ProB

Taevaunn Prince (I Am Excited And Obsessed With The Process Of Getting Better)

Taevaunn Prince is a 25 year old 191cm guard from Toronto, Canada that completed his rookie season in Germany with the ScanPlus Baskets Elchingen (Germany-ProB) averaging 17,1ppg, 5,4rpg and 1,9apg. He started his basketball career in 2011 with S.Dakota St. (NCAA) where he played two seasons playing 59 NCAA games. He then moved to Missouri So. (NCAA2) in 2014 and as a junior played 16 games averaging 16.1ppg, 6.8rpg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 28.2%, FT: 83.8%. As a senior he played 30 games averaging 26.4ppg, 10.1rpg, 2.8apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 56.8%, 3PT: 44.9%, FT: 84.8%. He spoke to German Hoops at the end of the season.

Taevaunn thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a big season where you fell short in a do or die game in the semi-finals. How hard has it been digesting this season end since you were one win away from the Pro A?

It’s been hard to digest but overall you have to give thanks to God on how far we came and how well we did this season. But now its time to look back and see what I can improve on and look at the mistakes I made and become a better player and the offseason will be huge, I will be attacking it hard.

You played a hard fought series against Wurzburg and FC Schalke going the distance and then went the distance against PS Karlsruhe as well. Do you feel like the Wurzburg and Schalke series took a toll on the team going into the PS Karlsruhe series?

We are professional basketball players and are built for the season plus playoffs so as a team we should be ready to go all the way so that will never be an excuse. I think PSK is a well coached team and have good players with a great coach.

The 92-75 score in game three was a little deceiving as there wasn´t much that separated the two teams in many statistical categories. What do you feel decided this series?

As we know basketball is a game of runs and PSK went on a run in the second quarter that really decided the game, we were playing catch up from that point on and it was difficult to claw back.

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K K Simmons (Knowing How To Make The Correct Reads With The Pick And Rolls Can Take You A Long Way In The Game)

K.K Simmons is a 23 year old 190cm combo guard from Marietta, Georgia that completed his first professional season with German Pro B team Licher Basket Baeren averaging 20,8ppg, 2,8rpg and 3,4apg. He played at three schools with NC-Wilmington (NCAA), Kent St. (NCAA) and Pikeville (NAIA). Last season he finished his college basketball career with Pikeville (NAIA) playing 31 games and averaging 16.4ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.6apg, FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 39.2%, FT: 78.5%. Simmons is an amazing shooter and shot 48% from outside in his junior season at Pikeville, but can also mix it up getting to the hole. In his first season with Pikeville, he played 25 games averaging 20.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 2.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 45.3%, 3PT: 48.9%, FT: 78.4%. He spoke to German Hoops at the end of the season.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing K.K Simmons of Lich after dropping 16 points in a 88-76 loss in Frankfurt against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors

Congrats KK on helping save the Licher Basket Baeren this season. What kind of overall experience was it for you playing with pressure having to keep the team in the Pro B?

To be honest, the overall experience was a really good one. There were a lot of moments and possessions that felt like I was in a playoff situation. Playing to stay in the Pro-B league was a lot of pressure but nothing we couldn’t accomplish as a team.

You stated in our last interview in January “I’m extremely confident that I can help Lich stay in the league. The key thing for us is sharing the ball on offense and playing team defense and everything will work out for the best. Did these things come true in the playdowns for Lich?

Yes, a lot of these things came true for us as a team during this play-down stretch. We had a lot of really good practices coming into the play-downs, and as a team we performed pretty well on both ends of the court.

The Licher Basket Baeren took care of business early winning the first 4 playdown games to stay in the league. Does this accomplishment dim your feeling a bit by the way you ended the season losing your last two games?

Winning the first four games of the play-downs was how we responded to the end of our regular season. By us accomplishing this, the last two games weren’t as important as the first couple. We are happy that we took care of business early.

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Brandon Lockhart (I Feel Like I Can And I Definitely Want To Play In The Pro A)

Brandon Lockhart is a 26 year old 185cm guard from St Louis, Missouri that completed his third professional season and first with German team ScanPlus Baskets Elchingen (Germany-ProB) averaging 12,0ppg, 3,8rpg and 6,2apg. As a rookie he played for BK Levicki Patrioti (Slovakia-Extraliga) playing 34 games: Score-5(16.7ppg), 3.8rpg, Assists-5(4.3apg), Steals-1(3.0spg), FGP: 50.2%, 3PT: 28.5%, FT: 78.9%. He played at Drury (NCAA2) from 2009-2013 and as a senior played 35 games averaging 12.5ppg, 3.9rpg, 6.1apg, 2.9spg, FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 48.3%, FT: 77.1%. Last season he played for the Giants TSV 1861 Noerdlingen (Germany-ProB) playing 29 game averaging 16.8ppg, 4.1rpg, 5.7apg, 2.5spg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 26.8%, FT: 81.1%. He spoke to German Hoops at the end of the season.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing ScanPlus Baskets point guard Brandon Lockhart after a loss against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors in Frankfurt

Brandon thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a big season where you fell short in a do or die game in the semi-finals. How hard has it been digesting this season end since you were one win away from the Pro A?

It’s always tough to digest a loss, even more so one that ends your season. But I’ve had some time to cope with it and will now just use it as motivation to prepare for next season.

You played a hard fought series against Wurzburg and went the distance against PS Karlsruhe as well. Do you feel like the Wurzburg series took a toll on the team going into the PS Karlsruhe series?

Wurzburg was a tough team, but I do not think that series had any effect on the PSK series because we had enough time to recover.

The 92-75 score in game three was a little deceiving as there wasn´t much that separated the two teams in many statistical categories. What do you feel decided this series?

In the final game, the second quarter really was the turning point in the game. They came out with a ton of energy to build a big lead and from that point on, we were always just trying to get back in the game. Kudos to them because they never allowed us to make the game interesting.

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Brian Butler (ScanPlus Baskets) Free Throws Are Still A Work In Progress

Brian Butler is a 25 year old 196cm German forward that completed his second season with the ScanPlus Baskets Elchingen (ProB) averaging 10,9ppg, 6,9rpg and 1,9apg. He started his basketball career with the FC Bayern Muenchen junior team (NBBL) and then moved to BG Illertal/Weissenhorn (ProB) where he played from 2010-2013 playing a total of 74 Pro B games. He then played two seasons with Erdgas Ehingen/Urspringschule (ProA) playing 65 Pro A games. He spoke to German Hoops after the conclusion of the 2016-2017 Pro B season.

Brian thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a big season where you fell short in a do or die game in the semi-finals. How hard has it been digesting this season end since you were one win away from the Pro A?

Yeah it’s tough because like you already said we were only 40 minutes away from the Pro a A, but we have to see the positive things that we accomplished and our goal was to stay in the league and to make the playoff. And we even made it to the semifinals which we didn’t make last year .

I don’t know it could be but I don’t want to look for excuses. I think PSK had a good team and we had a good team and it could’ve gone out either way. And what also was a factor in my opinion was the home court advantage. I think at home we were a different team than on the road !

The 92-75 score in game three was a little deceiving as there wasn´t much that separated the two teams in many statistical categories. What do you feel decided this series?

Like I already said I think in this series the homecourt advantage was a big factor!

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Terence Smith (I Brought A Lot To The Table Even In Games I Wasn’t Scoring)

Terence Smith is a 25 year old 191cm guard from Russellville, Alabama that completed his rookie season in Germany with the Giants Nordlingen averaging 17,6ppg, 5,2rpg and 3,8apg. He started his basketball career with Tenn-Martin (NCAA) in 2010 playing 84 NCAA games in three seasons averaging double figures in scoring each season with his junior year being his most productive where he averaged 14.8ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 44.4%, FT: 82.1%. He played his last year of school with Mississippi (NCAA) playing 33 games averaging 4.0ppg, 1.2rpg, 1.7apg. He spoke to German Ho opsat the conclusion of the 2016-2017 season.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Terence Smith after he dropped 26 points in a 83-59 loss to the Fraport Skyliners Juniors

Terence thanks for talking to German HoopsYou have completed your rookie season with the Giants Nordlingen which ended in the team moving down to the Regionaliga. Was the last close loss to the Uni-Riesen Leipzig a game you should have won synonymous of how your season went?

We lost a lot of close games this season, but I like the way our team continued to fight till the end.

In our last interview at the end of the regular season you stated this in terms of the team wanting to stay in the league after the playdowns. “We will leave it all on the court and try our best to end the season on a good note”. Nordlingen had a 2-4 record in the playdowns. Did the team leave on the floor in the last 6 games?

Yes, I felt that we started to play better towards the end of the season and ended up splitting with the teams in the playdowns.

Nordlingen went into the playdowns playing their best basketball, but had a poor playdown record of 2-4. Did the fact that you were playing against big odds to stay in the league mentally effect the team?

A lot of it was out of our control so we were just focused on us.

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Demetrius Ward (I’m Not A One Dimensional Player And Think I Can Make An Impact In The Pro A)

Demetrius Ward is a 26 year old 188cm guard from Detroit, Michigan that completed his fifth professional season with MTV Wolfenbuettel Herzoege (Germany-ProB) averaging 19,0ppg, 6,4rpg and 4,2apg.. This was his fourth Pro B season with the club after having helped the team move back up from the Regionaliga last season where he played 21 games: 11.8ppg, 4.3rpg, 4.8apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 45.6%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 72.9%He played at Western Michigan from 2008-2012 playing a total of 129 NCAA games and as a senior played 31 games averaging 12.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.0apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 31.5%, FT: 76.2%. He recently was promoted to player/coach and spoke to German Hoops after the completion of the 2016-2017 season.

Demetrius thanks for talking to German Hoops Congrats on helping Wolfenbuettel stay in the Pro B. What kind of experience was it playing 6 pressure games this season in the playdowns compared to the playoff pressure from last season?

Hello Miles thanks for taking the time to do the interview. The experience was a lot different from last season being in the playoffs at the 2nd seed. We accomplished our goal by making the playoffs last season. This year we were unfortunately in the playdowns and had to play to stay in the league. Just coming from the 2nd spot in the north last season into the 10 spot this season was pretty difficult.

Wolfenbuettel played some fine basketball in the second half of the season beating playoff teams like Schalke, Bochum and Iserlohn. How disappointing was it not reaching the playoffs?

Not making the playoffs was a hard pill to swallow. Throughout the season we showed how good we can be by beating some of the top teams in the league. We also showed how inconsistent we can be by losing to some of the team we should’ve beaten. Overall we didn’t have consistency to get us over that hump to make the playoffs.

Did Wolfenbuettel have a large chip on their shoulder going into the playdowns? You won four of your first five playdown games. You took care of business quickly.

Going into the playdowns we knew how close the teams were in comparison to points in how important each game was to stay in the league. We started clicking late toward the end of the season where we as a team played with good confidence.

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Jordan Faison (Coming From A Winning Environment In College My Rookie Season Was A Different Kind Of Adversity

Jordan Faison is a 22 year old 201cm forward from Lake Forest, California that recently completed his rookie in Germany playing for the UNI-Riesen Leipzig averaging 20,8ppg, 9,2rpg and 1,7apg. He played at Cal Poly Pomona (NCAA2) from 2012-2016 playing a total of 107 NCAA games. As a senior he played 30 games averaging 16.9ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.8apg, 1.5bpg, FGP: 56.9%, 3PT: 22.5%, FT: 65.4%. He spoke to German Hoops after his rookie season in Germany.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Jordan Faison in Frankfurt after he finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in 73-67 win against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors

Thanks Jordan for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the 73-72 win against Nordlingen. Was this a victory you couldn´t really enjoy simply because the club was unable to stay in the Pro B on account of Rhondorf beating Lich?

No we for sure were able to enjoy it because we know that if it wasn’t for the league taking away 2 points we would be able to stay in the league regardless. But mistakes happen and you can only learn from them, but overall we were very excited about this win!

What kind of experience was it for you playing in the playdowns and playing 6 games where the team was under immense pressure to win? How did these last 6 games shape you as a player?

It was great because the competition level was high every game. You had teams fighting for their lives and it brought the best out of everybody. I think for me it definitely it was a different experience that taught me a lot, and that I will grow from.

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Ricky Easterling (BG Karlsruhe) I Was Able To Put My Feelings And Ego To The Side For The Team

Ricky Easterling is a 33 year old 190cm guard from Baltimore that completed his 11^th professional season in Germany and first with BG Karlsruhe(Pro B) averaging 14,4ppg, 3,5rpg and 2,5apg. Over the years, he made a name for himself in the German Regionalliga being crowned Mr Regionaliga as he averaged over 30 points three times with TV Saarlouis belonged to the the top 3 players in the Pro B the last two seasons. Before moving to Saarlouis in 2007 he played at Bridgewater (NCAA3) and then as a rookie played with TSG Reutlingen (Germany-Oberliga and Bergheim Bandits (Germany-Regionalliga). Last season with TV Saarlouis, he played 28 games: Score-1(23.1ppg), 4.0rpg, 4.4apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 51.1%, 3PT: 18.2%, FT: 81.2%. He spoke to German Hoops at the conclusion of the 2016-2017 pro B season.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Ricky Easterling after he dropped 36 points With Saarlouis in a 90-80 losing cause against the fraport Skyliners Juniors

Ricky thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and what basketball thing has occupied you mostly today?

Hello Miles! It is always a pleasure chatting with you. At the moment I am still in Germany. Our season is over so I am taking a short break from basketball. I want my body to recover from the long season. I recently linked up with my guy Chris Cummings and we made a work out plan that will start next week. He has helped me a lot with my game over the years and I am looking forward to training with him again.

Your season has ended after a tough three game series against Weissenhorn. Did the tough three game series against Oldenburg take it´s toll on the team mentally and physically?

I don’t think the Oldenburg series effected us at all in the Weissenhorn series. We had enough time to rest and scout Weissenhorn. We had our chances to win the series and we were not able to do it. It is simple as that in my opinion.

Do you feel as if the series against Weissenhorn was lost in game one? Had you won game one, you would have been on the best way to advancing.

Yes I think that is an accurate statement. Game 1 is the away game we should have won. We had it and gave it away at the end. If we would have won that game I think we still would have won at home and we would be advancing to the final 4.

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Marcellus Barksdale ( I Do Feel As If I Could Have An Immediate Impact In German Pro A)

Marcellus Barksdale is a 24 year old 196cm guard from Lexington, Kentucky that recently completed his first professional season in Germany with TG s.Oliver Wuerzburg (Germany-ProB) averaging 17,0ppg, 6,0rpg and 3,3apg.He played at IUPUI (NCAA) form 2011-2016 playing a total of 131 NCAA games. As a senior he played 31 games averaging 8.7ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 28.1%, FT: 73.1%. He spoke to German Hoops after the conclusion of the season.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Marcellus Barksdale after giving his debut as a professional in Frankfurt helping power the TG s.Oliver Wuerzburg (Germany-ProB) to 80-67 win after he contributed 13 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.

Marcellus thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and what were your foremost basketball thoughts today?

I’m currently back in my hometown of Lexington, Kentucky. Honestly, I’ve tried to free my mind from basketball this past week to give my mind and body a chance to rest.

You and TG Wurzburg gave it a great fight, but came up short in a do or die game against the ScanPlus baskets. How disappointed were you of ending the season like this?

It’s never a good feeling after taking a loss, especially a season ending loss. Initially, I was disappointed but looking back on things, my teammates and I were able to come together and we had a special season.

You told me our last interview in January that the team had had the potential to defensively lock team down. In the three game series against the ScanPlus Baskets you allowed 80 points as a team which was also the season average. Was the opponent in the long run just too good offensively to have achieved this goal?

ScanPlus is a very talented team. I felt we were able to set the tone defensiviely in game two, which led us to a win. Ultimately, they made some huge shots in game three. That was the difference.

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Julian Scott (Leaving Ehingen Left A Sour Taste In My Mouth And I Want Redemption)

Julian Scott is a 26 year old 203cm forward from Sacramento, California that just completed his third professional season playing in four countries with Germany, France, Luexemburg and in Iraq. His last team was Residence Walferdange (Luxembourg-Total League) where he averaged 17,0ppg and 8,2rpg. Last season he played for the Uni Riesen Leipzig playing 23 games: Score-5(20.4ppg), Reb-2(10.5rpg), 1.7apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 50.3%, 3PT: 17.9%, FT: 66.7%. He picked up Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Forward of the Year -16, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B 1st Team -16, and Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro B All-Imports Team -16. As a rookie, he played for TSV Quakenbrueck (Germany-2.Regionalliga) playing 16 games averaging 29.7ppg. He started his basketball career at Yuba junior college and then played two years at S.Utah (NCAA). He finished at Adams St. (NCAA2) playing 27 games: 10.8ppg, 4.0rpg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 70.2%. He spoke to German Hoops about his third professional season.

Julian thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and are you already in summer mode?

Hey Miles I’m currently finishing up playing in Luxembourg. Looking forward to head back to the states and have some family time definitely.

After playing your first two professional seasons in Germany for TSV Quackenbruck and the Uni-Riesen Leipzig, you had a whirlwind third season playing in four countries. Are you relived that this season is finally over?

Yes definitely this past year was unbelievable. Would never want to go through something like that again. But on the positive side it made me tougher and I didn’t let it break me.

After being cut in pre season by German Pro A team Ehingen, you went to France to play for Gries/Oberhoffen BC (France-NM1) playing 3 games averaging 7.3ppg, 6.7rpg. How tough was it starting over after your short stay in Ehingen? You didn´t stay long in France either. What was the reason for your short stay there?

It wasn’t that tough when it came to playing for a different club. The hardest part for me was being cut due to not fitting in their system not that I wasnt good enough to do really well in that league that was probably the toughest part for me by far. When I went to France I was there to tryout against another player who had played in the same league a year prior and they decided to go with someone who had experience in that league over someone who was new to it. So a short stay but I made the most of what they gave me.

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