The Fraport Skyliners Juniors Defensive Pressure Overwelm The RheinStars 77-55

A little more than 27 months ago on a warm latesummer day, easyCredit BBL team Fraport Skyliners were playing an exhibitiongame against Pro A team RheinStars on the Us Army Base in Wiesbaden about a 20minute drive from Frankfurt. In this test game, fans saw the first signs of areal star being born in Isaac Bonga as the 16 year old got ample minutes fromhead coach Gordon Herbert and he presented his unending athleticism, but whatwas even more enjoyable to witness were his no look passes which some of theyoung German kids that were there that day wearing the Cologne jersey surelydidn´t forget. Now Isaac Bonga is living the ultimate basketball dream in La Laland with the Los Angeles Lakers G-League team South Bay as his call up is onlya matter of time while the Rhein Stars are in the cellar in the Pro B southstandings. So much has changed in the last two years as the RheinStars pathhasn´t gone the desired route. They came to Frankfurt with a disappointing 1-9record and sitting in 12th place as their defense hasn´t found anidentity yet giving up 80 points per contest while the Fraport SkylinersJuniors season has had two faces and recently been like night and day. Theybegan the season in lightening fashion coming out of the gates with a six gamewinning streak, but currently were riding a poor four game losing streak. Thebiggest problems in the last weeks has been their defense. They are currentlystill the fourth best defensive team allowing 72 points per game, but in thelast four games were giving up 78 points per game and had three games with 80points or more given up. Another problem had been that their roster had beenshaken up as key contributors Jules Akodo left for London and JT Roach returnedback to California as combined they scored 18 points per game something that wasmissing now. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors didn´t have an Isaac Bonga anymore,but had enough offensive and defensive forces on board with guys like Big manLeon Kratzer who made his Pro B debut as well as well good support from roleplayers Felix Hecker and Len Schoorman and a whole lot of defensive pressurefor 40 minutes overwhelming the RheinStars Cologne 77-55. After the big game,Frankfurt head coach Sebastian Gleim was content with the victory. “It was animportant win when looking at how tight the standings are. If we had been 8-3now, I would have been very happy, but at 7-4, I´m still happy. One couldalready see last weekend against Coburg that our game was getting better again.The team could practice a lot this week and guys were fresh and were happy. Ourdefensive pressure was good and everyone played at a high intensity”, said headcoach Sebastian Gleim. The RheinStars Cologne never gave up, but shot poorlyand had problems against the defensive pressure of Frankfurt and taking care ofthe ball. After the loss ex Western Michigan Tucker Haymond was miffed by theloss and felt a bit helpless as well. “Frankfurt played very good defense andwere the better team today. They did a good job scouting and took certain guysout of our game plan. We played hard, but our sense of urgency wasn´t good. Wedidn´t match their physicality until the end of the game”, added TuckerHaymond. “It may have looked like an easy win to you, but it was hard work. Weplayed good defense which always gives us success. We deserved to win the game.We had good defensive pressure, but our three ball wasn´t falling. Our high Lowgame of Kayser, Trtovac and Kratzer worked well. We moved the ball well also.We trained together almost everyday and were fresh”, smiled Richard Freudenberg.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Richard Freudenberg who produced 10 points and 8 rebounds in the victory

 

New Fraport Skyliner Dennis Mavin watched the game as he played for the Giessen Rackelos in the Pro B last season and also saw BBL action and this season played with the ScanPlus Baskets while in the stands Fraport Skyliner lifer Quantez Robertso who has season tickets to the Pro B games had an old teammate by his side with current Euroleague player with Baskona Shavon Shields who played with Frankfurt during the 2016-2017 season and was in Frankfurt for a lay over. Both teams had difficulty finding an offensive rhythm as the RheinStars were using a good Box and one zone while Frankfurt´s defensive pressure irritated Cologne from the get go and continued for 40 minutes. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors did a good job getting the ball inside early to big Man Armin Trtovac who got a bucket and got to the line easily. Frankfurt also was finding their shooters as ex Bremerhaven guard Garai Zeeb connected and ex Kronberg guard and 2017 NBBL player of the year Felix Hecker supplied outside shooting and five points and ex St Johns forward Richard Freudenberg made a lay in like a guard as Frankfurt led 15-9. While the RheinStars couldn´t find their outside shooting touch, did find production inside from young German Benedikt Van Laack and ex Tuebingen big man Yasin Kolo with a turn around shot. Frankfurt did a good job as always using their bench and their depth didn´t disappoint as 20 year old German energizer Konstantin Schubert scored inside and then Hecker scored inside again as Swedish shooting star Elijah Clarance who often couldn´t get inside had to opt for finding his teammates and did with a no look pass. Ex Dragons Rhondorf forward Thomas Michel who has three BBL games with Bonn on his account dropped a trey ending the first quarter as the Fraport Skyliners Juniors led 19-12. “Frankfurt did a good job moving the ball and had good looks. Their aggressive defense gave them good opportunities on offense. They also controlled the pace well knowing when to slow down the game and when to run”, stressed ex Auburn(NCAA) guard Quantez Robertson. The Fraport Skyliners juniors shot 35% from the field and 29% form outside and had 9 rebounds and 1 turnover while the RheinStars Cologne shot 27% form the field and 17% from outside and had 11 rebounds and 7 turnovers.

In the second quarter the Fraport SkylinersJuniors were able to extend their lead into double figures and controlled thegame into half-time. Ex Bamberg center Leon Kratzer got Frankfurt on the boardfirst with a pretty old school hook shot. The Fraport Skyliners Juniorsexcellent defense sparked their offense which led to  Freudenberg trey and Elijah Clarance´s energygave Frankfurt another push as he stuffed home a big two handed jam and sunk atrey as Frankfurt led 29-19. Frankfurt moved the ball well and were sparked byClarance´s high intensity while the RheinStars were unable to get good ballmovement and had to get by with individual feats as Michel spun his way to therim for a lay up and 20 year old German Flip Kukic scored in the lane.Frankfurt continued to keep their double digit lead as Hecker stayed hot fromoutside launching a missile that landed through the net and Kratzer scoredinside again retrieving the lob pass from Freudenberg for the 36-19 advantage.The Rheinstars then found some daylight and hit Frankfurt with a 11-3 run tocut their lead down to 39-30. Frankfurt had some defensive break downs whichthe RheinStars used to their advantage. Kukic scored in the paint, Yassin Koloplayed pick and pop dropping a trey and testing his 37% accuracy from down townand Van Laack made an offensive rebound and put back. Clarance took Frankfurtinto the break with a steal and run away two handed dunk as the FraportSkyliners Juniors led 41-30 after 20 minutes. “Freudenberg played wellrebounding well, hitting shots and playing good defense. Frankfurt also did agood job not just pressuring the guy with the ball, but everyone”, warnedQuantez Robertson. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 41% from the field and33% from the three point line and grabbed 20 rebounds and had 5 turnovers whilethe RheinStars shot 31% from the field and 30% from the three point line andgrabbed 21 rebounds and had 12 turnovers.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing RheinStars guard Tucker Haymond who contributed 11 points in the loss

 

The third quarter was a tale of two halves asthere were two runs as the RheinStars matched Frankfurt´s intensity in thefirst five minutes cutting down their lead to only five points, but then gaveup a large nasty run to Frankfurt pretty much deciding the game after 30minutes. Both team´s offenses stalled in the first two minutes as both teamswere stumped on their first three possessions. The RheinStars then upped theirintensity and defense and rode out on a timely 11-5 run to cut Frankfurt´s leadto 46-41. In the run the guests had their long ball game working. Kolo nailed atrey as the big man continued to be a dangerous weapon inside and out, but thatdidn´t scare Frankfurt as they got back to back buckets inside using theirspeed as Len Schoorman scored with his left hand on penetration and Zeebfollowed with a high lay in off the glass as Frankfurt led 46-35. The doubledigit lead was quickly cut down drastically to 46-41 as the RheinStars gotmassive support form the three ball as ex Essen German Tim Van Der Velde who played48 Pro A games with the RheinStars dropped a trey and 17 year NBBL star ThomasFankhauser also connected from outside. The RheinStars overall aggressivenessalso sparked their play on the boards in this phase. But the Fraport SkylinersJuniors had seen enough and erased the RheinStars run with their own 13-3 runleading comfortably again 59-44 after 30 minutes. In the run, Cologne onlyreceived a trey from Van Laack as Frankfurt spent a lot of time at the freethrow line as Kratzer and Clarance combined for 9 points from there andSchoorman made a pretty reverse lay up from the wing and Kratzer also scored.“We need to play consistent defense for 40 minutes, but showed that we didn´tin this quarter. We continued to bring a lot of energy and always found ways tobe successful even when our shot wasn´t falling”, stressed Richard Freudenberg.“We made a good defensive run and hit three´s. But then Kolo and I got in foultrouble. We then lost some 50/50 balls and had the whistle go the other way andwe lost some of our momentum”, added Tucker Haymond. The Fraport SkylinersJuniors shot 37% from the field and 24% form the parking lot and had 36rebounds and 7 turnovers while the RheinStars shot 28% form the field and 33%from the parking lot and grabbed 29 rebounds and had 16 turnovers.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber bumped into ex Fraport Skyliner Shavon Shields who currently plays in Spain with Euroleague team Baskona

 

In the fourth quarter the Fraport Skyliners Juniors continued to play with a high intensity at both ends of the court and executed well on offense while holding the RheinStars to 11 points. The first two plays of the game was a great example of what kind of a competitor Garai Zeeb is. He made a play that will stand in the stat sheet, but his hustle and never giving up on the play before is something that won´t be seen on the stat sheet. Zeeb lost the ball at mid court and instead of hanging his head, he chased his man down the court and made a big block making amends for his moment of lost concentration. That led to a Schoorman pull up jumper who had an excellent game with 10 points, 4 assists and 4 steals in 25 minutes while shooting a strong 67% from the field. The 16 year old had the best efficiency on his team with 17 something that surely was noticed by head coach Sebastian Gleim. After the RheinStars got three measly points off free throws from Kolo and Michel to cut the Frankfurt advantage to 61-47 and make the game somewhat interesting again, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors slammed the door shut on the RheinStars for good going on a 7-0 run to extend their lead to 68-47. In the run, Frankfurt got another huge trey form Hecker and then got added support from the Dunk duo of Schoorman and Clarance. Schoorman who compares his game to De’Aaron Fox jumped into a passing lane made the steal and was off to the races making a hard one handed dunk and Clarance followed with a beautiful floater that was text book like. The Rhein Stars did get some three point support down the stretch from Haymond and young German Christ Theodore, but it wasn´t enough. Frankfurt also got some baskets from Armin Trtovac with a offensive rebound and put back, reverse lay up from Freudenberg and a trey from Hecker closing out the game. “We were fresh and kept our energy going and made pressure for 40 minutes. They got a little tired, but we continued to paly our game”, warned Richard Freudenberg. “Their defensive pressure really hurt us. They are a deep team and had two good units. Even if their second unit it always score, but they did a good job from keeping our unit form not scoring. Their defensive intensity was strong no matter who was on the court”, stressed Tucker Haymond. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors were led by Elijah Clarance and Felix Hecker with 14 points apiece. Leon Kratzer added 11 points. The RheinStars were led by Yasin Kolo and Tucker Haymond with 11 points a piece. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors shot 41% from the field and 29% from outside and hauled down 50 rebounds and had 14 coughed up balls while the RheinStars shotb23% from the field and 30% from outside and hauled down 38 rebounds and had 20 coughed up balls.

Elijah Clarance Has The Nydala Toughness Working To Conquer The Basketball World

It was only a few minutes afterthe Fraport Skyliners had lost a bitter contest to medi Bayreuth and most of the players in uniform were already on their way back to the locker room hanging their heads wondering why the word consistency remains a foreign word in their vocabulary. Some of the Skyliner farm team players who play in the ProB and didn´t dress for the game were still at the bench hanging out while their teammates like Quantez Robertson, Brady Heslip and Shawn Huff were gettingchewed out by head coach Gordon Herbert behind closed doors. One of thoseplayers is a well built young man named Elijah Clarance who was in deep thoughtas he often is if one observes him on and off the court wondering when will itbe my time to shine on the floor, but he also had something else on his mind.The Swedish shooting star who had an incredible 2018 U-20 European championships tournament where he was top scorer with 22 points per game didn´t land somewhere in a high division and not even in a first division team, but rather in the German Pro B which is the third division. Ok so his deal has its advantages, but in a way he took a step back in hopes of making two steps a headin the next few years. He has the opportunity to get BBL minutes, but like any other talent that has come to Frankfurt, getting to the BBL happens via goodplay in the Pro B. The 20 year old Swede has some obvious reasons why he is so often in deep thought and just in another place. The young man is a huge talent that feels like he still has a lot to prove, but what probably is most on his mind is if he can conquer the basketball world having that Nydala toughness and giving back to his mom and dad. He lived four years in the states, but the reality is that Nydala is something that will never totally leave his mind. Nydala is a neighborhood of Malmo and not one of the safest places to live in Sweden. When one thinks of Sweden one thinks of a very safe place to live in and it generally is a safe place to live in, but when one hears about gang violence then one can only be shocked that something like that is around in Malmo. In 2017 Swedish police placed the Nydala neighborhood in the most severe categories of urban areas with high crime rates. Elijah Clarance becomes very reflective when talking about his home in Sweden and when you look into his eyes, you realize that he experienced things in his young life that he’d rather not see again. And that is why being a successful basketball player is so important to him, because he wants to be able give back to his parents for doing such a good job raising him in a tough area. “Nydala isn´t one of the best neighborhoods around. There is a lot of violence and drugs from where I came from. I went to the worst ranked school in Sweden. Growing up there, I had to be tough otherwise I would have been picked on. One of my main motivations for playing basketball now is to help get my mother get out of there”, stressed Elijah Clarance.  His aggressiveness and self confidence that he shows for a 20 year old definitely has been noticed by his teammates. “You notice that kids who come from a tough area growing up tend to have a lot more toughness than others. You have to have a lot in your self to survive and he shows that on the court. If you don´t show confidence than that is a sign of weakness. You have to always keep that confidence with you and he has it”, warned Fraport Skyliner Jason Clark.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber meeting Elijah Clarance for the first time at a pre season tournament in Rhondorf

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Nick Hornsby (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) My Team Has Been Helping Me Be More Confident In Different Situations

Nick Hornsby is a 23 year old 201cm forward that was born in Irvine, California that is playing his second professional season in Germany and first with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He has been an instrumental part in the big 10-0 start averaging 12,7ppg, 8,7rpg and 3,1apg. Lastseason as a rookie he played with Giessen 46ers II (Germany-ProB) playing 23games averaging 13.9ppg, 7.6rpg, 2.9apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 54.4%, 3PT: 38.6%, FT: 70.3% He also played 2BBL games for Giessen. He won two high school titles with Tustin and then played at Sacramento State from 2013-2017 playing a total of 123 NCAA games and was able to improve his scoring and rebounding each season. As a senior he played 31 games averaging  11.3ppg, 8.0rpg, 1.5apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 71.2%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his season with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen.

Nick thanks for talking to germanhoops.com! Where are you at the moment and how isbasketball life treating you at the moment?

Right now I’m just at home with my fiancé enjoying some downtime on our off day.

Congrats on the amazing quick start as your 10-0 with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. If somebody had told you in pre season that the team would have begun at 10-0 what would you have said?

Basketball life wise I’m great. Our team is 10-0 and I have no complaints. We have been playing great basketball. If someone would have told me we would be 10-0 I’m not sure if I would have believed it. I think we all knew when we first came together as a team we were very capable of having a good season.

Have you ever registered a start like this in your career? How does it feel reeling off so many wins in a row?

I’ve had a year like that when I was in high school I was lucky enough to have a great team then. It feels great I think the most exciting time we have in the week is after the game. During the week, we are just fully focused on the next game.

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Alexander Blessig (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) We Want To Develop A Winning Mentality Knowing That It Is Important To Stay Humble And Keep Improving

Alexander Blessig is a 25 year old 188cm guard from Berlin playing his third professional season with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen(ProB). Currently he has been a vital part in the 10-0 start of the team averaging 10,1ppg, 2,4rpg and 2,4apg while shooting a massive 60% from outside. He began his basketball career with FC Bayern Muenchen (ProA) and also played with Alba Berlin 2. He then played a season with Florida Gulf Coast(NCAA) helping the team win the A-Sun tournament and reaching the NCAA Sweet16. He then moved to Rollins (NCAA2) and played three seasons totaling 66 games. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his basketball career.

Alex thanks for talkingto germanhoops.com. Where are you at the moment and how is basketball life treating you at the moment?

HeyMiles, thank you for interviewing me. I currently live in Cologne, finishing up my Master’s degree, working part time as a working student in Venture Capital and of course, playing ball in Leverkusen. I am just enjoying every second I can be on the court with my team – it’s a blessing every single day!

Congrats on the amazing quick start as your10-0 with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. If somebody had told you in pre-season that the team would have begun at 10-0 what would you have said?

I knew from the start that we had a special group of guys together, but I did not expect this kind of a run. If somebody had told me we would go 10-0, I surely would not have believed them.

Have you ever registered a start like this inyour career? How does it feel reeling off so many wins in a row?

I never had a start like this in my career – it feels great. However, the games that really count are still to come (Play-Offs). We appreciate the wins but at the same time we know that we have not achieved anything yet. We have to stay humble and keep improving to play our best basketball at the end of the season. Next up, we play Elchingen twice, which will be two really tough games for us!

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Nino Celebic (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) I Really Believe Hansi Gnad Can Put This Club At A High Level Again

Nino Celebic is a 27 year old 191cm guard from Serbia playing his second professional season in Germany and first with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He has been an important reason for the team´s 10-0 start currently averaging 10,9ppg,1,1rpg and 3,4apg. He began his career with BC Mega Aqua Monta Beograd junior team and played many years in his home land before coming to Germany in 2016 where he practiced a season with Pro A team Hamburg Towers. Last season he celebrated his break through in Germany with SC Rist Wedel (Germany-ProB) playing 27 games averaging 14.5ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.9apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 51.7%, 3PT: 29.9%, FT: 79.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his basketball career.

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

Right now I am in with Bayer and I am enjoying playing here. After 2-3 really difficult years behind me, now everything is going good.

Congrats on the amazing quick start as your 10-0 with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. If somebody had told you in pre season that the team would have begun at 10-0 what would you have said?

Yes, 10-0 really sounds amazing. I would say “wait, let’s go game by game” , I think that’s the only way how you can be successful

Have you ever registered a start like this in your career? How does it feel reeling off so many wins in a row?

I was, 13-0 when I was in Serbia. The feeling is great really, but on the other hand you have to be calm and stay on the ground, because the real games start in March ,then you have to play your best basketball.

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Virgil Matthews Is Back And Thinks He Can Be Effective In Any Role He´s Put In

Virgil Matthews is a 35 year old 188cm guard from Federal Way, Washington that is playing his 12th  professional season and fourth with the Niners Chemnitz. He has given his massive experience and helped the club currentlyachieve a 10-0 record averaging 6,6ppg, 2,9rpg and 4,8apg. Last season he played with the Nuernberg Falcons BC (Germany-ProA) playing 24 games averaging 8.3ppg, 4.0rpg, 3.9apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 28.4%, FT: 71.4%. Two seasons ago he almost led Chemnitz (Germany-ProA) into the BBL playing 40 games averaging 9.4ppg, 4.2rpg, 4.8apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 63.0%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 86.7% He played at Montana (NCAA) and in his senior year played 31 games averaging 10.1ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.0apg, 1.7spg, FG: 49.8%, 3PT: 48.4%, FT: 76.1%. In 2006-2007, he turned professional and came to Germany and played for KICKZ Muenchen Basket (Germany-2.Bundesliga) playing 29 games averaging 18.0ppg, 6.1rpg, 5.2apg, 2.6spg, 2FGP: 57.3%, 3FGP: 31.8%, FT: 66.5%. In 2007-2008, he played for Tacoma Jazz (IBL). In 2008-2009, he returned back to Germany and played for Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga). In 2009-2010, he played for Olympia Reign (IBL) playing 28 games averaging 23.1ppg, 7.2rpg and for Seattle Aviators (NABL).In 2010-2011, he played his first season for Erdgas Ehingen playing 32 games averaging 11.6ppg, 5.3rpg, 3.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT:71.3%. He would play until 2014 with Ehingen playing 126 games with three seasons in the Pro A and one in the Pro B. He spoke to germanhoops.com about basketballlate in the summer about basketball.

Virgil thanks fortalking to germanhoops.com Where are you at the moment and how was your summer?

I’m in Chemnitz now summer was good, I just worked summer camp and spent time with family.

You have been very active over the years with me as this will be our 15th interview as we started back when you were with Ehingen. When you look back at your years with Ehingen up to now, do you feel like your career has flown by?

Yea the career has gone fast, but it’s has been good I’ve made lots of friends and seen lots of things here in Germany.

Your 35 years old and still playing. If someone had told you 8 years ago that you would still be playing at age 35 what would you have honestly thought?

 I never thought I would still be playing at this age. But I’ve changed my game as I’ve gotten older. Now I’m transitioning into learning things for my future where I hope to coach.

Do guys like the Science Jena trio of legends Derrick Allen, Immanuel Mcelroy and Julius Jenkins motivate you to keep playing? One of them will retire one day as the oldest of the trio and you might be the same in the Pro A. Do you have the drive to keep pushing yourself into your late thirties?

 No, it’s pretty amazing what those guys have been able to do they have taken good care of themselves and are all smart players which allow them to keep playing on such a high level. I don’t think I have it in me to keep playing that long.

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The Older Gents Carry And Save The Fraport Skyliners Nipping Braunschweig 82-77

The Fraport Skyliners have played a whirlwindof a season so far as their results and play in the Eurocup and easyCredit BBLhave been like day and night. Injuries as usual has been a huge factor whilethe chemistry has stalled in it´s growing, but that isn´t any different withother teams like an Alba Berlin who lost three guards, but continue to keepwinning. The Fraport Skyliners lone bright spot this season has been theirstellar play in the Eurocup as with two games remaining, the club has alreadyqualified for the next round having a record of 5-3. Even if they have playedunsatisfactory at times, the difference to the BBL has been that they havefound ways to win. In the easyCredit BBL that hasn´t been the fact as they cameinto the Braunschweig game in 14th place with a record of 2-5 anddesperately need some kind of success to get them out of their current rut.After starting 1-1, they lost four of their last five games and lost their lasttwo homes games in crunch-time games they most likely would have won underother Gordon Herbert teams. The team at times have lacked the needed intensityand passion at both ends of the court. The Basketball Lowen Braunschweig areplaying a solid season and have a record of 3-5 considering that for them it isalways an uphill battle with their limited budget. They like the FraportSkyliners have been like night and day as they began the season in the cellarlosing their first five games, but recently found an uphill trend having wontheir last three games. That winning streak was started by something teamshaven´t done in years which is beat top team Brose Bamberg. They then finishedoff Wurzburg and MBC and arrived in Frankfurt with a lot of confidence andmotivation led by top BBL center Scott Eatherton. The Basketball LowenBraunschweig almost made it four wins in a row, but were unable to handle theolder Gents of the Fraport Skyliners suffering a tough, but hard fought 81-77loss. It was another game where Frankfurt didn´t play well for 40 minutes, butfound a way to win. Canadian rookie Trae Bell Haynes carried the FraportSkyliners in the first half to a 49-30 lead as his penetration effectivenesstore apart Braunschweig, but a weak third quarter of scoring only 12 points andallowing 31 points in the fourth quarter almost cost them the contest. “We arestill waiting for playing a full game well. We started hot, but became cold inthe third and fourth quarters. We stayed together at the end despite themmaking seemingly every shot. We did a good job on defense for the most partletting them take only one shot and rebounding well and getting out ontransition. We didn´t do a good job guarding the three point line in the fourthquarter and I had bad turnovers. We have to take better care of the ball”,warned Trae Bell Haynes. The Basketball Lowen Braunschweig played with a lot ofheart and made an amazing comeback in the fourth quarter only to drive homewith the loss as they couldn´t make key stops at the end. “The first quarterwas close back and forth. In the second quarter Bell Haynes carried them and wealways seemed a step to slow and weren´t physical enough getting beat by lay upafter lay up. We knew coming into the third that we were a well rounded teamand never believed that the game was over. We fought until the end, but at theend just couldn´t pull out the win”, stressed ex Hamburg Tower DeandreLansdowne.

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The Cinderella Story For Brayon Blake Continues As He Looks To Rise As A Professional
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber meeting Brayon Blake after he poured in 18 points in a tough loss in Frankfurt

The basketball world is huge and the influx of Cinderella stories that have occurred over time is as rampant as it is seeing how the NBA has gone from an offensive league to a crazy offensive infested league with teams putting up 140 points as if they had Lebron´s and Steph´s  secretly parading in masks for them. The examples are huge of guys going from the bottom to the top like currently Golden State Warrior´s 203cm forward Alfonso Mckinnie who was making 1,500$ only a few years ago in the second Luxemburg league and now is teammates with Draymond Greene and Mr few touches equals many points Klay Thompson.Especially in Germany one has often seen guys move from the Regionalliga to the top division BBL over the last years like a Steve Wachalski or from the Pro B his new teammate Deandre Lansdowne. Then again there are guys like a Brayon Blake who was at the peak in 2014 winning the Washington high school state championship with top school Garfield that boasted great basketball alumni like Brandon Roy or Tony Wroten, but only a half year later wasn´t teammates with current Euroleague player with Olympiacos S.F.P. Pireus Nigel Williams Goss at Washington or with current Indiana Pacer Domantas Sabonis at Gonzaga, but instead was living in Sierra Viste a small rural town with 43,000 plus habitants and playing for Cochise CC which was about as far away from the NCAA as he was from ever being able to perform a guitar solo the way the legendary Jimi Hendrix could of who is one of the most notable alumnists form Garfieldhigh. But he worked his butt of and via N.Idaho JC (JUCO) and then played his last two years of ball at Idaho(NCAA) putting up great numbers as a senior that may have gotten him drafted by the NBA had he played in a higher conferencethan the All-Big Sky. “I had a huge chip on shoulder because I wanted to prove to people my skills and that’s what I did. I just never got content with awards and accolades I wanted more so I kept working hard each day and that’s why my numbers are like that. I just tried to get a little better each season”,stressed Brayon Blake. He then breathed some NBA air over the summer of NBA Summer league with the Cleveland Cavaliers and now is playing in one of Europe´s top leagues the easyCredit BBL with theBasketball Lowen Braunschweig. He now can exchange basketball stories withteammate Deandre Lansdowne and compare who´s chips had had more weight on their shoulders as he now is about as far away from Sierra Viste is as his new teamin Germany is from making the playoffs. This is the fascinating story of ayoung American basketball player with Brayon Blake who has seen a lot in his young career as his Cinderella story continues with this up and coming playerlooking to continue to rise through the ranks in Europe and beyond.

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Dorian Pinson (Hebeisen White Wings) Many Doubt Division 2 Players Because Of Status But That Changes Once They See Me Play

Po-Dorian PinsonDorian Pinson is a 22 year old 196cm forward from Greenville, South Carolina playing his rookie professional season with Pro A team Hebeisen White Wings. It hasn’t been the best of starts for the White Wings as they are currently 1-9, but the rookie has held his own averaging 12,9ppg, 5,5rpg, 3,5apg and 1,9spg while shooting 40% from outside. Before going to Lincoln Memorial (NCAA2) he got various high school experience with Southside High School averaging 13.5ppg, 8.0rpg, 4.0apg, 3.0spg, played with the SC Raptors Elite (AAU) and finished at Legacy Charter High School averaging14.1ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.7apg, 2.3spg. He then played at Lincoln Memorial (NCAA2) from 2014-2018 playing a total of 103 games. He was able to score in double figures in his last three season there. In his senior year he played 34 games averaging 15.5ppg, 9.4rpg, 4.1apg, 2.0spg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 58.9%, 3PT: 43.2%, FT: 63.0%. germanhoops.com spoke to Pinson during the summer about basketball. 

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


I am in Hanau, Germany and my summer has been great filled with memories, workouts, and loved ones

You had an incredible and decorated career at Lincoln Memorial (NCAA2). How did you experience your first summer transfer period? Did you have a good share of offers?


My first summer transfer was very interesting for me personally trying to figure out how becoming professional works. I had a good amount of offers, teams still reach out but I have committed to a team already and take my business personal so therefore I tell them no to deals and offers

Congrats on signing with the Hebeisen White Wings in Germany. The club is very high on your abilities, but how vital was the fact that your ex Lincoln Memorial teammate Luquon Choice will be your teammate as you embark on your rookie season?


Luquon Choice was very vital to my decision to sign with the White Wings due to chemistry and a winning culture so I am trying to continue that same path with this new team.

How excited are you to be professional teammates with Luquon Choice? He doesn’t talk much and stands out with his play. What is something about him the player that many don’t seem to know?


I’m very excited to play with Luquon Choice again because he is a team first guy and an extreme competitor.

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Brady Heslip Recovers From His 48 Seconds Of Hell Powering The Fraport Skyliners Past Rytas Vilnius 65-63

On the weekends Quantez Robertson plays againsttop guards in the easyCredit BBL and this season during the week he playsagainst the top guards in the international competition Eurocup and in the pastweek the ex Auburn(NCAA) standout had a few meetings which players he oncedueled against in the BBL in his illustrious 10 year career. Only a week ago,he battled ex NBA player Brian Roberts who lasted five years in the big show NBAand had a positive 7-4 record against the Cincinnati native and won a titleover him in his rookie season. This week the freak athlete didn´t have one but potentiallytwo top guards who he had faced with DJ Seeley and Chris Kramer. He faced DJSeeley only once and that was in his rookie season when he was balling with medi Bayreuth and the ex Cal-Fullerton guard came away with the hard fought 72-64 win in Frankfurt. With Kramer it was a totally different story as he played against the ex Purdue guard from 2011-2017 12 times and had a negative 5-7 record against him. They had some unforgettable battles as five of the 12 games ended by only a two point difference. Not only did Quantez Robertson wantto come out on top again, but also his team Fraport Skyliners who have beenstinking up the easyCredit BBL the last weeks having lost four of their lastfive games. They had a huge motivation to win again especially in the Eurocupwhere a win would have brought them to the next round. Quantez Robertson onlyhad to face Seeley as Kramer didn´t make the trip and helped lead his team to ahard fought 65-63 victory reaching the next round. Robertson finished with 12points and 9 boards including mixing it up in the paint securing 6 offensiverebounds and always loves the challenges of facing the top guards. “It isalways fun battling talented guys. Playing against a Roberts and Seeley showswhere my defense is at. It also shows that I can score with them going bucketfor bucket”, smiled ex Auburn(NCAA) star Quantez Robertson. The FraportSkyliners played a poor first half, but played a lot better in the second halfand Canadian sniper Brady Heslip recovered from his 48 seconds of hell and crawledout of his hole in the fourth powering the Fraport Skyliners to the tough win.After the win an exhausted Jason Clark who played 24 minutes and had logged thefourth most minutes on the team reflected on the grind out win. “It was a verytough win. We were getting beat bad in the first half, but we never gave upfighting. We wanted to make a statement in the second half. Everybody wanted towin. We were more aggressive on defense and had more pressure on the ball whichhelped us take them out of their offense”, stressed ex Georgetown guard JasonClark. The Lithuanian team Rytas Vilnius played a solid game, but couldn´t keeptheir consistency at both ends of the court in the second half. “I thought thatwe played a good game. We had very good moments and some bad moments. We just couldn´t pull out the win at the end. We played good defense and executed aswell as we could on offense”, stressed ex Cal-Fullerton(NCAA) guard DJ Seeley.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and assistant coach Uvis Helmanis who played in the BBL with Bamberg 15 years ago

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