ProA

Randal Holt (If The Team Were Winning I Wouldn’t Get All Of The Credit Just As I Shouldn’t Take All The Blame For The Losing)

Randal Holt is a 25 year old 185cm point guard from Bedford, Ohio that is playing his third professional season, but was recently released by the Dresden Titans where he played 20 games averaging 16,0ppg, 3,0rpg and 4,5apg.He started his basketball career at Kent St. (NCAA) in 2009 and played 131 NCAA games until 2013 and as a senior played 33 games averaging 14.6ppg, 3.2rpg, 2.5apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 36.4%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 86.0%. As a rookie he played for Weissenhorn Youngstars (Germany-ProB) playing 25 games: 19.4ppg, 3.6rpg, 4.2apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 38.2%, FT: 81.6%. Last season with the Dresden Titans he played 15 games: Score-3(21.7ppg), 4.3rpg, Assists-3(6.1apg), 1.8spg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 40.5%, FT: 85.1%. He spoke to German Hoops after being relased by the Dresden Titans.

Randall thanks for talking to German Hoops. You are back on your way back to the United States after being released from German Pro A team Dresden Titans. Were you able to wind down on the flight a bit or was the Dresden Titans season fiasco in your head?

Hello Miles thank you for the interview. I was able to unwind on the flight and just focus on getting home safely and eager to see my family.

The Dresden Titans released you and American Jervon Pressley. Do you feel it was the right decision to release its two best players so late in the season?

Yes we were released from the team and it was a decision that came down from management who is in charge of those decisions so if they felt it was the right move for the team then I can’t argue that at all.

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Chase Adams (Uni Baskets Paderborn) To Get Over The Hump I Must Turn It Up A Couple Notches

Chase Adams is a 28 year old 188cm point guard from Baltimore, Maryland playing his second season for the Uni Baskets Paderborn in the (Germany-ProA). He started his basketball career at Centenary (NCAA) in 2006 where he played three seasons and a total of 89 NCAA games. As a senior he moved to Pittsburgh (NCAA). He turned professional in 2011 and played briefly in the ABA and in the UBL before making Germany his home as he played for teams like Dortmund, Bochum, and Science City Jena. He spoke to German Hoops after the tough loss to Trier.

Chase thanks for talking to German Hoops. 2017 is here and are you the type of guy that goes into a new year with new years resolutions or more a guy that doesn´t bother with that?

It’s certainly important to reflect on the first half of the season at this point and evaluate what needs improvement. A new mentality is always a helpful way to regain focus and set new goals.

The Uni Baskets Paderborn suffered a tough 69-66 loss to Trier. They had the 37-26 lead at halftime. It took you a while as a team to get going scoring 24 points in the third quarter to get back into the game. What adjustments did you make?

We were sluggish and emotionless, so coach wanted us to turn up the pressure and play more lively. Communication and strong rotations were the emphasis.

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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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Preston Medlin (Kirchheim Knights) We Were Running Up And Down The Court Like Mad Men

Preston Medlin is a 25 year old 193cm guard that is playing his third professional season and first with the Kirchheim Knights in the German Pro A. He started his basketball career in 2009 with Utah St. (NCAA) where he played until 2014 playinga total of 102 NCAA games. As a senior he played 32 games averaging 12.4ppg, 2.7rpg, 4.1apg, FGP: 41.1%, 3PT: 42.4%, FT: 78.0%. He started his professional basketball career in 2014 with BK Saldus (Latvia-LBL): 29 games: Score-4(14.7ppg), 3.1rpg, 3.0apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 42.7%, FT: 75.8%. Last season he had limited duty with Enosi Kalathosfairisis Kavalas (Greece-A1): 3 games: 3.7ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.3apg. German Hoops talked to Preston after the big win against the Hamburg Towers.

Preston thanks for talking to German Hoops. 2017 has come and did you make any new years resolutions or is that something that you don´t bother with?

No problem thanks for interviewing me. My wife and I always make little new years resolutions together but never anything to crazy, Just the normal stuff like eating better and being healthy.

The Kirchheim Knights went into 2017 riding a 4 game losing streak. What do you believe did the team get away from in this period that hindered you from getting victories?

That was a tough stretch for us, part of it was we played 4 playoff teams and 3 of the 4 games on the road. I think we got away from playing team basketball and got a little selfish. Also I think it was good for us to lose a few games (I am not sure it was good to lose 4 but) I think we were getting a little complacent and not working as hard as were should be.

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DJ Bennett (Mitteldeutscher BC) Our Commitment To Each Other And Our High Work Ethic Has Separated Us From Other Teams

DJ Bennett is a 203cm forward from Chicago, Illinois that is playing his second professional season and first with the Mitteldeutscher BC. As a rookie he played with the BSW Sixers Sandersdorf (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 18 games averaging 15.3ppg, 8.7ppg, 2.3bpg, FGP: 66.9%, FT: 67.9%. He started his basketball career with Indian Hills CC (JUCO) and moved to Oklahoma (NCAA) in 2013 where he stayed two years playing a total of 61 NCAA games and reaching the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2015. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

This was your second time in Germany and you once again took in the pre Christmas time. You spent last season in the small Sandersdorf and this season in Weissenfels. What have you learned to appreciate about this time of year in Germany?

Being in this part of Germany much like Sandersdorf I’ve learned to appreciate the fans, they always go out of their way to keep showing is support and having small events for us for the holidays, the fans are definitely a big part of this teams success.

Basketball life is very good in Weissenfels as the Mitteldeutscher BC is dominating the league at 15-1. Is everything perfect in MBC country?

I am grateful to be part of such a great team but it’s a long way from perfect, we always have small things that we can do better and we compete every day in practice to make sure we are ready for whoever we face next, I think what separated us from others teams is our commitment to each other and our high work ethic.

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Brian Sullivan (Hebeisen White Wings) I Want To Continue To Show That My Decision Making With The Ball Is A Big Strength Of Mine

Brian Sullivan is a 23 year old 180cm guard from Upper Arlington, Ohio that is playing his rookie season in Germany with the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau. He started his college basketball career in 2011 with Miami, OH (NCAA) playing 30 games averaging 10.3ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 35.7%, 3PT: 44.9%, FT: 70.0%. He then played at Davidson (NCAA) from 2013-2016 and as a senior played 30 games averaging 14.3ppg, 3.7rpg, 3.4apg, FGP: 32.7%, 3PT: 41.0%, FT: 83.1%. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season.

Brian, thank for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the huge 68-63 win against top Pro A team Kirchheim Knights. What makes a grind out win like this more difficult to accomplish than a shoot out win?

It seems in low scoring games, your margin of error defensively is that much smaller. So the biggest challenge was just making sure we stayed locked in defensively for all 40 minutes.

The fourth quarter started with a huge run by the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau as Kruize Pinkins scored in bunches, but Kirchheim fought back. The game was technically over at the two minute mark as German Josef Eichler hit a three and there was no more scoring after that. How strange of a fourth quarter ending was this for you?

Yeah, it was a bit odd but that is how the flow of the game was going. It was very defensive minded and there seemed to be a couple different stretches without much scoring.

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Eugene Harris (Hebeisen White Wings) We Need To Learn How To Take Care Of Business Regardless The Circumstances

Eugene Harris is a 29 year old 193cm point guard from Pittsburgh and is playing his sixth professional season and first in Germany with the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau. Last season he played for Siarka Tarnobrzeg (Poland-TBL): 13 games: 6.9ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2FGP: 32.6%, 3FGP: 25.4%, left in Jan.’16, later that month moved to KTE-Duna Aszfalt (Hungary-A Division): 11 games: 6.4ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 28.3%, FT: 75.0%. He started his basketball career in 2006 with High Point (NCAA) where he played until 2010 playing a total of 121 NCAA games. As a senior he played 30 games averaging 14.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 38.7%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 87.5%.In his first five professional seasons, he has gained vast experience having played in countries like Lithuania, Georgia, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Ukraine. He spoke to German Hoops after the big 68-63 victory against the Kirchheim Knights.

Eugene thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the huge 68-63 win against top Pro A team Kirchheim Knights. What makes a grind out win like this more difficult to accomplish than a shoot out win?

Thank you miles I appreciate you, it’s always a great feeling to win no matter the circumstances but this game was definitely more defensive oriented where it was tough to get an offensive flow on both sides

It was one of those grind out games coach kept stressing to continue to put pressure on them defensively and it will open up in the 4th in which it did.

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Diante Watkins (Nurnberg Falcons BC) I Really Like The Assist And Was making The Right Plays

Diante Watkins is a 26 year old 174cm point guard that is playing his fourth professional season and first with the Nurnberg Falcons BC. Last season an injury in pre season derailed his path playing for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He started his basketball career in 2009 with Daley CC (JUCO): 28 games: 26.5ppg, 5.8apg, 2.7rpg, 2.0spg, FGP: 44%, 3Pts: 38%, FT: 86%. He then played two seasons with Robert Morris (NAIA) and as a senior played 27 games: 24.4ppg, 7.4apg, 3.0rpg, 2.1spg, FGP: 47.0%, 3Pts: 38.9%, FT: 82.7%. In 2013-2014 he started his professional basketball career with SC Rist Wedel where he played 30 games averaging 16.2ppg, 2.3rpg, 3.8apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 48.0%, 3PT: 31.3%, FT: 86.9%. He improved his play in 2014-2015 with SC Rist Wedel playing 32 games: Score-2(21.3ppg), 3.8rpg, Assists-1(6.8apg), Steals-2(3.2spg), FGP: 49.2%, 3PT: 32.4%, FT: 87.4%. He cleaned up the Eurobasket awards winning Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Honorable Mention -14, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Player of the Year -15, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Guard of the Year -15, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Import Player of the Year -15, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B 1st Team -15, and Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro B All-Imports Team -15. He currently is tearing up the Pro A averaging 21,0ppg, 2,3rpg and 5,8apg and spoke to German Hoops after the huge 90-83 win against Ehingen.

Diante thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the big 90-83 win in Ehingen. How soothing was finally putting points on the board again after averaging only 50 points the last two games?

It was great for us, our confidence was down as a team on the offensive end.

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Dan Oppland(Nurnberg Falcons BC) We Need To Build Off The Momentum From Ehingen With The Right Attitude And Focus

Dan Oppland is a 32 year old 203cm forward that is playing his third season in Nurnberg and first with the Nuernberg Falcons BC (Germany-ProA. He started his basketball career for Valparaiso (NCAA) in 2002 where he played until 2006. He started his professional basketball career in 2006 for Hanzevast Capitals Groningen (Holland). He then played in countries like Poland and Sweden before coming to Bayreuth in 2008. He then played for seasons four Allianz Swans Gmunden (Austria-A Bundesliga) where he won three titles. Two seasons ago, he played for Namika Lahti (Finland-Korisliiga) 47 games: 15.7ppg, 7.9rpg, 1.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.0%. Last season for Rent4Office he played 32 games averaging 9.8ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 56.5%, 3PT: 23.1%, FT: 72.6%. He spoke to German Hoops after the big 90-83 win against Ehingen.

Dan thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the big 90-83 win in Ehingen. How soothing was finally putting points on the board again after averaging only 50 points the last two games?

It was definitely a great feeling to get that win against Ehingen, especially after the way we played the last two games, and in the first half against Ehingen. Hopefully we can build on this game.

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Elijah Allen(Gotha) My Goal Is To Be Aggressive In The Time I Get And Find Ways To Help My Team Win

Elijah Allen is a 26 year old 195cm swing man from Columbus, Ohio that is playing his first season with Gotha in the Pro A. Ke played the last two seasons for Lich and last season 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 Hoops after the big 64-56 win against Heidelberg last weekend.

Elijah congrats on the 64-56 win in Heidelberg. How good did it feel to win on the road again after 4 straight loses on the road?

Thanks a lot. It was a good feeling. We must continue to build off this.

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