Pass First Player

Tinsley Brad Tinsley is a 29 year old 191cm guard from Oregon that completed his fifth professional season and first with Chemnitz averaging 9,3ppg,3,1rpg and 3,9apg. He started his basketball career at Vannderbilt in 2008 playing a total of 134 NCAA games until 2012 and as a senior played 36 games averaging 9.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 4.1apg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 41.5%, FT: 85.5%. In 2012-2013 he started his professional basketball career for Generali Okapi Aalstar (Belgium-Ethias League) playing 3 EuroChallenge games averaging 7.3ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.3apg; and in the Belgian Ethias League playing 4 games averaging 4.5ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.0apg, left in Feb.’13, later that month moved to Saint Vallier Basket Drome (France-ProB) playing 13 games averaging 10.3ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 42.6%, 3PT: 41.3%, FT: 80.6%. In 2014 he played for the Lakeside Lightnings (Australia-SBL) playing 31 games averaging 28.4ppg, 4.4rpg, 6.0apg, FGP: 54.8%, 3PT: 37.0%, FT: 80.2%. In the 2014-2015 season he played for the MLP Academics Heidelberg (Germany-ProA) playing 33 games: Score-4(16.8ppg), 3.8rpg, 3.5apg, FGP: 54.8%, 3PT: 39.6%, FT: 76.7%. He played for FC Porto from 2015-2017 winning 2 titles and last season averaged 10.9ppg, 2.0rpg, Assists-3(5.1apg), FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 69.6% He spoke to German Hoops after his season in Germany with Chemnitz.

Brad thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and did you catch any added sites it Europe after your season in Germany before heading home to the states?

I am currently at my home in Portland, Oregon, relaxing and enjoying my time with family and friends. My wife and I took a short trip to Paris to see the sights and visit some old friends. It was an amazing experience.

Our last interview was in December 2015 when you were playing for FC Porto. Since then you won another title in Portugal and played in Lithuania before coming to Chemnitz. Has time flown by since that Fiba Europe Cup game in Frankfurt?

Yes it definitely has. That was a fun game in Frankfurt and I miss playing in the FIBA Europe Cup.

You started the season with Vytautas Prienu (Lithuania-LKL) playing 2 Basketball Champions League games averaging 10.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 2.5apg. In the Lithuanian LKL you played 7 games averaging 7.1ppg, 1.6rpg, 2.1apg, 2FGP: 48.3%, 3FGP: 26.1%, FT: 66.7%. You were only a few months there. Did you gather anything positive from that experience and why was your stay so short?

Yes I gathered a lot of positive things from that experience. The LKL is a very competitive league. It is very physical with a lot of talented and tough players-they know how to play good basketball there. I had a lot of great teammates that helped my transition there, which was great for me because I was the only American on the team.

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Chris Brady Has remained Completely Coachable And Attentive To Feedback Because It Will Only Make Him Better

Brady Chris Brady is a 22 year old 208cm center from Greenlawn, New York that recently completed his rookie season in Europe in Germany with the Hebeisen White Wings averaging 9,8ppg,4,8rpg and 1,0apg. He played at Monmouth (NCAA) from 2013-2017 playing a total of 133 NCAA games and as a senior played 34 games averaging 9.0ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.7bpg, FGP: 59.6%, 3PT: 22.2%, FT: 69.1%. At Monmouth he was able to improve his scoring and rebounding each season. He spoke to German Hoops after the completion of his rookie season in Germany.

Chris, thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a solid rookie season in the German Pro A with the Hebeisen White Wings. Your season ended with a sweep by the Crailsheim Merlins. The first team against the eighth team. How confident was the team that they could win this series or was the club somewhat aware of basketball reality?

We were confident going into the series. We were aware of how good they were as a team but we had to focus on our game plan and executing it.

Some may have expected the miracle in game three, but nothing changed. The Hebeisen White Wings were blown out on the court. What adjustment did Hanau try to make in game three that didn´t work once again?

We had a game plan and didn’t execute it on the court.

Crailsheim was the better rebounding team and hit their three´s well. Hanau hit only 11 three pointers in the whole series. How key was the inability to hit the trey significant for not being able to stick with Crailsheim?

It’s hard to win a basketball game by getting out rebounded and not shooting well from 3. I’d say these are significant factors in every basketball game.

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Michael Holton Jr Will Take The Importance Of Resiliency And Consistency Into His Third Professional Season

Holton Michael Holton Jr is a 27 year old 185cm guard from Portland, Oregon that is playing his second professional season and first in Germany with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (Germany-ProB).Currently he is averaging 18,7ppg, 4,2rpg and 3,6apg and shooting 40% from outside As a rookie two years ago he played with ECE Bulls Kapfenberg (Austria-A Bundesliga) playing 38 games averaging 8.4ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 75.7%; He also played 6 FIBA Europe Cup games averaging 10.7ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 46.4%, 3PT: 27.6%, FT: 87.5%. He started his basketball career in 2010 at St.Michael’s (NCAA2) and as a senior played 17 games averaging 14.9ppg, 4,5rpg, 3,8apg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 34.7%, FT: 79.6%. He spoke to German Hoops after the 2017-2018 season.

Michael thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how have you been experiencing your second professional off season?

I’m living in Berlin at the moment and for this first part of the offseason. So far I’ve spent some time unwinding to analyze and decompress from the season, and now I’m looking to rev things back up and get ready for next year.

We didn´t speak all too long ago. You told me then that “I’m very proud of our group of guys for all the work we’ve continued to put in over the course of the season. It’s hard to take a lot of losses, but we’ve been continuously learning from them and have steadily improved up to this point in the season. We’ve been playing good basketball lately and winning our last 3 out of 4 games is a testament to that resiliency. We like how we’re playing and we like our chances heading into playdowns”. The team was unable to stay in the Pro B. How disappointing was accepting this?

This was a really hard thing to realize and accept at the end of the year. Like I had said before, everybody fought and kept putting in the work throughout the season and gave what they had.

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Joe Asberry Didn´t Get A Fair Chance As A Player But Now Advises Young Americans How To Survive Overseas

Joe Asberry is an American ex professional basketball player that really has seen it all from crime to drugs, but also playing against legends like Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Brian Shaw being teammates with German legendary player Christian Welp and had a 11 year professional career that saw him toil around in the minor leagues of Germany, but he belonged to the best in his day at that level. Since retiring from the game, he has been a spokes person for young kids and drug prevention, guest speaker, worked in the Alba Berlin organization, been a master of ceremonies for UBC Hannover and been a mentor for young Americans coming overseas trying to live the dream of being a professional basketball player.German Hoops had a chat with the charismatic American.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber meeting Joe Asberry at the Hansi Witsch tournament in 2015

Joe, thanks for talking to German Hoops. First of all I´m sorry it took so long to interview you. Would it be fair to say better late than never?

No problem Miles, thank you better late than never works for me all day

You have done and seen so much in your career as a basketball player and just being involved in the German basketball scene. Would it be fair to say you are a basketball legend in Germany that is a bit off the radar simply because like so many unknown Americans looking o live the basketball dream here, you like them have not gotten the deserved respect you should have gotten especially when you were a professional player here in the 90´s?

In my own pea brain, I´m a legend in Germany for sure, just for the simple fact that I´m probably the only American who got paid to play here that was on CNN World Sport and made a commercial dunking a lot and speaking broken German, but I´ll let everybody else in the German basketball scene cast a vote and let me know where I fit in LOL!

You go by the name of Jumping Joe Asberry. I have heard you dunked over 100´s of guys in your career. Was your crazy athletic ability one of the reasons you got this nickname?

Yes my athletic ability was unreal and on a NBA level for sure. I dunked on plenty of people. I was never a shooter. I´ve still got a bit of bounce, but now I´m a ogee and it hurts when I hoop, but I still get out there and give youngsters buckets!

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