Byron Sanford is a 183cm guard from Louisville, Kentucky that is playing his professional season in Germany with BBC Coburg. He played at Trevecca Naz. (NCAA2) and really excelled in his last two seasons as a junior he played 17 games averaging17.2ppg, 6.5rpg, 4.2apg, Steals-3(2.9spg), FGP: 55.5%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 72.0%. In his senior year at Trevecca Naz. (NCAA2) he played 32 games averaging 18.4ppg, 7.6rpg, 4.2apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 39.1%, FT: 69.5%. He was the G-MAC Player of the Year in 2016. He spoke to German Hoops earlier in the summer about basketball.
Byron thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?
I just got to Coburg Germany and getting adjusted now. My summer was great!!! Long and hard but it will pay off. I was ery competitive working and playing with all the pros from Louisville (Kentucky)
Congrats on signing with German Pro B team BBC Coburg. How thrilled are you about being able to call yourself a professional basketball player?
Thank you I appreciate it. It’s a major blessing to be a professional athlete and part of the BBC Coburg organization. I dream I have prayed and worked for is now reality so it’s a great feeling. I am happy but nowhere near satisfied.
You will be taking your talents to BBC Coburg. What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball?
I know basketball in Germany is a growing sport year by year. I am glad to be a part of the growing process of basketball in Germany. Also I think Germany will be a great country to adjust in since it has some similarities to the States. I have had friends play in Germany and most have all had great experiences.
It seemed like ages ago when the Fraport Skyliners Juniors last played an official Pro B home game as one has to go back more than six months ago where they actually beat Lok Bernau 76-61, but didn´t return back home as they were unable to move on in the playoffs as they were manhandled 88-59 in the do or die game in Bernau thus ending their season. The loss in Bernau also happened to be the last games for some key players last season as sniper sharp shooter Travis Thompson went east to the Dresden Titans getting a more lucrative offer and will face his ex-team twice this season, Stefan Ilzhoefer was unable to make his breakthrough in the BBL with the Fraport Skyliners and moved south west to the Gladiators Trier and will attempt his mission back to the BBL with a strong pro A season, Rilwan Bakare went back home to Chicago and is waiting by the phone for his next opportunity and the team identity figure Tim Oldenburg who had been with the club since 2010 and gotten a few minutes in the BBL, Eurochallenge and Fiba Europe Cup decided to hang up his jersey and retire to focus on his other career on the German police force. With the new season started, there were some new faces that fans had to get used as Isaac Bonga was still on board as he is continuing to develop into a top basketball professional, but some new faces included Richard Freudenberg who had won the 2015 NBBL title against Frankfurt with FC Bayern Munich and won MVP hitting his future team for 24 points and played 2 BBL games with the Bavarian side and last season had an uneventful season in the NCAA with St Johns as the club was stocked with too many shooters thus keeping him at the end of the bench. Another new face was American rookie Alex Fountain who takes the place of Bakare in the front court and played 104 NCAA games at Houston Baptist (NCAA) and as a senior averaged 7.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 37.3%, FT: 73.2%.Fountain didn´t suit up because he hadn´t been cleared to play by the league yet. Another new face was club Giessen who took the place of Lich who closed up shop and now is the official new farm team of BBL club Giessen 46ers. With some Fraport Skyliners like Quantez Robertson, Shawn Huff and Philip Scrubb on hand on break from a practice session gave support and witnessed a very entertaining season opener that showcased a tale of two halves as Frankfurt controlled the first half and then fell apart in the second half as Giessen stormed back winning 69-66 with great team defense. After the victory, Pro B rookie and ex Sacramento St. (NCAA) forward Nick Hornsby was all smiles after his monster game scoring 12 points, hauling down 10 boards, dishing out five assists and getting three steals. “We played aggressive and together and played with a lot of intensity and exceled at what we knew we were good at. We executed very well in the second half”, stressed Giessen rookie Nick Hornsby. For Frankfurt newbie and German veteran Tobias Jahn who played for teams like Hanau, Langen and Ehingen and spent 5 years in California in the NCAA2 with Cal Poly Pomona found some time to reflect why they were unable to play better in the second half. “This was our first time together tonight. We literally had our photo shooting and then our first game. We played ok in the first half, but in the second half us not knowing each other showed. We had many open three´s in the first half, but none more in the second half. When they figured us out in the second half, we were unable to find a solution. We didn´t collapse, but Giessen did a good job taking away our strengths and we didn´t find right decisions”, warned Tobias Jahn.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing Giessen forward Nick Hornsby who made his professional debut netting 12 points, hauling down 10 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists and getting three steals.
The Fraport Skyliners Juniors didn´t waste any time in the first quarter jumping all over Giessen going out on a quick 11-2 lead.
Justin Gray is a 33 year old 188cm guard from Charlotte, North Carolina that is playing his 12th professional season and first with U-Banca Transilvania Cluj Napoca (Romania-Liga Nationala). He is versatile enough to excel at point guard as well as big guard. An enthusiastic, high-energy guard who brings a swagger to the team. Gray is one of the team’s vocal leaders, possesses great quickness, and is an exceptional perimeter shooter. He started his basketball career at Wake Forest where he played with NBA superstar Chris Paul. Gray played at Wake Forest from 2002-2006 and in his senior year played 33 games: ScoreACC-4(18.2ppg), 3.6rpg, AssistsACC-5(4.3apg), 1.0spg, FGP: 36.7%, 3PTACC-4(36.1%), FTACC-5(83.4%): Finished career ranked 8th in Wake Forest history in scoring (1,946 points), 1st in three-point attempts (860), 2nd in three-point field goals (319) and 8th in assists (382). His 319 career three-point field goals are 7th best in ACC history. In 2006-2007, he started his professional basketball career and in 11 seasons has been the ultimate basketball globetrotter as he played in 13 countries like Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Greece, Ukraine, China, Germany, France, Turkey, Lebanon, Bulgaria and Belarus. He won two titles with CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL) and three titles with Tsmoki-Minsk (Belarus-Premier League). Six years after last having played in Germany with the Fraport Skyliners, he sat down with German Hoops before a Champions League qualifying game in Ludwigsburg.
Justin thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome back to Germany. You are in Ludwigsburg preparing for a Champions League qualifying game. You never played against the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. How excited are you to be back in Germany?
I am excited to be back in Germany. I had a good start with the Fraport Skyliners in 2011, but then got injured. I remember Germany as being a place where I was always treated well and fans were always in the arena´s. I am happy to play against Ludwigsburg tonight. It´s another new adventure.
It has been six years since you last played for a German club the Fraport Skyliners. Since then you have played in eight countries for eight teams. Before you landed in Frankfurt you had already played for seven teams in four countries. Do you feel like a basketball globetrotter at times?
Yeh you could say that. But nowadays it isn´t so typical for a player to be in one place for a long time. I am blessed that I have received so many opportunities from so many clubs in different countries. Teams wanting me is a testament to my skill and staying healthy. I will just continue to do what I do and hope teams continue to call my number.
Joey Jenkins is a 33 year old 198cm forward that has waited a long time to get to Europe which he did in 2014 playing for the Westfallen Mustangs of the Oberliga and Paderborn and continued to playin Italy and for the Missouri Quake (CBDL). He played college basketball with Evangel University (NAIA) and Oklahoma Wesleyan (NAIA). As a professional he has played in the minor leagues in the States with teams like the Gastonia Gamers (WBA) or Springfield Thrill (UBL). In an unreleased interview in 2015 the American told his fascinating story to German Hoops about his basketball life in 2015.
Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?
I am back in Springfield, Missouri for the moment after just returning from Germany a couple weeks ago. I came into the summer season very hopeful and optimistic about getting picked up by a club in Europe, mainly because of all the hard work I have put in and now with some experience in Europe the last few seasons, I feel my game is well-suited for the European style of play regardless of what position I play.
Sometimes the beauty of where a basketball player is able to call his athletic and intellectual home for four years doesn´t change even when he moves on to the professional level. Not all players have that luxury of being able to go from class to class, from meal to meal and from practice to practice and have that combination of that urban feeling combined with that touch of nature that is lurking whenever one wants to forget about all the studying and exam stress coupled with the aches and pains of practice and just be able to get immersed with the bit of green that is present in Boston. Players that had to endure a 4 year stay at places like in the Bronx, New York where one can´t exactly feel comfortable with the nonending smell of filth or in other big cities like in Los Angeles with USC or Philadelphia with Temple didn´t have the grandeur of a Justin Alston who not only was able to taste the combination of city and nature for an extra year in that he had a university education for five years, but the beauty of his surroundings will continue as he embarks on his professional journey in Germany tonight. Alston played 5 years at Boston University from 2012-2017 and could be driving down Commonwealth avenue and witness the bustling student life on both sides of the street while always getting closer to the Prudential building which hovered on the horizon, but at the same time be a few minutes away from the pretty Charles river off Storrow Drive which is like a snake that weaves itself around the Boston area. Along the Charles river, the American could find a comfy spot and open a book while having a picturesque view of the Boston skyline while getting that last studying in for that next exam or just get lost for a few minutes with the next opponent Lehigh and try to figure out a way how to contain a Tim Kempton Jr well again. One could say his beauty of nature that he had in Boston will continue in his rookie season when he will be playing for the Romerstrom Gladiators in Trier. Alston will call a city home that like Boston is enriched with unending traditional history and is even older than Boston as it was founded by the Celts in the last 4th century BC and belongs to the oldest cities in Germany. It doesn´t match the population of Boston as only 104,000 people reside there, but the beauty of the Mosel river on which the small city lies on will bring back memories of the Charles river. When driving down Paulin street for the first time and passes the historic and breathtaking Porta Negra, he will remember some of the old landmarks in Boston and feel right at home.
Alston is a 23 year old 203cm forward that hails from Washington DC and just finished his basketball career at Boston University. He will play his rookie season in the German Pro A which is the second division, but a very respected and growing league that has produced some very good talent over the years and helped guys make the next step.
Kavin Gilder-Tilbury is a 201cm forward from Houston, Texas that is starting his professional basketball career in Germany with the RheinStars Cologne. He played at Texas St. (NCAA) from 2013-2017 playing a total of 128 games and as a senior played 36 games averaging 15.9ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 65.7%. He spoke to German Hoops earlier in the summer about Basketball.
Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been? Did you do anything out of the ordinary this summer?
I am currently in my home town Houston Texas. My summer has been good. I just been training all summer getting ready for the next level.
When you look back at your life, have there been more benefits to having the name Kavin than not? At least you have a unique name and it isn´t written Kevin which is a household name.
I haven’t had any benefits for having the name. But I definitely been told it was unique and different.
Congrats on signing with Pro A team RheinStars Cologne. How did you experience your first summer testing the transfer market. Did you notice just how competitive it is when there are so many players trying to land a job somewhere in the world?
It has been a new experience for me. I’ve been learning the process on how things go and what It takes to play at the next level. It’s all about working hard and waiting for an opportunity to present itself and also have the right people in your corner. That’s what I did to get to this point. It’s definitely been a competitive summer. Every work out or training session I’ve been to all the guys were competing making each other better which is the biggest goal.
What do you know in general about the country Germany and it´s basketball? Do you have any friends balling overseas?
I don’t really know much about German basketball. I’ve been told there is some competition there and if I work hard I would have a chance to show my talents.
Marcellus Barksdale is a 24 year old 196cm guard from Lexington, Kentucky that recently completed his first professional season in Germany with TG s.Oliver Wuerzburg (Germany-ProB) averaging 17,0ppg, 6,0rpg and 3,3apg.He played at IUPUI (NCAA) form 2011-2016 playing a total of 131 NCAA games. As a senior he played 31 games averaging 8.7ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 48.6%, 3PT: 28.1%, FT: 73.1%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
Marcellus thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?
I’m back home in Lexington, Kentucky. I’ve had a great summer spending time with my family and friends.
What was the coolist non basketball event that you did this summer that you hadn´t done before in your life?
I got the opportunity to fly to New York City this summer and work as a basketball choreographer for a basketball theatre musical called BOUNCE. It was by far the most random thing I’ve done in my life but I enjoyed working closely with talented actors and singers.
It´s September and teams around the globe are slowly filled and you are still unsigned. After playing your rookie season you must be extremely hungry to keep the basketball journey going. How tough is it for you at the moment sitting at home and waiting by the phone?
Surprisingly, it all feels very similar to last year for me. Last year I didn’t sign until the end of September so it feels normal. I just have faith that the right opportunity will come soon.
Dennis Clifford is a 25 year old 216cm center from Boston that is going into his second professional season and first in Germany with Alba Berlin. Last season as a rookie he played with the Santa Cruz Warriors (D-League) playing 38 games averaging 11.9ppg, 8.1rpg, 2.0apg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 59.2%, FT: 64.5%. He played at Boston College(NCAA) from 2011-2016 playing a total of 124 games and as a senior played 31 games averaging 9.9ppg, 7.3rpg, 1.3apg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 51.3%, 3PT: 9.1%, FT: 61.6%. He spoke to German Hoops earlier in the summer about Basketball.
Dennis thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?
At the moment I am in Boston. my summer has been great! I like being in Boston because that is where I workout and I also get to see my friends on the weekends.
Congrats on signing with top German team Alba Berlin. After a season in the D-League are you ready for a career in Europe or is the route back to the States and NBA still high on your list?
My dream ever since I picked up a basketball has always been to play in the NBA but having said that if the NBA doesn´t work out I would love to have a long and prosperous career in Germany.
You have signed with Germany´s second most winningest team Alba Berlin. What do you know about Germany and it´s basketball? Do you remember BC teammate Patrick Heckmann telling you about his homeland?
I have heard that the German BBL is one of the best leagues in the world so I am very excited to be a part of it! Pat Heckmann was my roommate in college so we would always talk trash about Germany vs America. haha but on a serious note he has told me a lot about Germany- how the people are very kind and they love their basketball! He also said the BBL is a very competitive league and has a lot of great players
Kevin Dillard is a 27 year old 183cm point guard from Chicago, Illinois that is playing his fifth professional season and first with PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece-A1). He started his basketball career at S Illinois in 2008 playing a total of 60 NCAA games. In 2010 he moved to Dayton and played 63 NCAA games in the period between 2011-2013 and as a senior played 31 games averaging 15.3ppg, 1.9rpg, 4.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 41.2%, 3PT: 39.6%, FT: 89.2%. He started his professional basketball career in 2013 with Novipiu Casale Monferrato (Italy-DNA Gold) playing 29 games averaging 15.7ppg, 3.2rpg, 3.9apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 35.2%, FT: 77.9%. In the 2014-2015 season he played with VEF Riga (Latvia-LBL) and in December 14 moved to Elan Bearnais Pau-Lacq-Orthez (France-ProA) playing 23 games averaging 11.8ppg, 2.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 47.9%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 78.9%. In the 2015-2016 season he started with Cholet Basket (France-ProA) and then moved to AS Apollon Patras (Greece-A1) playing 11 games averaging 18.6ppg, 4.6rpg, 4.0apg, 2FGP: 52.6%, 3FGP: 40.5%, FT: 89.7%, In Apr.’16 agreed terms with Port of Antwerp Giants (Belgium-Scooore League) playing 6 games averaging 16.2ppg, 4.8rpg, 4.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 56.5%, 3PT: 31.8%, FT: 88.9%. In the 2016-2017 season he started the season with Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir (Turkey-BSL) playing 9 games averaging 12.0ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.9apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 38.7%, 3FGP: 51.9%, FT: 81.8%; In the Basketball Champions League: he played 7 games averaging 7.6ppg, 3.3rpg, 4.7apg, 1.4spg, 2FGP: 42.4%, 3FGP: 37.5%, FT: 77.8%, In Jan.’17 he moved to the New Zealand Breakers (Australia-NBL) playing 9 games averaging 18.1ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.8apg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 46.1%, 3FGP: 38.2%, FT: 85.7%, In Feb.’17 signed at Maccabi Ashdod (Israel-Winner League) playing 13 games averaging 8.1ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.6apg, FGP: 45.5%, 3PT: 41.7%, FT: 58.8%. He spoke to German Hoops after the victory against Brose Bamberg in an exhibition meeting in Bayreuth.
Kevin thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome to Germany. It’s only September, but already so cold in Germany something you haven´t seen the last weeks in Greece. Does this weather remind you back of home in Illinois?
The weather in Germany did remind me of home. When I got off the plane my fellow American teammates were saying that this weather was more like it. In Greece it is sometimes too hot.
Your playing your fifth professional season and first with PAOK have never played a professional game in Germany. Your ex Dayton teammates Josh Parker, Vee Sanford and Matt Kavanaugh all played here. Did the country first become a topic for you with the emergence of Dennis Schroeder or did you know about it before?
I actually have played in Germany before. I think it was my second season and it was a qualifying game. All I really knew about the basketball in Germany is that it is very physical. They have a lot of very good physical bigs and a couple good guards.
I will quiz you now. You play so many games, but let´s see how good your memory is. In your junior season you beat Boston College 87-71 and you had 14 points. BC German Patrick Heckman had 13 points in 17 minutes. Do you remember him? He recently was a member of Team Germany at the 2017 European championships.
I have to be honest, but I didn´t remember him. He will have had to have done something remarkably good for me to have remembered him. I am so competitive that players in general are all the same to me.
Michael Smith is a 22 year old 193cm guard from California that is starting his professional career in Germany with the Crailsheim Merlins. He played at Cal.Baptist (NCAA2) from 2013-2017 and set the NCAA 2 on fire in his last two seasons as a junior he averaged 21.4ppg, 6.6rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 57.8%, 3PT: 36.3%, FT: 83.6%. In his senior year at Cal.Baptist (NCAA2) he played 25 games averaging 24.6ppg, 6.2rpg, 3.5apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 54.4%, 3PT: 39.4%, FT: 83.5%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
Michael thanks for talking to German Hoops. Your from San Francisco, went to school in Riverside and now your in Crailsheim. Has it been kind of a culture shock concerning the geography? What kind of early beauty have you been able to take from Germany?
It has definitely been some what of a culture shock dealing with the time change and the language barrier of living in Germany but over the past few weeks I have come accustomed to the living.
Your starting your professional basketball career in Germany in the pro A with the Crailsheim Merlins. You were a lethal scorer in the NCAA2 and had a work out with the Los Angeles Lakers. How did you land with the Crailsheim Merlins? Did you get any advice from German teammate Kalidou Diouf?
I was able to land the job through the help of my agent Scott Nichols.
How did you experience your first summer transfer period coming from school. I can imagine that many professional teams were enticed by your scoring like from a team in Mexico where you had an offer. What was the deciding factor that made you chose the Crailsheim Merlins? The deciding factor for me picking the Crailsheim Merlins was the type of culture that the organization presented. They are hard working and family based team. I also wanted to make sure that I started my career on a team that is fighting for a championship and with the Merlins I believe that we can do something special this season.
German Hoops 