The days are getting longer as everyone is wishing for warmer weather while in Koblenz the days get longer and longer for the EPG Baskets Koblenz who were still continuing to seek their first victory in 2021. The club that has massive aspirations to move up to the Pro A haven´t been showing that brilliant basketball as of late as they had lost five games in a row. Their last loss was at the hands of the Dresden Titans as they had chances to win again, but as usual couldn´t finish the game as crunch-time continues to be a real annoying thorn in their side. Only 48 hours after losing to Dresden, they had to be ready for the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau who had been playing excellent basketball as of late having a 5 game winning streak and were in deep competition with Koblenz for the playoff spots as both had a 8-7 record coming in. Hanau also had some revenge in their heads as they had lost the first game of the season at home against Koblenz 89-82. But this time the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau witnessed a totally different rejuvenated Koblenz team as they finally won their first game in 2021 as they got destroyed 82-60. Even if Koblenz head coach Danny Rodriguez had his usual post game expression, one could see the major relief that he had after finally winning in 2021. “A huge load has been lifted from my shoulders, the players and the organization. Dresden was a difficult game where we had no rhythm. To come back two days later and play so well shows the moral of the team. I am very proud of the team. We live off our energy, passion, quickness and aggressiveness on offense. That helped us get the win tonight”, stressed Danny Rodriguez. It was only a matter of time until Koblenz would finally win again, and Hanau picked a bad day to come and have to witness a total turnaround in their game. Hanau had injury problems and huge deficits under the basket. “Congrats to Koblenz for the win. We were without our big man Acosta and Josef Eichler got into early foul problems. After that we weren´t in the game anymore. We had problems getting rebounds tonight”, stated Hanau head coach Kamil Piechucki.

                The EPG Baskets Koblenz showed no mercy right from the jump and hurried off to a rapid 10-3 lead hitting Hanau with swift blows on offense. Instrumental in the fast start was Virginia native DJ Woodmore who was his old self. After a terrible shooting night in Frankfurt after being out some weeks, he came back and played better in the loss to Dresden, but against Hanau upped his game another notch. His aggressiveness was at an all-time high. He was all over the court in the first minutes which lifted his teammates as well. The ex Speyer guard scored two baskets as finding his spots was as normal as it is for Steph Curry nailing that clutch three. “This was one of my best games this season. All I have to do is feed of the team energy. All I have to do is be aggressive. My teammates continued to tell me to attack and put pressure on the defense”, stressed DJ Woodmore who finished with 17 points.  Koblenz were also strengthend with a trey from athletic Dutch forward Chad Wellian and ex Fordham(NCAA) guard Zaire Thompson also added a trey from the corner. Koblenz was defending very aggressive and were a menace on the boards. They grabbed three offensive boards in the first few minutes which would set the tone for the game. Basketball is a game of runs as Hanau took the usual up and down play of Koblenz to their advantage storming back on a 9-2 run to dead lock the game at 12-12. In the run, they received a trey from ex Fraport Skyliner Junior Felix Hecker, a lay in from German big man Josef Eichler and a clutch three from ex Oberaching guard Omari Knox. But Koblenz got out of their hole and finished off the first quarter with a 9-3 run to lead 21-15 after 10 minutes. In the run the EPG Baskets Koblenz got another basket from DJ Woodmore, got free throws from German guard Lucas Mayer, a three pointer from bench player German Henning Schaake and a bucket from Brian Butler who had surprisingly been held pretty quiet in the first quarter. Koblenz ´s offense was solid and they were getting sound production from everyone which Hanau couldn´t slow down.

                In the second quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz would continue to lead and extend their lead to as much as 13 points and led by double digits at the break. Koblenz tried to get Brian “air” Butler going in the second quarter as he scored a pretty reverse lay up past two Hanau players and also sunk free throws. Koblenz also got support from Edin Alispahic with a nice turn around shot and German Henning Schaake with a lay in. With Bill Borekambi and Philipp Liesser not in the lineup, Schaake was inserted into a bigger role as he logged 21 minutes and scored 13 points, had 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. “It was fun to play more. I hoped I could help the team. We had a big talk on Friday night which helped. The noise from the bench and confidence of coach helped me”, stressed Henning Schaake. “Henning never complains but just gave gas. He showed his good moral and attitude. He came out with a lot of energy”, warned head coach Danny Rodriguez. The Ebbecke White Wings Hanau couldn´t muster much offense and had to rely more on Eichler and Spanish undersized big man Eduard Arques who kept the guests in the game with baskets cutting the Koblenz lead to 31-26. But even when Hanau had small spurts of offense, they couldn´t get consistent stops on defense allowing Koblenz on a 8-0 run to quickly lead again 39-26. Koblenz´s offense was well rounded as Woodmore kept doing his thing hitting a jumper, while Butler was his normal beast mode on the boards getting an offensive rebound and massive two handed put back dunk and Alispahic showed his versatility and touch with a trey. Koblenz´s self confidence was sky high and they continued to defend with passion. Koblenz held the double digit lead going into half-time getting added production from Thompson and Mayer while Hanau continued to rely on the consistent offense from Arques who drilled home two trey´s. “We played good defense, but the three´s from Arques held Hanau in the game. Without those three´s, it would have been a different game”, stated EPG Baskets Koblenz manager Thomas Klein.

                The EPG Baskets Koblenz totally broke open the contest in the third quarter extending their lead to 20 plus points. In the first few minutes, the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau did a good job keeping the Koblenz lead at 10 getting some support from 19 year old German guard Justus Peuser who scored twice as did swift guard Felix Hecker. Koblenz got offense production from Lucas Mayer with a lay in and another trey from Chad Wellian as Koblenz held on to the 53-43 advantage. But that is when the turning point of the game came as Koblenz struck with a massive 16-5 run to end the third quarter with a very comfortable 69-48 advantage. The EPG Baskets Koblenz got great bench support from their Germans as Mayer nailed a trey getting a nice kick out pass from Butler and Schaake continued to be aggressive from the bench with a pretty alley-oop tap in and trey while also showing his defensive skills with a big block on Peuser. Wellian also aided in the offensive attack with a trey as did Butler with a giant two handed dunk. “Turnovers killed us. We gave up too many easy baskets against our zone. They got the momentum and held it because of their high energy”, stated Hanau guard Omari Knox.

                In the fourth quarter the EPG Baskets Koblenz let up a bit on offense with more hurried shots and turnovers, but still held their own on defense allowing only 12 points to be able to win by 22 points. Scoring was down on both sides as Hanau was already getting ready for the next team while Koblenz wanted to enjoy their first win in 2021. Hanau got 5 points from Josef Eichler who was playing with four fouls while Koblenz got some added insurance with three pointers from Thompson and Woodmore. German Philipp Hecker closed out the game with a trey for some stat fine tuning. All in all it was a huge win for the EPG Baskets Koblenz as they want to secure that playoff spot. “This was a special win that was important for the team. When we play with high energy on offense and defense, we are a completely different team. This was a fun game for all as all players played up to their qualities. We rebounded well and we always had Hanau a step too late with our energy. This was a fun game to watch”, stated Thomas Klein. “Rebounding was a huge problem for us. They played hard on defense and got extra shots. The three offensive rebounds in the first minutes killed our energy. But we didn´t give up. We just tried to finish the game as hard as possible and hope it carries over to the next game”, stressed Omari Knox. The EPG Baskets Koblenz were led by DJ Woodmore with 17 points. Brian Butler added 16 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists while Henning Schaake ahd 13 points and Edin Alispahic 11 points while the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau were led by Euard Arques with 13 points while Felix Hecker had 10 points. The EPG baskets Koblenz shot 48% from the field and 36% from outside and had 48 rebounds and 19 turnovers while the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau shot 35% from the field and 30% from outside and had 28 rebounds and 13 turnovers.

 Grant Dressler is a 201cm guard that is playing his second professional season and first with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen (Germany-ProA) after getting his first professional experience with the Franklin Bulls (New Zealand-NBL). Currently he is averaging 9,9ppg, 2,1rpg and 2,4apg. He began his basketball career at Palo Verde High School and then began his NCAA career at Sacramento State playing 32 games form 2015-2017. He finished at Chaminade University (NCAA2) playing 28 games as a junior averaging 10.5ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 40.8%, 3PT: 35.5%, FT: 67.6% and played 31 games as a senior averaging 19.5ppg, 5.8rpg, 4.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 44.1%, FT: 80.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com last summer about basketball.

Grant thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

I am now in Germany. Summer was weird to say the least but I tried to make the most of it.

Your last college game was on March 15th, 2019. You had the opportunity to play in New Zealand but COVID-19 whipped it out. How itching are you to finally play again, but possibly with fans? Has your mental approach to the game changed any with so much that has happened in the last 8 months?

I’m really looking forward to playing again, especially with a possibility of some fans that would be awesome. My mental approach hasn’t changed much in the last 8 months, I’ve just had more time to work on somethings and get better.

How did you experience the last 6 months during COVID-19? Did you find any good opportunities to stay fit and actually practice basketball skills with the ball?

The last 6 months were kind of rough in regards to finding places to play basketball or work out. Due to COVID-19 all of the gyms were closed so I just tried to get in wherever I could or outside whenever it wasn’t too hot.

Your from Las Vegas. What kind of a place did Las Vegas become during COVID-19? How did you experience life in Las Vegas during COVID-19?

Las Vegas was weird to see during the last 6 months, it’s a major tourist destination but there was a time when everything shut down: casinos, hotels, etc. It was crazy to see the strip empty.

How do you feel did you become stronger a s a man during the whole COVID-19 crisis?

As a man I just grew up more, dealt with how some things are now and others on off the court.

Congrats on signing with German team Bayer Giants Leverkusen. Was signing with this team a no brainer considering your ex NCAA teammate Nick Hornsby had been so successful there? What was the deciding factor that allowed you to sign there?

My agent brought the opportunity to me and I did talk to Nick before signing and he really enjoyed his time here and was very successful so it did play a role in me signing here. I think it is a great spot for me and a great opportunity.

How excited are you to play for head coach Hansi Gnad who is a German basketball legend. He helped Germany upset Russia at the 1993 European Championships winning the Gold Medal and was drafted by the 76ers in the 80’s. Are you aware of his history?

I didn’t know about coach Hansi’s accomplishments but I am excited to play for him and have enjoyed my time so far!

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a versatile 201cm guard. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the bill?

As a bigger guard I’d compare myself to other versatile players, but I don’t have an exact comparison in mind.

Talk a little about your strengths. You can do a lot on the court. What kind of player will Germany see this season?

As far as my strengths go, I’m a solid shooter, ball handler, and passer so I think that is the type of player that will be seen just a little bit of everything.

You made huge strides in your stats in your senior year especially in assists. How do you explain your rapid rise as a player in just one year?

I was just given a lot more freedom to be myself on the court and it worked out for me, I had great coaches and players around me that helped me succeed

You also showed in school that you can be an impact player on the defensive end. In what areas defensively do you need to keep tweaking so you can make the next step as a professional?

.Defensively I’m always working to get better, the biggest thing for me right now is just putting on weight and maintaining so I can guard most positions. Lateral quickness, being strong, things like that you can always work on.

You played at Sacramento State from 2015-2017 playing 32 NCAA games. Why was this school not the right fit for you as a player?

I really enjoyed my time in Sacramento, it just wasn’t the right fit for my playing style which I would say is a little more crafty and flashy, confident.

What memories do you have with Nick Hornsby at Sacrament State? Did he have an influence on you despite the tough situation of not getting sufficient minutes?

Nick was one of the first people to help us freshman learn the ropes and was the captain of the team so he was a big influence there. He’s still one of my great friends.

You then played at Chaminade University (NCAA2) from 2017-2019 and as a senior played 31 games averaging 19.5ppg, 5.8rpg, 4.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 44.1%, FT: 80.6%. How do you feel did your game grow there?

My game kind of just blossomed when I was given a lot of freedom, freedom to make mistakes, take shots that aren’t necessarily the best, it just sparked my confidence as a player.

You scored 34 points in the thrilling 79-76 victory over Concordia Irvine. Is this one of your games that you won’t forget so easily?

That was a great game for us, helped us get momentum for the great season we had.

You were teammates with Eric Scheive who played his rookie season in Germany with Ehingen (Pro A). What will you never forget about how he fought on the court?

Erik is one of the best big men I’ve played with he can really shoot the ball and move well for his size.

How did head coach Eric Boviard groom and prepare you best for a professional basketball career?

Coach Bovaird played professionally for many years so he knows what it takes to get to that level. He prepared us with skill work and playing good basketball just things like that, developing basketball IQ along the way.

Last year you had the opportunity to work out with the Los Angeles Clippers G-League team Agua Caliente. What kind of experience was that from you and can a competitor like you be honest with yourself and say that you aren’t close to the NBA or did you feel like those other guys weren’t that much better than you?

That was a great experience for me being able to be around that. Personally I’ve never really felt like I can’t play with anybody on the court so I have great confidence in myself to play anywhere.

Who was the best player that you ever battled on the court that is in the NBA?

Being from Vegas there’s a lot of NBA guys that are either from there or workout there. Guys like Troy brown, Stephen Zimmerman, Shabazz Mohammed, Pierre Jackson, etc. the toughest one in my opinion is probably Pierre Jackson, he just can flat out score.

Please list your 5 best teammates of all-time?

I’m not sure who the five best players would be I’ve played with a lot of great talent over the years!

Please construct your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present heads.

My all time Mount Rushmore is LeBron, Michael Jordan, Kobe, Kevin Durant

What is your opinion of the neverending debate of who is the best of all-time Michael Jordan or Lebron James and how worth is Kobe Bryant in this debate?

You can’t really go wrong with any of them they’re all sensational players. People have different preferences due to eras, bias, or whatever the reason but they’re all worthy!

What was the last movie that you saw?

The last movie I saw was The Equilizer 2. Very good movie.

Thanks Grant for the chat.

2021 hasn´t been glorious for the EPG Baskets Koblenz as basketball life is getting more and more strenuous with every new loss. So far the ambitious club that has huge aspirations of moving up to the Pro A had an unflattering 0-4 record in 2021 and their basketball life wasn´t getting any easier as the tough 9-5 Dresden Titans arrived in Koblenz. The club experienced a lot of player personal fluctuations in the last days as German Jacob Mampuya surprisingly left the organization and the club reeled in four new players with ex BBL players Anthony Canty and Oliver Clay as well as experienced Pro B players Philipp Liesser and Mr bucket Bill Borekambi. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had a do or die game in Frankfurt last weekend getting embarrassed 86-76 and now it was high noon in Koblenz as they desperately were seeking a success experience. Once again the EPG Baskets had their chances to win at the end, but once again were unable to prevail in crunch-time as annoying turnovers and mental errors cost them their fifth straight loss in 2021. After the loss a disgruntled and very disappointed manager of the EPG Baskets Koblenz Thomas Klein gave clear answers to his frustration. “They hit the three pointers in the deciding moments. We didn´t defend the three point line well. We threw balls away showing no motivation. Despite that we still get 2-3 chances to make plays, but we don´t use them, but our opponent does. We continue to show that we can lead by 10 points or more, but then we get this downward trend which I don´t know why. I also don´t like our body language on the bench. It was like day and night compared with Dresden´s body language. Dresden always had the same energy level, but we didn´t have any”, stressed Thomas Klein. Dresden played with a high intensity for 40 minutes and even when they had bad phases, they never gave up showing the better nerves in crunch-time. “I have to give a lot of respect to Koblenz. I never thought that they would play a zone against us. We had our problems against it in the first half, but showed more patience in the second half. We hit our shots better in the second half and defended better in the right situations against the right players”, stated Dresden Titans head coach Fabian Strauss.

                The Dresden Titans were without big man Georg Voigtmann while Koblenz was without American CJ Oldham. The Dresden Titans came out in the first quarter with the correct attitude and energy taking the rapid 8-2 lead and catching the EPG Baskets Koblenz on the wrong foot. Dresden got instant energy from German guard Daniel Kirchner who scored on transition and on a lay in and from ex Fraport Skyliner center Aaron Kayser who dropped free throws and scored on transition. New Koblenz forward Bill Borekambi also scored his first basket with his new team in the paint. Dresden excelled with a beautiful offensive ball movement and had a big focus with the extra pass. Koblenz seemed nervous and couldn´t find a sound rhythm. Dresden also did a good job not allowing Koblenz to get Brian Butler integrated quickly in the paint. Butler would never find his usual rhythm as he finished with only 5 points. However basketball will always be a game of runs as the EPG Baskets Koblenz got out of their funk and found a rhythm at both ends of the court closing out the first quarter in style with a lethal 14-4 run to lead 16-12 after 10 minutes. Instrumental in the run was American DJ Woodmore who found his game again after a poor shooting night in Frankfurt. He nailed a few buckets showing how easily he can find his spots which got his self-confidence going and also helped his teammates get going. German Lucas Mayer also scored twice as his self-confidence was also high after dropping 14 points in Frankfurt last weekend. Borekambi also contributed on the offense with a floater. Koblenz heightened their defense adding intensity and aggressiveness which caused Dresden to cough up the ball a few times.

                The EPG Baskets Koblenz continued to control the game in the second quarter and led by as much as 10 points, but as usually is the case, they couldn´t keep up the momentum and let up in the last few minutes allowing the Dresden Titans to cut the Koblenz lead down to 31-28 at the break. The EPG Baskets Koblenz stopped Dresden´s first five possessions, but could only capitalize on it with 5 points. Ex FC Schalke guard Marley Jean-Louis who can shoot out the lights on certain nights began with a trey and ex wiha Panthers forward Bill Borekambi followed with a basket on transition extending Koblenz´s lead to 21-14. Koblenz continued to execute on offense and Dresden wasn´t so bad themselves, but they couldn´t hit the ocean. Dresden then got their first field goal of the second quarter at the 7,17 minute mark as German big man Max Von Der Wippel got an offensive rebound and put back. Aggressive guard Daniel Kirchner followed with a 20 footer cutting Koblenz´s lead to 22-14. Koblenz continued to control the game, but Dresden stayed on their heels as Kirchner continued to execute making a trey and cutting the Koblenz lead down to 25-19. Dresden had shown unselfishness the whole game and this basket was their best ball movement of the game. The EPG Baskets then extended their lead to 31-21 as Woodmore continued to connect making a 20 footer and new player Philipp Liesser who once had played for Dresden scored on a back door pass from ex Fordham(NCAA) guard Zaire Thompson. Butler got the ball a few times and got to the free throw line, but scored only two of four shots. The EPG Baskets Koblenz couldn´t hold their lead as they gave up a bitter 7-0 run to Dresden to allow them back into the game and trail only 31-28 at half-time. In the run, it was Kirchner again showing the hot hand with a trey and German guard Lennard Larysz scored on transition.

                The third quarter proved to be a real dog fight as the Dresden Titans held the tight 55-51 advantage after 30 minutes. Ex Speyer guard DJ Woodmore got Koblenz on the board first with a trey to extend their lead to 34-28, but they continued to experience highs and lows as they allowed Dresden on a quick 7-0 run to recapture the lead 35-34. In the run, the Titans got solid offensive production from many sides as Kayser scored in the paint, German Julius Stahl hit an open trey and Larysz made a runner. The extra pass offense of Dresden gave Koblenz fits as they had problems controlling it. Dresden did a good job getting into the paint and getting easy chances while Koblenz practiced bad shot selection. The EPG Baskets Koblenz didn´t allow the Dresden Titans to run away with the game as they simply had too many offensive weapons ready to get hot. German guard Marley Jean-Louis hit two massive three´s to keep Koblenz close while Dresden got consistent support from Kayser who scored three  baskets in the paint for the 49-46 Dresden advantage. Zaire Thompson was kept scoreleThe Dresden Titans Sneak Out 69-64 Road Victory Over The EPG Baskets Koblenzss, but he was huge on defense getting 6 steals which helped lead to two clutch Edin Alispoahic trey´s which cut the Dresden lead to 52-51. The ex Schwenningen big man had been out for a while and returned scoring 8 points, grabbing 4 rebounds and getting 3 steals. “It felt good to play again. I was positively nervous. I tried to help my team with my defense first.  We have enough good scorers”, stressed Edin Alispahic. “Edin was the best player on the court. He showed presence at both ends of the court and made big shots when we needed them”, stated Thomas Klein. Larysz ended the third quarter with a three pointer as the Dresden Titans led 55-51. “We read their defense better and filled the holes in the zone better”, stressed Fabian Strauss.

                The fourth quarter was a real tight affair whereas the third quarter had 47 total points by both teams, only 27 points were mustered in the last 10 minutes. The Dresden Titans allowed Koblenz to tie the game only once as the home team would never get the lead back. Alispahic carried the hot hand from the third quarter into the fourth quarter as he sunk another trey to trail Dresden only by 55-54. Ex Speyer forward Sebastian Heck hadn´t had much fortune with his shooting in the first three quarters, but he found some daylight in the first few minutes of the fourth sinking two trey´s for the 62-57 Dresden lead. He also made an impact on defense swatting away five balls  and getting two steals. “We aren´t the best shooting team, but when shots aren´t falling we just keep shooting. We give each other confidence to keep shooting. I´m not the most athletic guy so my arms save me on defense. I just keep moving my arms”, smiled Sebastian Heck. Dresden hit open shots while Koblenz didn´t cover the three point line and were sloppy on offense The EPG Baskets didn´t hang their heads storming back to dead lock the game at 62-62 with a swift 5-0 run. In the run, they got a huge trey from Liesser, but couldn´t execute well enough from the free throw line nailing only two of four from Jean-Louis and Butler as overall they shot a miserable 56% from there. After a Bryan Niessen lay in, Bill Borekambi scored in the paint cutting Dresden´s lead to 65-64. Daniel Kirchner then sealed the win with an aggressive drive to the rim and basket for the 67-64 advantage. The EPG Baskets Koblenz coughed up the ball on their last two possessions and Kirchner closed out the victory with two free throws. “We made the wrong decisions and had turnovers at the end. We played ok defense, but you have to score a few baskets to win”, stressed EPG Baskets Koblenz head coach Danny Rodriguez. “Our coaches did a great job scouting. We knew the strengths of each player. We played good team defense, defended the three point line well and helped each other out well”, added Sebastian Heck. The Dresden Titans were led by Daniel Kirchner with 18 points. Lennard Larysz contributed 15 points and Aaron Kayser added 14 points and 8 rebounds while the EPG Baskets Koblenz were led by DJ Woodmore and Marley jean-Louis with 12 points a piece. Bill Borekambi added 11 points and Philipp Liesser had 10 points. The Dresden Titans shot 40% from the field and 30% from outside and had 44 rebounds and 22 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 38% form the field and 33% from outside and had 42 rebounds and 21 turnovers.

It was January 5th, 2021 as Quentin Peterson arrived to the Bakken Bears home area and for many players it would just have been another game, but it wasn´t for the American. He was coming off a big win over Danish team Naestved, but it wasn´t one of his more prolific scoring games as he netted only 12 points. He definitely wanted to make amends and be more of a help for his team in his first game of 2021. The guy has played in countries like the Czech Republic, South Korea,Cyprus and Ukraine, but his opponent Galatasaray from Turkey in the Basketball Champions League was without a doubt the best team that he had played in his professional career. He had scored 28 points in his last home game on December 28^th against Horsens IC. So he met the Turkish side with a lot of self-confidence and had that good feel from the last game hovering in his thoughts. Not only did he help lead the Bears to the win, but he exploded for an amazing 35 points and also aided the squad with seven rebounds, five dimes and 3 steals. His versatility on the court was breathtaking as he really showed that he can score in so many variety of ways. He nailed 6 three´s including a few deep ones from the North Sea, scored beautiful off balance jumpers, made lay ins, floaters ala Tiny Archibald and even showed some Kemba Walker swagger with his famous step back jumper. He also scored on transition and snuck in the paint on numerous occasions catching an airball and squirming his way through a wall with a lay in, made a tip in dunk and made beautiful feeds all night long. He has had career nights in other countries like in the Czech Republic and Cyprus where he scored 29 points apiece or in South Korea where he dropped 34 points. Heck last season he went scoring crazy in the Ukraine scoring an amazing 48 points. But scoring 35 points against Galatasaray was a feat beyond anything he has done before simply from the team´s reputation and incredible talent on the team. The roster of Galatasaray had a who´s who of ex NBA players. He battled ex Duke(NCAA) standout Amile Jefferson who had only signed a few days before the game, RJ Hunter who played parts of four seasons in the NBA, Jonathan Williams who played with the Los Angeles Lakers, Darryl Macon who played with the Dallas Mavericks, Euroleague veteran Brock Motum and Travis Trice who had been borderline NBA. Quentin Peterson was without a doubt the best player on the floor that evening. A 183cm guard beat up on ex NBA players, but he has never been able to escape his label of being a dark horse. This game gave him some added self-confidence, but a scoring explosion like this hasn´t satisfied him. He wants to get to the top. “I think it was a big game that we needed to win but just another game none the less. Every game no matter what league or where you play, is always an opportunity to prove that you belong and can compete at the highest level. Good or bad games do not really give me extra motivation to keep working hard. Working hard is what I have had to do all my life. I have never had a big name, I didn’t go to a big D1 school, nor did I get a chance to win a national championship. What keeps me motivated is knowing I have not bought my mother and father their dream house yet. What keeps me motivated is all the kids back at home in a small town called Hedgesville, WV who think they are too short, can’t shoot well enough, not athletic enough, or don’t have the biggest name and aren’t a 4 or 5 star McDonalds All American. I don’t like to think they have no shot at living out their dream to be whatever they want to be, so I do my best to be living proof as an example that you can do and be whatever you want no matter where you come from as long as you work hard, grind, and impose your will on anything and everything you do in life. My mindset applies to either a normal everyday job or becoming a professional athlete.  Impose your will on everything and life will give in to you and the things you want. All of these things are what keeps me motivated to keep grinding and keep proving myself every game that I belong in the NBA”, warned Quentin Peterson

                Peterson who lists NBA legends MJ, Shaq, KD, Steph, and Larry Bird in his personal NBA Mount Rushmore was born on October 14^th, 1994 in in Hedgesville, West Virginia. He received his first basketball experience with Hedgesville High School and Massanutten Military Academy. He then proceeded to attend Virginia Military Institute (NCAA) from 2013-2017 playing a total of 107 NCAA games and scoring in double figures in 99 games. He gave the name consistency a new meaning as he averaged a stellar 19,0ppg in each season. In his freshman year he played 30 games averaging  19.9ppg, 5.6rpg, 2.1apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 76.4%. He scored in double figures in 28 games having 20 points or more 15 times and had his best scoring games were against North Carolina-Ashville with 38 points and he vhit Bridgewater for 37 points. He has fond memories of the 109-105 win over North Carolina-Ashville. “It was extremely memorable because we only had 20 minutes to warm up because we were stuck in traffic due to snow, and we had got down by 20 or so in the beginning of the game, and ended up taking the lead at half time. The most memorable part about it was Rod Glasgow having 33 and 12 assists and DJ Covington having 28 and 11 rebounds, which was awesome. One of the best games i’ll never forget”, stressed Quentin Peterson His breakthrough as a freshman allowed him to pick up All-Big South Conf. Freshman of the Year, All-Big South Conf. 2nd Team -14, Big South Conf. North Division Regular Season Runner-Up, and Big South Conf. Tournament Semifinals -14. He had no sophomore blues with his game as his consistency remained as he played 18 games averaging 19.6ppg, 4.9rpg, 4.0apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 27.7%, FT: 82.1%. He scored in double figures in 16 games and had Mercer´s number scoring 32 and 31 points. But what many don´t no he had blues with himself and his season was cut short. “My mental break down was something I feel every young man faces in his life as a college student not just as an athlete.  During that time I was in a serious relationship and what I thought I knew about being in love and what actually is was two different things.  I took time away to work on myself and focused on my God given talent. I woke up every morning and got in the gym at 6am.  I choose to work on my game and changing my focus to becoming the best player I could be.  Being a high level college player requires a lot of time and can work on you mentally if you aren’t up to handling it.  I chose to handle it by centering my time and attention into being great on the court and in the classroom.  That moment in my life made me who I am today but at the same time that experience becomes an obstacle sometimes for me to advance my career as pro teams dig into your past as they are interested in acquiring you to play for them and they want to make sure that you can perform not just on the court at a high level but as well be a good teammate and positive person in and out of the locker room.  I overcame that time of my life many years ago and I continue to push, lead my teammates, and prove to those who are interested in me that I’m very strong mentally and that my game continues to grow.  I feel the person I am today and all of the experiences I have had put me in a great spot to perform at a level that suits all higher level pro teams either it be in the NBA or overseas.  I like to think if I was a professional team or a company and was in charge of hiring the most talented individual to make my team or company better that I would choose the one with the best resume and has the most experience.  I feel a lot of the younger players coming out and going straight to the NBA are missing out on a lot of the skills and coaching that makes them a better player and person.  I understand getting them in early will develop them a lot quicker but if it comes to the mental side of things it’s hard to ask of an 18 year old to be able to come in and perform at a high level with all of the attention and money they’re given when they’ve never had to experience it.  I feel we all play the game to win, so if I’m putting a team together I’m going to hire the player with the most experience on the court and life experience as the two play hand in hand and will more times than none be more of a benefit when you go after the person who’s been fighting for the opportunity to be seen than one who’s been groomed for it.  If I ever get the chance to play in the NBA I will use my experience and love for the game to help any team I’m on win more games and be the best teammate I can be in any situation that is asked of me”, warned Quentin Peterson.

In his junior year he played 29 games averaging 19.9ppg, 6.2rpg, 2.7apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 45.0%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 90.2%. He scored in double figures in 27 games and annoyed Mercer again exploding for 46 points. He also possessed Samford´s number scoring 33 and 32 points. He was awarded with All-SoCon 1st Team and SoCon All-Tournament 2nd Team -16. He has very fond memories of being a pain in the neck against Mercer and couldn´t have predicted his 46 point explosion. “I did not. It kind of just happened. I was just playing as hard as I can and wanted to win, next thing you know, my teammate Tim Marshall told me I had 44 points on the free throw line and told me that I was scared to beat the school record of 45”, remembered Quentin Peterson. He finished his great NCAA career as a senior playing 30 games averaging  19.6ppg, 6.5rpg, 2.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 48.4%, 3PT: 36.8%, FT: 71.2%. He scored in double figures in 29 games and had some more typical explosions hitting Chattanooga for 40 points in a 80-64 win, and nailed Citadel for 37 points in a 101-78 win. He also had very good games against top basketball schools like Ohio State, Butler and Virginia Tech. Being able to perform well against schools like these were vital in his development. “I took each one of these opportunities the same way I do today in the different countries and opportunities I’ve been given and that’s to be the best player on the court.  I’m a very loyal person and I showed that by signing early in college to attend VMI before my senior season even started.  Maybe if I would’ve waited it out I would’ve been playing for one of these schools but I wanted to concentrate on where I would spend my time playing college ball and work on being the very best I could be and let my game do the talking right away.  I always thought to myself it doesn’t matter where you play but how you play.  I now have played in a number of countries and tried out in front of many NBA teams which all have helped me develop my game to a higher level each year.  I’ve been blessed to be rewarded for my play and I hope that this will be the season that catches everyone´s eyes and realize that QJ Peterson can play at any level and be given the golden opportunity for an NBA team to take a chance on me so I can make their team better and live out my dream”, stressed Quentin Peterson. His daily grinding paid off in the NCAA, but he also knows that he wouldn´t be where he is today without the proper guidance of his two head coaches Duggar Baucom and Dan Earl. “I think what helped in this situation were the two different styles of play. Meaning, I was able to realize that the faster pace of play better suited my play style for me, however, I am also capable and able to adapt to a slower tempo style and a structured system and learned how to pick my spots of when to score and attack and things like that”, remembered Quentin Peterson. He picked up All-SoCon 2nd Team and left Virginia Military Institute with the best thoughts of what he had experienced there for four years. “I would probably have to say the road trips were the best parts. Just being away from the school and escaping the military aspect of things there and just having fun with my teammates”, said Quentin Peterson.  

He began his professional basketball career in 2017 and quickly saw two parts of the world splitting time with USK Praha (Czech Republic-NBL) playing 6 Czech Republic NBL games averaging  21.5ppg, 7.7rpg, 4.3apg, 1.7spg, 2FGP: 54.0%, 3FGP: 28.2%, FT: 75.7%, and then finished the season with Anyang KGC (South Korea-KBL) playing 51 games averaging  15.5ppg, 4.1rpg, 3.9apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 52.5%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 75.6%. For American rookies coming overseas, those first months can be very difficult for players as some endure a culture shock. Some make it through and others don´t. Peterson made it through the first months, but also had some issues that he had to get used to. “My wake up call I would say, is not having cell phone service walking out of my house as well as trying to transfer money home to my bank account. That is when I realized I was far away from home”, remembered Quentin Peterson. He performed well on the court in the Czech Republic having some stellar games against BK Decin with 29 points and had 26 points against BK Pardubice. His stay in the Czech Republic was short and he decided to close out his rookie season in South Korea. This was another place where he had no problems adjusting to the play and will always have this experience in his heart. “I think it was an amazing experience, one that I would go back to for sure. The pace of play was faster than Europe which fit me perfectly I believe. Just enjoying the beautiful city in South Korea was the best part. They had everything from Nike, to under armor stores, to bbq places, it was amazing”, commented Quentin Peterson. He scored in double figures in 39 games showing that that special consistency that he had established in the NCAA was still present there. Sometimes one is the lone American on a team which can get lonely, but he was fortunate to have had another fellow David Simon by his side. “I was extremely blessed. He taught me what it means to be a pro and how to be a pro. He definitely was and still is a brother to me”, remembered Quentin Peterson.

In the 2018-2019 season he gathered new experience with Cytavision Apoel Nicosia (Cyprus-Division A) playing 8 games averaging 15.8ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 46.3%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 65.0. Even though his season was cut short, he did learn new valuable things about how basketball life can be off the court. “I just remember having to move from one hotel, to an apartment filled with roaches, to having a car that broke down, to not being paid my full and it was never on time, to moving back into another hotel. It was awful. However, it is part of my journey and it did make me stronger and learn a lot about the business side of pro sports”, warned Quentin Peterson. He scored 29 points against Apollon and 22 points against E.N. Paralimni. He was lucky to have had a number of established veterans on the club including ex Purdue(NCAA) great Keaton Grant who has carved out a nice professional career. “From watching him pick his spots on the court, when to score and pass, as well as how he carried himself off the court. He was professional at all times no matter what”, stated Quentin Peterson. In the 2019-2020 season he made a giant step in his career moving to MBC Mykolaiv (Ukraine-Superleague) and totally dominated playing18 games: averaging 29.5ppg), Reb-5(7.6rpg), Assists-2(6.1apg), Steals-1(2.1spg), FGP: 45.3%, 3PT: 37.7%, FT: 78.3%. Despite putting up huge stats, he wasn´t winning and that always puts a strain on players. His team lost three games at the end of the season with no more than 7 points combined. “It was very hard for me as winning is my main priority.  Not being able to win takes a lot out of you when you leave it all out there on the court.  A team is not just what I can bring to the team, but how can I better my teammates and instill in all of them that we all are professional playing this great game to not only pay our bills but for a lot of us we have childhood dreams of reaching the NBA one day.  Although it was hard losing three games in a row I couldn’t let it bring my game down or my mental as I was a leader and I had to do my best in finishing the season on a high note while also picking up my teammates and giving them a reason to give their all each and every game win or not”, stressed Quentin Peterson. Not only did he score in double figures in all 18 games, but also scored more than 20 points in each game. He demonstrated again that consistency should be his middle name. “Each summer after my season comes to an end I spend a lot of my time down in North Carolina training with my agent and playing in daily pick up games with some of the local NBA talent.  The summers I spend all of my day working on the things that I feel I need to improve on as well working on the feedback my agent gets from NBA teams that have shown interest in me and given me the opportunity to workout with.  One of my main focuses in the Ukraine was to become more of a complete player at the point guard position.  I’ve always been known as a scorer but being six foot I have to bring a lot more to the table than just scoring so I’ve tried to develop my game to crash the boards on the offense and defensive side, find the open man for a higher percentage shot, not force a shot but create higher percentage shots to be more effective for my team and to help better my teammates”, expressed Quentin Peterson. He had huge games against K Sokoly scoring 39 points, had 38 points against Zaporizhye and totally exploded against Dnipro with 48 points and 9 three´s. Ex NBA giant Kyrylo Fesenko witnessed as Peterson was showing again that he is taking steps toward greatness. “I did not know they had a guy that played in the NBA. I just remember that some of my teammates felt a bit defeated before the game even started and I always go in to a game with the mindset we can win and that I just wanted to motivate the guys and show them that they have to play the game of basketball just like we have to. No team is unbeatable. One thing just led to another and I just wanted to show the guys that they are human and that we always have a chance at winning as long as we fight and compete. Kervin Bristol told me before the game to just go off and pretend I´m playing pick up back at home or in summer league back home and I did just that and he told me at halftime that I had 30 points and told me to keep going no matter what and next thing I know, he told me I had 48 points at the end of the game. Just wanted to win and was playing hard”, added Quentin Peterson.

Let´s fast forward to 2021. The American who lists NBA player KJ Mcdaniels as the toughest player he encountered in the NBA is playing his fourth professional season in Denmark for the Bakken Bears. He like everyone else on earth has had to deal with COVID in a certain way. This agonizing time has been difficult for all, but somehow he was to get through hard times even if it wasn´t an easy task. “I think my experience with Covid has been a very fortunate and lucky one. Although our season ended early, I was able to go home earlier than expected and spend time with my fiancée, family, and friends. It was not challenging at all to work on my craft while I was at home. I was fortunate and blessed enough to be able to train on outdoor courts with double rims and sometimes able to still have access to a gym to life, lift weights, do basketball workouts, and make some extra money by training local kids and helping them better their basketball game. I think I grew a great deal. I was able to work on myself mentally in terms of getting closer with God, and meditating every day, as well finding out what else I am good at besides basketball. I was able to take time to focus on my community and give back to the younger generation by holding training sessions for them and share life experiences through my basketball journey”, stated Quentin Peterson. He has had a very successful season so far in Denmark as the Bakken Bears are in first place in the country division and are in the next round of the Basketball Champions League as all the hard work has paid off and the team chemistry continues to grow. The club has an incredible offensive arsenal that is stacked with an abundance of talent. “We do have a lot of people who can score the basketball on the team and it can come in waves, which is great. Especially if one person may not have it going one night, the others can pick that person up and chip in, which makes for a great team. With that being said, it all starts on the defensive end and holding teams to one shot and getting out in the open court for guys like Tylor Ongwai, Darko Jurkic, Ryan Evans, Deshawn Stephans and myself to make plays. In the half court, its about knowing where guys like to catch the ball and have the highest chance of scoring and crashing the offensive glass”, said Quentin Peterson.

The American who lists his five best teammates of all-time as Dave Simon, Rod Glasgow, DJ Covington, Isaac Thornton, Qmonte Matheny is blessed again to have amazing teammates this season. One guy who has been instrumental in his further development this season has been American Ryan Evans who played at Wisconsin and is playing his third season with the Bears. He knows what is takes to win titles and already has done so winning the 2019 Danish league title and 2020 Danish cup. “Man, he has been huge! He has been like a big brother to me and has helped me adjust tremendously. I would say he has definitely took me under his wing and shown me the ropes here. Telling me how certain guys play, what coach expects, how to incorporate my game into everyone else, he has been a huge help”, stressed Quentin Peterson. It isn´t always the americans where a guy like Peterson can soak up the necessary basketball knowledge, but also from the home bred players like legends Adama Dafoe and Thomas Laerke. “It has been an amazing experience with these two. The one thing I have learned from them both, is to always try my best and have fun. They both love to crack jokes for a good laugh and are just super easy going and positive minded people. They still work hard as well when needed, but they really enjoy having fun and working hard when needed”, said Quentin Peterson. He also was really blessed to learn from former Dallas Maverick guard Justin Dentmon who was with the club for a short time at the start helping the club qualify for the Basketball Champions League. “He definitely played a huge role early on and even now if I ever needed to ask him something, he’s there for me. It gave me a chance to sit and watch him lead early on and what it takes to make it to the NBA. He would always tell me to just pick my spots out there on the floor, when to pass, and when to shoot”, remembered Quentin Peterson.

The last movie that he saw was Crawl and he has made huge strides with his game again showing that he can take on responsibility in a team that is more stacked than his team MBC Mykolaiv from last season. He has shown again that he can lead a league in scoring at 22,5ppg, but is also filling up the stat sheet like no other averaging 6,2rpg, 4,5apg and 1,8spg while in the Basketball Champions League is averaging a very respectable 17,9ppg, 4,4rpg, 3,4apg and 1,5spg.  Last season he also made new strides with playmaking averaging 6,1apg. Before last season he had never averaged more than 4,3apg. But also his defense is a big part of his game. “I know I can continue to grow my game and always trust in my teammates, pick my spots, and not try to go too fast and just go at my own pace on the court. I think my defense is a huge influence on my offense. I mean the other team can’t win if they do not score right”, expressed Quentin Peterson. Of course he knows that if he wants to go places, he can never get satisfied and needs to keep grinding in the lab each day. “The things I am working on most with my game that my agent Dewey Hawkins and I agreed upon is just mentally staying positive and staying focused on our goal, playing in the NBA. I have been blessed to attend many NBA workouts, I have been drafted in the first round of the NBA G League Draft, I have been given the opportunity to be a local tryout player which allows me extra time to sell myself with an NBA organization, and I have taken my lessons that I’ve learned and developed my game and my mental approach to what is required of one to be a pro player in the NBA.  Every opportunity I’ve been given although the chips didn’t fall the way I wanted them to, I’ve grown from them and has built a very large chip on my shoulder to go into every game as another blessing to show the NBA scouts that I belong in their league”, warned Quentin Peterson. There are guys that have gone the type of path that Quentin Peterson is going in that he has been paying dues for years in Europe and is being patient and continuing to climb the basketball ladder. He has that chip on his shoulder like so many other guys in Europe and has the right attitude that will continue to take him places. “I feel like the chip on my shoulder has to be big. From the lessons I’ve learned, the amount of time I’ve spent on training, driving all over the USA to tryout in front of NBA and G League teams, I’ve learned a lot and heard a lot of reasons of why I’m not where I need to be yet, and have dedicated all of my time and energy in becoming a player that can do it all so I don’t live with any regret and become the player that the NBA needs me to be”, warned Quentin Peterson. He is only 26 years old and not at his prime yet and there have been way older guys make the NBA like this season like 29 year old Argentine national player Facundo Campazzo who is with the Denver Nuggets and there are many more that have made it. But before the NBA, goals of the Eurocup and Euroleague should be on his radar. Even if he hadn´t heard of current Euroleague player Kevin Punter of Milan, he could be the perfect motivation, because his route was similar to Peterson that he also had to pay dues in Europe before reaching the Euroleague last season. Even if Peterson doesn´t reach the NBA right away, the Euroleague could get this dark horse the dream house for his parents.

DJ Woodmore is a 29 year old 190cm point guard that is playing his first season with the EPG Baskets Koblenz. Last season with Morgenstern BIS Basket Speyer (Germany-ProB) he played 21 games averaging 15.1ppg, 4.4rpg, 2.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 60.0%, 3PT-2 (50.0%), FT: 87.3%. In 2018-2019 13.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 60.2%, 3PT: 36.5%, FT: 71.6% in the Regionalliga. In his first two seasons with Speyer he averaged 14.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 44.6%, 3PT: 40.1%, FT: 72.1% and 17.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 3.4apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 47.5%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 76.4%. he played at Virginia Wesleyan College (NCAA3): from 2010-2014 and as a senior played 31 games averaging 20.1ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.4apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.3% (219/435), 3Pts: 46.0% (91/198), FT: 76.9% (93/121). Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and DJ Woodmore team up each week to talk basketball.

A tough 86-76 loss to the Fraport Skyliners Juniors. What was most on your thoughts about the game on the drive home to Koblenz?

That we have to find a way to turn the season back around. We need to get back to doing what we were in the first half.

The Fraport Skyliners Juniors had lost the first game by 43 points. Do you feel like you underestimated them a bit and how much of an effect did the whole drama about a player going and 4 new players coming play into the mix soon play into your heads?

I think we came out ready to play and knew they were going to bring intensity and want revenge. I don’t think we underestimated them, I thought we just shot the ball poorly and didn’t have enough fight in us to close out the game. I hope that the rumors of the new players weren’t a reason we lost focus. At the end of the day, we should have won that game with the team we had on the floor.

The club has shown good signs of playing defense this season, but couldn’t get the needed stops against Frankfurt. Kamdem and Samare combined for 34 points. Despite having Alisphacic and Oldham out, why couldn’t the team be more of a factor on the boards?

Yes they’re a big help on the boards, When you suffer a couple of injuries it’s takes a team to collectively make up for those missing statistics. We can definitely use some help rebounding but it can’t just be from one person.

Despite the loss could the team take anything positive from this game into the next two games this week?

Hopefully a wake up call mindset. I’m hoping the integration of the new players and sense of urgency to win again can jump start us back to how we were playing before.

What is your impression of Len Schoormann? Do you see him being an impact BBL player in the future?

Absolutely. He’s Explosive, athletic, and fearless. I think those are keys at a young age to be successful at a high level.

German Lucas Mayer had a great game with 14 points. How have you seen his development grow this season?

I knew he was capable of playing well all season if he was just given the opportunity to prove himself. It was nice to see him finally make some big plays and play confidently. I think he has a bright future ahead too. He’s just getting started.

You had 5 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals in 37 minutes shooting 2/9.How did you feel coming back after a few weeks away? How frustrating is it in general for a professional player to come back after an injury and certain things don’t work like they should?

It felt okay out there. There were points where the ankle was extremely sore, but I felt it was best to play through it and try to help the club win. I couldn’t get my shot going early and the explosiveness wasn’t quite there yet so I was trying to find ways to impact the game in other areas. I mean it’s extremely frustrating when you want to play well but it’s just not working for you. But I think the key is listening to how your body is and push through it. Find other ways to make plays if possible.

The club has brought in ex BBL players Anthony Canty and Oliver Clay as well as Mr bucket Bill Borakambi and German Philipp Lieser. Doesn’t 4 signings in a way show that the club doesn’t have as much confidence in it’s players?

I think some people can look at it like that, but we have had goals set for us all season long, and a manager that wants to reach those goals no matter what. It’s definitely not a great feeling to know players might be coming in to replace you, but it’s the business. And if it’s for the best for the team, then you have to get on board. These are obviously high class players.

What memories do you have playing against them? I’m sure you remember Bill Borekambi’s unbelievable knack for his 1-1 scoring.

Honestly, I have no idea who these players are. I don’t think I’ve seen or played against any of them before so I’m interested in what they can bring. They wouldn’t be here if they couldn’t help, so I’m all for it. I’ve heard they’re all extremely talented and should give us that push we need!!

You have a tough game this week against Dresden who are 9-2. What can we expect from this game and what will be key to getting the victory?

I think rebounding is going to be the key to this game. Cutting off their point guards penetration and boxing out as a team. They’re tall and physical and are playing with a lot of confidence at the moment. We have to find a way to get this Win.

Who will win the Super bowl Kanas City or Tampa Bay and where does Tom Brady’s legacy get to now win or lose having reached a record 10th Super bowl.

My heart wants to see Brady win another ring. So I’m picking Tampa to win. But My brain knows that the Chiefs are unstoppable and should get this game easily. And Tom has been the Goat for years at this point. This is just creating further separation from him and the rest of the best players that have ever played.

Thanks DJ for the chat.

The third quarter was drawing to a close as the Fraport Skyliners had let up a bit and allowed the Buffalo Bills of the easyCredit BBL Telekom Baskets Bonn back into the contest. Frankfurt had had the comfortable 52-41 advantage, but then lost intensity and allowed Bonn to race back on a 12-5 run to trail only 57-53. Frankfurt then got some instant energy and production from ex Miami Hurricane(NCAA) Kamari Murphy who flew in from the wing and got the perfect feed from point guard Joe Rahon for the massive two handed dunk. Rahon wasn´t finished in this quarter with more heroics, as ex Boston Celtic Chris Babb stepped to up to the free throw line with a few seconds remaining and sunk two free throws to cut the Frankfurt lead to 59-55. Rahon had nailed a pretty buzzer beater fade away jumper in the first and had some more buzzer beating on his mind as the third quarter was about to close. As Babb hit his second free throw, ex Auburn(NCAA) great Quantez Robertson wasted no time snatched the ball and hurled up a perfect touchdown pass ala Tom Brady style that found Rahon on the letters as he laid it up and in for the 61-55 advantage as the siren sounded. Quantez Robertson hadn´t had a great shooting day, but he helped the team in many other ways as usual on the boards, defense and with his passing abilities. “That was a quick think play. I gave Joe the nod to go. That isn´t a paly we practice, but it was just something I did”, stressed Quantez Robertson. All basketball players live with unending self-confidence especially when it´s about who will win a one on one duel, but Tez also was very confident what Tom Brady would have told him about his touch down passing qualities. “Tom would have told me nice pass man”, smiled Quantez Robertson.

                 After the disastrous 98-70 loss to the hands of the Hamburg Towers on the road, the Fraport Skyliners returned home against the Telekom Baskets Bonn and were able to win 84-79 thanks to scoring sensation Matt Mobley who hit a huge trey in the last minute, sunk free throws and made  a key offensive rebound. As usual the Fraport Skyliners had their ups and downs. They had a stellar 15-0 run in the first quarter, controlled the second quarter, let up in the third quarter and when it counted most in crunch-time made the bigger plays and shots to seal the victory. Sometimes one really has to wonder where the Fraport Skyliners would be in the standings without Matt Mobley. “It´s hard to say where we would be in many games without Matt. He made a big shot to put us up two points. I think that the game would still have been a nail bitter even without Matt´s production”, stated Quantez Robertson. Especially the third quarter was one to forget. Frankfurt had control, but allowed the Telekom Baskets Bonn right back into the game. “We didn´t play tough defense. I felt we were defending ok, but just not tough enough. We gave them confidence and we also turned over the ball too much”, added Quantez Robertson. In the fourth quarter Frankfurt had to endure some serious pressure from Bonn guard Xavier Pollard who was stepping up for Chris Babb who was being slowed down pretty well. “Both Babb and Pollard are tough to stop. But we held up strong and did a good job withstanding their run in the fourth quarter. I thought that we remained mentally and physically focused on the things we did in practice”, stated Quantez Robertson. All in all it was another big win which was huge for the team´s self-confidence as they now have a tough stretch with five games in a stretch of two weeks twice against ratiopharm Ulm, and against Bamberg and FC Bayern Munich. “There were quite a few positives that the club could take from the game. “We stayed focused. We didn´t lay down our heads when Bonn made a run. We stuck together and stayed motivated. We communicated really well on defense and helped each other out better than in the last games”, expressed Quantez Robertson.

                The big hero of the game again was ex St Bonaventure(NCAA) guard Matt Mobley. The Worcester, Ma native has put up huge scoring games this season like his 31 points in the win over Braunschweig or his 30 points in the victory over BG Goettingen, or who could forget his 29 point games in the wins over Chemnitz and MBC? But what he produced against the Telekom Baskets Bonn was a new side of him or was it? He had his usual 25 points, but 10 rebounds and 5 assists was a special type of filling the stat sheet that hadn´t been seen from him yet. It was the most rebounds that he has ever produced at the professional level. He once grabbed 12 rebounds against Hofstra in the NCAA: “I can´t remember getting 10 rebounds in a game. It´s all about hustle. Klaus Perwas always says whoever has the most hustle plays will win the game. I just wanted to help my team as much as possible”, stressed Matt Mobley. For Quantez Robertson, the big scoring and assist result wasn´t a surprise, but the rebounding was. “We expect his scoring and passing, but I didn´t expect 10 rebounds from him. We saw a different and aggressive Matt. But he did steal some of my rebounds. I was mad, but it´s all good. It was either going to me or him with the rebound, but he got them”, said Quantez Robertson. Some easyCredit BBL MVP candidates that have sprung up so far have been Crailsheim´s Canadian Trae Bell-Haynes as well as MHP Riesen guard Jaleen Smith. A guy like Matt Mobley could pop up on that list should the Fraport Skyliners start a late season surge. “Matt is a MVP candidate. If he can continue to play the way he did against Bonn and we start winning more and can get into the playoff picture, then I feel that he can be a top MVP candidate”, warned Quantez Robertson. Everybody talks about Mobley, but Rasheed Moore belongs to the top Skyliner players this season. I feel he is underappreciated especially in the media, but the Skyliners team knows the total worth of Rasheed Moore. “What he is doing in games comes from his hard work in practice. It helps our team when he gets going early being active on offense and defense. He definitely isn´t underappreciated on our team. Lately he has been one of our go to guys”, warned Quantez Robertson.

                Another player who had a very strong game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn was American Kamari Murphy. He is a player that has been up and down this season, but here and there he gives vital impulses on the court at both ends. Against Bonn he scored 12 points and hauled down three rebounds while also sinking his second trey of the season. He also demonstrated his knack of being able to score in bunches. “He shows scoring in bunches in practice also. When you give him the ball in the right place, then he is very dangerous in being aggressive and attacking the rim.  He will take that three if he is open. I found him open on the week side and he didn´t hesitate”, said Quantez Robertson. Another player that could benefit from the many games in the next few weeks is Len Schoormann. He had a strong start to the BBL season scoring 10 points in Oldenburg, but since then has had to fight for his BBL minutes. It didn´t help him either that he recently had to back to back 2 point games in the Pro B where he shot combined 2/14. But he did some soul searching and returned on fire scoring 29 points and 24 points in upset wins over Orange Academy and the EPG Baskets Koblenz. “Len´s self-confidence is up. He has been very aggressive on offense and defense in practice. He has been getting up extra shots in practice and it has been showing in the Pro B. I believe that he will get more of a chance in the BBL in the next two weeks. With more games and guys getting in foul trouble, I think his minutes could increase”, warned Quantez Robertson. Robertson continues to do his job filling the stat sheet, causing disorder for opponents offense and getting rebounds, but his biggest weakness now is his scoring. He was never that real consistent scorer, but the way he could score once isn´t there at the moment. He struggled against Bonn shooting 1/9 and also missed a dunk. He knows what the best recipe for success is. I just got to keep going out and shooting. I have to get the Bonn game behind me. I just have to remain aggressive and put myself in the right position to shoot when I get the opportunity to shoot, to be ready and shoot with confidence”, warned Quantez Robertson. The Fraport Skyliners don´t have much time to get ready for their next opponent ratiopharm Ulm who they face today. They have a 9-5 record and have a very talented roster. One of those players is ex German national player Per Guenther who has battled Quantez Robertson for more than a decade. “I´m not only excited to play against him, but everyone on that team. It is a lot of fun to play against a guy that is still quick and can shoot the deep three”, stated Quantez Robertson. It´s that time of year again where it´s time for the Superbowl. Quantez Robertson will follow the Super Bowl in his apartment and probably have some teammates over munching on his favorite Super Bowl food Hot Wings. He also will be in contact during the game with his ex teammate and friend Mike Morrison who is balling in Italy this season. Morrison was awarded a special gift in 2020 when Tom Brady moved to his team the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And presto in normal Tom Brady magic, he led his new team to the Super Bowl and finally gave Morrison something to cheer about. Should Tampa Bay lose which most likely will happen as the Kansas City Chiefs and Pat Mahomes are the favorite, Tez won´t let Morrison forget who won this years Super Bowl. Tez may be neutral about who he wants to win, but definitely has a prediction. “I think the Chiefs will win by 3 points. Even if Tom Brady loses, his 10^th Super bowl appearance shows that he is still the best to ever do it”, warned Quantez Robertson.

The Fraport Skyliners play and results continue to be as much as an enigma as it is to when this whole COVID-19 fiasco will be finally resolved as they continue to find themselves trying to produce some consistency. They had a good span recently wining three of four games against Braunschweig, MBC and BG Goettingen, but then totally lost control to a young Wurzburg team getting wiped out in crunch-time and then totally stunk up the house in Hamburg. There are days where they can be an offensive wrecking crew and display disciplined defensive basketball, but they just can´t hold it for a longer period of time. The Buffalo Bills of the EasyCredit BBL Telekom Baskets Bonn arrived in Frankfurt sporting a 3-10 record and a new/old coach with American Will Voigt. They were riding a four game losing streak, but obviously were a lot better ball club then their miserable record showed having lost two of the last four games by one point respectively to Ulm and Chemnitz. The Telekom Baskets Bonn played a hard spirted game against the Fraport Skyliners, but had no solution how to slow down American Matt Mobley in crunch-time as he carried his team to the win. “We started off very patient. We knew that they were a very talented offensive team where guys like Babb and Pollard can take off for 20 points each. We did a good job staying level headed and I felt this was the best communication that we had this season. We trusted each other and didn´t get down. We made a lot of hustle plays which was key for the win”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Matt Mobley. The Telekom Baskets Bonn got a lot of good offensive support, but when it counted most couldn´t get the big stops. “We didn´t finish the job. I thought we did a good job scoring, getting to the free throw line and getting offensive rebounds. We allowed Mobley to get loose at the end and he was hard to contain which cost us the win”, stated Telekom Baskets Bonn guard Josh Hagins.

                Ex wiha Panthers forward Rasheed Moore got the Fraport Skyliners on the board first with a lay in, but the guests didn´t fret as they connected on five rapid points as ex Boston Celtic Chris Babb nailed a trey and ex Giessen forward Benjamin Lischka hauled down an offensive rebound and made the put back for the 5-2 advantage. Mobley then dead locked the contest with a three pointer at 5-5.  Basketball is typically a game of runs and it was Bonn that had the first one going on a lethal 10-4 run to lead 15-9. In the run, the guests got vital support from Babb who scored 5 points while Serbian 205cm power forward Strahinja Micovic hit a trey and ex Kent State University (NCAA) guard Xavier Pollard made a heads up play sneaking inside hitting the offensive glass and making the put back. The Telekom Baskets Bonn did a good job being aggressive on the boards and spread out the offense nicely. The Fraport Skyliners then took a time out at 5,15 and when they returned back on the floor executed head coach Sebastian Gleim´s game plan perfectly shocking Bonn with a 15-0 run to take the 24-15 advantage. In the run, Frankfurt slapped Bonn in the face taking away their strength at that moment with the offensive rebounds and got two in a row and making put backs from ex Vechta center Michael Kessens and Rasheed Moore. Moore remained aggressive and got two more baskets in the paint while ex Davidson(NCAA) guard Jon Axel Gundmundsson dropped a trey and ex Miami(NCAA) center Kamari Murphy also scored. Xavier Pollard finally stopped the run with a bucket. Frankfurt ended the first quarter with a bang as ex Braunschwieg guard Joe Rahon drilled home a pretty buzzer beater fade away shot as Frankfurt led 26-17. “I guess that time out before the 15-0 run was a good time out. That wasn´t our best basketball this season. We have had other good 5 minutes of basketball this season like when w were down by 4 points to Munich. Our problem is that we still have too many holes that we need to crawl out of during games. We need to be more consistent”, stressed Fraport Skyliners head coach Sebastian Gleim.

            In the second quarter the Fraport Skyliners controlled the game leading by as much as 14 points, but lost some steam in the last minutes allowing the Telekom Baskets Bonn to trail 44-36 at half-time. The Fraport Skyliners came out in the second quarter going on a 10-5 run to extend their lead to 36-22. Kamari Murphy was instrumental in the run showing his inside out game scoring 7 points. Joe Rahon also showed that he can be more than a pass first point guard making a jumper. If there is a guy that will help his team come back then it´s scoring ace Chris Babb. He led Bonn on a 8-3 run to cut the Frankfurt advantage to 39-30. Babb has such good ball handling skills and is always so smooth, he made his trey look so easy and also contributed with a lay in. Frankfurt made some bad decisions in the last minutes allowing Benjamin Lischka to the free throw line and Babb drilled home another trey giving the Telekom Baskets Bonn some breathing room. Where most eyes are always on the explosive scoring of ex St Bonaventure(NCAA) guard Matt Mobley, one can witness great consistent play from Rasheed Moore at all times of the game. He is one of the few guys that have come from the Regionalliga to the BBL with guys like Jason Boone and Devin Uskoski and become a very solid BBL player.  One person who is totally in awe of his abilities is Frankfurt head coach Sebastian Gleim who saw another great performance from him as he put up 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and shot 64% from the floor. “I saw him the first time in Schwenningen in the Pro B. I looked in his eyes and knew that he would be something special. He plays with so much energy and is our most complete player. He is one of the reasons why I love to coach. He isn´t only a great player, but a great person”, warned Sebastian Gleim.

            The Fraport Skyliners continued to control the game in the third quarter, but let up in the last minutes allowing the Telekom Baskets Bonn back into the contest. In the first few minutes, it rained three´s as Rahon and Mobley connected while Bonn received another trey from Chris Babb, but Frankfurt led 50-41. The Fraport Skyliners continued to execute well getting some more buckets from Moore who continued to have that special knack for getting the offensive rebound and put back and Gundmundsson iced a trey as Frankfurt led 55-43. The Fraport Skyliners then lost their rhythm and let up allowing the Telekom Baskets Bonn to claw back going on a 10-2 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 57-53. In the run, the Telekom Baskets Bonn got massive baskets from Micovic who scored twice with hook shots. Bonn also got to the free throw line getting buckets from ex Temple(NCAA) guard TJ DiLeo and ex Iserlohn center Gabriel De Olveira. Frankfurt stopped the run getting two huge energy baskets as Murphy flew in from the wing getting a perfect feed from Rahon for the massive two handed stuff and then Joe Rahon made another buzzer beater lay in getting a touch down pass from Quantez Robertson as the Fraport Skyliners led 61-55 after 30 minutes. “We knew that they would go on runs. We stayed patient and calm and strapped down on defense to keep the lead”, said Matt Mobley.

            The Fraport Skyliners kept the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Telekom Baskets Bonn remained on their backs and just couldn´t let loose and even took the lead until Matt Mobley took over. But the guests got on the board first in the fourth quarter getting a basket inside from Lithuanian national player Deividas Gailius to Cut Frankfurt´s lead to 61-57. Frankfurt then coughed up the ball and sniper Matt Mobley had seen enough. He took matters into his own hands and exploded turning around a 61-57 lead to a 69-60 advantage. He made an of balance shot and smoked home two trey´s as the Telekom Baskets Bonn helplessly watched the scoring spree take them apart. But the Telekom Baskets Bonn still had gas and energy left unleashing a 10-2 run to trail Frankfurt only 71-70. In the run, Bonn got vital production from Hagins who hit a three, as did Gailius and Pollard made a hustle play getting a loose ball and lay up. Frankfurt held the lead getting some important buckets from Kessens and Mobley, but with Babb being slowed down, it was Pollard who continued to keep Bonn alive as he made three baskets dead locking the contest at 78-78 with 1,30 to play. “Xavier stepped up in crunch-time and is finally getting established in the league”, stated Josh Hagins. German Benjamin Lischka made a free throw giving Bonn the lead back at 79-78. But then it was Matt Mobley who took center stage as he stroked home a pretty three and then dropped free throws for the 83-79 lead. “When Bonn went on their run our offense got stagnant. Coach then ran plays for me and I got open. If I miss some shots, I won´t stop taking shots. I always stay confident. When I´m open, I will shoot every time”, stressed Matt Mobley. “Mobley got going. You have to tip him your hat. He had no open shots. We were on him and he made tough shots”, stated Xavier Pollard. The Fraport Skyliners were led by Matt Mobley with 25 points, 10 boards and 5 assists while Rasheed Moore added 16 points and Kamari Murphy had 12 points while the Telekom baskets Bonn were led by Chris Babb with 20 points and Strahinja Micovic produced 18 points. The Fraport Skyliners shot 525 form the field and 42% from outside and had 35 rebounds and 15 turnovers while the Telekom baskets Bonn shot 42% from the field and 35% from outside and had 33 rebounds and 10 turnovers.

Shortly before Christmas 2020 the Fraport Skyliners Juniors barreled into Koblenz and snuck away after 40 minutes having suffered an embarrassing 88-45 loss where they coughed up the ball an unbelievable 29 times while Koblenz had an extra 17 possessions to make their basketball life more simple. Since then the Fraport Skyliners Juniors have been playing better basketball having defeated the TSV Oberaching Tropics and Orange Academy, but are still up and down having lost three other times. They definitely had that 2021 advantage over the scoring powerhouse Koblenz who came into Frankfurt sporting a disappointing 0-3 record in 2021. They were coming off an embarrassing loss at home against Orange Academy where they gave up a surprising 12-2 run at the end to lose. The Fraport Sklyiners Juniors were also coming off a loss in Speyer, but had revenge on their minds after their sad loss in Koblenz last month and showed a performance that was like night and day in comparison to the first game in Koblenz winning 86-76. 10 days earlier it had been Len Schoormann leading Frankfurt to the upset win over Orange Academy with 29 points and against the EPG Baskets Koblenz he did it again showing an outstanding performance scoring 24 points. After the game Fraport Skyliners Juniors head coach Miran Cumurija was all smiles after witnessing a fine performance by his players.  “I´m very happy we could continue to add on to the last wins here with this one. We have to learn to bring this kind of energy also on the road. We created stops so we could run transition and our ball movement was good. We had a little problems with our pick and roll defense, but overall we defended well”, stressed Miran Cumurija. The EPG Baskets Koblenz have had growing pains in 2021 being winless, plus many injuries and German Jacob Mampuya leaving the club, but they had their chances, but just couldn´t execute when they had to at the end.. “They had more intensity, energy, passion and fight. They hit first and hit us harder. We never got going on offense and couldn´t hit three´s. They made plays when they had to. This was a must win, but we still have  a lot of time in the season”, added EPG Baskets Koblenz guard DJ Woodmore.

                The first quarter was tight and had 5 lead changes and Len Schoormann didn´t waste anytime getting into attack mode right off the bat as he dropped a floater and trey for the quick 5-3 Frankfurt lead. Both teams got their offenses going rapidly and both teams tried to get their two inside players Brian Butler and Noah Kamdem going and did. Kamdem who is an undersized center, but has the body of an NFL offensive line man had his A game scoring three times with a spin move, 15 footer and put back for the 11-9 advantage. Schoormann scored again with a runner for the 13-9 Frankfurt advantage. But Frankfurt then lost some intensity and got a bit sloppy on defense allowing a Koblenz 8-2 run to recapture the lead at 17-15. In the run, Brian Butler got to the free throw line twice nailing three shots and ex Fordham(NCAA) guard Zaire Thompson scored inside as did ex Giessen Pointers guard Lukas Mayer. The guests heightened their aggressiveness with the drive using their quickness which Frankfurt couldn´t stop. But Koblenz wasn´t able to hold the momentum and allowed Frankfurt to close out the first quarter strong with a 6-0 run. In the run, Frankfurt did a super job getting a second big man involved in the paint as ex Cologne player Jordan Samare was set up nicely twice with perfect passes from Maxi Begue and Philipp Hadenfeldt for easy baskets. “Frankfurt played very good offense and did a pretty good job taking away our inside game”, stressed EPG Baskets Koblenz forward CJ Oldham. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 56% from the field and 25% from outside and had 10 rebounds and 3 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 33% from the field and 14% from outside and had 6 rebounds and 4 turnovers.

                The second quarter was tight at first, but halfway through the Fraport Skyliners Juniors could pull away and control the game and take a 40-34 advantage into half-time. The EPG Baskets Koblenz had the better start going on a 7-2 run to get the lead back again at 24-23. German Zaire Thompson was instrumental in the run being aggressive scoring a jumper on transition and also nailing a trey and then making a huge steal under Frankfurt´s basket feeding German Henning Schaake who has been with Koblenz since 2017 scoring on a lay in. Koblenz have Brian Butler who often can score in bunches when the team needs it most, but so do the Fraport Skyliners Juniors with work horse Noah Kamdem who made the paint his own wrecking area scoring 5 points in a row for the Frankfurt 28-24 lead. His elite anticipation on the glass helped him to an offensive rebound and pit back and his strength then allowed him to get an easy bucket. Frankfurt was playing smart at both ends and calmly while the guests were missing easy shots which would plague them the whole evening. Zaire Thompson continued to be aggressive and be an important offensive option for Koblenz as he tested his 26% three point season shooting percentage and scored cutting Frankfurt´s lead to 28-26. Frankfurt then cruised out on another run again of 7-2 to extend their lead to 35-26. Len Schoorman was on fire again scoring 5 unanswered points taking advantage of his athleticism scoring in the paint and making an off balance shot. He also worked on his playmaking making a nice assist to an easy Kamdem basket. “Len has a lot of freedom with us and has the advantage of playing with guys that he knows since the JBBL. He also sees different kind of bodies in the Pro B than in the BBL”, stressed Frankfurt head coach Miran Cumurija. Frankfurt was playing nice unselfish team basketball as Koblenz were unable to make big impact defensive stops. Basketball will always be a game of runs and the EPG Baskets Koblenz found some energy and heightened their intensity cutting into the Frankfurt lead closing out the second quarter with a 9-5 run. In the run the guests got buckets from German´s Noah Westerhaus who at age 22 is already with his ninth pro team and Brian Butler while 21 year old Lucas Mayer continued to be aggressive and reached the free throw line twice getting 4 points. “It was a game of runs. Frankfurt was very physical with Butler and Schoormann got going”, stated CJ Oldham. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 53% from the field and 20% from the three point line and had 21 rebounds and 9 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 38% from the field and 17% from the three point line and had 11 rebounds and 8 turnovers.

                The Fraport Skyliners Juniors kept the lead, but allowed the EPG Baskets Koblenz to hang around, but towards the end the home team was able to lead 62-54 after 30 minutes. The guests began the second half with a perfect pick and roll play from Thompson finding Dutch forward Chad Wellian for the easy basket. Frankfurt didn´t waste anytime getting their offense going again as the 2017 JBBL finalists Len Schoormann scored as did Maxi Begue who is that defensive stopper, but also showed his offensive skills making a pretty floater and then making a hard dunk flying in from the wing for the 46-38 Frankfurt advantage. The game remained a game of runs as the EPG Baskets Koblenz struck back storming out on a 8-2 run to trail Frankfurt only 48-46 as the momentum had changed. In the run they got vital support from Thompson who hit a 20 footer, Mayer scored 4 points including a trey and Butler connected on transition. The guests were executing better and had calmed down on offense making wise decisions and practicing good shot selection. Kamdem and Butler continued to do damage inside scoring while Frankfurt kept the slim 52-50 lead. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors saved their best for last in this quarter closing it out on a 10-4 run. In the run they got clutch support from Philipp Hadenfeldt who connected on a 25 footer and drilled home a trey while maxi Begue remained aggressive getting to the free throw line twice scoring 4 points. “I just did what the defense gave me. What I couldn´t do myself, I then looked to pass. I concentrated looking more for guys today. I really have been working on that”, said Len Schoormann. “We missed free throws and easy lay ups. It is hard to win when you miss the easy bunnies around the rim. We had many mental mistakes and they got to the rim and made plays”, stated DJ Woodmore.  The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 55% from the field and 21% from the parking lot and had 31 rebounds and 14 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 43% from the field and 19% from the parking lot and had 16 rebounds and 12 turnovers.

                Despite the EPG Baskets Koblenz cutting the Frankfurt lead down to three in the fourth quarter, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors kept control of the ball game and were able to get their fourth win of the season. The EPG Baskets Koblenz began with a quick 6-1 run to cut the Frankfurt lead to 63-58 getting baskets from Mayer, Butler and Thompson. Frankfurt then found some daylight scoring 6 unanswered points as Kamdem scored on transition, Schoormann scored and Alvin Onyia made a pretty lay in high off the glass for the 69-60 Frankfurt advantage. But Frankfurt just wasn´t able to keep the comfortable lead allowing the guests to come back as Chad Wellian nailed two massive three´s to cut the Frankfurt advantage to 71-68. But Frankfurt had the last punch and decided the game with a timely 9-2 run to extend their lead to 80-70. A great strength of the Fraport Skyliners Juniors on this night was having many guys giving support at the scoring end at certain parts of the game. Jordan samare came up big in crunch-time while in this run ex Hanau forward Calvin Schaum was instrumental scoring 6 points. Schoorman also scored. In the last minutes 2019 NBBL allstar Jordan Samare was unstoppable in the paint area scoring 3 buckets slamming the door in the face of the EPG Baskets Koblenz. “He has this special anticipation for the offensive rebound and a special touch to score. You don´t see that often. I am happy for his growth and how he has been helping us”, stated Miran Cumurija. “We were right there at the end. We had good looks but just couldn´t make shots”, added DJ Woodmore. “Samare is very important for our team. He is undersized, but plays very physical. We defended well at the end closing passing lanes and were a bit more aggressive then they were”, expressed Len Schoormann. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Len Schoormann with 24 points while Noah Kamdem had 21 points and Jordan samara added 13 points while the EPG Baskets Koblenz were led by Brian Butler with 22 points while Lucas Mayer added 14 points and Zaire Thompson had 12 points.  The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 54% from the field and 16% from outside and had 40 rebounds and 17 turnovers while the EPG Baskets Koblenz shot 43% from the field and 24% from outside and had 25 rebounds and 15 turnovers.

One of the great things to observe in the German Pro B are the farm teams of the easyCredit BBL and witnessing how young guys have developed over the years. For example in Frankfurt the last years have brought the basketball world Euroleague players Danilo Barthel and Johannes Voigtmann and NBA player Isaac Bonga while currently the next talents in the stall are Len Schoormann and Maxi Begue and later on Joshua Bonga. Another club that has developed young players well is FC Bayern Munich with names like Nelson Weidemann or Benjamin Schroeder or Ibam with the Da Silva brothers Oscar who is at Stanford and for many a certain NBA daft pick and Tristan at the University of Colorado. Another German basketball address that has been making strides in the last years has been ratiopharm Ulm with it´s farm team Orange Academy. In the last years the club has brought young talented players like David Kramer, Marcel Pongo and Joschka Ferner forward and recently have made German Christoph Philipps into a easyCredit BBL player. Not too mention Zach Ensminger who made a massive step in Ulm and now is already showing impact player abilities in the Pro A with the Artland Dragons and is still a teenager. His 16 year old brother Jacob is already getting minutes in the Pro B at age 16 and is waiting in the wings for the next step as proud papa Chris is observing it all. But there aren´t only German players taking advantage of the youth programs, but also guys from other countries. One guy who is looking to make the next step in Ulm is a young Polish boy named Igor Milicic who is looking to become that next house hold name in Poland. Coming to UIm was a huge step for the young Polish player in 2018 as a young 16 year old. But his competitiveness and self confidence has risen in Germany in the last years the way a Zach Lavine flies to the rim. Recently after a nail bitter 85-82 loss in Frankfurt, he answered politely, but also in a naughty way that he hadn´t expected Len Schoormann to make so many shots after he destroyed Orange Academy with 29 points. Milicic is a 18 year old that has the healthy self confidence of a veteran and that shrewd competitiveness that isn´t often seen at such a young age. He credits easyCredit BBL legend Chris Ensminger of helping him develop these qualities. “When I was younger and playing in Poland, I had no confidence. I was more of an outsider. There was a point where I was playing terrible, because I was scared to make decision on and off the court. When I came to Ulm, I was still overthinking things in my first year. In my second year I became a key player for our U-19 team and coach Chris Ensminger taught me how self-confidence is important in the game of basketball. He changed me from a shy closed kid to a confident young adult. I am really thankful for all our talking and his help to develop me as a player”. warned Igor Milicic who lists Nikodem Czoska, Jeremy Sochan, Moritz Heck, Nat Diallo and Timo Lanmuller as his five best teammates of all-time.

                Igor MIlicic born on August 27^th, 2002 in Poland. His dad Igor had a long professional career where he won 8 titles in countries like Kosovo, Belgium and Poland. After his playing days, he turned his energy to coaching and coached Polish team Anwil and last summer there were rumors of him going to Bamberg. 18 year old Igor Milicic played youth basketball with UKS 7 Trefl Sopot school (EYBL). He also has two younger brothers that also are playing in the Ulm youth program with Orange Academy. Having his brothers around is a huge plus as well as knowing that the support and advice from his father will always be present. “So far, family has had a huge impact on my career. My brothers and I, we talk basketball 24/7. We practice on individual skills every moment and we have dad next to us. Zoran, Teo and me, we promise to ourselves that one day we will play one season together in same team where dad will be our Head coach.. Hopefully that will be at a high level. I don’t know how it is going to be in the future, but we can always count on each other, and our father is always there to support us and give valuable advice”, warned Igor MIlicic. He came to Ulm in 2018 and played his first season with BBU Allgau/Memmingen (Germany-NBBL) playing 13 games averaging  6.3ppg, 4.6rpg, 1.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 21.7%, FT: 58.3%. He scored 13 and 12 points against ratiopharm Ulm and scored 11 points against FC Bayern Munich. There he was already teammates with Julius Ferber with whom he still is today with Pro B club Orange Academy. He and his brothers looked for the best basketball opportunity and there was none better than in Ulm. “I feel great in Ulm. This is a great organization. My father was looking for the best opportunity for development for my brothers and me. We went to a lot of places on tryouts, and after a while we understood that Ulm would be best for all 3 of us. Other teams seemed also good but Ulm looked like an organization that has a professional approach even to 10 year old players. We were thrilled when coach Thorsten Leibenath and coach Chris Ensminger informed us that the Ulm organization is interested to sign all three of us”, stated Igor Milicic. He made another jump last season not wasting his basketball talent by balling for three teams. He dominated with the ratiopharm Ulm U19 team (NBBL) playing 13 games averaging  20.4ppg, Reb-4(10.9rpg), 2.2apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 54.5%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 68.8%. He scored in double figures in every game and scored more than 20 points seven times including 28 points against Bonn/Rhondorf and 27 points against Tuebingen. He also received added experience with BBU 01 Ulm (Germany-Regionalliga) playing 10 games averaging  9.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 78.1%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.0%. In this league he played against men including having a 25 point game against Idstein and 16 points against Stuttgart. He also got valuable experience with Orange Academy Ulm (Germany-ProB) playing 15 games averaging  5.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 1.0apg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 20.8%, FT: 79.4%. He scored 15 points against TSV Oberaching Tropics and 11 points against the ScanPlus Baskets. He also left a fabulous impression at the 2020 Addidas Next Generation Tournament with ratiopharm Ulm U18 team (Germany-ANGT) playing 3 games averaging 17.0ppg, 6.3rpg, 2.0apg, 2.3spg, FGP: 53.1%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 88.9%,

            Let us fast forward to 2021. His season ended suddenly in March 2020 as COVID-19 hit the world like an angry hurricane. For many in the basketball world, 2020 after March and into the summer was a very difficult time as finding places to train was hard, while for others it didn´t propose such a problem. For Igor Milicic, he finally had time to spend time with his dad again. “It was quite an experience. It actually was not bad at all for me and my family. As sChris Ensminger Helped Transform Igor Milicic(Orange Academy) From A Shy Closed Boy Into A Very Confident Player And Personoon as we found out lockdown from school, practice and games is ahead, mom and my two brothers who are also playing basketball with Ratiopharm , (they are really good)  drove back to Poland where my father is coaching. We had the opportunity to practice every day for 3-4 hours on individual skills with our father. I really used that time to get better. On top of that we had the opportunity to be together as a family for a longer period, which is rare for us”, expressed Igor Milicic.  COVID-19 has affected him as well now, because he is in a phase of his life now where he has a lot more responsibility. Despite COVID-.19 tearing apart his family, he has been able to take positives out of COVID-19.  “It makes me look on things how to get the best out of every situation or obstacles that I come across. For example, now I am in Ulm without family and learning how to live professional life without anyone helping me. It is tough but it is great for me. I am more confident as knowing that I can go over and beat obstacles”, warned Igor Millcic who last watched the boxing movie Southpaw.

                One of the surprise teams this season in the Pro B has been Orange Academy. The team is so young and has nine teenagers on the team and nobody is older than 22. You can´t always expect young teams to be successful simply because there is such a big lack of experience, but this team has gelled well and are playing fine team basketball. “This is no secret that BBU’01 and Ratiopharm are investing in the Youth program. Everybody in the organization gives 100% in every practice and the great work of the Coaches last year gave us good groups of talented players for this season. Coach Anton already prepared few of us even last season. He is pushing us hard to get better and to play together. The team is talented but important is that we want to play hard and win every game”, warned Igor Milicic. He has many talented teammates, but one that has been a huge spark in the success and left an impression on the polish national player is athletic German Nat Diallo. “It is tough to speak about teammates. They will go at me in the Locker room with whatever I say. Nat is an amazing guy off and on the court. Everyone loves being around him, and at the top of that he is a great athlete and tough basketball player. We are getting along really well, sometimes we even play 1v1 or have shooting competitions, and sometimes it gets out of hand. He is the best teammate I could ask for. He puts the team before himself. If there is some trash talk in the game, he is always the guy that is going to talk back to the opponent. I really appreciate what he is doing for our team”, stressed Igor MIllicic. Another teammate that really influenced him was German Timo Lanmuller. Unfortunately he left and joined Pro A team Tigers Tuebingen recently. “Timo was one of my best buddies this season. It all started in preseason when we were practicing with the BBL team. After every practice we had to stay to make 10 made 3s in a row from 5 spots. We would go as long as it took both of us to finish all spots. We both wanted to get better. I think that’s what connected us”, remembered Igor MIlicic.  His hard work has really paid off this season as he experienced his first easyCredit minutes with ratiopharm scoring 4 points against the Giessen 46ers. “It was a good and funny experience. Coach Jaka Lakovic called me for a sub and I was already hyped. In a few seconds, I had the ball under the basket. Going up to shoot, I had lot of ideas how to finish. Eventually I just flushed the ball to the basket . In that game every possession looked like a lifetime for me. Even when the game was stopped or on free-throws, I was all hyped and my legs were fire footing . It was a great experience and I can’t wait again to be in same situation”, said Igor Milicic. He also knows that in order to become an impact BBL player, he can´t stop grinding, but has to even work harder, because he still has a long way to go. “In some practices with the BBL team I really think I can play with Pros and on next ones I see I have to improve a lot. I am working a lot with coach Anton Gavel and Moris Hadzija individually to improve as fast as possible. Coach Jaka Lakovic is helping me when I practice with the BBL team. Coach has a big aye on my mistakes and motivates me to get better”, warned Igor Milicic.

                When you first see Igor MIlicic on the court who lists his personal NBA Mount Rushmore with NBA legends Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Tracey Mcgrady and Kevin Duran, you would imagine him being a big man still needing to get stronger, but he is really a 208cm guard/forward who compares his game to current Brooklyn Nets Kevin Durant. “. I am practicing a lot of his moves with Coach Hadzija on a daily basis. In the future I would like to find many similarities between me and KD. For now, it’s only height, little bit of style of play and a high jump shot release. He is impossible to guard because he moves as a guard with 6 ft 9”, can shoot over smaller defenders with his high release point over the head. Adding his footwork and ball fakes, he is unbelievable. I would like to view myself in the future as a European version of KD”, warned Igor Milicic. He used to like to see David Jelinek play, but also enjoys watching Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and former NBA player Ricky Ledo who played for his father last season at Anwil. Currently he follows current FC Bayern Munich forward Vladimir Lucic. Milicic is a player that is able to guard all guards and wings. Two big strengths in his game is his work ethic and mentality, but there are so many more that help him on his way to becoming that complete player. “I feel very comfortable with the ball in the open court or as a runner in transition. Second best where I feel great is in all shooting situations. I know my shooting % are not great but in practice my shooting % are much better and I´m just waiting for the moment when the same is going to happen in games consistently. Offensive rebounding is what I enjoy doing”, expressed Igor Milicic. His shooting continues to be a work in progress, but he is taking measures to become a more reliable shooter. “Together with Coach Moris we work a lot on having balance and good footwork during shooting. I feel very confident in my shooting. Coach is saying that repetition will give me consistency. Also, I need to stop thinking about missed shots immediately after taking the shot. Sometimes I think too much, so I need to relax a little more”, warned Igor Milicic.. Another area in his game that he is working on is defense. His hard work has paid off this season as he has improved on the defensive end as his ability to keep up with smaller guards and apply pressure has gotten better. “Defense is something that I take really personally. Everybody in the coaching staff, coach Ensminger last year, coach Gavel, and coach Lakovic, are on me about defense. They have made sure that they don’t want one dimensional players. Now I have to prove to them each game that I am on top of it, on both sides of the court. In the last few months, I think there has been a big change on my defensive approach. Although I can make huge progress I think we are on good path for me to become that lock down defender as well”, stressed Igor Milicic. Last season it was ex Bamberg legend Chris Ensminger that helped him leap and make huge strides and this season it has been ex Bamberg guard Anton Gavel. “Coach Gavel is giving me lot of confidence with his approach towards me. I feel he believes in my abilities and also he is challenging me on little details which ultimately will make me a better player. He is a great motivator and brings high energy to practice as well as in games. I am very happy to develop under his eyes”, stated Igor MIlicic.

                He is only at the start of his career, but so far in his career he has been able to battle against some high level guys in the BBL, but so far none has compared to the experience he witnessed last season in Poland with ex NBA player Ricky Ledo. “Last season I was always practicing before and after the pro team Anwil had their workout. One time my dad was missing one player so he called me to play defense on Ricky. It wasn’t like Ricky slowed down as he was guarded by the coaches 16 year old son. It was quite the opposite. He scored on me almost every time, although my hand was in his face all the time, he was still making the shot. I have never played against someone like him before. It was like a dream come true for me, because I always wanted to play against an NBA level player and Ricky was one of them”, stressed Igor Milcic. In the future the regularity of playing against guys like Ricky Ledo could increase dramatically as he recently was named to the Polish national team from ex ratiopharm Ulm head coach Mike Taylor. “He comes from a great basketball family. I love this father /son tradition something I also had with my dad. He continues to make good steps. He gives Poland a good future”, warned Mike Taylor. Ex BBL players like Michael Hakim Jordan who now is coaching at Drexel(NCAA) or current BBL legend Ricky Paulding can smile with the best of them, but so can Igor Milicic. His smile couldn´t have been any wider after he found out that he had been chosen for the Polish national team. “Wow, that was huge surprise for me. I was smiling all day after I found out I was on the list. I called immediately my teammate Jeremy Sochan and we were showing our happiness very loud . That is a great motivation for the  future. You never know when and where an opportunity can appear, so I will work even harder in each game and practice. You never know who is watching”, stressed Igor Milcic. What many don´t know is that he also could have picked to play for the Croatian national team. “I am half Polish half Croatian, but Polish basketball is closer to me, because I played there for 7 years and everybody saw me. In Croatia we are only on summer time and in big basketball nobody saw me there. The Polish federation is following and contacting me for a while now. Besides coaches of the U20 NT , but also the President of the Polish Federation Mr. Radoslaw Piesiewicz himself called me to make sure that I play for Poland. This nomination for the Polish A NT was the crown of my basketball career so far, and I have no doubt for who to play for”, added Igor MIlicic. This very humble and friendly guy has huge goals for the future. “We are valuing options and what is best for me to do in the next years. College is also a strong option. I have contacted a few colleges that are making strong interest to recruit me. It is not easy to decide what road is best for my development. I definitely have big goals. NBA or Euroleague is a dream, but I know, I have to do lot of work and improvements to go there. That is why I am concentrated on the present time, and focus on the work to be done now. A good future will come along the way”, stressed Igor Milicic. It will be interesting to keep observing this young Polish gem in the next years with his decisions and how his game develops. He has showcased that huge smile already and that will definitely continue as he garners more success. He may be 20 years younger than easyCredit BBL legend Ricky Paulding and still be very far away from his success, but when it comes to displaying that championship smile, he is already on a good way to being able to compete against Paulding in who has the more charming reward smile.

Billy Wampler is a 198cm forward from Eau Claire, Wisconsin that signed withTeam Ehingen Urspring (Germany-ProA) in the summer of 2020, but then returned home because of personal reasons. He began his basketball career with Regis High School. He then played at Drake (NCAA) from 2015-2017 playing 59 NCAA games. He then finished his NCAA career at Wright State University (NCAA) averaging 14.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 49.7%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 81.1% as a junior and as a senior averaged 15.6ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 44.9%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 78.3%. germanhoops.com spoke with him prior to him coming to Germany last summer

Thanks Billy for talking to germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how was your summer?

Currently I am in the Schipohl airport on my way to Germany. Summer was interesting, was completely different, but got some needed rest. 

You played your last NCAA game on March 9th losing against UIC scoring 14 points. How tough was it to abruptly end your college career and what did you learn to appreciate most about the game during this whole COVID-19 time?

It was very tough, because we all thought we had at least one more game, but it happened and it makes you think that every time you step on the court could be your last. I learned to appreciate family time, and what I had when there was no virus, a gym open to me 24/7 and consistent opportunities to work out. 

How did you experience the whole Covid-19 crisis in 2020? What was the most challenging thing about life and and finding ways to work on your fitness and game? 

I experienced it just like everyone else, in the dark, not really knowing what to do. The most challenging part was keeping up with weight training, it was incredibly hard to maintain the mass I had built up because a consistent weight room was not available. 

How do you feel did you benefit from COVID-19 and how did it make you stronger as a man in general? 

I feel like I benefited a lot from ball handling and floaters. I didn’t always have a hoop but I could always work on ball handling. It made me stronger because I had to grow up, and try and take care of others before myself. 

Congrats on signing with Pro A team Team Ehingen. What do you know in general about the country Germany and it’s basketball?I know the rich tradition of basketball in Germany, and I have a couple of friends who already play here, some in ProA and some in BBL. it’s executing to come to a new culture and experience everything for the first time. 

When I mention names like Dashaun Wood and Vaughn Duggins. What is the first thing that pops into your mind? Did you hear a lot about their legacy at Wright State when you were there?

Honestly, we didn’t hear of their legacy a whole lot. We knew who they were and would always acknowledge them at our games, but coach Nagy was never focused on the past, but how we could get better in the future. But when I hear them, I think of great basketball players, and even better men. 

What were the main reasons for joining Team Ehingen? What was your impression of head coach Domenik Reinboth in your talks with him? 

The main reason was the opportunity, I’ll be one of the oldest guys on the team and that can give me the opportunity to help grow young guys into better players. He was very open and honest with me the whole time, and we had a chemistry from our first phone call, it was exciting to talk to him, and he was excited about bringing me to Ehingen. 

Let’s talk about your game. You’re a 196cm forward that can score. If you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would best fit the description? 

Hm, that is a tough one, I feel like my game would be comparable to a guy like Matt Thomas (Toronto Raptors), or Gordon Hayward. 

Your outside shooting, energy and effort really stand out in your game. What do you honestly believe is your biggest asset on the court? 

I believe my biggest asset is my ability to score, not just shooting, shooting helps me get to the spots I need to to be able to score. 

You eclipsed the 40% mark from downtown in your senior year. What is your main goal now as a rookie in terms of how you want to continue to develop as a shooter at the pro ranks? 

Just want to be more consistent, I feel like I am a better shooter to just shoot 40%, but that was also my first year with the FIBA three point line. 

How would you describe your defensive game? What do you take most pride in on the defensive end? 

Just being in the right spots, I would say I am a smart defender and I compete, I may not be the best on ball defender but I can make up for it with high iq. 

Your ex teammate Cole Gentry lauded your leadership and you majored in organizational leadership.? How has that developed so well and how much of a role has your connection and interest in mental health helped you? 

It has helped a lot, because we learned a lot of principles of how to teach individuals in unique ways, and how to beat lead a group. I think it helped me move forward to help others in their battle with mental health. 

On what area’s of your game did you work on most this summer so that you would be best prepared for your rookie professional season? 

Ball handling and floaters, and just maintaining my jumper. 

You began your NCAA career at Drake (NCAA) playing 59 games. You had a solid second season but opted to go. What kind of overall experience were your 2 years there and what positives did you get out of it? 

It was a good experience, I learned a lot and became a better player, I got my first experience with high level players such as Fred Van Vleet, Ron Baker, and other great players. I learned how to fall in love with the process. 

You then came to Wright State and had a major impact on and off the court. Especially your awareness of mental health which has been more of a topic in sports the last years. How has your whole time involved with this helped fight this problem? 

I think coach Nagy really enables me to be able to speak out and help, he tries to help anyone who needs it, so I was following his lead. 

Your tattoo says ‘The sun will rise and we will try again’. You have gotten a lot of feedback on your awareness efforts. Do you plan on continuing to battle this problem overseas? I know that mental health has been an issue with professional players overseas as well. 

Anytime anyone really wanted to talk about mental health I do, so this will continue overseas. Mental health doesn’t stop at borders. 

On the court you had 2 strong seasons at Wright State. How do you feel did your game grow at Wright State? 

I feel like coach Nagy and the staff developed me tremendously, and they enabled me to have the freedom on the court which gave me ultimate confidence. 

You had many great games in your 2 years at Wright State but where does the exciting 76-74 win over WKU stand with you where you scored 22 points? 

The WKU game was fun, they were a very high level team with an NBA prospect, and we were without our conference player of the year, so we really had to grind that one out to win, just a gritty team win. 

How did head coach Scott Nagy groom and prepare you bets for a professional career? 

Everyday he shows up with the same hard work and demanded the best from you every single day, he told me that as a pro if you don’t show up one day it could be your job, so he instilled the hard work aspect of basketball. 

Who won a one on one in practice you or Tanner Holden? 

We never really played one on one, but I’m sure it would be a good battle. He was actually my ‘freshman buddy’ so I spent a tremendous amount of time with him, he’s a great teammate. 

Who was the toughest player that you battled in the NCCA or anywhere that went to the NBA? 

Jaylon Brown, Dennis Smith Jr, Brandon Ingram, Ron Baker, Fred Vanvleet, Monte Morris. Just to name a few. 

Please list your 5 best teammates of all-time? 

Cole Gentry Adam Giles Lou Love Aleks Dozic Aj Rutter 

Please construct your personal NBA Mount Rushmore of past or present players? 

Lebron, MJ, Magic, KD 

What is your personal opinion between the never ending debate between Michael Jordan and Lebron James concerning who is the greatest of all-time? 

I think Lebron is the greatest ever, but it’s hard to say, different style of basketball. Lebron longevity does it for me though 

What was the last movie that you saw? 

Joker!

Thanks Billy for the chat.