Interviews

Terrell Harris Is All About Progress And Would Love To Come Back To Germany And Play Again

Terrell Harris is a 24 year old 190cm guard from Indiantown,Florida that completed his professional season with the Svendborg Rabbits (Denmark-Ligaen) playing 24 games averaging 17.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 2.6apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.3%, 3PT: 42.6%, FT: 71.6%. In his rookie season he played with the Iserlohn Kangaroos (Germany-ProB) averaging 18,1ppg, 4,3rpg and 1,8apg. He started his basketball career at Mars Hill (NCAA2) in 2011 and then moved to Georgia College in 2012. As a senior he played 29 games averaging 24.6ppg, 6.7rpg, 4.0apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 36.3%, FT: 76.8%. He concluded his college basketball career winning the All-PeachBelt Player of the Year 2016. Harris spoke to German Hoops after completing his season in Denmark.

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

Hey, Miles everything is going good. I have been home in Florida spending time with family and training a lot preparing my body physically and mentally for this upcoming season.

You recently completed your second professional season in Denmark with the Svendborg Rabbits (Denmark-Ligaen). Coming form Germany what kind of experience was it playing there?

Yes I just played my second season in Denmark first league. It was an unexplainable year. We started out good for the first half of the season and we won some big games. We went into break at the number 3 seed or tied for number 3. Around December time it seemed like everyone body started to breakdown. We had some bad injuries as guys were missing for extended time such as weeks and months. At one point I was at the starting point guard spot for 6 games straight because of injuries. As a team top to bottom we had the second best team on paper but we all know you have to put it on the court and win games. Unfournately we did not win enough and that was frustrating no matter if we were injured or didn’t put it together.

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It Was An Adjustment For Jaleen Smith Being On The Court For Only Half The Game Instead Of The Whole Game

Smith Jaleen Smith is a 22 year old 193cm guard from Freeport, Texas that completed his rookie season in Germany with the MLP Academics Heidelberg (Germany-ProA) averaging 7,6ppg, 2,8rpg and 2,9apg.. He had a stellar four year career with New Hampshire (NCAA) from 2013-2017 where he played a total of 120 NCAA games. He improved his scoring, rebounding and assists average each season and as a senior he played 32 games averaging 15.8ppg, 6.4rpg, 4.3apg, FGP: 52.4%, 3PT: 35.8%, FT: 78.1%. He spoke to German Hoops at the end of his rookie season.

Jaleen thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a solid rookie season in Germany. However your season ended on a sour note losing to the Romerstrom Gladiators 3-2 after being up 2-1. How disappointing was ending the season like this?

There is No disappointment here. I’m so glad to have started my rookie season with great coaches, players, and Management. Yes I wished we would’ve won the series, but that takes nothing away from the great season MLP Academics had this year.

Were these the toughest two back to back loses in your young career? Did this compare to anything you witnessed in the NCAA?

Man the Game 4 loss in Trier really hurt. We just didn’t finish the game at the end. Game 5 was just an experience that I will remember for the rest of my life. Even though I haven’t played a lot of professional games, this maybe was the funniest series I will ever play in. This series compares to nothing in the NCAA it’s really different.

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Ilian Evtimov (Cholet Basket) I Still Have Some Basketball In Me And Plan To Prove This Next Year

Ilian Evtimov (35) is a 201cm forward that has the French/Bulgarian citizenship and recently completed his 12^th professional season and second with Cholet Basket (France-ProA) averaging 4,3ppg,1,7rpg and 1,4apg. He started his basketball career at North Carolina State in 2001 and as a senior played 31 games averaging 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 89.5%. He started his professional career in 2006 which took him to Italy, Germany and Cyprus in his first four seasons. In 2010 he moved to France and has been there ever since. His most successful time was between 2010-2016 where he played with ES Chalon-Sur-Saone (France-ProA) winning four titles. German Hoops has chatted numerous times with Illian Evtimov in the last 10 years about basketball and did it again. He spoke to German Hoops on his 35th birthday recently.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber visiting Ilian Evtimov in Chalon in 2013

Evti, thanks for talking to GermanHoops.com. Happy Birthday! You turned 35 today. Is there something you would rather get for a birthday present now more than you would 10 years ago?

A nice family vacation. 10 years ago, I didn’t have a wife and children. Time away is always appreciated when with the family these days.

The last interview we did was before the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup Final 4 in Chalon. It has been 2 years since then. Has time flown by for you since then?

It has gone by very fast. Since then I have had a new child, Iliana, who was born in September 2016. Now the house is full with children. I don’t realize how fast the time goes by.

Chalon lost in the semi Finals to the Italian club Varese. What memories do you have of that weekend and was it in the end a bit of a consolation that your ex team Frankfurt won the title?

I wished we would of played against Frankfurt. In 2007, during the final 4 of the Eurochallenge, I played with Bologna against my old team of Estudiantes. I thought history would repeat itself. I am very happy for Frankfurt that they won the title. They were my 2nd pick after my own team of course.

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Evan McGaughey´s Biggest Step As A Rookie Was Understanding The European Game

Evan McGaughey is a 24 year old 203cm forward from Carthage, Illinois that completed his rookie season in Germany with the MLP Academics Heielberg averaging 11.8ppg, 6,4rpg and 2,1apg while shooting 41% from outside. The American played an illustrious career at Quincy(NCAA”) where he averaged double figures in scoring average each season. As a senior he played 25 games averaging 16.6ppg, 8.3rpg, 2.0apg, 1.2spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 58.2%, 3PT: 50.6%, FT: 77.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after his rookie season in Germany.

Evan thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a solid rookie season in Germany. However your season ended on a sour note losing to the Romerstrom Gladiators 3-2 after being up 2-1. How disappointing was ending the season like this?

Hey Miles! We had quite a season this year. It definitely ended on a sour note for us though. It’s hard to lose in the playoffs like that after you work so hard all season to get to that point. The day after a season ending loss is always the hardest, but I’m sure in a few weeks we will be able to look back on the season and be proud of what we did.

Was these the toughest two back to back loses in your young career? Did this compare to anything you witnessed in the NCAA?

Yes, I would say these are the toughest back to back loses I’ve ever experienced. It’s a little different in the college post season, because if you lose once then your out. In a playoff series you still have hope after each game. We just weren’t able to put the series away when we had our chances.

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Seth Clark Knows That Responding To Authority And Fulfilling His Role Is Something Professional Teams Will Like About Him

Seth Clark is a 190cm guard from Olentangy, Ohio that recently finished a 4 year career at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3). As a freshman he averaged 10.6ppg, 3.5rpg, 3.1apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 35.2%, FT: 80.0%. In hiss econd season at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3) he played 30 games averaging 15.4ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.5apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 76.8%. In his junior season at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3), he played 28 games averaging 14.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 77.6%. In his senior year he averaged 19,0ppg, 5,0rpg and 3,0apg and reached two NCAC finals and one NCAA 3 Sweet 16. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Seth thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how did you experience the NCAA Final 4?

At the moment I am at home in Powell, Ohio. I experienced the final 4 by watching on TV while helping the family prepare for Sundays Easter dinner during the many commercial breaks.

You just finished your college career at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3). What kind of experience was it for you playing 4 years at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3)?

Playing at OWU was a very positive experience for me. Over the years I was able to grow as a player and as a man. The Ohio Wesleyan basketball program is very different than many other NCAA3 schools. By that I mean the coaching staff is very laid back and trusts that we as players will do what it takes to get ready for each season. So, no there are no mandatory workouts, the coaches aren’t holding our hand through the off season. I learned as a freshman that we are expected as players to hold ourselves accountable. This allowed me to develop a very powerful work ethic and a love for the process leading up to a season. Since I was a starting point guard since my Freshman season, I was in a position to lead my team and developed skills in doing so year after year. Being in a leadership role for 4 years straight gave me great experience in leading different teammates as some graduated and new players came in.

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Mike Taylor (Hamburg Towers) There Is A High Ceiling In Hamburg And Am Fired Up To Help Make Basketball Dreams A Reality

Mike Taylor is in his 18th season as a professional coach and was anmed head coach of the Hamburg Towers and also currently head coach of the Polish national team and preparing the team for the World Cup 2019 qualifying round. He is the son of Dick Taylor who was an NCAA coach and assistant with the New York Knicks. Mike Taylor started his coaching career in 2001 with Chemnitz (Germany-2.Bundesliga). In 2002-2003, he got valuable experience in the UK with the Essex Leopards London (United Kingdom). In 2003, he started to coach for ratiopharm Ulm leading them into the Beko BBL in 2006 and Beko BBL playoffs in 2009 before leaving in 2011. He had a record of 101-15 in four years of second Bundesliga basketball. He also has coached Kansas Cagerz (USBL) in the summer time as well as being an assistant for the Czech national team. In 2011 he made the jump back to the states and was an assistant for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers(D-League). He then was head coach of the Boston Celtics D League team Maine Red Claws and they reached the playoffs for the first time in team history. He spoke to German Hoops after getting the Hamburg Towers job.

: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber visiting coach Mike Taylor in Maine when he was head coach for the Boston Celtics D-League team Maine Red Claws in 2013

Mike thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome back to Germany and congrats on signing with the Hamburg Towers. 14 years ago you went into your first second Bundesliga season with ratiopharm Ulm. How good does it feel to be coaching in Germany again?

Thank you Miles! 14 years has been a long time filled with a lot of different basketball experiences from all over the world and I am thankful for the opportunities! I feel like I am arriving in Hamburg at an excellent time. The Towers organization has tremendous potential and I believe there is a foundation for success. I hope with a lot of hard-work and team-work we can write a similar success story to my time in Ulm. It feels great because I think Hamburg is a good fit for coaching and for family off the floor.

You probably selected the prettiest city in Germany to work in. What is your early feeling about where you will be hanging out more to watch videos and do scouting more on the Alster lake or at the harbor and Elbe river.

Hamburg is a great city with big potential. I will try to keep things simple and stick to the gym or the Towers team offices at Inselpark for video work but there is no debate that Hamburg has a lot to offer. During my visit, I was able to see the Hafen Geburtstag and there was so much action. I loved it! My hope is we can bring high level basketball into this fun city.

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Elijah Allen (Walter Tigers Tuebingen) When Tough Times Came I Handled It Better Than I Would In The Past

Allen Elijah Allen is a 28 year old 195cm swing man from Columbus, Ohio that completed his sixth professional season and first season with Kirchheim in the Pro A averaging 9,8ppg, 5,0rpg and 1,6apg. He will be suiting up next season with Pro A team Walter Tigers Tuebingen. In the 2016-2017 season he helped Gotha move up to the easyCredit BBL averaging 5,7ppg, 2,0rpg and shot 42,3% from outside. He is one of the few guys that has gone from the German Regionaliga to the BBL He played two seasons for Lich and in his last season there played 27 games averaging 13.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.9apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 69.3%. He started his basketball career at NW Missouri St. (NCAA2) in 2007 where he played until 2011 playing a total of 103 NCAA games and as a senior played 26 games: 14.9ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.1apg, FG: 44.8%, 3Pts: 23.1%, FT: 74.8%. He came to Germany in 2012 and played his first two seasons for the VfB 1900 Giessen Pointers (Germany-Regionalliga) and in the 2013-2014 season played 26 games averaging 20.0ppg, 6.4rpg, 1.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 58.7%, 3PT: 30.7%, FT: 68.4%. In the 2014-2015 season for the Licher Basket Baeren he played 28 games: 10.4ppg, 4.1rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 54.9%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 72.2% He spoke to German Hopps after his season with Kirchheim.

Elijah, thanks for talking to German Hoops. After remembering how long your season went last season with Gotha how strange was it for you this year to have summer break on March 31st?

It hurt not making the playoffs. That was a big goal for me this season.

Last season you played in the playoffs and had 11 more games. I remember you saying you had something like 5 heart attacks in the Chemnitz series. The playoffs is what every professional player plays for. How disappointing is it that Kirchheim didn´t make it to the promised land this season? lokal

It’s was a bit disappointing. We had a talented group of guys. Good enough to have made a good run in the playoffs against the better teams. We lost a few games to the lower ranked teams and that ended up hurting us in the end.

You split the season series against Phoenix Hagen, but the 96-71 loss in Hagen cost you the playoffs, because they had a better point difference that gave them the eighth spot. This obviously hurt, but how disappointing is it remembering that the loss to last placed team Orange Academy a week earlier cost you the playoffs?

Losing to Orange Academy two times really hurt us in the end. We then were not able to execute our game plan in Hagen. We had a lot of open looks on offense but unfortunately we didn’t make them. A tough way to miss the playoffs.

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Seger Bonifant´s Mentality Is Knowing Anytime He Misses A Shot That The Next One Is In

Seger Bonifant is a 24 year old 201cm forward from Berlin, Ohio that just completed his second professional season and first with Team Ehingen Urspring (Germany-ProA) playing 30 games averaging 12,6ppg, 2,0rpg and 2,5apg while shooting an astounding 48,7% from outside. Last season as a rookie he played for Cocinas.com CB Clavijo Logrono (Spain-LEB Gold) playing 32 games averaging 9.2ppg, 2.0rpg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 45.3%, FT: 82.9%. He played at W.Liberty St. (NCAA2) form 2012-2016 playing a 126 games and improved his scoring, rebounding and assists average each season. There he established himself as a real sniper as he shot over 50% from outside for a season three times and as a senior played W.Liberty St. (NCAA2) playing 35 games averaging 25.5ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.0apg, FGP: 58.4%, 3PT: 49.6%, FT: 83.5%. He spoke to German Hoops at the end of his season with Ehingen.

Seger, thanks for talking to German Hoops Where are you at the moment and how did you spend your last days in your second professional season in Europe?

Right now I am at home in Berlin, Ohio. I will spend the summer here, working out everyday and getting better at my game. My last days In Ehingen I just relaxed and spent the days with my roommate Davonte.

Did you catch some sights in Europe after the season or did you return right away to home to Ohio? If yes what was the first thing you did before seeing family or friends? I can imagine you sought out one of your favorite local eateries?

I went right home after the season. My flight was scheduled 2 days after the last game so I didn’t have time to travel. My first stop at home was my favorite place to eat, chipotle. I really missed it and love it!

You had a solid season in terms of what you accomplished on the stat sheet, but your team Ehingen was unable to remain in the Pro A. With what kinds of feelings and thoughts do you have about your second professional season?

Obviously it was very tough losing as many games as we did. My whole life I have been on very high profile teams that win a lot of games. So being on the opposite side of that was tough, but a great learning experience. Also, our team never gave up and never felt sorry for ourselves and worked hard everyday. Besides losing, the season was a good one.

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Devonte Brown Had An Amazing Experience In Paderborn Being Coached By Coaches Who Cared About Improving Their players

Brown Devonte Brown is a 24 year old 188cm guard from Killeen, Texas that completed his second professional season and first with the Uni Baskets Paderborn averaging 14,2ppg,5.5rpg and 2,6apg. Last season as a rookie he played with OKK Sloboda Tuzla (Bosnia-Division I) playing 28 games averaging 8.2ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.0apg, Steals-3(1.9spg), FGP: 53.1%, 3PT: 26.7%, FT: 64.5%. He started his basketball career in 2012 with Indiana St. (NCAA playing a total of 129 NCAA games. As a senior he played 32 games averaging 15.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 42.0%, 3PT: 23.2%, FT: 75.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after finishing his season in Germany with Paderborn.

Devonte thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how is your very early summer going at the moment?

I’m currently in Houston with the family , working on my early morning conditioning while spending time with some of my extended family members.

Did you get to visit any European sites after the season ended or did you go right home to PB-Trier-Brown Texas?

After the season I was fortunate enough to have the chance to visit a couple cities that wasn’t close to any opposite cities. Before leaving to go back to the US I had a chance to see Berlin and Amsterdam, two cities I’ve only seen in movies.

What was the first thing you did when you got back to the states? Was checking out one of your favorites eateries high on your list?

The first thing I did was join some of family and friends on vacation and enjoy a good amount of sun in Florida .

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Sharif Hudson (HSB Landsberg): If I Have To Continue To Prove That I Can Play Then That’s What I’m Going To Do

Sharif Hudson is a 26 year old 188cm guard playing his third professional season and first with HSB Landsberg (Germany-2.Regionalliga). He played his first two professional seasons with BG Aschersleben Tigers (Germany-Regionalliga) an din his rookie season played 25 games averaging 14.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.6apg, 2.2spg, FGP: 52.5%, 3PT: 29.9%, FT: 64.8%. Last season with BG Aschersleben Tigers (Germany-Regionalliga) he played 19 games averaging 15.2ppg, 4.2rpg, 3.0apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 78.5%. He started his basketball career at Southern Union CC and then played his last two seasons in the NCAA 2 with Ark.-Monticello (NCAA2) playing 29 games averaging 10.1ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.6apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 61.3%. In his senior year he played 13 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 2.2apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 35.8%, FT: 78.7%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Sharif, thanks for talking to German Hoops. You are in your third professional season and many Americans dream to be in your situation even though your far away from a top level. How thankful are you for having the opportunity to play the game you love for a living?

It’s a blessing to be able to just play the game. Regardless of the level that I am at right now, just being able to lace up every week and compete with a group of guys is something that I don’t take for granted.

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