EasyCredit BBL Playoff Preview 2018: Alba Berlin-FC Bayern Munich 3-2

The one club Alba Berlin is looking to get back to the top of the German basketball totem pole while the other club FC Bayern Munich in a way also is. Because since arriving back to the BBL in 2011, Munich has only won two titles in that span, but now could win two titles in a season and get the club looking like a great basketball organization instead of only a good basketball organization. That would also have FC Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness content that all the effort he gave the program is finally paying off. Let´s rewind back last weekend, where Alba Berlin started their dominating quest of getting back to the top of German basketball by making an amazing sweep of the German U-16 and U-19 championships beating FC Bayern Munich and the Young Rasta Dragons. The U-16 team led by Elias Rodl, Evans Ripieque and Nolan Adenkunle breezed through the semi-final and easily disposed BBA Ludwigsburg 89-60 and then beat Fc Bayern Munich 96-82 defending their title from last season. The NBBL team of Alba Berlin had their backs to the wall in both the semi final and final, but thanks to nerves of steel, timely execution, the heart of a lion and clutch shooting from Franz Wagner, Jonas Mattissek and Badu Buck, they were able to make the double perfect for the team from the German capital. After the nerve wracking come from behind 77-68 win against the Young Rasta Dragons, Franz Wagner who is the brother of Michigan(NCAA) standout Moritz Wagner and was able to make a 180 degree turn in looks as like some of his other teammates, he traded the comb for the razor and shore off his hair and one could only have guessed he was related to the big Mo with that special twinkle in his eyes. He was a bit miffed by the question what was still missing for Alba Berlin. He then learned that all that the great organization Alba Berlin was missing now was the triple with the league title in the easyCredit BBL. After a gasp and smile, he quickly reshifted thoughts and agreed that the triple would be a nice thing. Franz´s brother Moritz may be the big news story and have the limelight at the moment, but if Alba Berlin can win their third title within weeks, then Alba Berlin will be at the top again and both Wagner brothers won´t be bored telling their great accomplishments from the past season and flashing that warm Wagner smile that has continued to grow as their habit of racking up titles continues to grow. FC Bayern Munich experienced a lot of FC Hollywood especially with the coaching change which was made so prematurely in the crunch time of the season, but with a few weeks left in the season, they are in the driver´s seat in the final and with good chances of securing that second league title since returning back to the BBL in 2011. The only thing that will hinder FC Bayern Munich from hoisting their second title of the season will be inconsistency. So it is Alba Berlin that has played the most beautiful basketball of the season against FC Bayern Munich who has the better experience and depth. Both teams looking for that true recognition and respect which only one team will get while the other will have to wait another year for redemption as it will be a battle to the finish and go 5 games. Franz Wagner as a very talented 16 year old already has sniffed BBL air this season and with the title could start that amazing Wagner summer as his brother Moritz most likely will be drafted by an NBA team in a few weeks.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing 2018 NBBL Top 4 MVP Franz Wagner

Alba Berlin breezed into the easyCredit final by sweeping the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. Many were expecting a tighter series, but Alba Berlin overpowered them and the underdog just didn´t have enough gas left in their gas tanks after a very long, but successful season. Alba Berlin didn´t defend as well as they are capable of except in game two, but it was their dangerous offense that carried them into the final as they averaged 96 points in the three game series. In game one, Alba Berlin won the shoot out 102-87 as was their 28 free throws and controlling of the boards helped them get the win. Luke Sikma had his usual great game giving his two cents in every way as he scored 19 points, grabbed six boards and dished out six dimes.

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Iserlohn helped Julian Scott Be More Comfortable With Sharing The Load

Scott Julian Scott is a 27 year old 203cm forward from Sacramento, California that completed his fourth professional season and first with the Iserlohn Kangaroos averaging 14,0ppg, 7,1rpg and 1,1apg. Last season he played in four countries with Germany, France, Luexemburg and in Iraq. His last team was Residence Walferdange (Luxembourg-Total League) where he averaged 17,0ppg and 8,2rpg. In the 2015-2016 season he played for the Uni Riesen Leipzig playing 23 games: Score-5(20.4ppg), Reb-2(10.5rpg), 1.7apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 50.3%, 3PT: 17.9%, FT: 66.7%. He picked up Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B Forward of the Year -16, Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro B 1st Team -16, and Eurobasket.com German 2.Bundesliga Pro B All-Imports Team -16. As a rookie, he played for TSV Quakenbrueck (Germany-2.Regionalliga) playing 16 games averaging 29.7ppg. He started his basketball career at Yuba junior college and then played two years at S.Utah (NCAA). He finished at Adams St. (NCAA2) playing 27 games: 10.8ppg, 4.0rpg, FGP: 58.5%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 70.2%. He spoke to German Hoops after his fourth professional season was in the books.

Julian, thanks for talking to German Hoops. This is our 9^th interview since the summer of 2015 when you signed with Leipzig. Has time flown by since then for you?

Hey Miles what’s up my man! Yes time has definitely flown by for sure.

I would like to congratulate you on a great season. Unfortunately the ride ended against Rostock. Despite the sadness of the season ending how proud are you of your team Iserlohn?

I’m damn proud of my guys we hit adversity all year and never used it as an excuse once so I can live with the results.

Iserlohn gave it all it had, but came up short in OT. Rostock hit you with an 8-2 run in OT. Was their overall overpowering game just too much for Iserlohn after the 40 minute mark?

I wouldn’t say overpowering but they did hit some big shots in clutch moments more than we did down the stretch.

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Ilian Evtimov (Cholet Basket) I Still Have Some Basketball In Me And Plan To Prove This Next Year

Ilian Evtimov (35) is a 201cm forward that has the French/Bulgarian citizenship and recently completed his 12^th professional season and second with Cholet Basket (France-ProA) averaging 4,3ppg,1,7rpg and 1,4apg. He started his basketball career at North Carolina State in 2001 and as a senior played 31 games averaging 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT: 89.5%. He started his professional career in 2006 which took him to Italy, Germany and Cyprus in his first four seasons. In 2010 he moved to France and has been there ever since. His most successful time was between 2010-2016 where he played with ES Chalon-Sur-Saone (France-ProA) winning four titles. German Hoops has chatted numerous times with Illian Evtimov in the last 10 years about basketball and did it again. He spoke to German Hoops on his 35th birthday recently.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber visiting Ilian Evtimov in Chalon in 2013

Evti, thanks for talking to GermanHoops.com. Happy Birthday! You turned 35 today. Is there something you would rather get for a birthday present now more than you would 10 years ago?

A nice family vacation. 10 years ago, I didn’t have a wife and children. Time away is always appreciated when with the family these days.

The last interview we did was before the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup Final 4 in Chalon. It has been 2 years since then. Has time flown by for you since then?

It has gone by very fast. Since then I have had a new child, Iliana, who was born in September 2016. Now the house is full with children. I don’t realize how fast the time goes by.

Chalon lost in the semi Finals to the Italian club Varese. What memories do you have of that weekend and was it in the end a bit of a consolation that your ex team Frankfurt won the title?

I wished we would of played against Frankfurt. In 2007, during the final 4 of the Eurochallenge, I played with Bologna against my old team of Estudiantes. I thought history would repeat itself. I am very happy for Frankfurt that they won the title. They were my 2nd pick after my own team of course.

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Evan McGaughey´s Biggest Step As A Rookie Was Understanding The European Game

Evan McGaughey is a 24 year old 203cm forward from Carthage, Illinois that completed his rookie season in Germany with the MLP Academics Heielberg averaging 11.8ppg, 6,4rpg and 2,1apg while shooting 41% from outside. The American played an illustrious career at Quincy(NCAA”) where he averaged double figures in scoring average each season. As a senior he played 25 games averaging 16.6ppg, 8.3rpg, 2.0apg, 1.2spg, 1.4bpg, FGP: 58.2%, 3PT: 50.6%, FT: 77.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after his rookie season in Germany.

Evan thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on a solid rookie season in Germany. However your season ended on a sour note losing to the Romerstrom Gladiators 3-2 after being up 2-1. How disappointing was ending the season like this?

Hey Miles! We had quite a season this year. It definitely ended on a sour note for us though. It’s hard to lose in the playoffs like that after you work so hard all season to get to that point. The day after a season ending loss is always the hardest, but I’m sure in a few weeks we will be able to look back on the season and be proud of what we did.

Was these the toughest two back to back loses in your young career? Did this compare to anything you witnessed in the NCAA?

Yes, I would say these are the toughest back to back loses I’ve ever experienced. It’s a little different in the college post season, because if you lose once then your out. In a playoff series you still have hope after each game. We just weren’t able to put the series away when we had our chances.

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Former German Pro A Player Cliff Tucker Passes Away At Age 29

The world wide basketball community is saddened by the loss of Cliff Tucker. Tucker tragically lost his life Monday morning in a car accident. Tucker was only 29 years old. He was a 198cm swing man that had a stellar career at Maryland (NCAA) and also was able to see the world as a professional basketball player as he played in numerous countries mostly in North and south america and his only stop in Europe was in Germany where he played with rent4office Nuernberg (Germany-ProA).

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Franz Wagner Leads Alba Berlin A Step Closer To Being Back On Top Of German Basketball Winning The 2018 NBBL Crown 77-68

With 10 minutes remaining in the semi-final contest between FC Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin, Germany´s most famous team had the five point lead an even if the game was a close affair, they seemed to have control of the game until Franz Wagner and Jonas Mattisek stepped up as both finished with 18 points. Wagner opened up the fourth quarter with back to back three´s as his attention to planting his feet and nailing that next shot were as ruthless as a jaguar on a safari tour in Africa when it´s hungry. That brought Alba Berlin to life and 2018 NBBL MVP Jonas Mattisek followed the Wagner three´s with his own arsenal of three´s after having had much misfortune with his shot. Both guys had that killer instinct on their mind and they wanted to continue that mind set and positive play in the final as they met the home team Young Rasta Dragons. It had been their overwhelming experience that had aided Alba Berlin getting over the hump against FC Bayern Mun ich and now they had to deal with a very feisty and creative Young Rasta Dragons team that was looking to win at home again after capturing the JBBL(u-16) title back in 2014 and head coach Florian Hartenstein was looking for his second title. Both teams entered the contest focused and battled hard for 40 minutes and in the fourth quarter it seemed like the Young Rasta Dragons would capture the title, but just like in the semi-final game where it looked like Alba Berlin were down and out again, but made an amazing comeback again showing impressive character and fighting mentality rallying to win the 2018 NBBL title 77-68. The day had started out superb fashion for Alba Berlin as they won the JBBL(U-16) title and now achieved the double and 2018 NBBL top 4 MVP Franz Wagner was all smiles after the win, but had his problems solving the riddle of what was still missing for Alba Berlin. After he learned that the only thing that was missing was the BBL team winning in the final and achieving the triple, he quickly understood that Alba Berlin is very close of reaching the peak of German basketball again.

“This was an unbelievable fight and one of the hardest games that I ever played in. We were behind, but our character showed that we can perform also in tough games. We did a good job playing under pressure and had a great team mentality”, stressed Alba Berlin forward Franz Wagner.

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Alba Berlin Is At Close Range Of Reaching The Peak In German Basketball Again

When trying to fit these three terms At Close Range, Sean Penn and Alba Berlin together, the average observer born after 1990 most likely will be unable to piece together the similarities that they do have, but the older generation that follow movies and German basketball might just be so shrewd and be able to link it all together. Close Range was an 80´s movie and for many the only thing that will be remembered will be the theme song by Madonna “Live to tell” and that it featured up and coming actor Sean Penn. At that time in 1985, the American who was an up and coming actor was reeling off the critically acclaimed flick the Falcon and the snowman and followed that up with the next masterpiece “At Close Range”. The only problem, nobody noticed except for the critics as the movie theaters weren´t overflowing as it grossed only $2,347,000 at the North American box office during its theatrical run in 83 theaters, earning less than its production budget of $6.5 million which was a major disappointment. Ok so these three terms might not directly have too much in common with the famous German team Alba Berlin, but there is always a way how certain things can be linked. In the case of acclaimed actor Sean Penn, Close Range and Alba Berlin, it has to do more with success. At that time, Sean Penn was a big acting talent, but just hadn´t really had that big success at the box office, but they would occur later in his career. It isn´t much different for Alba Berlin either. The German basketball powerhouse have had a lot of talent over the last 10 years, but not had as much success as a Marco Baldi would have liked. Winning cup´s are nice, but not the same as going through the playoffs and standing at the top of the peak at the end of the successful run. Winning a cup translates in a successful weekend where you win two games and was able to play your best basketball in a short period of time. The fact of the matter is that Alba Berlin hasn´t won a league title in 10 years and the Alba Berlin drought has been as annoying for the traditional organization as it has been for the Boston Celtics who also won their last NBA title in 2008. Penn was looking for that box office success in 1985 while Alba Berlin is seeking that league title success after a long delay, but they are at close range. But not only is the Professional team Alba Berlin that is at close range this season of reaching the basketball peak, but also the two youth teams the JBBL(Under 16) team and NBBL(under 19) team that are battling this weekend in Quakenbruck for two titles. Alba Berlin is battling the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg for the ticket to the easyCredit BBL final as well. In a few days the German basketball world will know if the Alba Berlin organization will celebrate two youth titles and in a few weeks if Alba Berlin can finally win a league title again.

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Seth Clark Knows That Responding To Authority And Fulfilling His Role Is Something Professional Teams Will Like About Him

Seth Clark is a 190cm guard from Olentangy, Ohio that recently finished a 4 year career at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3). As a freshman he averaged 10.6ppg, 3.5rpg, 3.1apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 41.3%, 3PT: 35.2%, FT: 80.0%. In hiss econd season at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3) he played 30 games averaging 15.4ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.5apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 76.8%. In his junior season at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3), he played 28 games averaging 14.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 32.1%, FT: 77.6%. In his senior year he averaged 19,0ppg, 5,0rpg and 3,0apg and reached two NCAC finals and one NCAA 3 Sweet 16. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Seth thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how did you experience the NCAA Final 4?

At the moment I am at home in Powell, Ohio. I experienced the final 4 by watching on TV while helping the family prepare for Sundays Easter dinner during the many commercial breaks.

You just finished your college career at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3). What kind of experience was it for you playing 4 years at Ohio Wesleyan (NCAA3)?

Playing at OWU was a very positive experience for me. Over the years I was able to grow as a player and as a man. The Ohio Wesleyan basketball program is very different than many other NCAA3 schools. By that I mean the coaching staff is very laid back and trusts that we as players will do what it takes to get ready for each season. So, no there are no mandatory workouts, the coaches aren’t holding our hand through the off season. I learned as a freshman that we are expected as players to hold ourselves accountable. This allowed me to develop a very powerful work ethic and a love for the process leading up to a season. Since I was a starting point guard since my Freshman season, I was in a position to lead my team and developed skills in doing so year after year. Being in a leadership role for 4 years straight gave me great experience in leading different teammates as some graduated and new players came in.

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Mike Taylor (Hamburg Towers) There Is A High Ceiling In Hamburg And Am Fired Up To Help Make Basketball Dreams A Reality

Mike Taylor is in his 18th season as a professional coach and was anmed head coach of the Hamburg Towers and also currently head coach of the Polish national team and preparing the team for the World Cup 2019 qualifying round. He is the son of Dick Taylor who was an NCAA coach and assistant with the New York Knicks. Mike Taylor started his coaching career in 2001 with Chemnitz (Germany-2.Bundesliga). In 2002-2003, he got valuable experience in the UK with the Essex Leopards London (United Kingdom). In 2003, he started to coach for ratiopharm Ulm leading them into the Beko BBL in 2006 and Beko BBL playoffs in 2009 before leaving in 2011. He had a record of 101-15 in four years of second Bundesliga basketball. He also has coached Kansas Cagerz (USBL) in the summer time as well as being an assistant for the Czech national team. In 2011 he made the jump back to the states and was an assistant for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers(D-League). He then was head coach of the Boston Celtics D League team Maine Red Claws and they reached the playoffs for the first time in team history. He spoke to German Hoops after getting the Hamburg Towers job.

: Miles Schmidt-Scheuber visiting coach Mike Taylor in Maine when he was head coach for the Boston Celtics D-League team Maine Red Claws in 2013

Mike thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome back to Germany and congrats on signing with the Hamburg Towers. 14 years ago you went into your first second Bundesliga season with ratiopharm Ulm. How good does it feel to be coaching in Germany again?

Thank you Miles! 14 years has been a long time filled with a lot of different basketball experiences from all over the world and I am thankful for the opportunities! I feel like I am arriving in Hamburg at an excellent time. The Towers organization has tremendous potential and I believe there is a foundation for success. I hope with a lot of hard-work and team-work we can write a similar success story to my time in Ulm. It feels great because I think Hamburg is a good fit for coaching and for family off the floor.

You probably selected the prettiest city in Germany to work in. What is your early feeling about where you will be hanging out more to watch videos and do scouting more on the Alster lake or at the harbor and Elbe river.

Hamburg is a great city with big potential. I will try to keep things simple and stick to the gym or the Towers team offices at Inselpark for video work but there is no debate that Hamburg has a lot to offer. During my visit, I was able to see the Hafen Geburtstag and there was so much action. I loved it! My hope is we can bring high level basketball into this fun city.

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The Fraport Skyliners Fairytale Playoff Run Was Fun But Unrewarded

Basketball will most likely never match the interest level of football in Germany as old footage of the 2018 Eintracht Frankfurt cup win will show as the entire Romer place in downtown Frankfurt was covered in a sea of Eintracht Frankfurt colors and estimated 25,000 fans with about as much room left for an undernourished fly while in 2016 as the Fraport Skyliners celebrated their third club title Fiba Europe Cup, only 400 fans showed up while innocent bystanders were wondering who the tall dudes up on the balcony who were celebrating as hard like little kids who had been told school had been cancelled for a whole year. Who cares how many people show up, because a title is a title and for both clubs to come together one season and win a title together is dream material. When you have a club like FC Bayern Munich dominating football, then dreaming is always the norm for any other club. It might not have occurred to each Fraport Skyliner fan on the day of the do or die game against the big mighty FC Bayern Munich that there could have been the possibility that within 48 hours the cosmopolitan city Frankfurt could have two historic wins against Germany´s most famous sports team from Bavaria in basketball and football as on Saturday was the German cup final where Eintracht Frankfurt had surprisingly reached the final for the second consecutive year. But dreaming in this sense is a better choice than actual reality occurring because the odds of something like that happening was more likely than pigs flying over the Fraport arena and Lebron James joining them. Ok Lebron is the best player on the planet and can do the most amazing things, but in all respect to the king, let´s keep Michael Jordan doing the flying to the rim, because he was the first one to really make flying basketball acceptable. Granted it would not have been a title for the Fraport Skyliners had they been victorious in Munich in game five and been only the ticket to the BBL semi-final and a clash with the next annoying opponent Brose Bamberg, but anytime you beat FC Bayern Munich, it has to always feel like something extremely special almost like celebrating a holiday. All the Fraport Skyliners had to have done was win game five, because Eintracht Frankfurt did the seemingly impossible in Berlin beating FC Bayern Munich 3-1, so at least Frankfurt will be celebrating for weeks after that. The Fraport Skyliners came a lot farther than most expected forcing FC Bayern Munich to five games and pulling off two wins in a row something they had never done before against them. It was another interesting season for the Fraport Skyliners with many highs and lows, but in the end their instant high against FC Bayern Munich was brutally brushed off by the Bavarian squad as they ended Frankfurt´s season with two swift blows in game four and game five. The fantastic and magical Fraport Skyliners fairytale playoff run was fun, but unrewarded.

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