ProB

Noah Kamdem Muscles And Shoots The Fraport Skyliners Juniors To 75-74 Victory Over Speyer

On November 23, 2019 17 year German shooting star Len Schoormann had a Pro B career day netting an amazing 30 points in Speyer  as he shot a potent 9/12 and also knew when to create finding his teammates for 5 dimes, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors once again was unable to defend at a consistent level allowing 101 points. Frankfurt did a good job coughing up the ball only 8 times, but overall couldn´t secure the rebound battle for themselves. It is now perform or face the possible consequences of missing the playoffs and having to toil in the unwanted playdowns. Frankfurt has been in a rut in the last few months having lost 6 of the last 7 games while their opponent Speyer have somewhat underachieved this season but had a positive 8-7 record coming in. Speyer came back to the BCM where they hadn´t last visited since the 2015-2016 season when they last dueled in the Pro B with top guard DJ Woodmore who had had a 1-1 record that season against Frankfurt, but having immense success scoring 25 and 20 points. Woodmore had another amazing game, but couldn´t lead his team to the win in the last seconds as the Fraport Skyliners Juniors got revenge for the first loss in Speyer winning 75-74. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors showed consistency at both ends of the court something they haven´t shown as much this season and had a lot of versatility on the offensive end. After the win a content Maxi Begue reflected on the win. “We played good defense for 40 minutes. We did a good job not falling apart like we have in other games. When Speyer took the lead, we didn´t let them run away with it. We played fairly consistent for the whole game”, stressed Maxi Begue. It took DJ Woodmore a few seconds to compose himself after the loss and reflected on what went wrong. “It was a tough loss. Pruitt got hot early and got the rest of his team going. We made some mistakes down the stretch and didn´t hit shots”, stressed ex Virginia Wesleyan(NCAA3) guard DJ Woodmore.7

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Maxi Begue who steered 7 points, 10 boards and 4 assists in the win

                                               The Morgenstern Bis Baskets were without veterans Albert Kuppe and Adrian Lind, but that didn´t seem to worry them as in the first few minutes, it looked like the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer were going to duplicate the kind of performance they had at home as they took a 7-2 lead. In the run the club got valuable production from Spaniard Michael Acosta who demonstrated his aggressiveness from the get go getting two baskets and forward Matthias Meier also scored. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors looked sluggish and flat. They needed some kind of energizer to get out of their funk and did with big man Aaron Kayser. Kayser began his rampage with a massive block on Dmitrij Kreiss and then led Frankfurt on a 6-2 run to get back into the game with two buckets while 17 year old guard Len Schoormann scored a reverse lay in from the back door feed from new player Bruno Peric to trail 10-8. Frankfurt continued to execute on offense and after Kayser´s show came the huge show of Nigel Pruitt who began to let three´s rain as he hit three three´s to lead the Fraport Skyliners Juniors to the 25-20 lead. The guests got some support from Kreiss with a basket and Woodmore made a lay in after retrieving a beautiful behind the back pass from Spaniard Jordi Salto, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors led 27-26 after the first frame. “Both teams hit a lot of shots. Our defense was a bit lush at the start, but we got better as the game went along”, stressed Maxi Begue. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 58% from the field and 44% form outside and had 10 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer shot 61% from the field and 50% from outside and had 7 rebounds and 3 turnovers.

                The Fraport Skyliners Juniors held the lead in the second quarter upping their defense allowing only 14 points. A big reason for the cutting down of points had to do with their great start. Frankfurt shut down the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer on their first 6 possessions, but couldn´t take real advantage of their stronger defense getting only 4 points from Peric and Pruitt as the home team led 31-26. Frankfurt did a better job clogging the zone area and playing 1-1 defense as the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer couldn´t find a smooth rhythm on the offensive end. They finally got their first bucket of the second quarter at the 6,16 mark as ex wiha Panther Petar Madunic scored inside. Ex BBL player Tim Schwartz who played for teams like Giessen, Crailsheim, Artland and Braunschweig hit 3 free throws to deadlock the contest at 31-31. Frankfurt did a good job never fretting when Speyer threatened, but instead were able to execute on offense and go on runs. Frankfurt proceeded to go on a 7-2 run to lead 38-33. In the run they continued to show their versatile offense getting a runner from Peric, an acrobatic lay in by Schoormann where he displayed his total athleticism and captain Cosmo Gruehn made a tip in off the lob pass from Pruitt. Down the stretch the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were able to hold the lead getting big shots. Pruitt continued to demonstrate his precise three point shooting draining another one while Gruehn connected on an old school like hook shot and young German Alvin Onyia dropped a clutch three pointer for the 46-40 halftime advantage. Speyer received a runner from Kreiss and a beautiful basket from Woodmore which reminded one of a typical Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker play. “I attacked on that play and when I am able to step on the big man then I can make that shot fake and then go under and spin it home. It worked well for me”, added DJ Woodmore. “Frankfurt played good transition basketball and had good ball movement. They had very many options on offense something they haven´t shown as much this season”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Leon Kratzer. The Fraport Skyliners shot 51% from the field and 35% from the three point line and had 19 boards and 5 turnovers while the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer shot 50% from the field and 29% from the three point line and had 17 boards and 7 turnovers.

                The third quarter was a real dog fight as the Fraport Skyliners Juniors kept the lead despite coughing up the ball a miserable 10 times. The Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer couldn´t do more than be tied at 59-59 after 30 minutes. The guests went on a mini 4-0 run as their best player Dmitrij Kreiss was brilliant at both ends of the court getting a lay in and then making a steal and lay in after a coast to coast run as Frankfurt only led 46-44. Frankfurt continued to receive key and timely production as well as profiting on Speyer mistakes as Pruitt hit three free throws for the 49-44 Frankfurt lead. Kayser and Begue made points, but the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer also could connect staying close as Meier, Woodmore and Schwartz scored cutting the Frankfurt lead to 52-51. Frankfurt got some more baskets from Noah Kamden who brought that special energy from the bench and 2017 JBBL finalist Calvin Schaum dropped a key three for the 59-56 lead, but Speyer got a Salto free throw and Woodmore basket on transiting tying the game after 30 minutes. “We fell apart a bit. But it wasn´t as bad as other games. They played a zone and suddenly seemed more aggressive on defense than other times. Kreiss was a pest on defense”, stressed Maxi Begue. “We went small and attacked on defense using our quickness. We also rebounded the ball well”, expressed DJ Woodmore. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 51% from the field and 33% from the parking lot and had 30 rebounds and 15 turnovers while the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer shot 46% from the field and 21% from the parking lot and had 23 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing DJ Woodmore who contributed 20 points and 10 rebounds in the loss

                In the fourth quarter the Fraport Skyliners Juniors allowed the guests to take a commanding lead, but instead of falling apart stayed strong staged a comeback and had the better nerves and execution success in crunch time. The Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer turned up the intensity and were rewarded with a key 10-2 run to take the 69-61 lead as it seemed to like another loss was brewing on the horizon for Frankfurt. In the run the guests got production from Meier who scored twice, Woodmore made free throws and Salto scored. Frankfurt got it´s first field goal of the quarter from Gruehn at 7,26 minute mark. Basketball proved again why it is always a game of runs. The nasty Speyer run didn´t faze Frankfurt as they slapped Speyer around with a 10-0 to retake the lead at 71-69. Frankfurt got a lay in from Schoormann, another clutch trey from Pruitt, Kamden free throws and a three from Begue. Begue continues to make a good development as he fills the stat sheet and plays hard defense. He has been working on his three pointer with assistant coach Klaus Perwas and was rewarded with a three. He finished with 7 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and explained what he focused on most in the game. “I concentrated on rebounds. They didn´t have the biggest players so I crashed the boards. I wanted to impact the game this way”, stressed Maxi Begue. In the last couple minutes, both teams traded leads. A Schwartz three pointer gave Speyer the 72-71 lead only to be lost to Schoormann free throws and 73-72 Frankfurt advantage. Speyer continued to play with a lot of self confidence as Meier made a lay in with 55 seconds left as Speyer led 74-73. Both teams then got stops and then it was time for the Kamden heroics. “Our will in the comeback was huge. We never gave up and had that special team feeling. We all played well and were mentally strong”, warned Maxi Begue. “We had the momentum, but then it was that Pruitt big shot that gave his team confidence again. They hit their shots when they needed it”, stressed DJ Woodmore. Kamden then hit the game winner with a lay in muscling himself to the points. “It felt good getting the game winner despite not playing so much and coming in more for my defense”, added Noah Kamden. The Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer had one last chance to win the game, but Schwartz missed the last shot ending the game. “We defended honestly. Schwartz could have made that shot”, stressed Maxi Begue. “The play was supposed to be for me. They switched and collapsed and I almost lost the ball, but got it to Schwarz, but he couldn´t hit it”, added DJ Woodmore. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Nigel Pruitt with 23 points. Aaron Kayser added 11 points and 10 rebounds. The Morgenstern bis Baskets Speyer were led by DJ Woodmore with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Dmitrij Kreiss added 16 points and 10 assists and Tim Schwartz added 15 points. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 49% from the field and 33% from outside and had 40 rebounds and 21 turnovers while the Morgenstern Bis Baskets Speyer shot 40% from the field and 18% from outside and had 34 rebounds and 9 turnovers.

Bill Borekambi (wiha Panthers) Staying Is The Best Option Because I Love Playing In Schwenningen

Bill Borekambi is a 26 year old 198cm forward that has played for 9 professional teams and completed his first season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (ProB) averaging 16,6ppg, 7,2rpg and 2,5apg. He has a lot of professional experience having played 36 Pro A games for Cuxhaven and Nurnberg and played 75 Pro B games with Lich, PS Karlsruhe and Rostock. He also played two seasons with Coll.Sequoias CC (JUCO) and played a season in the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven organization playing second Regionalliga and NBBL. Last season he was a key contributor for the Rostock Seawolves (ProB) playing 30 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com after the completion of the 2018-2019 season.

Bill thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Congrats on an amazing season. How disappointed are you and the club about the season ending in Munster?

hey miles thanks for having me again. It was at first very disappointing because we knew we could have won that game in Munster. Losing a game 3 by 3 points is tough but after a couple days, I realized we had a great season and accomplished way more than expected. 

The club has some nice road trips home after the game three wins in Wedel and Giessen. How hard was the bus ride home and what were the most active thoughts going through your mind on the trip home from Munster?

Man the bus ride home after that was the longest, your body is tired but you can’t sleep because you keep thinking about the game and what if. 

The wiha Panthers had to fight back the whole playoffs and had extreme problems winning on the road early. Why do you feel did the team always have to put themselves in a hole early in the series?

Definitely wasn’t planed lol. I think it just took most of the time a game to get some feeling for our opponents and gain confidence back at home after a loss on the road. But even though we had some struggles we never gave up from the staff to the players. 

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The wiha Panthers Do it Again German Style Almost Always Wining It In The End Pulling Out Dramatic 101-100 OT Win In Giessen

One thing is for sure nobody who follows the Pro B closely or is a wiha Panthers Schwenningen fan can say that the season of the newcomer hasn´t been spectacular or exciting. Of course the success of his team doesn´t surprise head coach Alen Velcic, but for others not as close to the club would have had the audacity to predict that the team would have such an exciting season. The club won some very exciting close games, saw the Pro B break through of jovial Mr everything Rasheed Moore and even experienced some tough tough games when they were without their captain the strong muscled kostas Karamatskos who always seems to have one expression on his face as a guy who is all business on the court. The playoffs remained very dramatic for the club from Schwenningen as they were down 1-0 to SC Rist Wedel in games and fought back to in two do or die games in a row and were in the same position again with the Rackelos Giessen. After stealing a very exciting 92-86 victory in Giessen were Rasheed Moore took control in crunch-time, the club came back very confident to slam the door on Giessen as everybody expected a win, but instead the guests showed immense heart and fighting qualities winning 81-76 on the road. Borekambi who continues to have an amazing playoffs and Moore combined for 42 points, but they couldn´t keep talented young German Bjarne Kraushaar under control as he netted 23 points and the few more possessions that Giessen had at the end made the difference. After two excruciating long road trips to Wedel that covered 2000 kilometers, the club had to go back to Giessen for a second time, but all in all had a lot more comfortable trip as it was less than half way to Wedel.

Pandimonium breaks out in wiha Panther country after the buzzer sounded beating Giessen 101-100 in OT

 

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Rasheed Moore (wiha Panthers) Coach Velcic Has Taught Me To Be More Patient Instead Of Forcing The Issue

Po-Rasheed MooreRasheed Moore is a 23 year old 198cm forward from Wilkes-Barre playing his second professional season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (Germany-Regionalliga). Last season as a rookie he helped lead the team into the Pro B playing 27 games averaging 21.4ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.7apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 56.2%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 75.5%. He began his basketball career at Martin Luther King High School. He then played at E.Stroudsburg (NCAA2) from 2013-2017 playing a total of 106 NCAA 2 games and as a senior played 26 games averaging 19.0ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.1apg, 1.0spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 48.0%, FT: 79.2%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the playoff series against Giessen.

Rasheed thanks for talking germanhoops.com You have experienced many exciting things in your basketball career, but where does the playoff series rank against SC Rist Wedel?

Thank you Miles for taking the time to reach out to talk to me, and yes I have experienced many exciting things in my career but this series will always have a special place with me because it was my first playoff series. Not only was it my first playoff series but it was also our club’s first playoff series so being able to get a win for our organization just means a lot. 

How important was it having playoff experience with E Stroudsburg (NCAA2)? Did you feel like at home in game three in Wedel? It could happen again with Giessen if you’re faced with a do or die?

For me it was very important to have playoff experience and playing in games where every possession matters. You have to know how to react and respond in crucial moments of the game. With 4 years of playoff experience at East Stroudsburg I learned how to control my emotions and composure at the most crucial parts of the games. For game three in Wedel we did not feel like we were at home but we did not let their fans rattle us. We were all able to keep our composure and just find a way to win. That is what you have to do on the road in the playoffs. 

Congrats on beating SC Rist Wedel 2-1. How difficult was this series for the club? The club had to travel twice to Wedel covering 2000 kilometers. Do you feel like surviving this series could capitulate the wiha panthers to greater things as the playoffs continue?

Thank you and this was a very difficult series for the club. Wedel was a very good fundamentally sound basketball team who has not lost on their home court all so they were not an easy team to beat and they never gave up. The series came down to the last shot and could have gone either way but since we were able to come out with the win then I feel like we could keep the momentum moving forward. 

Game Three was a real nail bitter. The wiha panthers were behind by double-digit points, but never gave up. What was key in the fourth quarter for saving the season and winning the series? 

The keys in the fourth quarter for us was to just stick together and trust one another while leaving everything we had in us on the court. Even when we were down by double digits we never panicked and knew we would find a way to come back. We just trusted in one another to go and make the plays that we have all year long. With that trust in one another we were able to make the plays we needed to make. 

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Dennis Mavin´s Overall Ability Outweighs His Current Status On The Basketball Ladder

In a span of a little more than eight and a half months, I came upon Dennis Mavin three times in three separate cities from Giessen-Rhondorf-Frankfurt and after a little bit of concentrated pondering, I was reminded of the annoying, but famous and classic song Rio from German pop group Trio that has the catchy line New York-Rio-Tokyo that was a late summer hit in Germany in 1986 reaching #3 in the charts leaving them as a one hit wonder. But the Giessen-Rhondorf-Frankfurt when hummed like the classic Rio song just didn´t fit the melody. Some people even mistook the German lead singer Peter Fessler as being the well known American singer Al Jarreau, because the song is in English and his voice sounds like the American. Of course the three German cities could never compete in name recognition as the world class cities in this song even if Frankfurt is a world class city, but not as big as those three, but for Dennis Mavin being mentioned with these lesser known German cities is sort of similar to how his basketball career has gone since he began at Florida Atlantic (NCAA) in 2011. He is one of hundreds, no probably thousands on earth who is playing professionally and where his overall ability outweighs his current status on the basketball ladder. I remember seeing Mavin for the first time a day before Easter on April 8, 2018 in Giessen when he played his last game for Pro B team Giessen Rackelos witnessing a heartbreaking 93-89 game three loss to Rostock propelling them into the semi-finals as his 19 points couldn´t withstand the combined 66 points of the lethal trio of Jordan Talbert, Bill Borekambi and Brandon Lockhart. In Giessen I remember seeing a lightening quick guard who was a lot better than the talent on the court. I saw the Florida native a little more than 6 months later in Rhondorf conducting a post game interview with him after he helped lead his new team ScanPlus Baskets to a 95-74 win over the Dragons Rhondorf where he produced a solid 11 points, five boards and seven dimes. Then a little more than a month later our paths crossed again in Frankfurt. After a convincing 77-55 victory by the farm team of easyCredit BBL team Fraport Skyliners Fraport Skyliners Juniors  over the RheinStars Cologne, a young man was standing in front of me wearing Skyliners apparel. He gave me one of those confident looks that someone gives one when one knows each other. The only problem was, I had one of those embarrassing moments again that I get from time to time. I had no idea who he was even though I had interviewed him face to face a little more than a month ago. When you interview players almost daily, you at times loose track of who your dealing with. After a few seconds, I had to tell him “sorry Man I have no idea at the moment who you are, could you give me a little help”. Inside I felt as embarrassed as a Steve Harvey must of felt when he announced the wrong winner at a beauty pagent. After I quickly got over my very embarrassing moment, all was cool with Mavin and me and he told me he was going to be playing for the Fraport Skyliners Juniors. The city hopping between Mavin and I coupled with not having him on my radar is nothing new for the American. He has been overlooked his whole basketball career despite having very good basketball abilities that could have him in a higher league than where he currently is now in the German third league Pro B. It is no secret that his overall abilities outweigh where he currently is on the basketball ladder, but he isn´t going crazy about his current basketball status, because he knows it is part of the basketball process no matter how ugly or unfair it can be for certain players. “I love basketball and I have 100 percent faith and what I can do. For me is just staying patient waiting on my opportunity! Yeah it gets tough but I think I’m tougher”, warned Dennis Mavin.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber´s first encounter with Dennis Mavin in March 2018 in Giessen

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Giessen Rackelos Escape The Dragon Dome Beating Rhondorf 74-70

It was still late summer, the weather was great and the Pro B season was just underway in it´s second weekend on September 29th, but the season of the Dragons Rhondorf had began slowly and their disgusting 102-56 drubbing in Giessen should have been a bad omen for the season. In this game the 2015-2016 Pro A team Dragons Rhondorf couldn´t muster anything on offense and shot only 3/21 from the parking lot while Giessen was very sharp from downtown nailing 12 trey´s and totally dominated the boards 42-25. Another interesting stat that would haunt the Dragons Rhondorf the whole season was how well their German players were able to score. Giessen got an incredible 74 points from their German players while the Dragons had to settle for only 37 points. This season has been a major struggle for the Dragons Rhondorf and with the stretch run of the season having arrived, they are in severe danger of moving down to the Regionalliga if they can´t start winning some games now in the last month to be in better position in the playdowns where each of the last four teams play each other twice and the best two remain in the league. The Dragons Rhondorf came into the game in the Pro B cellar with a 4-14 record while Giessen has been the big surprise team of the season as they sit comfortably in the playoff area in fourth place with a 10-8 record. They have had a tale of two seasons as they lost seven of their first nine games, but since then have won eight of nine games including three games in crunch-time. The Dragons Rhondorf were desperate for a victory and wanted to seek major revenge for their pathetic loss by 45 points in Giessen and played a lot better than the first game, but couldn´t full end their amazing fourth quarter comeback as the guests escaped the Dragon Dome with a 74-70 victory. After the win a disappointed Lotola Otshumbe tried to explain why the club was unable to pull out the win. “Our energy on defense wasn´t consistent. If you want to be successful in the Pro B, you need to bring this for 40 minutes. We had big problems on transition defense in the first half. We rebounded very well, got steals and fought back in the second half. If we can stay positive and bring energy than we can play with anyone. The question is why we can´t do it from start to end”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf forward Lotola Otshumbe. After the big win Giessen guard Jesten Lewis was relieved that the team could pull out the win despite the big comeback. “Defensive rebounding got us the win. We were outrebounded in the first half, but rebounded better in the second half. We played together on offense and stayed composed at the end”, added ex Mercer(NCAA) guard Jesten Lewis.

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The wiha Panthers Schwenningen Big Third Quarter Breaks The Fraport Skyliners Juniors 75-65

Every winning streak has to come to an end sometime as the wiha Panthers experienced last weekend losing a bitter nail bitter to Coburg 85-82 which ended their amazing 23 game winning streak at home which had started in April of 2017 and carried over all through last season where they won the Regionalliga title. They didn´t need any adjustment time this season as they have taken the Pro B South by storm. They won their first four games, but since then have had ups and downs, but produced a positive 7-6 record to have a strong hold on second place. A big problem for their offense has been the injury to captain and robust point guard Kostas Karamatskos as the team playmaking and leadership has been dearly missed, but the club still has done a good job compensating his void by getting solid production through out the roster. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continue to play a super season despite having changing rosters all through out the season with the availability of the BBL double license players and injuries effecting their results. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors arrived into the battle with the wiha Panthers Schwenningen with a lot of self confidence as they had beaten talented and 2018 Pro B champion ScanPlus Baskets 81-75 as they were extremely deflated without their leading BBL double license players, but the younger guys stepped up and came up big in their absences leading the club to a huge victory. Against the wiha Panthers Schwenningen, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were without young kids Len Schoormann, Maxi Begue, Calvin Schaum and Jordan Samare who were balling at the Addidas Next Generation Tour in Munich, but in good company again as some of the BBL double license players were on board again like Elijath Clarance and Armin Trtovac, but not Richard Freudenberg and Garai Zeeb as a high scoring third quarter of the guests broke the back of the home team as they could never recover losing 75-65. After the tough loss, many of the players snuck out through the rear of the gym next to the dressing room, but young German big man Aaron Kayser left through the main entrance and gave his two cents about the loss. “We didn´t play together as a team in the third quarter. We had no solution for their zone. We also gave up too many transition baskets. We have to learn to play better as a team and share the ball better. Obviously Garai Zeeb was dearly missed, but that can´t be an excuse as we won last weekend without him”, stated ex Chemnitz Niners center Aaron Kayser. After the big win Philadelphia native Rasheed Moore was proud of how his team stuck together for 40 minutes. “We gave all we had today. We didn´t have a great start. The first half was ugly. In the second half, we began to hit shots and turned up the defense”, stressed wiha Panthers Schwenningen forward Rasheed Moore.

Post game interview with Bill Borekambi after he dropped 23 points in the win

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After Surviving His Nurnberg Woes Bill Borekambi (wiha Panthers) Learned One Should Never Give Up No Matter How Tough The Challenge

po-bill borekambiBill Borekambi is a 26 year old 198cm forward that has played for 9 professional teams and is playing his first season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (ProB). He has a lot of professional experience having played 36 Pro A games for Cuxhaven and Nurnberg and played 75 Pro B games with Lich, PS Karlsruhe and Rostock. He also played two seasons with Coll.Sequoias CC (JUCO) and played a season in the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven organization playing second Regionalliga and NBBL. Last season he was a key contributor for the Rostock Seawolves (ProB) playing 30 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the Pro B game against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors. 

Bill thanks for talking to germanhoops.com! You’re 26 years old and have played for 12 teams in the last 12 years. Are you a guy that has to by nature always be on the run and can’t be in one place for a longer moment of time. 

Hey miles, I hear that question a lot. but yea honestly I like to collect different experiences and see different places. For me it’s fun to see so many places for me it’s a part of that pro basketball lifestyle. It really helped me to grow as a person and player.

You helped lead PS Karlsruhe and Rostock to the Pro A. I never understood why a guy like you didn’t get rewarded with remaining with one of the teams and playing Pro A again. Has this bothered you and created a chip on your shoulder?

I figured out for myself that the Pro B is the perfect league right now for myself because I’m also working off the court on my future after basketball. I know the league very well by now and know that I can have a big impact on any team. I had a couple Pro A offers but instead of being a role player in the Pro A, I rather be a league lower and be one of the team leaders. I probably don’t have too many years left of pro basketball and I want to use them playing as much as I can and don’t sit somewhere on the bench. 

Your playing your first season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (ProB). If somebody had told you in training camp that the team would be in second place with a record of 11-5 in January 2019 and had won all 8 games at home what would you have thought? 

I knew we had a very solid team and that the ambitions of the club and coaching staff were the same like before in Rostock and Karlsruhe. I think a lot of teams underestimated us but for me it wasn’t too much of surprise because I know that we put that work in and everybody is on the same page. 

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David Taylor (Basketball Lowen Erfurt) Sometimes You Have To Take A Step Back To Take Three Forward

David Taylor is a 24 year old 190cm guard that is playing his first season with Pro B team Basketball Lowen Erfurt. Last season he played with the BiG Oettinger Rockets Gotha (BBL) playing 21 games avergaing 2.6ppg. He was born in Bayreuth and grew up in Eckersdorf, Germany. He started his basketball career with the BBC Bayreuth 2 (2.Regionalliga) team in 2009. He then played two seasons with the  Nuernberger Basketball Club from 2010-2012 getting his first taste of pro B ball at age 15 and pro A ball at age 16. He then moved to TSV Troester Breitenguessbach (ProB) in 2013 where he played 16 games averaging 6.9ppg, 2.1rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 41.2%, 3PT: 29.0%, FT: 73.7%, played also at Troester Cybex Breitenguessbach U19 team (NBBL). He moved to the United States in 2013 to Pacific(NCAA) where he played until 2017 playing a total of 104 NCAA games. His most productive season was his second where he played  31 games averaging 7.9ppg, 1.7rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 40.9%, 3PT: 35.9%, FT: 80.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball before the Pro B game against the Dragons Rhondorf

Thanks David for talking to germanhoops.com It has been a year and a half since our last interview. A lot has happened for you basketball wise. Has time flown for you in that time?

Sadly time always seems to fly but I think I have enjoyed this season so far.

You went from the easyCredit BBL to the Pro B. How tough was the last year and a half with all the basketball stress you went through?

Last year was really tough. We had a lot of blow backs and downs with a very few ups. But I think you can learn and grow from that experience

Gotha had a tough season in the easyCredit BBL last season. Despite all the turbulence what do you feel did you get out of this experience that helped your game and you personally as you continue to go your basketball route?

I think I learned that I hate losing and that I’ll do anything not to be in that position again.

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Elijah Clarance´s Last Second Sprint And Bucket Powers The Fraport Skyliners Juniors Past The Dragons Rhondorf 83-81

It isn´t slowly ten to midnight yet for the Dragons Rhondorf, but rapidly getting very close to the gong as the club is looking to be saved somehow of their poor season as they are caved into the Pro B south cellar with a record of 3-11. Shortly before Christmas the Dragons Rhondorf hauled in 36 year old basketball dinosaur Anish Sharda who came from ASC Theresianum Mainz (Germany-Regionalliga) after never averaging less than 18,9ppg in the last four years in the Regionalliga. The American who recently got the German citizenship brought 137 career Regionalliga and 116 Pro B games to the Dragons Rhondorf and scored 11 points in his first game in a loss to the RheinStars right before Christmas. Over the years he has had some nice battles against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors and had a 4-3 record against them scoring in double figures in four of the seven games coming into the game in Frankfurt. Sharda could be that key new component that will help get the Dragons Rhondorf out of the cellar as his consistent scoring and strong playmaking will be a huge advantage. Sharda led the Dragons Rhondorf to Frankfurt and met a 9-5 team that have been playing good basketball as of late having won three of their last four games. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors had won the first contest in Rhondorf 75-68 thanks to 11 three´s and a strong Pro B debut by Swedish shooting star Elijah Clarance who scored 21 points while the Dragons owned the boards. In the first contest of 2019, both teams had their ups and downs during the course of the 40 minutes, but the Fraport Skyliners Juniors controlled the game and allowed a massive fourth quarter come back by the Dragons Rhondorf, but were able to salvage an overtime period getting a last second sprint and bucket by Elijah Clarance for the 83-81 win. After the tough loss Dragons Rhondorf head coach Thomas Adelt had that look as if he had seen a basketball ghost as for the third time in a row his team was close to winning, but were denied again. “We had too many turnovers in the first half and got in a hole because we were too sloppy. In the second quarter we fought and pressed well and were in a good position to win the game. It´s tough to lose the game on a last shot. We have worked so hard to win these games, but then we lose. I think that in the deciding moments we aren´t there mentally”, warned Thomas Adelt. Frankfurt was lucky that they escaped with a win. “This wasn´t our best game. Our ball movement wasn´t consistent today. We started off well in the first few minutes, but then their press made us play hectic. We had more ups and downs in the second half. We were a little sloppy at the end, but came out with the win”, added guard Len Schoormann. It was only Anish Sharda´s second game and he still getting used to things, but he had his moments hitting for 8 points and making some nice plays at both ends of the court. “I thought that our press was great and it kept us in the game. But we could of overall executed better on offense”, added ex TV Langen guard Anish Sharda.

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