It really doesn’t matter what sport it is in Germany, but if that city is at one end of Germany, then that team will have some grueling long road trips during the season. It hasn’t been any different for German easyCredit BBL team Rostock Seawolves that are situated on the north eastern corner of Germany on the east sea and driving from one end of the country to the other is nothing unusual. In the last years when they were in the Pro A, they had some long long road trips to south Germany to places like Kirchheim and with the longest being to Schwenningen which consists of 923 kilometers. It won’t be any different this season as they have 3 very far destinations of Munich (775 km), Ulm (802km) and Ludwigsburg (804km). 20 years ago, people read more on seemingly endless bus rides, but in 2022 you have Netflix and can easily survive the torture. But one can only get so much of movies and sometimes you just want to bond with teammates. Over the years, Rostock have had some talented guys running up and down the court, but if they all had amazing stories to tell is difficult to know. The closest that the SeaWolves have had to the NBA was a few years ago with Zach Lofton who played 1 NBA game with the Detroit Pistons and this season is earning the big bucks in Lebanon. But this season the club has a new link to the NBA with Derrick Alston Jr. (206-SF-1997, college: Boise St.). He hasn’t played an NBA game yet, but his dad Derrick played in the NBA and 8 years in Spain in the best league in Europe ACB with FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. He himself played at 2 NBA Summer Leagues and played a season in the G-League as well as making the tough grind through the NCAA. He met so much NBA talent and personal in the last years, but it all started when he was a ball boy with the Houston Rockets. The team is very experienced and the youngest is 16 year German phenom Roy Krupnikas who would never be bored during road trips. There are 2 vivid memories he has of when he was shagging rebounds from future NBA legends. ‘I would always rebound for the opposing teams. Here and there I would talk to players and savior special moments. I remember having a cool interaction with Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwauke Bucks. He told me I looked like him at his age. I also remember talking with Damian Lillard. Years later he played open gym at Boise State and actually remembered me from my ball boy days. He was the first guy that told me I could become a professional player. I will always cherish these kind of moments where some of the greatest players in the world who told me these things’, remembered Derrick Alston Jr..

Derrick Alston Jr. who lists Kobe, Lebron, Kareem, Jordan and Steph Curry on his own NBA Mount Rushmore was born on September 17th, 1997 in Houston, Texas. He lived 2 years in Spain when his dad was playing in the ACB. Late in his dads career, he spent a few seasons in Argentina and he visited him there and saw him play against one of the top teams Boca Juniors, the club where soccer legend Diego Maradona played before going to Europe in the early 80’s. He attended Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston. In his senior year he averaged 14,6ppg and 5,1rpg. He received First Team All-District 19-6A honors. He had interest from division1 schools, but no offer. He went to Boise State (NCAA) in 2016 as a walk on and was focused to work hard for the scholarship. He arrived on campus standing 6’9 and weighing only 148 pounds. He redshirted the first season, but worked hard eating 6-7 meals a day and before going to sleep ate a peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich with a glass of milk. 5 years later and 190 pounds, eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich isn’t something on his menu anymore. ‘Eating crustables (The sandwich without the crust) was a main staple of my diet at Boise State. But I haven’t ate one in a while’, said Derrick Alston Jr.. In his first season he played only 11 games and 26 minutes and suffered real growing pains. ‘The first 2 years were tough. I had to put on so much weight in such a short time. The program always supported me and I was always treated as one of the guys despite being a walk on. Having the feeling of belonging really helped me later in life. Having a guy like Christian Sengfelder kicking my butt in my second year also helped me mature. This set a great foundation of the player and person I am today’, stressed Derrick Alston Jr.. The German national player and him are still in contact today and he is looking forward to meeting on the floor soon. ‘He told me a big thing in Germany are the bakeries. I found a nice Bakery in Rostock that I’m hooked on. Christian has turned me into a bakery guy’, laughed Derrick Alston Jr.. In his last 3 years in school, he averaged 15,0ppg, 5,0rpg and 2,0apg. He played 93 NCAA games and scored in double figures in 72 games. He made a massive development in these 3 years and it was obvious he was a different player in 2021 then he was in 2018. ‘The summer of 2018 was huge for me. Coach Rice had told me that I would have a bigger role. So I worked off my butt. I feel like I came into the season prepared and had an impact. I found my groove in my second year and found out I belonged. All gave me confidence and helped me put me on the map. It was a surreal feeling when I left, because nobody thought that my career would end up in that capacity’, expressed Derrick Alston Jr..

The versatile forward who admits he lost to NBA player and Boise State teammate Chandler Hutchinson in 1-1 games back in the day, but now has caught up with him and it would be competitive had many great games including hitting San Jose and Portland for 30 plus points a piece in wins, but it was actually another game that he will never forget. ‘I came of age when I scored 30 points off the bench against San Diego State. We got the win against a team that was always a top 3 team in our conference. It was crazy’, remembered Derrick Alston Jr.. One teammate that he will never forget is Justinian Jessup who was his teammate for 3 years at Boise State and briefly in the NBA Summer League with the Golden State Warriors. Now the tall 201cm guard is playing his first season in the ACB with Zaragoza. ‘We are brothers for life. We were roommates at Boise State. We had our ups and downs, but we had a great relationship and still keep in touch today. We support each other. It is amazing to see that we began as roommates and went to playing at top leagues. That was always a dream of ours at Boise State’, stated Derrick Alston Jr.. One guy that was instrumental in his development at Boise State was head coach Leon Rice. It is fair to say that he wouldn’t be the player he is today without having his guidance and support through his stay at Boise State. ‘He always had a lot of confidence in me and just put me in situations to succeed. He put me in situations to be allowed to fail early, but gave me confidence to be the player I want to be. He let me live and die with my mistakes. That is a luxury that not many can have early in their development. The support that I got from him from day 1 was amazing. Boise State will always be like a second home for me. I played with his son Max and now his other son Kay is on the team. I will always be so thankful for his support’, warned Derrick Alston Jr..

The Texas native who lists the Martin twins Coby and Caleb of the NBA and Nevada (NCAA) as his toughest opponents in the NCAA went undrafted in 2021, but was invited to play at the 2021 NBA Summer League with the Golden State Warriors where in 4 games he averaged 5.8ppg, 4.0rpg, FGP: 45.5%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 50.0%. ‘I remember thinking about draft day when the Warriors drafted Kuminga and Moody and now they were my teammates. Playing at Thomas Mack was nothing new for me as I had played there before, but seeing Steph Curry and Draymond Green courtside was great. It was an eye opening experience. It was a great experience playing at that speed and playing under NBA rules’, remembers Derrick Alston Jr.. He then joined the Utah Jazz for his rookie season, but landed on their G-League team Salt Lake Stars where in 29 games, he averaged 16.6ppg, 5.4rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 52.2%, 3PT: 28.4%, FT: 81.4%. He played incredibly solid and consistently in his last 3 months there scoring in double figures in 25 games in a row. He more than deserved a NBA call up. ‘I felt like I was close. I had a rough start and needed a short adjustment period. Once I found my game I was on the run for a NBA call up, but it didn’t happen. I got a lot of confidence and felt like I belonged and can play at that level. It is all about timing and keep working hard which will help elevate me to bigger heights’, stressed Derrick Alston Jr.. He saw so much in that season with guys always coming and going that the NBA will always be a business first. Despite being in Germany now, the NBA is still a big goal of his. He played in the NBA Summer League one more time last summer with the Dallas Mavericks and got the right kind of feedback to be able to keep the dream alive. ‘My goal will always be to play at the highest level if it is in Europe or the NBA. I want to continue to establish myself as the best player possible at my position. I feel like I got good feedback from the Mavericks. The most important thing is to become a better shooter. That is a premium everywhere nowadays. As well as continuing to work on my ball handling, finishing inside and being able to make plays for my teammates’, commented Derrick Alston Jr..

The big Kobe fan who lists James Reid (life long friend and mentor from day 1), Chandler Hutchison (put him under his wing early), Christian Sengfelder (put up big numbers at Fordham but didn’t win, but wanted to win with us), Justinian Jessup (Great teammate and one of hardest workers) and Marquise Bolden (incredible teammate and selfless from whom I learned a lot) as his greatest teammates of all-time is playing his second professional season for the Rostock Seawolves in Germany. Rostock is an organization that only 9 seasons ago was toiling in the Regionalliga (4th division) and have had an incredible rise in the last years. That the team began 4-0 in the easyCredit BBL is something that is very difficult to believe. Is it the ultimate Cinderella story? ‘It kind of looks like it is doesn’t it? We have a special group of guys that have come together early. We fit well together and are allowed to play to our strengths. We have found ways to remain in games and win them. That is a very special ability to have. We will continue to go day by day’, stressed Derrick Alston Jr.. The club is on a role now and that feeling of being unstoppable continues to grow with every new victory. Winning continues to build their self-confidence. For those that are close to the organization knows that the winning doesn’t only have to do with the coaching staff and players, but the club simply is special from the owner all the way down to the janitor. ‘I began to feel this special collective synergy very early on. The organization is run very well. The fan support is amazing as well. Everything is top in this organization. I wasn’t expecting this. But when an organization is run as well as this, then you are set up for success’, warned Derrick Alston Jr.. The club kept a good mix of players, but also added new pieces that have fit superbly early on showing an early chemistry. ‘I think key for that early chemistry was having a long pre-season. We had something like 11 games which isn’t super common. Having so many games early on helped us. Coach let us play to our strengths and we capitalized on it. We have established ourselves offensively and we will get better defensively with more time together’, expressed Derrick Alston Jr.. Another big reason for the success of the Seawolves has been the coaching duo of Christian Held as head coach and dad Ralph as assistant a constellation not seen often. ‘It’s very rare, but I also had it with my dad who coached me. They work so well together and makes every player’s job easier. It is very special and a great dynamic to see each day’, said Derrick Alston Jr..

The ex G-League player who like so many other players believes they should of left the classic Coming To America alone and not made a sequel has been very fortunate to not only have overall great teammates, but also very experienced Americans who have helped him getter better adjusted to the game overseas. Jaquan Lewis, Tyler Nelson and Nijal Pearson have been massive parts to the success and keeping the team together and Alston knows the team can’t do without them. ‘I was fortunate to play with a great point guard in Carson Edwards last season who taught me to pick my places and this year with Jaquan Lewis have a pass first guard who loves to play transition. He is also a great defender. It has been amazing being his teammate. Nijal Pearson is our Swiss army knife. Whatever we need he will give us. He is so important for us. Tyler Nelson flat out can shoot the ball and is always ready to shoot and will hit the tough ones as well. He is also alert on defense always sliding his feet’, stated Derrick Alston Jr.. He also has been very fortunate being teammates again with Selom Mawugbe, a guy he was teammates with in the G-League. ‘It’s a cool revelation having been teammates as a rookie and now again overseas. He is a great inside player and I believe the best above the rim player in the BBL’, warned Derrick Alston. One player who is making waves for the Rostock Seawolves is 16 year old German phenom Roy Krupnikas who recently played his first BBL game and recently won the U-16 European Championships in Bulgaria. He is a guy that needs to eat eat as he is still so slim. Alston Jr is the perfect food mentor for him. ‘Roy is like a little brother for me. Our paths at 16 are similar with being skinny and having to put on weight. But he has accomplished already so much at his age. We talk a lot. I keep him hungry and push him to keep working hard. I lay down as much nuggets as possible. The kid is very special’, warned Derick Alston Jr.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Rostock phenom Roy Krupnikas at the 2022 JBBL(U-16) German championship in Frankfurt

When you watch the versatile game of Derrick Alston JR, a few NBA guys come to mind when trying to compare games. His game is similar to guys like Jayson Tatum, Gordon Hayward and Kevin Durant in that he knows when to shoot and when to drive. It is easy to observe that he is a modern day forward. He can play the 3/4 positions and displays many skills on a nightly basis like shooting, passing, and dribbling as his size is a huge luxury as he is able to put together his game. Despite being 206cm, his rebounding average could be higher and he believes that that will rise with time. ‘I had good rebounding stats in the G-League. But you can’t forget that the game is more physical in Europe. Here it is more about me boxing out my man and letting others get the rebound. I will improve on it. I want to focus on being able to get key rebounds late in the game’, warned Derrick Alston Jr.. At the moment he is tearing up the easyCredit BBL leading the league in scoring at 24,5ppg, 3,8rpg and 1,5apg while shooting 47% from outside. There have been some factors why he has needed no adjustment period in the season. ‘We had a super long pre-season and I was allowed to make mistakes behind closed doors. I also was allowed to try things. Coach Held also gave me a lot of freedom and put me great position to be able to score and my teammates around me also made it easier. I haven’t had to force much, but just play my game’, stressed Derrick Alston Jr.. But he knows that he still needs to grind many more hours in the weight room and reading the game is also on the top of his menu for continuing to improve his game. He wouldn’t have got this far without his dad who taught him 2 very important things with how he handles himself and just how long he grinds in the lab that have made him the player and person he is today. ‘My dad has been huge in my transition overseas. He has taught me to be a pro on and off the court. He has taught me to be a hard worker as well. Him and also seeing early growing up and the summers at Boise State that I had to work hard to get somewhere in my career. I saw so many guys from an early age having to work hard that it stuck with me. My dad gave me advice on the little nuances of the game. I also credit him for me having a high IQ. We always watched college games’, remembered Derrick Alston Jr.. It seems like every season there is a team that surprises all as last season it was the Telekom Baskets Bonn and Hakro Merlins Crailsheim and this season so far it’s the Rostock Seawolves who are living a Cinderella story at the moment. It will be interesting to see how the club grows in the next months and where a Derrick Alston Jr. can take his game this season. One thing is for sure, this guy’s life stories will always fill a room. He is every basketball journalist’s dream. He is a great player that is a true professional off the court.

Tags : DERRICK ALSTON JR., ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES, GERMAN BASKETBALL

Photo credit Gerd Kaeser

Mikey De Sousa is a 19 year old 198cm point guard that is playing his first season for the Pro B farm team easyCredit BBL team MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. He began his career in Kaiserslautern and has the dream of one day playing in the easyCredit. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball.

Thanks Mikey for talking to germanhoops.com. Before we start, I just had to add this video, because I think it´s very funny. Mikey is simply a rare name. Mike is common, but Mikey isn´t. This is a famous commercial from the United States. Were you a picky eater as a child?

That is a cool video. If Mikey likes something then it must be good. I was a picky eater as a child, but since I´m 12 or 13 I eat everything.

If your parents had named you Miles would you have changed the name?

I don’t think so. Miles is a cool name.

Your name is Manuel and had it changed to Mikey which can be seen in your passport. Why did you chose Mikey?

Mikey was a nickname since I was small that my mom gave me. I had always been called Mikey by everyone. One day I decided it would be nice to change my name from Manuel to Mikey. It isn’t so easy to change a name officially. You need to have a good reason. I’m happy that I was able to change my name.

Your playing your first season for the MKP Riesen Pro B team after coming from Kaiserslautern. How much of a challenge has it been playing for an organization with so many incredible young talents

At the beginning it was tough and I needed some adjustment time. The practices were at another level then in the Regionalliga. But I think a reason, I could adjust well was because I see myself as a good player. I grew up being a street baller. It took time, but I had many talks with the coaching staff and we worked on little things. I see myself as one of the best players for my age. I’m very competitive in practice.

The Pro B team had a tough start at 1-3. Usually Pro B teams have some more experienced imports like Americans and in general older German players. How much of that experience factor is missing as the average age is 18 years.

Experience is a huge factor at this level. But I think as young players, we are all hungry and that balences it out a bit. We like to play fast, play good defense and are athletic. I’m confident we will have good chances to win games.

There are so many talented young guys on the squad. What kind a bond could you describe it within the team with the young kids? Is there one player that you have been able to bond with the most?

I feel like I have a good relationship with everyone. I have a really good relationship with Abdulay Koemverhara and Emmanuel Ugbo with whom I have been friends for some years now.

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a 198cm point guard. Who were your role models growing up and to what professional player would you compare your game to?

I play the 1-3. When I was growing up I was more in the NBA scene. I really enjoyed watching guys like Kyrie Irving, James Harden (196-SG-1989, college: Arizona St.) and Kevin Durant. When I was 15 or 16, I began to focus more on myselfI began to watch Malcom Delaney more because coaches said I had similarities to his game.

Describe your game a bit. It seems like your the classic allrounder?

I see myself as an allrounder. In Kaiserslautern, I played more the 1 mainly because they had no one who could facilitate. I’m by nature a pass first guard. But I can also score when I need to, but also make the pass when needed. As a defender, I can jump, block and I like to communicate. I need to improve my on ball defense. In the Regionalliga I was never challenged, but now in the Pro B, I have noticed that the jump is a lot bigger at this level. I’m confident I will get better at that.

You show that you’re a player that can fill the stat sheet well. Do you feel like over time you could become more of a consistent scorer?

I think so. I feel like there hasn’t been a game in the Pro B yet where I couldn’t score. I’m used to being a pass first guard, so I obviously need to get more aggressive. I also need to shoot more off the dribble or on the pick and roll when they go under.

Do you feel like being able to play Regionalliga in Kaiserslautern at a young age made you more mature?

Yes it did. I think that playing in the Regionalliga at such a young age helped my IQ a lot. I played against a lot of ex BBL players and guys that played in college.

How much did you miss not being able to play NBBL or JBBL in Kaiserslautern? What do you remember being your wake up call to being a boy and playing with men?

My wake up call came during Corona. I already wanted to go to Ludwigsburg before Covid came. But Covid stopped it and then the year after, I could of gone, but remained in Kasierslautern because they were going to start up a NBBL program, but that then didn’t happen so I was stuck in Regio again. Another wake up call was playing against Ricky Easterling. I saw him taking shots that I never would have taken. I tried to soak up as much as possible from his game. I saw the way he scanned the game and was always calm and under control. It was then that I realized that I was at a different level. Aaron Ellis was my mentor in Kaiserslautern.

On what areas of your game are you working on most now as you continue to move up the basketball ladder?

On ball defense and shooting.

You have a very big upside and some see you as having BBL potential. Is becoming a BBL player like a dream for you?

It is a dream and goal of mine. I have a BBL license with the MHP Riesen and am practicing with the team. Being able to make these steps make me very happy.

What has it been like playing for head coach Khee Rhee. How would you describe him as a coach and what have you learned to appreciate the most about him?

I have a good relationship with him. He is still young and you can talk to him like a friend. H eis still young but already has a lot of experience. I have learned so many things in a short time that I would never have thought that I could. The biggest thing that I have learned form him is being able to read the game better especially on the pick and roll. It was the right step coming to Ludwigsburg.

Who was the toughest player that you ever faced in your life in the German Regionalliga?

Ricky Easterling and Jeremy Ingram.

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Aaron Ellis, Gergeley Hossuz, Oly Royzin, Aaron Reams, Kevin Croom

Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present heads?

Kobe, Kyrie Irving, James Harden, Ben Wallace , Shaq

What is your personal opinion of the neverending debate of who is the greatest of all-time Jordan or Lebron?

Michael Jordan

Who wins a 1-1 in practice you or Edonis Paqarada?

I win.

Thanks MIkey for the chat.

Tags : JAMES HARDEN, PHILADELPHIA 76ERS, GERMAN BASKETBALL

John Petrucelli (193-G/F-1992, college: Molloy) is a 29 year old 193cm guard from Hicksville, New York playing his 9th professional season and second with Germani Brescia Leonessa (Italy-Serie A). He has vast experience as a professional player having played his first 2 seasons in Slovakia as well as in Israel and Germany. He also played 3 years in the G-League. He began his basketball career at Hicksville High School and then played at Molloy College (NCAA2) from 2010-2014 and as a senior averaged 23.1ppg, 7.7rpg, 3.0apg, StealsNCAA2-1 (3.6spg), FGP: 46.4%, 3PT: 30.5%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before a Eurocup game against his former team ratiopharm Ulm.

Thanks John for talking to germanhoops.com. Welcome back to Germany. What does it mean for you to come back to Ulm. From all the places that you have played overseas how enjoyable was Ulm for you?

Ulm was a great place to play. Unfortunately my time there was during covid so I didn’t get to experience things like a full arena with the amazing fans, or the city life. My time there was mostly basketball and then back to my apartment.

Your teammates this season with ex Ulm guard Troy Caupain. What does it mean being his teammate again after also being teammates in the G-League? You must have a special connection?

Troy is like a brother to me. We’ve built a very strong friendship over the last 6 years, and we’ve been lucky to play together 4 different years on 3 different teams.

Caupain reached the NBA. Do you encourage him to keep trying since you were in the G-League for 3 years?

Troy is more than capable of making an NBA roster and he knows that, he doesn’t need encouragement from me.

You must still have memories of the playoff series against Alba Berlin. Even if you lost a tough game 4 to Alba Berlin by 2 points, I can imagine you still have certain memories in crunch-time?

That Berlin series was a tough one to lose especially after winning game 1 in Berlin. They were a strong team and earned that championship that year. I just wish we had full capacity because I know the atmosphere of those games would have been amazing!

Your playing your second season in Italy with Germani Brescia Leonessa (Italy-Serie A). I can imagine that Brescia has become like a second home. What has been so appealing playing for this organization?

Brescia is a really nice city in a great location and the fans are incredible! I really like the organization because its run very professionally and Ale Magro is a great coach who knows how to get the best out of his players. It’s a very comfortable situation both on and off the court.

The team is stocked with a lot of talent. What has it been like being teammates with ultra veteran Christian Burns who I think will play until he is 40 and also played in Germany many years ago with ratiopharm Ulm. I can imagine you shared some stories about Ulm

We have a great group of guys this year with a ton of experience. Christian has become a very close friend of mind over the last year and a half. It’s crazy because his son Brooklyn was actually born in Ulm, basketball is really such a small world.

Last season you scored 14 points in a big win over Euroleague team Milan and also played very well in the playoff effort against Sassari. Was the victory over Milan one of your fondest moments last season?

Last year was incredible and probably the most memorable year of my career. We went on a 14 game win streak and I believe win 10 or 11 was against Milan at home. The reason why it was so special was because we not only kept our win streak alive, but my younger brother was in attendance from New York.

After being a rookie for a short period in Slovakia. You then played 3 years in the G-League and then came back to Europe and had your break out season with Hapoel Beer Sheva (Israel-Winner League) averaging 13.0ppg, 3.9rpg, 2.5apg, Steals-1 (2.5spg), FGP: 42.1%, 3PT: 33.6%, FT: 77.8%. Most Americans I have spoken to always raved about the experience in Israel. Was it tough leaving when Covid hit?

Israel was amazing. The weather was incredible, I got out there in august and didn’t see a cloud in the sky until November. It felt like blue sky and sunshine for the first 4 months I was there. I’m also a very religious person, so it was cool to be able to see religious artifacts or visit places that were mentioned in the Bible. When covid hit I just wanted to get home right away, it was weird because we didn’t really know what we were dealing with at the time so the first thing on my mind was getting home safe and being with my family.

What kind of an experience was it playing against NBA legend Amare Stoudemire who would retire a few months later as Covid hit. Were you awe struck like a small kid in a candy store or were you under control?

I was excited to play against Amare but I wouldn’t say I was star struck. I’ve played against a lot of big names in my career. I just wish we could have got the win against him and Jerusalem.

You played from 2016-2019 in the G-League with Eire and Lakeland. 3 years is a long time. Did you have serious aspiration to make the NBA and did you enjoy the league? Most guys head over seas after maximum 1-2 years.

I enjoyed the G league because I think It really allowed me to develop my game. It helped me become a better a shooter for sure. The NBA wasn’t a real thought until my third year when I had my breakout year and was on the call up radar. After my third year, Gm Anthony Parker recommended me starting my overseas career and it was a great piece of advice. I don’t regret my time in the G league. I made life-long friends that I still talk to to this day.

What do you remember being your wake up call to being in the G-League where you really got an introduction to how the NBA works?

My First year in the G league when I was with the Erie Bayhawks I had a very tough, and demanding coach by the name of Bill Peterson. Whenever I made a mistake he would always say to me ‘THIS IS NOT DIVISION 2 JOHN (my college was NCAA D2) THIS IS THE N.B.A.’ I started that season as a practice player, I wasn’t getting paid because I wasn’t dressing for games or traveling with the team that lasted about the first 12 games of the season before I worked my way into the rotation.

You played together with so many guys in the G-League. Which teammate in those 3 years made the biggest impact on you with their game?

The person who made the biggest impact on my game was actually our skills coach Haseeb Fasihi. We worked almost every day for 2 years, he was very good at player development and strength and conditioning. He really helped me develop my jump shot and ability to finish strong at the rim.

In Lakeland you were teammates with veteran Alan Anderson who was in the NBA, went overseas to play at Maccabi and then reached the NBA again. I can imagine he was a guy you tried to soak up as much as possible from?

Alan Anderson played with us toward the end of the season so we didn’t have much time together but he was a super veteran with a lot of knowledge of the game. He taught me a few things along the way and also shared a bunch of really cool NBA stories.

You were able to improve your scoring each season in the G-League and in your last season averaged 12.1ppg, 4.2rpg, 2.7apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 49.7%, 3PT: 43.7%, FT: 85.1%. You had 2 good phases in the season where you had many consistent games. Did you ever feel like you may get a NBA call up?

That third year I was hoping to get at least one 10 day but it never ended up happening. Orlando was in the playoff race that year so they weren’t calling guys up. The year prior they were one of the last place teams in the east and I think if that were the case that year then I might have gotten a shot. They did end up inviting me to summer league that summer, an opportunity I was very grateful for.

You played your rookie season with BK Iskra Svit (Slovakia-SBL) which was short, but then broke out in your second season averaging 16.5ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.7apg, Steals-3 (1.9spg), FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 23.4%, FT: 79.1%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being a rookie overseas where you knew that you were far away from home?

I remember getting dropped off at my apartment. There was two bedrooms and one bathroom and that was it, no TV and the wifi didn’t come for 2 weeks. I had to go to the hotel lobby up the road for wifi. I had a roommate and we had no kitchen to cook food. We had a mini fridge, toaster and a microwave in the bathroom. Our road trips were taken in a small van, and we traveled on game day and left to go home right after the game. Slovakia was tough but it made me work harder and when I look back at how far I’ve come since then it makes me proud of the work I’ve put in.

You played at Molloy College (NCAA2) from 2010-2014. You had a great career winning many accolades. What was your fondest memory there?

Molloy will always hold a special place in my heart. It was my only scholarship offer coming out of high school. I would say my fondest memory would either be scoring 2,000 points or leading the country in steals.

How did head coach Charles Marquardt groom and prepare you best for a professional career?

He let me play my game from the minute I walked through the doors as a freshman until the day I left. He never put a tight leash on me, he allowed me to fail and make mistakes without pulling me out of the game and that gave me the confidence to have the career I ended up having. I’m very grateful for Charlie. He took a chance on me when no-one else would and allowed me to be myself throughout my 4 year career.

Who won a 1-1 in practice you or Matt Mcleod?

I am undefeated against Matt Mcleod ALL TIME.

Who was the toughest player that you ever faced in your life that reached the NBA?

Pierre Jackson

Please name your 5 best teammates of all-time?

Troy Caupain – Gabe York – Anthony Brown -Christian Burns -Kenny Gabriel -Mike Cobbins – Naz Mitrou Long I know that’s 7 but I probably could have given you 20 I’ve played with a lot of really great guys.

Please name your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present heads?

In no particular order: 1) Michael Jordan 2) Kobe Bryant 3) Steph Curry 4) Shaq

What is your personal opinion of the neverending debate of who is the greatest of all-time Jordan or Lebron?

I am a huge Lebron fan and its going to be incredible when he beats Kareem’s scoring record BUT to me Michael Jordan is the greatest of all time

Did you see the sequel to the classic Coming To America? Shouldn’t they have left it alone?

I literally say this all the time There are certain classics that just shouldn’t be touched. Coming to America is one of them. I didn’t even bother watching the second one lol.

Thanks John for the chat.

Tags : JOHN PETRUCELLI, GERMANI BRESCIA LEONESSA, GERMAN BASKETBALL

foto credit Fraport Skyliners

So Is it a matter of players sticking together and rather not commenting or is the focus on the game so severe that certain things aren’t noticed? Let’s go back less than 48 hours to Weissenfels where the Fraport Skyliners and Syntainics MBC most probably 2 teams fighting to remain in the easyCredit BBL this year battling for their lives and for the victory. According to fan observations during the contest, MBC guard Lamont Jones didn’t only have fierce battles against guards Joshua Obiesie and J.J. Frazier (178-PG-1995, college: Georgia) on the court competing for the win, but also was tangling with the MBC fans with words and hand gestures. Supposedly he directed his middle finger towards the team fan club after hitting shots and even blurted out the most famous swear word on earth known to everyone. Obviously something must have gone totally wrong between player and fans. His Momoshow didn’t sit well in Ludwigsburg or Frankfurt and now MBC are paying the price. I reach J.J. Frazier on a Sunday afternoon as he is changing his son’s diaper. I wait a moment until he has done his fatherly duties and want to hear his account of the Jones vs fans spat. ‘I have to be honest that I didn’t notice anything. I was focused on winning. I have never seen something like that before. If that did happen, then the player must have been very angry’, stressed Fraport Skyliner J.J. Frazier. Six hours later, I reach Fraport Skyliner legend Quantez Robertson as he is watching Sunday night football in Germany. Tez as how everyone calls him in basketball Germany is unfortunately in the twighlight of his career and those 30 plus minute games have turned into a lot less as in MBC, he saw only 11 minutes. You would have thought that he would have had an easier time picking up on the Jones scene a lot better from the bench. ‘I didn’t catch anything. I mean for me it is normal that if your at the free throw line and fans are on you. As a player you stare the fans down. That is normal. Some players are really passionate and will get on the fans if they make a shot and make them angry. I personally think it’s a good thing for basketball seeing the interaction between players and fans. I can remember Mo Jones getting our fans into it with big plays or even Jordan Theodore. I can remember our guards in the past being able to get our fans into the game and getting under the opponents fans skin. It is never easy to play in Giessen. But the fan/player interactions is part of the game. I have heard cuss words on the court, but as a player you have to know how to handle those situations. The best way is just to make shots and quiet the crowd’, warned ex Auburn (NCAA) great Quantez Robertson. Even if the so called Jones/MBC fan interaction was a big theme in Weissenfels, it was only a side note in Skyliner country. The good news was that the 2000 BBL cup winner finally won their first game of the season.

Ex University Of Georgia (NCAA) great J.J. Frazier had this softness in his voice and one could easily recognize that he was relieved and content with finally getting that first win of the season, but at usual this season, it wasn’t a cake walk. No game has been simple this season as the Fraport Skyliners had to work for the complete 40 minutes in Weissenfels and were rewarded with a 79-77 nail bitter win. What made the victory even sweeter was that despite getting the win, it was most likely the club’s worst performance of the season. ‘This win was huge after losing 2 of the first 3 games on the last play’, said J.J. Frazier. The game was a real struggle as Frankfurt was playing catch up all night long and with crunch-time approaching, it didn’t seem like they could get over the hump. With 3 minutes to go and MBC up 72-65, one can imagine what must have been going through the players minds as 0-4 was creeping dangerously closer. ‘It was crazy. I had actually given up the three for the 72-65 MBC lead. I just wanted to make plays. We knew that 3 minutes was still a long time. I told the guys that we only needed 3 stops and 3 scores. We then got some lucky calls and shots began to fall’, remembered J.J. Frazier. Basketball will always be a game of runs and that is exactly what saved Frankfurt’s neck at the end. They cruised out on a 10-0 run to rudely change the momentum of the game towards themselves. ‘Key was our mindset. We were playing so hard the entire game and played for each other. We wanted to win so badly and we simply had the will to win. We knew that basketball is a game of runs and we believed strongly we could go on that run’, commented J.J. Frazier. One player who couldn’t add much to the victory in 11 minutes was Quantez Robertson who had 3 rebounds. It must be like a nightmare being in the legend’s shoes as he has a very limited role. But the frustration that he must have doesn’t get transported to the outside. ‘Tez is a true professional. He understands that he still has an important role. When he talks, we listen. He is a true leader. You always need to applaud and appreciate that’, stated J.J. Frazier.

The American guard who has had experience playing in the G-League and Italy and only laughed when I asked him where the Boston Celtics will land this season saying they won’t get out of the East after starting 3-0 witnessed young German guard talent Joshua Obiesie take over making big shots and see that giant responsibility that he has been willing to take on since training camp. ‘Josh is a good player. Once he is able to put everything together with the mental toughness and the physical side, he will be unshakeable. He is a walking bucket and once he gets more confidence, he will score even more. His talent is undeniable’, warned J.J. Frazier. One player who has been massive for the team has been 208cm 107 kilo big man Martinas Geben from Lithuania. The ex Notre Dame (NCAA) player has proven over the years that he is a big talent, but not had the opportunity to showcase his skills with heavy minutes, but that has changed in Frankfurt. He is what you call the ultimate work horse and has filled the stat sheet the way a Nikola Jokic does averaging 17,0ppg, 6,0rpg, 3,3apg, 1,3spg and 1,5bpg. Geben is without a doubt one of the biggest pick ups for the team in years. ‘He is a guard’s perfect big man. He just loves to be a big man and he loves to set screens. He has a big role and has carried us this season. Anytime we need a big play, he makes it. He has been monumental in each game. He has been a magnificent pick up’, warned J.J. Frazier. MBC was able to tie the game at 77-77, but then came the big moment for J.J. Frazier to prove early in the season that he can be that Matt Mobley type of player making the big shot at the end. Players love to compete and even bad moments are forgotten when that next huge play can be made. Only a few weeks ago J.J. Frazier slipped on the last play in Bayreuth, but that wasn’t going to happen a second time. ‘I didn’t shoot well in the game and just wanted a quality shot around the rim. I had the ball and wanted to get into the paint. I saw the clock and drove and laid it high off the glass. It was the right decision, because my jump shot wasn’t falling during the game’, expressed J.J. Frazier. But the game wasn’t over yet. MBC had one more chance and Frankfurt then had a few seconds that must have felt like minutes. ‘I figured they would try to get the ball to Jones. We tried to deny him. They had a few looks on the offensive rebound, but we fought hard and long enough for the time to elapse’, added J.J. Frazier.

The Ludowici, Georgia native agrees that a guy like Russell Westbrook that goes 0/11 has a poor shooting game, but fans need to recognize that he can still have a solid game doing other things well on the court hasn’t been content with his game so far this season. He is averaging 9/3/3 stats while shooting 22% from the parking lot. But one can’t forget that he missed most of the pre season. ‘It has been tough. I have no rhythm and am still adjusting. I’m still figuring things out. I have to balance knowing when to be a point guard and when to shoot. I just want to win. My stats will come. I’m just doing the best that I can to help the team win’, stressed J.J. Frazier. He also doesn’t feel like the adjustment has been harder, because he played in lower leagues. ‘Basketball is basketball. The BBL is competitive, but at the end of the day it is the same that I have been playing since growing up. It is all about me. I have to find my timing and rhythm within the team. And my three pointer will start to fall’, warned J.J. Frazier. The win in MBC could turn the season around as they need to keep winning to slowly crawl out of the bottom of the standings. They have proven that they can score averaging 84 points per game, but they are still searching to cut down on points on defense. ‘We have to find consistency on defense. We have to communicate more and know the game plan better. I feel like we are getting better and once the whole team is back will improve’, said J.J. Frazier. Frankfurt played Munich tough, lost to Bayreuth on the last play and to Heidelberg on a buzzer beater. Technically the club could be 3-1. Is the team better than their 1-3 record. ‘I think we are, but we can’t say it. The record right now is who we are. We can’t live with what if’s, but have to prove that we can win games. I hope we can continue to build off the last win and every new practice and take it day by day’, commented J.J. Frazier. The Fraport Skyliners next meet the Basketball Lowen Braunschweig who are 0-5 and reeling for the first win. The Fraport Skyliners will encounter a very hungry and feisty Braunschweig team this Sunday and experience another real battle. ‘Braunschweig is better than their 0-5 start. They had a heartbreaking loss to Heidelberg. We will have to be alert and have attention to detail. We have to be 100% focused, because anyone can beat anyone in the BBL’, warned J.J. Frazier. Braunschweig is a must win on Sunday, because after that come 3 tough games against Oldenburg, Bamberg and Ulm. Of course the very surprising combined 0-8 start of Bamberg and Ulm is something that nobody expected, but won’t make the games easier against them. The next weeks won’t only be interesting and exciting for the Fraport Skyliners, but be ground breaking in what direction the Fraport Skyliners will go in the standings.

After opening their season with a non spectacular grind out win against the weak Fraport Skyliners Juniors, the EPG Baskets found themselves on the road with 2 high class wins over Coburg and Speyer. The gang of head coach Pat Elzie finally let their offense show what kind of potential they have and exhibited a defensive identity if kept will stifle many many Pro B Teams this season. They average 94 points on offense and allow only 68 points per game and wanted to keep that positive surge going as they returned back into their beautiful living room in Koblenz. For once Brian Butler and co didn’t have to worry about the hot scoring of German Rouven Roessler who after 22 years finally decided to hang it up, but now was behind the bench as coach with the Seeburger College Wizards. They came to Koblenz with a 1-2 record, but had some self-confidence having beaten the Basketball Lowen 81-76 last weekend. Both teams wanted to keep their winning streaks alive, but only one team escaped and like usual this season the EPG Baskets Koblenz displayed explosive offense after having a brief hibernation period in the first quarter blowing away the Seeburger College Wizards 103-84. It was the fourth win in a row as the EPG Baskets Koblenz moved into first place in the Pro B south. After the game a never satisfied Dominique Johnson knew that despite the unbeaten record, they are still far away from being a great team. ‘We really showed our potential today. But we did show in the first quarter and a few minutes in the third quarter that we still have a lot to work on. We moved the ball well and played really good defense in the second quarter and that was a big reason we could keep the lead to the end’, stressed ex BBL player Dominique Johnson. The Seeburger College Wizards played an incredible first quarter offensively, but couldn’t keep the consistency and couldn’t clamp down on defense in the second half and force Koblenz to many consecutive stops. ‘We came out with a lot of intensity knowing that we were up against a top team and playing in a nice arena. We made many shots in the first quarter, but they then upped the pressure and we shot ourselves in the foot. We made too many mistakes and turnovers. We have a lot of potential, but we have to learn to limit their runs to 4-6 points and not 12 points. But we did fight hard from the start to the end’, warned ex NAIA player Christian Rodriguez.

The EPG Baskets Koblenz sped out to a quick 5-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Seeburger College Wizards weren’t impressed as they played their game and let it rain three’s closing out the first quarter with a 30-18 run shooting a crazy 78% from down town. Koblenz got Poelking free throws and a trey from Heckel to begin the contest, but the guests quickly got going getting three’s from ex Heidelberg guard Cristoph Rupp and ex Hanau forward Malik Kudic for the 7-5 advantage. Despite Heckel making 3 free throws for the 8-7 lead, the guests continued to execute well on offense getting support from everyone as head coach Rouven Roessler didn’t shy from using his bench early. Rupp made a lay in as did big man Moritz Baer while more three’s fell from the sky from Simon Jaworski and ex Cornerstone great Christian Rodriguez who nailed 2 while young German Nikolas Mueller also scored for the 24-15 lead. The guests had one of those quarters where everything seemingly was falling and on top of that got most of the 50/50 balls. The EPG Baskets Koblenz got good looks, but shots just weren’t falling. The guests held the momentum until the end getting another trey from Rupp and a 20 footer from 26 year old German Johnson Olowookere who played in Leimen last season. Koblenz kept pace getting lay in’s from ex Coburg guard Yasin Turan and Poelking to trail 30-23 after 10 minutes. ‘I feel we were a bit surprised by their play. It isn’t normal to make 7 three’s in a quarter at this level. But you have to give them credit. They played very well making the extra pass. We were a bit soft on the close outs. They did hit a few wild three’s, but we mostly had hands in their faces’, stressed EPG Baskets Koblenz manager Thomas Klein.

But the turning point of the game occurred in the second quarter came as the EPG Baskets Koblenz exploded for 36 points while allowing only 14 points to recapture the lead 58-44. Rodriguez did begin with a trey, but Koblenz then reacted erupting out on a 17-2 run to lead 40-35. In the run it was ex Bremerhaven guard Marvin Heckel who carried the team scoring 11 points with 3 three’s. ‘Marvin was our turnaround player and everyone followed him’, stressed Thomas Klein. Poelking also scored with his left hand while Johnson dropped a three pointer. The EPG Baskets Koblenz calmed out and just began to play their game sharing the ball well and executing well. After a Rupp lay in, the offensive explosion by Koblenz continued as Moore and Poelking countered with buckets and Johnson supplied another three pointer for the 47-37 advantage. The guests didn’t hang their heads but fought as Karlsruhe attacked the rim and took advantage of Koblenz lapses on 1-1 defense as Rupp and Rodriguez scored to cut the Koblenz advantage to 47-42. But the Koblenz offense was mostly flowing as they used their bigs to take advantage of mismatches as young German Leo Saffer scored twice in the paint and Sperber hit a trey. Alani Moore II (178-PG-1998, college: Temple) who played his rookie season in Iran closed out the first half with a pretty buzzer beater floater. ‘After the weak first quarter, I felt like we adapted well to them. We showed that we can be an offensive monster. We showed that all can score. We supplied more pressure, boxed out better and pushed the ball more’, added Thomas Klein. The shooting percentages of the Seeburger College Wizards dipped down to 48% and 50% while the EPG Baskets Koblenz were at 54%. Koblenz continued to have the sound rebound edge 23-16 while both teams suffered 7 turnovers a piece.

In the third quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz kept the lead continuing to execute well on offense and just doing enough to maintain the comfortable double digit advantage. The Seeburger College Wizards came out of half-time pumped and recharged and went on a 10-4 run to trail only 62-54. Karlsruhe continued to attack the rim getting 2 baskets from Rupp and one from Rodriguez while Kudic connected on a three pointer. ‘They upped their defense and we were too lush on offense’, stated Pat Elzie. But it is only a matter of time before a versatile and deep offensive team like the EPG Baskets Koblenz gets going as Moore and Turan connected twice from the parking lot while Rodriguez continued to hurt Koblenz with his shooting with a trey, but Koblenz led 72-60. ‘Rodriguez is a good player and shooter. But I see him more as a shooting guard then a point guard. He is very dangerous and creats a lot of space with his play and gave his team a lot of confidence’, stated Thomas Klein. Down the stretch the EPG Baskets Koblenz continued to shoot at a high clip from outside getting added support with three’s from Johnson and Turan while Moritz Huebner added a massive slam dunk as the guests trailed 80-67 after 3 quarters. ‘The third quarter was ok. We don’t know how to deal with big leads. We need to work on it’, stated Dominique Johnson. ‘We couldn’t get over the hump. They did a good job taking advantage of our mistakes. They ran their offense well and went on longer runs and made shots’, commented Christian Rodriguez.

In the fourth quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz kept control despite a small lapse allowing the guests to cut the lead down to 10 points, but were able to close out the game strong. Moritz Baer was on fire in the first minutes scoring 7 points, but the guests couldn’t make any ground as Koblenz got 2 three’s from Johnson and a pretty floater by Huebner and Sperber free throw as the EPG Baskets Koblenz led 90-74. With 5 minutes to go, the guests attempted one more comeback attempt going on a lightening 6-0 run as Kudic, Rodriguez scored and Rupp then made the tap in alley-oop with the pass from Rodriguez trailing only 90-80. But that was as close as Karlsruhe would get as the EPG Baskets Koblenz closed out the game with a 13-4 run. Koblenz got free throws from Heckel Sperber and Johnson. Johnson then added an off balance shot for the 98-80 advantage. The question then was which Koblenz player would break the 100 points to supply the free drinks. It was American Moore who didn’t know about the tradition, but agreed on donuts. ‘I told him after the game to pay for drinks or supply donuts. He agreed on donuts. I hope he doesn’t forget my favorite the regular flavor’, smiled Dominique Johnson. Head coach Patrick Elzie also opted to play his whole bench inserting the 3 kids Schnabel, Ade-Eri and Milton Heckel in the last minutes who combined for 4,48 minutes. ‘We got more tired and we couldn’t sustain their runs as they continued to make shots’, stated Christian Rodriguez. ‘They got heavy legs. They executed better, but we also made our shots. We gave the last blow and they couldn’t react as they had less energy’, said Dominque Johnson. The EPG Baskets were led by Alani Moore II with 23 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists while Dominque Johnson added 18 points, 8 boards and 4 assists and Marvin Heckel supplied 17 points and 9 dimes while the Seeburger College Wizards were led by Christoph Rupp with 22 points while Christian Rodriguez added 20 points. The EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 48% form the field and 47% from outside and had 48 rebounds and 18 turnovers while the Seeburger College Wizards shot 48% from the field and 34% form outside and had 36 rebounds and 15 turnovers.

Tags : ALANI MOORE II, EPG BASKETS KOBLENZ, GERMAN BASKETBALL

Ty Harrelson (agency: LUMANI 10.7 ) is a former player that spent a majority of his playing career in Germany playing for teams like FC Bayern Munich, BBC Bayreuth, Osnabrueck and TV Langen. He began his coaching career in his native Australia and coached at Wayland Baptist University for 6 years before being names Rasta Vechta head coach in the summer of 2022. He currently is 4-0 with Rasta Vechta and spoke to germanhoops.com about basketball during the summer
.

Thanks Ty for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you?

Basketball life is great, I get to do something everyday that I really enjoy. We are in Vechta after going to the NBA summer league last week. Basketball has always been a big part of my immediate and extended family. I grew up with parents who played and coached basketball so it is just a way of life at this point.

I guess I will start by saying better late than never. In the summer of 2015 you asked me if I could do an interview for you as you were at the start of your coaching career. I have to be honest, I just lost track and forgot. Now 7 years later and you having a new challenge in Vechta, I finally reach out. What kind of better late than never have you experienced in your basketball life?

In 2013, I started coaching in Australia. By summer of 2015 our team was playing in the finals in the Australian (SBL) NBL1. I probably wanted to get noticed by German clubs so they would know I wanted to coach here. So better late than never!

Congrats on your new challenge in Vechta. Like so many players I have covered, you also had to pay your dues as a coach. Despite playing 4 years in Germany, how big of a goal was it always to coach in Germany?

I am very thankful for the opportunity to have played and now getting to coach in Germany. It was an enjoyable experience as a player and I formed some of my basketball philosophy from previous coaches here. Last August it became clear that I wanted to coach professionally again. We moved to Europe in order to be in this situation.

How competitive is the coaching market in general but also in Germany. Does it surprise you a bit that it took you so long to find a job in Germany?

In general, the coaching profession is super competitive. A lot of times it is a who you know profession versus a what you know.

Do you feel like possibly having been a NAIA coach scares pro teams away overseas because that is the fourth college league?

We regularly beat DII and DIII’s so fourth league might be a misperception. I have a philosophy built on my experiences on three of the most popular continents for the game of basketball and thankful for the employers who see success as more important than level.

You actually got your first coaching gig with TV Langen last season helping the team stay in the Regionalliga despite injury woes. What was it like coaching the team where you played your second pro season and first in Germany?

When the job came open it was an opportunity to stay and help them avoid relegation. It was a fun experience with the exception of the injuries and illness etc.

When looking back to 2005 I guess the only thing that didn’t change from then until now is that Jogi Barth is still there. What was basketball like in 2005 in Germany compared to now? It must be like night and day?

Yes, Jogi signed me to my first playing and coaching contract in Germany. I guess the main difference in terms of basketball is we all got older! The level of basketball has consistently improved, that is a credit to the work that the federation, clubs, and coaches have put in over the years.

How important was your TV Langen gig last season for your self-confidence and getting your foot in the coaching door in Germany?

Although the roster was a little bit inconsistent for different reasons the guys were a lot of fun to be around and coach. I am glad I was able to work in Germany again.

Congrats on your new challenge with Rasta Vechta. What really stood out in the Vechta press release was that you coach with heart? Is that something that you personally think is something that isn’t as present with all coaches?

Yes, it is present with most coaches especially at games. But I don’t think execution is the same for everyone.

You stand for passion, defense, fight and playing quickly. Talk a little about what your defensive philosophy exactly is. The club’s goal is to play the best defense in the league.

Yes, we stand for those things and we do want to have the best defense. Our basic defensive philosophy is to disrupt the offense.

With playing fast what kind of set offense will your team will play on a regular basis?

We will play opportunistic offense allowing our players to showcase their talent.

With Gerrit you have an ex agent who knows the players market. How much of an advantage has that been for your recruiting?

Gerrit has been amazing. He is connected all over the globe with his background as an agent. It is evident that he is great at building and maintaining relationships. Gerrit is very professional when it comes to communication, which has made the transition for our entire staff smooth. It has been an advantage for our recruiting because he has the experience necessary to sign players that we identify with.

You have very qualified assistant coaches. With Marius Graf an expert in the youth sector and with Miguel Zapata a guy who worked with rising coach Pedro Calles. How excited are you to work with these guys?

Very excited. They have all the necessary experience to step in and take our team to a new level. Marius has won a couple of games in the Pro A already and does great on court work with the players. Miguel has coached in Champions League here and been in high level professional markets. We also have Domenik Theodorou as our strength coach coming in from Bamberg. I feel like the players are in such a great situation here in Vechta.

How important will be the work with the youth sector? Last season the NBBL team reached the final and regionalliga team moved up to the Pro B with young players. Could you even imagine increasing the presence of young Germans in the pro A this season?

We have a very dedicated coaching staff and development program. Hendrik Gruhn did a great job winning the Regionalliga last season. Our NBBL team has some of the best German talent and we have signed a few of them to our Pro A team already. I would like to implement basketball philosophy so our program has identity from top to bottom. We want players to grow into professional players and stay with us here at RASTA. To answer your question, there will be a presence of both experienced and young Germans playing for us this season.

Who are your coaching influences and what will be your biggest challenge in the Pro A as a coach this season?

I tried to take the best things from the coaches I played for over the years and develop them into my own philosophy. There are a lot of really good coaches in the Pro A. Some of them have been successful coaches for over a decade, dating back to when I was playing. I played for Frenkie Ignjatovich and Derrick Taylor, so those games will be fun.

How important were your 6 seasons at Wayland Baptist University (NAIA). How do you feel did you grow as a coach in the NAIA?

Being in the USA basketball market was a great experience. I was able to grow my network and learn from some of the best coaches in the country during this time.

You won the SAC title in 2016. What memories do you have of this time?

I remember cutting down the nets in 2016 championship game. Perhaps our best team was the 2018 team that won 25 games and was highly ranked at the end of the season. We also won the regular season in 2019 for the first time ever.

You began your coaching career in 2013 with the Southwest Slammers (SBL). What memories do you have of being that player/coach? It is something that is rarely seen in basketball. What was the coolest about the job and what was the toughest about it?

The best part was making the playoffs all three season and in 2015 we made it to the Grand Final. It was a really great time for basketball in Bunbury. The toughest part was making the decision to take a college job in the USA.

What are you looking forward to most to coaching in the Pro A and what kind of coach do you want to become this season?

Right now I am looking forward to building relationships with the guys on our team in Vechta. Of course the atmosphere in the Rasta Dome is exciting to think about. I want to be the coach who helps RASTA re-establish ourselves as a top tier program.

Thanks Ty for the chat.

If Joe Asberry gives an unproven American player toiling in the German Oberliga (6th division) Named Abe Valentine the magical words that he has a plan for him, then there is a good chance that his aim could become reality. The plan for Valentine is to get him up the basketball ladder and playing in a higher league. Joe Asbery isn’t a house hold name in the United States, but in Germany he is a legend. He is a guy that has seen it all from crime to drugs, but also playing against legends like Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Brian Shaw and being teammates with German legendary player Christian Welp. He could easily write a best seller combined with all his experiences around the globe and his unique and comical personality that is infectious on every one he has dealings with. He had a 11 year professional career that saw him toil in the lower leagues of Germany and off the court has been a special kind of spokesperson for young kids and drug prevention, guest speaker, worked in the Alba Berlin organization, been a master of ceremonies for UBC Hannover and been a mentor for young Americans coming overseas trying to live the dream of being a professional basketball player. Joe Asberry dominated the German Regionalliga back in the day and definitely could of played in a higher league, but as usual politics got in the way. He knows what is going through the heads of these American players and has made it a massive priority to help them get better jobs. He has helped great players like Chris Frazier, Elijah Allen, Darren Galloway, Alieu Cesay, Kevin Yebo and Pierre Bland get jobs in higher leagues. Talented guards are as wide spread in Europe as are the Lebron haters globally and Abe Valentine is one of those many gifted players. Currently he is dominating the German Oberliga for the BC Lions under the guidance of head coach Joe Asberry. It is no surprise that Asberry has had a huge effect on the American. ‘Coach Joe was the main reason why I came and he is a great guy. He has helped me market myself better as well as give me good insight on the German market and how I can move myself up quickly like he did. He’s a legend out here and I need to take all the knowledge I can from him’, stressed Abe Valentine (185-G-1992, college: Clark Summit) Even if Valentine is living in Berlin, he will never be bored. Even if he can’t get out, all he needs is to hang out with coach Joe, because an evening with him will never be tedious. ‘I can’t narrow one down because coach has a lot of great stories but I will say my favorite thing about his stories is how high he jumped back in the day and he really used to put everyone on a poster which to me is incredible’, added Abe Valentine

Joe Asberry and Miles Schmidt-Scheuber in Koblenz in 2015

Abe Valentine who remembers the toughest players that he ever faced in his life were Brandon Knight (AAU) CJ McCollum (played in the same state of Ohio) and Anderson Varejo (worked out with him for years and gave me a lot of knowledge) is a 185cm 30 year old guard from Elyria, Ohio that began his basketball career at Open Door Christian High School. He then played at Baptist Bible PA (NCAA3) and in his senior year the school changed it’s name to Clark Summit University (NCAA3). He showed that he was able to be a consistent player averaging 17/3/3 stats in his last 3 years. He remembers having Evan Dougoud’s number in practice 1-1 games and spent 4 unforgettable years there. ‘After my first year there was a name change because we switched over to a university and it helped a lot as far as people noticing the team. The best moment there was probably beating the number 2 team in division 3 (Cabrini u 24-0) where we gave them their first loss of the season after I had a 36 point game. Another moment I can’t forget there is that I scored over 1500 points there which is very difficult to put up numbers like that (1854 points)’, remembered Abe Valentine In his senior year he averaged 17.0ppg, 5.5rpg, 3.2apg, FGP: 42.6%, 3PT: 36.2%, FT: 81.1% and had a big advantage of being able to showcase his abilities against well known teams. ‘My game grew a lot my senior year because we got to play 2 division 1 schools my senior year with Liberty University and Delaware State University where both games I had 20 plus points’, remembered Abe Valentine He also couldn’t have made that great leap as a player in school without the suitable coaching staff that pushed him. ‘Mike Show helped me develop my confidence as well as giving me workouts with high level players. Coach Nietz was his assistant for those years as well before he took the head coaching job so he was also a part of my growth in a different way’, remembered Abe Valentine

The American who lists Kevin Douglas (d1 college/ pro) Michael Terry (d2 college) Eric Mann (d3 college and Hs) Dan Decker (d3 college ranked best shooter in d3) and Adam Brinkley (d3 college defensive player of the year) as his best teammates of all-time has had professional experience in Spain playing for Martinez Valls help leading the team to a 23-2 regular season record and also played for CB Aridane on the Canary Islands. ‘Living on the Canary Islands of Spain, it was always hot and there was a lot of things to do outside of basketball to keep the high stress down of playing professionally and it was great living there’, remembered Abe Valentine The game of the guard who lists Kobe, Mike, Kareem, Lebron, and Wilt on his NBA Mount Rushmore is a player where his game reflects a defensive minded Devin Booker who has been overlooked in his career just like Valentine. If you think just lighting up the score board is his biggest strength, it actually isn’t. ‘I won first team all defense in Spain and I pride myself on the defensive end and I always want to guard the team’s best player no matter the position because it’s a mindset! Another strength I have is bringing a team together not just on the court but off the court as well because this is needed to win’, warned Abe Valentine He may already be 30, but still sees many more years to go in his career and is constantly grinding in the lab to get better. ‘I’m still working on my floater right now and getting that better as well as working on my high post footwork as a guard is really good for me because no guard will ever expect having to guard another guard at the high post with moves’, expressed Abe Valentine

The Ohio native who believes like many other that Michael Jordan is the GOAT because he dominated his era more than anyone else is playing his first season in Germany in the sixth division Oberliga for the BC Lions despite easily being able to play in the third division called Pro B. He is averaging 30/10/5 stats while shooting 40% from down town. The money is less than peanuts, but he is sly enough to know that if he explodes on the court, then people will notice. ‘They offer a lot better conditions than any other team in this league as well as teams above this league so I thought to myself why not, let’s get the German market to know my name and see where that can take me after this year’, said Abe Valentine It remains tough going to work every day for little pay and recognition especially after having played at a higher level in Spain, but he knows that Germany could be his ticket up the ladder. Seeing how so many guys in higher leagues like ex opponent Caleb Homesley are being treated so well is another driving force for him to go the extra mile in the lab. Just knowing that he not only held his own against Homesley who played in Germany last season in the first division and currently is in one of Europe’s top leagues VTB with Russian team Zenit in a college basketball game, but was actually the best player on the court that night continues to drive him forward. ‘Actually in my conference there was over 10 guys to play overseas from my senior year class so yes you can say the chip on my shoulder is very large. I also got to play against Liberty university which is a division1 school and gave them 20 and their whole starting 5 is now playing at a high level over here in Europe, but I have never been the type to quit so that’s what keeps me going’, warned Abe Valentine

The explosive scorer who like so many believes that the classic Coming To America movie should have been left alone recently gave fans of the BC Lions so much joy with an incredible buzzer beater. Like so many other guys around the globe who have hit buzzer beaters, there was doubt about the outcome when it left his hands. ‘There were 2 seconds left and I always feel if there is time on the clock that there is a chance to win the game! After they went up they had to shoot a free throw after a and one play and he missed it on purpose so I got the rebound and took one dribble and just let it fly! As soon as it left my hands I thought man that is a great shot to go in and then it banked in for game! Then the whole crowd and my teammates rushed me and started cheering’, remembered Abe Valentine The gym didn’t have more than a few hundred fans, but the fans are so passionate and dedicated that the joy and excitement after the long heave went in felt like a mini Madison Square Garden. ‘It felt really good because the goal this year is to move up and we are on pace to do that! Now everyone believes that we have a good shot to win it all and there’s no better feeling than that’, explained Abe Valentine His head coach Joe Asbery has massive aspirations to move his team up to the second Regionalliga and with the drive and leadership of Abe Valentine that could be possible. He knows that he doesn’t have so many more years left, so he has to make the most of it now. But the passion he has won’t make him stop until he continues to move up the basketball ladder. ‘I would say my love for the game will never fade because anyone that has seen me play knows that I play on both sides with a lot of passion and a lot of heart and this is why all my teammates really respect me’, stated Abe Valentine At the moment he and Joe Asbery are a match made in basketball heaven, because they both love the game so much and have a huge chip on their shoulders. With their combined zeal and drive, success isn’t bound to be faraway.

Tags : ABE VALENTINE, TEAM MILWAUKEE, GERMAN BASKETBALL

Drew Gordon (206-C-1990, college: N.Mexico) is a 32 year old 206cm center from San Jose, California that is playing his 11th pro season and first with Fukuoka Rizing (Japan-B2 League,. He has had experience in the NBA for the Philadelphia 76ers. Most of his career has been spent playing overseas where he has played in countries like Serbia, Italy, Turkey, France, Lithuania, Russia, Poland and the Ukraine. He won 2 professional titles in Italy and Poland and before turning pro played at UCLA and the University of New Mexico. He spoke to germanhoops.com earlier in 2022 about his basketball career

Thanks Drew for talking to germanhoops.com Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you?

Hey what up everyone! I am currently in Denver watching my brother play in the NBA playoffs against the Warriors. Basketball life for me is going well. Obviously the situation in the Ukraine was unfortunate and a very sad situation. We have not been able to get documentation for our new born son, who was born out in the Ukraine right before the war escalated. Therefore we have been waiting to go somewhere else to play until his documentation is received here in the states.

Your at home in the States after playing in the Ukraine this season. What kind of feelings do you get when you see the sad footage on the news about the war. When did it sink in that you were there?

Its sad man, I wish that everyone would come to a peaceful conclusion to it all. The Ukraine is a very beautiful place so to see it being damaged is sad. However, while being out there, we didn’t feel a threat of war at all really. It wasn’t until the very end of our stay in Kyiv did we feel any sort of distress. It was always on the back of our minds obviously, but it was business as usual right up until the very end.

Most guys got out of the Ukraine while some guys had to escape. What memories will you always have of the time that you had in the Ukraine?

Mainly my teammates, we had a great group of guys this year that really wanted to win. We were living in Kyiv which was a great place to be able to walk around and see the rich history of the Ukraine. Something that will also be an ever-lasting memory is trying to help teammates and friends escape once they got stuck. Very odd feeling knowing that you can only help so much. You worry about their safety and their families safety and wellbeing.

You played with Budivelnyk Kyiv (Ukraine-Superleague) playing 29 games averaging 13.9ppg, Reb-1 (10.6rpg), 1.9apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 60.9%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 59.0%. Would it be fair to say that you were playing your best personal season since 2015-2016 when you balled in France. How tough was just stopping the season?

It was tough man, I wasn’t really planning on leaving until the embassy shut down. I liked the basketball we were playing and I happened to fit well into coaches system. I was playing well yes, but a lot of that comes from the team. How we interacted with each other and the chemistry that we had made it easy for lots of guys to play really well. It was unselfish basketball which is always a fun way to play. It sucks that the season had to stop.

How is your approach now to overseas ball? Will this experience in the Ukraine really influence how you chose your next job?

I don’t think it will influence it much. This was a terrible and unfortunate thing that happened in the Ukraine but its’ not like it happens all over the world every year. I just want to make sure me and my family are safe and the living is good. Its tough to go a full year with wife and kids in a place where living is tough. I want to make sure they enjoy where they are at. Its much better for everyone’s mental.

You have played 10 professional seasons and in 8 countries. I’m still waiting for you to play in Germany. Have you ever had any offers and what memories do you have playing against Bamberg, Berlin and Ulm?

Yeah I played against Alba a few times. Walking the Berlin wall was super dope. I actually have a picture of me standing in the same spot I believe 9 years apart. Maybe 8 years but still a super cool place. I would love to play in Germany! My guy Brandon Ashley said he loved playing there so I would love to try to go play there for a year or two

Last season you split time in Russia with Avtodor Saratov (Russia-VTB) averaging: 8.7ppg, 6.7rpg, 2FGP: 55.1%, 3FGP: 33.3%, FT: 71.4%, in Jan.’21 moved to Lokomotiv Kuban (Russia-VTB) averaging 13.3ppg, Reb-2 (7.7rpg), 2.0apg, FGP-3 (68.5%), 3PT-3 (50.0%), FT: 50.0%; and in the Eurocup averaged 9.0ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 66.7%, FT: 62.5%. This was the first time in your career since 2013-2014 where you split time with two organizations. What is always the toughest during a season for a player when you have to change scenery?

Yeah it was tough. Avtodor was a tough place to play. And an even colder place to live. We had some good players on the team. I still keep up with Nate and Markel. But I think the toughest part when coming on to a new team is being able to fit into the system. Taking that gamble on going to a new team and hoping the coach and players accept you. And you are able to produce right when you get to the new team.

In 2019-2020 you played with Stelmet Enea BC Zielona Gora (Poland-EBL) averaging 10.7ppg, 6.7rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 60.1%, FT: 66.7%: and in the VTB United League averaged 13.3ppg, Reb-4 (8.3rpg), 2.1apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 56.3%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 75.3%. It was only your second pro title. What kind of a feeling did it give you being a Corona champion?

It was frustrating. I’ll take the title but we didn’t get a chance to play that final game and lift the trophy like we were planning on doing. We didn’t get a chance to enjoy the championship because we were too busy trying to get our butts home before the airports closed and we were stuck in Poland. Playing for Zan was great, we still stay in contact. He was a coach that really knew how to interact with the team.

In 2018-2019 you returned to the States and played with the Long Island Nets (NBA G League) playing 35 games averaging 7.3ppg, 6.8rpg, FGP: 55.9%, 3PT: 15.6%, FT: 62.0%. What kind of an experience was that and after being three years away from the NBA do clubs lose track with all the many players coming and going?

It was a rough time for sure. I wanted to stay in Europe, but for our family the best move was to come back into the states because we were expecting our son Zayne, so we wanted to be back around family for that. I was playing behind Alan Williams and he was playing really well so I was taking the time to work on my body and prep for the baby coming. I think you touched on it earlier with this, but unless the team really has their eyes on you it is tough to get a fair shake in the league.

I guess when you average only 15 minutes in the G-League, it will be tough to get a NBA call up. Do you feel like 30 minutes would have done the trick?

Yeah man, 15 minutes spread out over the length of the game is tough to really get rocking and get into a groove of playing. Specially when the team is tailored to only be looking at a few guys. I feel like if I was able to rock out then I would have had a much better chance for sure. However, it wasn’t in the cards.

Does one notice that sometimes you can be really efficient in the minutes but when an organization is eyeing only certain guys and focusing on young guys, that it will be a reach to get that shot?

For sure it is! I feel for a lot of the G-league guys. You can have a crazy P.I.R and still not get a look. There are certain things that teams are looking at so it makes it tough. With covid being a thing guys had/have more chances at getting call ups with dudes catching covid. But I feel like unless you are a two-way player its super tough to get that look

In 2017-2018 you played your first time in Russia with Zenit Sankt Petersburg (Russia-VTB) averaging 11.1ppg, Reb-5 (6.7rpg), FGP: 62.6%, FT: 57.1%; and in the Eurocup averaging 12.4ppg, Reb-5 (7.0rpg), 1.1apg, FGP: 58.7%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 54.4%. This was your first time in Russia.talk a little about this experience living in a beautiful city and competing in the VTB League a place you always were successful in.

We loved it in saint Petersburg ! That was one of the prettiest cities we had played in. I was hoping to be able to stay on with Zenit at the end of the year because again we had a solid group of guys. I think if we stuck together we would have been able to do some crazy stuff the following year. It took us a second to get adjusted, especially in the cold weather and the short days, but we ended up loving it. The VTB league is always fun to play in, I feel like its one of the strongest leagues and you end up playing against a lot of guys that bounced out of the NBA so its always competitive and a good time seeing a lot of guys you use to play against in the states.

You played a number of time against Mr Euroleague Kyle Hines. If you look back at your numerous head to head battles, who would you say came out the winner most times?

I would say it went back and forth. I usually had pretty solid games against CSKA. But its been years since I have been able to play against him again. Hopefully I can tell you for sure that I got the better of him the next time we meet.

In 2016-2017 you played in the land of basketball with Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania-LKL) averaging 10.6ppg, Reb-3 (7.1rpg), 1.5apg, FGP: 59.7%, 3PT: 19.1%, FT: 64.0%; and in the Eurocup averaged 12.6ppg, Reb-1 (9.6rpg), 1.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 58.3%, 3PT: 15.8%, FT: 58.7%. What kind of an experience was it playing for such a historical organization and what one experience will you always remember that clearly shows this country is fanatic for basketball?

The fans were awesome! I loved the energy that the fans brought. Vilnius is such a cool place to play also. The downtown was awesome to be able to walk around in, good eats as well. I will say Lithuania ball was much more physical than I originally thought. And playing every team so many times was kind of rough. I think we ended up playing a team something like ten times because of regular season, the cup, and playoffs. For me I don’t want to play a team 10 times over in a single season. But being able to play in the arena with the fans going crazy was always fun. Shout out the the Rytas fans.

In 2015-2016 you played with Champagne Chalons-Reims Basket (France-ProA) playing 30 games averaging 14.0ppg, Reb-2 (9.6rpg), 1.5apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 62.5%, 3PT: 20.8%, FT: 72.7%. After coming from your NBA season, how vital was this season for your early career? You had a very good season which helped you get back on the map overseas.

I mean yeah its always a good thing to hit the group running. Oddly enough coming from the NBA there weren’t a lot of teams who were super interested. Its like I made the jump to the NBA then Europe forgot about me when I tried to get back. So playing well was a must. Well, playing as I usually play.

You were teammates with so so many guys in your career. But the question how good can you remember guys? I covered Miro Todic when he was a young player in Frankfurt in 2005. You saw him 10 years later. As a big man what do you remember about his play?

Man! That was my guy! Its unfortunate what the team tried to do by forcing him to leave. I thought he was a really solid player that would have helped us down the stretch. But unfortunately the team had other ideas. Why it didn’t work out and the team ended up doing that I wont ever really know but he has a great resume and is a solid dude.

In 2014-2015 you reached the NBA with the 76ers playing 9 games and also played in the G-League with Delaware. It has been 7 years now, but what instantly comes back to you when you look back at your NBA experience?

Being able to play against my brother in the preseason. It had always been a dream of ours to be able to play with or against each other on the big stage. There is a picture of us somewhere floating around on the internet of us sitting on the bench and just taking in the fact that we both made it to the NBA. A super special moment.

Was playing against Dirk Nowitzki one of coolest moments for you? That also happened to be your first NBA game. What do you remember from that game?

It was a cool moment for sure. It sucked though because I think he dropped something like 45 that game on our heads, so film wasn’t very fun the next day. And once again just realizing that I made it to the NBA and had my name announced as I checked in. Playing alongside people I had watched growing up as a kid.

When you look back at your time with the 76ers, do you feel like maybe you could of reached more had you gotten the opportunity. There were some other bigs there like Hollis Thompson, Brandon Davies, Chris Johnson and Henry Sims that would also land overseas.

Yeah I for sure could have. I was coming back from ankle surgery so I was just starting to get my hooping rhythm back. And I was on a non guaranteed contract the first year , in hindsight I would have resigned with them for another year. I had the opportunity but turned it down. Because I ended the year in the G my contract was void. The organization wanted to put me back on a nonguaranteed contract but I politely declined and wanted to try my luck getting back into euro-league or a job with a bit more stability.

In 2013-2014 you split time with Banvit Basketbol Kulubu (Turkey-TBL Banco di Sardegna Sassari (Italy-Serie A) averaging 9.0ppg, 5.7rpg, FGP: 59.3%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 60.5%; and played Eurocup playing 8 games averaging13.0ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.1spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 74.1%. You won your first chip in Italy with the cup. What memories do you have of this nice moment?

Yeah Turkey was a cool place to play with good competition, however while me and my wife were out there we had someone break into our apartment and try to steal our things. After that we didn’t feel safe out there so we decided to make a switch. But some of my teammates from that team I still remain close with. They were a fun team to be around.Playing in Italy was probably our favorite location to play, the fans were awesome as well. We had a good group of vets and the practice style was shaped more like the NBA than other places I have played. Which means that we were more fresh going into games and had more energy to play hard for the chip and for the fans. I would go back to play there again for sure.

What do you remember from that thrilling 6 game playoff series against Milan? You battled against Keith Langford who belonged to the top players at that time.

Yeah it was tough for sure. I feel like everyone wanted Milan to win so we got some iffy calls and it made it tough to play against Milan. But being able to put our heads down and push forward was huge for us because Milan had some big time talent.

You played your rookie season with BC Partizan MT:S Beograd (Serbia-A League) playing 10 Euroleague games averaging 9.1ppg, Reb-3 (7.5rpg), 1.5apg, 1.1spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 47.3%, 3PT: 11.1%, FT: 62.1% and then moved to Banco di Sardegna Sassari (Italy-Serie A) averaging 11.6ppg, 7.1rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 64.6%, 3PT: 41.7%, FT: 57.9%. What do you remember being your wake up call to being in Serbia where you knew you were evry far away from home?

I mean just the long, long practices and being yelled at in a different language. As well as the different alphabet that was used out there. I just remember getting there and being like ‘ damn these practices are like twice as long as any of the longest practices I’ve had in the states.’ Also how crazy the fans were during games. Don’t get me wrong the partisan fans are some of my favorite die hard fans. I still remember some of their chants during games. But it was just a way different world than I was used to. I use to come out of games after playing, the road flares, the fights, the banners, the things being yelled at us and thrown at us, and the smoking in the stadium and thinking to myself what the hell did we just play through. That was wild. I would love to play in that environment and the partisan fans again now that I am older and understand the difference between the states and Europe.

What do you remember from that Euroleague season as a rookie. You played against legends like Juan Carlos Navarro, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Milos Teodosic, Nenad Kristic, Casey Jacobsen and Bostjan Nachbar. Were you even aware of these guys as a young rookie? Was there a guy that impressed you most then?

Honestly I didn’t know who any of them really were. To me they were just hoopers on a different team that we needed to beat. I was so ready to go play in the NBA I didn’t pay much mind to the rest of the world of basketball. I didn’t understand that there was so much talent over the waters. I don’t think Boban Marjanovic was in euro league but I loved playing against him. I used to try to dunk on him any chance I got. He was just one of the biggest people I had ever seen.

You played with young talents like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Davis Bertans. What memories do you have of these guys? They later would reach the NBA. What was it like battling them on a daily basis then?

Yeah Bogi and Bertans are my guys! It was so cool seeing them make the jump to the league they deserve it. They worked their asses off to get there. playing against them was fun in practices, we never really got to go head to head because we were different positions but watching them play was awesome.

You played parts of two seasons with brothers Drake and Travis Diener. It isn’t too often that you come across brothers. Are these guys that you have been able to keep a bond with over the years?

So they are actually cousins. Great guys! And great hoopers. I feel like when they shot the ball it was going in no matter what. They could really turn it on in games. They helped us get through a lot of tough games. We all lived in the same complex as well so our families got really close. For the most part I keep in touch with a lot of guys I have played with. From domestic guys to foreign players.

You began your college career at UCLA. You played there only two seasons. Despite leaving after two seasons what do you believe were some positives that you got out of it?

I learned that I needed to focus on basketball more. I was getting distracted and taking things for granted. I wanted to get to the NBA so badly I was not focused on the present. I was looking to far into the future for sure.

You played a season with talented Tyler Honeycut. I interviewed him in January 2018 before a Euroleague game in Bamberg and in July he passed away which shocked the NBA community. He was such a jovial guy and I only heard good things about him. What memories do you have of him?

Yeah T was a solid solid dude. It was devastating to get the news of his passing. Heart breaking. We were just together a few months prior playing in the VTB all-star game. Being able to hoop with him in college and then see his game grow and our paths cross again was special. The basketball community gets so small the higher you get. He was always laughs and jokes even in college. I’m sad that he is not with us anymore but he has family and friends that will forever love him.

You had so many great games at New Mexico. As a senior you had double figures in rebounds in 23 games. Where do you rank your monster 27/20 game against UNLV?

Man that was a fun game to play. Its definitely up there on most fun games I played. When I was at UNM my goal was to try to grab at least 15 and 15 so I had a lot of games where I was putting up big numbers. But really just hooping at UNM and in the Pit was dope. We had a lot of fun, we played well as a team also .

How did head coach Steve Alford groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career? Kind of ironic that he would later coach at UCLA.

He helped me focus in on hooping and what it was going to take to be a pro. I feel like my skills were still pretty raw, so he helped get my post game right and the preparation it takes leading up to a game to give our team the best chance of winning.

Who won a one on one in practice you or Alex Kirk?

Hahaha AK if you are reading this by chance I was killing you!

Who was the touhest player that you battled in the NCAA that went to the NBA?

Most likely Kawai, maybe James Harden

Please name your five best teammates of all-time?

Damn that’s a tough question. And I have to be honest. I don’t know if I can even answer that. I keep in touch with so many of my guys. After all these years of playing basketball and all the great people we meet along the way I don’t know how I can even answer top 5.

Please list your personal NBA Mount Rushmore?

Bron, Kobe, Jordan

What is your personal opinion of the neverending debate of who is the greatest Jordan or Lebron?

Everyone has their own opinion, and both sides may be right for different reasons. I don’t know if that argument will ever be answered. Specially because of the different eras of hoop.

Did you see the sequel to the classic movie Coming To America? Shouldn’t they have left it alone?

Haha yeah I saw it. It wasn’t terrible, but it’s tough to outdo such an iconic movie with a sequel.

Thanks Drew for the chat.

Tags : DREW GORDON, FUKUOKA RIZING, JAPANESE BASKETBALL

Jeremy Ingram (183-G-1991, college: AAMU) is a 191 cm guard that was born in Alabama and has played his entire professional career in Germany for teams like Speyer, Idstein, Bensheim and recently SG Mannheim.This season he is playing for Regionalliga team Bargteheide. Last season with SG Mannheim he picked up South West Regionalliga player of the year while averaging (32.1ppg), 5.7rpg, 4.2apg, Steals-4 (2.6spg), FGP: 55.4%, 3PT: 35.4%, 9%. He began his career with Enterprise State Community College (JUCO) and then finished with Alabama A&M University (NCAA). He spoke will team up with Miles Schmidt-Scheuber on a weekly basis this season to talk basketball.

Thanks Jeremy for talking to eurobasket.com. Bargteheide lost a real nail bitter to ASC Goettingen. How did this loss feel to you despite not being on the floor?

Well I honestly feel all the same emotions as my teammates are feeling even during the game because we are all in this together.

How much did this loss hurt as ASC Goettingen had a very slim roster. Your team had a lot deeper bench but still needed Marcel Hoppe to play 40 minutes.

Well this loss is definitely a game that we needed but its ok we can’t go in the past to change it so we will just focus now on the next game. But this was definitely a game we should have won.

Talk a little about the journey of the game. Do you feel like you could have better chances to the win the game earlier had you shut down the opponent’s offensive rebounds?

I feel like having a lot less turnovers was our teams best chance to win this game. Second Half we had too many turnovers that ultimately cost us that game.

Take us through crunch time and the last few possessions. What was key for Bargteheide not being able to close out the game at the end?


As mentioned before if we cut down on those 3rd and 4th quarter turnovers we win this game easily. Because even with the many costly turnovers we still only lost by 2.

Their glue guy Nick Boakye was very strong filling the stat sheet. Why couldn’t the team control him better?

First of all Nick is my guy. A very talented basketball player for his size. He’s a point forward Who’s bringing the ball down the floor every play creating opportunities for himself and his teammates, he’s a tough cover for any team in our league I’m sure.

How much will your absence actually help a guy like Marcel Hoppe having to take on so much responsibility?

Well right now he has to play a lot and do a lot so I’m assuming his conditioning will be top notch.

How has the team developed in your absence? What positives could you take from this game?

I think everybody realizes they have to accept a much bigger role with me being out right now so when I do return I believe the game will become much easier for them. But right now hopefully everyone is gaining confidence in themselves and their own game so when I do return the game will be much easier for me. Positives is that even with us playing not half as good as we should have played the 2nd half and with all those costly turnovers , we still only lost by 2. We have to learn from our mistakes and correct them next game.

You next face Stade who are 4-1. They are very deep and in the Oldenburg win had 12 guys play 11 or more minutes. What will be key to getting the win?

We have to be aggressive , out rebound them , and have a lot less turnovers than we did last game. I have all the confidence that my team could pull this win out though. #GoBees.

Thanks Jeremy for the chat.

Tags : JEREMY INGRAM, TSV BARGTEHEIDE, GERMAN BASKETBALL

Christopher Miller (192-G-1993, college: Salem) is a 29 year old 193cm guard from Brooklyn, New York who is playing his eighth professional season and first with VFL Bensheim. He played 3 seasons with the Giessen Pointers (Germany-Regionalliga) and last season averaged 17.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 3.2apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 17.5%, FT: 78.6%. He has had experience in countries like El Salvador and Bosnia. He recently played for the South Shore Monarchs (TBL) playing 8 games averaging 22.4ppg, 5.6rpg, 4.3apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 35.0%, FT: 83.3%. He began his basketball career at Clinton Community College and also played two years at Salem University (NCAA2). This season he teams up with Miles Schmidt-Scheuber with weekly chats about his basketball season.

Congrats on the huge 98-81 win over Giessen. What was it like playing against the team where you helped kids play basketball?

Thank you . It was great to see my guys and at first it was weird to play against them but I had to shake that feeling and get back to business.

Talk a little about the 40 minutes. Was there ever a time where you were in danger of losing the game?

I don’t think so honestly. In the beginning we underestimated them and they came out hot but once we woke up we felt we had the favor in the game.

Talk a little about the crunch-time phase. What was key for Bensheim pulling out the victory?

We started applying pressure in the second half forcing turnovers and allowing us to run and speed up the game.

Terry Winn was a monster scoring 38 points. Talk a little about how Bensheim scouted him and what was most difficult tin controlling him?

He played a great game. Scored at all 3 levels and has a quick second jump for rebounds and he is a great scorer and he put on a nice back and forth show this weekend.

Bensheim shot over 70% from the 2 points range and easily won the rebound duel. What do you feel was the team’s biggest strength on this night?

I believe it was our focus. We knew we needed to lock in to get this win and focused on the little things to make sure we put the game away.

Despite you scoring 30 points, you weren’t a 1 man show. Talk a little about Tilman Isensee’s worth on this night.

Tilman was great for us. Especially on defense and rebounding. He made it difficult for their offense and finished tough layups for us.

You had another supreme game scoring 30 points. You shot an incredible 12/14 from the 2 point range and had a steal and 2 blocks as well as 5 assists and 2 rebounds. Was this your most complete game of the season?

I feel like this is a good game shooting wise. I always feel the best is ahead but again what ever it takes to get the win . I hope to keep building on these games individually and as a team.

You next play against Tuebingen 2. They are 2-3. What will be key to getting the win.

If we stay focused and take care of the little things I believe we can have a good chance to win another and keep this winning streak going.

Thanks Chris for the chat.

Tags : CHRISTOPHER MILLER, VFL BENSHEIM, GERMAN BASKETBALL