Matt Reid (Artland Dragons) Confidence Is Always Good But Too Much Can Be Deadly

Matt Reid is a 33 year old 185cm guard that hast he German/American citzenship and is playing his tenth professional season and first with the Artland Dragons. He started his career with Cerritos JC (NJCAA) and then played two seasons with Cameron (NCAA2) and as a senior played 26 games averaging  20.2ppg, 5.4rpg, 3.3apg, 2.2spg, FGP: 46.1%, 3TP: 36.0%, FT: 81.0%. He turned professional in 2007 and played for the Schwelmer Baskets (Germany-Regionalliga).He then played two seasons with Saarlouis before moving to SC Rasta Vechta where he played from 2010-2012. He then gained further experience with RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf (Germany-ProB) and Herten(Pro B). He returned back to SC Rasta Vechta in 2014 where he played two more seasons before moving to Artland this season. He spoke to German Hoops after the big 91-82 win against Stahnsdorf.

Matt thanks for talking to German Hoops 2017 had come and we are already in February. Did you make any new years resolutions or are you more the type of guy that doesn´t bother with that?

My New Years resolution is to just stick to the plan and stay focused on helping our team reach our goal this season and win a championship.

Congrats on the 91-82 win against Stahnsdorf sweeping the season series. How much was the 77-73 win in your minds as the game started? Did the team know how important it was to take this team seriously?

We knew that it would not be an easy game to win, both teams season statistics match up almost exactly alike and I think it just came down to effort and the willingness to win the game. The next 4 games are extremely important for us to win to get the number 1 seed going into playoffs and I’m confident in our team to reach this goal. We worked hard all season to put ourselves in this position but right now we are only focused on our next opponent Bochum that has not lost a home game all season so far.

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Mike Morrison Explodes For 35 Owning The Paint Leading The Fraport Skyliners To 90-80 Champions League Win Over Pinar Karsiyaka

Many Boston Celtic fans will remember the date May 22nd 1988 probably not as much as February 5th, 2017 like New England Patriots fans, but for AJ English senior who had finished his sophomore season at Virginia Union might have caught the legendary playoff game between the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks where Boston won 118-116. Fans witnessed the fourth quarter sniper attack between legends Larry Bird and Dominque Wilkins who combined for 34 points. It was a display of scoring magic and abilities that would never be repeated again between two players in such an important setting, but amazing individual scoring masterpieces have been on the menu currently in the NBA as Isaiah Thomas can soon warrant a patent on fourth quarter magic while guys like Lebron James and Steph Curry do it on a regular basis. These feats do happen in European basketball, but not as frequently, but last weekend it happened in Munich as AJ English´s potent scoring was lost in the aftermath of an embarrassing 95-70 Fraport Skyliners loss. English eclipsed the 20 points of Bird form 1988 and scored all of his teams 22 points in the fourth quarter like a slithering snake waiting to bite every time he got the ball and the only thing missing was having an opponent who also shot out the lights on a regular basis like he did. This shooting performance probably won´t be remembered very long simply because it wasn´t a close game, but English surely won´t forget that he got his first loss in a Fraport Skyliners jersey as he had been perfect 8-0 going into the contest. However, English was able to go into the Champions League playoffs against Pinar Karsiyaka with confidence as he was still perfect in this competition at 4-0 and had scored in double figures in each game averaging 17,3ppg, 4,0rpg and 2,5apg. English was looking to have his slithering snake instincts again for the basket and stayed perfect in the competition and scored in double figures again with 10 points, but this night belonged to a player that isn´t known for his scoring power, but Mike Morrison exploded owning the paint and scored a career high 35 points eclipsing his two other best marks of 28 points in Finland and Cyprus leading the Fraport Skyliners to an important 90-80 win over Pinar Karsiyaka. The big man always plays with a lot of energy, but on this night, he was a man playing against boys in the paint as it was his own domain. After the big win, Morrison was surrounded by a swarm of journalists, but the big man from St Petersburg, Florida handled the hoopla with grace and as always had an eloquent tongue while describing his unexpected burst of scoring. “My teammates did a good job on the pick and roll finding me a lot. I am focused on being consistent and not getting caught up with the highs and the lows”, smiled ex George Mason center Mike Morrison. Morrison finished with 35 points, seven rebounds, three assists and shot at a very high rate at 88% going 15/17. For his teammates of many years like Quantez Robertson, having a big game like this wasn´t surprising. “Mike had a very good week of practice and he is always very motivated to play. Tonight we got him going early and it carried all the way until the end. He got some easy put back dunks and moved well on the blocks to get into good position to score”, added ex Auburn guard Quantez Robertson. For new Skyliner scoring sensation from Iona AJ English seeing the big man own the paint all night long also wasn´t surprising as he has seen in a short time what he can do on the floor. “Mike is more than capable to have nights like this. I think that they were focusing more on our guards, so coach told us to go inside to Mike more. I think that he belongs in the NBA”, smiled AJ English. Even his ex teammates were thinking about him and had to get their two cents worth of jokes in. “Mike was a beast tonight. Aaron Doornekamp called me two minutes after the game was over and asked me if Mike Morrison´s stats were correct”, added Fraport Skyliners head coach Gordon Herbert.

The Fraport Skyliners will return back to Turkey in two weeks and try to wrap up the playoffs series not allowing Pinar Karsiyaka of scoring more than ten points. The Fraport Skyliners played a solid first half, but had their problems with keeping the Turkish team under wraps as they were able to get too many easy baskets and bitter turnovers also didn´t help their game. However in the second half, they picked up their defense and got more support on the offensive end keeping up their consistency despite Pinar Karsiyaka getting a potent effort from American guard J´ Covan Brown dropping 29 points.

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Mateusz Ponitka (Pinar Karsiyaka) I Am At The Beginning Of My Career And Will Do My Best To Be Remembered

Mateusz Ponitka is a 23 year old 196cm guard that is playing his first season for Pinar Karsiyaka SK Izmir (Turkey-BSL). He started his basketball career in 2008 with Kasprowiczanka Ostrow Wlk. He then played three seasons with Tempcold AZS Politechnika Warszawa (1Liga). In the 2012-2013 season he made the jump to Asseco Prokom Gdynia (PLK): 34 games: 8.7ppg, 4.2rpg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 27.2%, FT: 70.7%; Euroleague: 10 games: 8.8ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.0spg, FGP: 61.0%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 38.1%. He then played two seasons with Telenet BC Oostende (Belgium-Scooore League). Last season he played for Stelmet Zielona Gora (TBL): 41 games: 10.5ppg, 5.2rpg, 2.7apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 61.8%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 76.1%; Euroleague: 10 games: 12.0ppg, Reb-3(7.9rpg), 2.2apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 57.7%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 67.6%; Eurocup: 10 games: 13.5ppg, 6.5rpg, 2.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 47.6%, FT: 69.4%. Last simmer he took part at the NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas (Denver Nuggets): 4 games: 2.5ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.3spg. The Polish player spoke to German Hoops before the Champions league game against the Fraport Skyliners, but is injured and didn´t make the trip.

Mateusz thanks for talking to German HoopsThis is now the third interview that your giving for the site after giving one two years ago when you were playing in Belgium and last summer when you were playing for the Polish national team. How is basketball life for you currently?

Life in total is good. I came to Turkey straight after Eurobasket Qualification and now its already 6 months I am here. Its really nice in Izmir. It’s a beautiful city with a lot of great places to visit. Basketball wise we have good team which can compete with anybody in the Turkish League and in Champions League. I got my role in the team so I am also happy about it. Fans are amazing ! Making great atmosphere during the games and supporting us everywhere we go. Club is well organized which is also very important.

2017 is here and one month has already passed. Did you set any new years resolutions for yourself or are you the type of guy that doesn´t bother with that?

No, its not my thing I guess. I prefer sticking to my plans which have been made years ago and from time to time do something spontaneously. No new year resolutions.

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Joey King (Joensuun Kataja Basket) My Ability To Rebound And Have The Game Slow Down Will Come With Experience

Joey King is a 23 year old 206cm forward from Eagan, Minnesota playing his rookie season with  Joensuun Kataja Basket (Finland-Korisliiga). He started his basketball career at Drake (NCAA) playing 32 games averaging 6.9ppg, 2.9rpg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 34.7%, FT: 80.4%. He then moved to Minnesota (NCAA) where he played form 2013-2016 playing a total of 99 NCAA games and as a senior played 29 games averaging 11.6ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 44.9%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 88.6%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Fiba Europe Cup game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn.

Joey thanks for talking to German Hoops. You are a rookie form Minnesota playing for Joensuun Kataja Basket (Finland-Korisliiga). Despite coming from Minnesota where your used to hard cold winters, have you experienced anything in Finland this winter that has topped what you had seen your whole life in Minnesota in terms of hard winters?

I have been very comfortable in Finland so far, it does remind me a lot of Minnesota.

Joensuun Kataja Basket (Finland-Korisliiga) finished the Basketball Champions with a record of 7-7, but didn´t advance and got bumped down to the Fiba Europe Cup. How disappointing was not qualifying. You played some very good basketball having a three game winning streak beating Le Mans twice as well as teams like Avtordor, Pinar and Macabbi Rishon?

We got off to a great start in the champions league but injuries led to a lack of depth that we struggled to overcome. There is no doubt it is easy to be mentally prepared when matching up with teams like Le Mans Sarthe and Pinar Karsiyaka, but it is important that we begin to take care of business in our domestic league as well.

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No Early Valentines Day On Viktor Frankl-Maus´s Mind As He Slams Dagger Into TG s.Oliver Wurzburg´s Hearts Leading the Dragons Rhondorf To 84-77 Win

The expressions on the faces of the players of the Dragons Rhondorf and TG s.Oliver Wurzburg were like night and day last weekend as the two teams fighting for the right to play in the playoffs continued with the Dragons Rhondorf losing a bitter game in Frankfurt while the Bavarian team Wurzburg slapped the top ranked team PS Karlsruhe. After the 91-82 loss in Frankfurt, Rhondorf beast Aaron Nelson was lying on the floor in front of his own bench feeling as worn out as a antelope who has been chased around and beaten all day long by cheetah´s in the jungle. Nelson had had another typical day at the office scoring 33 points and securing nine rebounds, but still lost on the road in Frankfurt. About 120 kilometers away TG s.Oliver Wurzburg were having a serious slugfest with the top ranked Pro B team PS Karlsruhe and somehow managed a 89-86 win where they took apart the leagues number one defense scoring 53 points in the first half. In the fourth quarter, they showed real heart and discipline withstanding all PS Karlsruhe comebacks never letting them get the lead back and also showed their German consistency as they had the majority of the load scoring most points as the American tandem of Barksdale and Sanford produced only one bucket. Both teams need wins as the season is winding down with a month left and both teams are fighting for a playoff place as both have 14 points and identical 7-10 records, but Rhondorf currently has the eighth and last playoff spot while Wurzburg was in ninth place. The Dragons Rhondorf won the first meeting of the season on the road 81-71 as they had their problems rebounding and taking care of the ball, but the fact that Wurzburg connected only on two tries from downtown sealed their fate. TG s.Oliver Wurzburg took the court in Rhondorf wanting revenge for their loss at home while the Dragons wanted to take advantage of their home court and fans saw an exciting basketball game that was filled with runs and a massive comeback by the Bavarian team, but the home team Dragons Rhondorf had nerves of steel in crunch-time overcoming TG s.Oliver Wurzburg 84-77.

http://sportdeutschland.tv/play/87271310c6c1013431af7054d2ab776f

After the win, a thrilled Mike Lucier who hit the last four free throws of the game explained the secret to sweeping TG s.Oliver Wurzburg. “We both needed the win and we knew that they would come out and play well. They fought well and made a nice run at the end, but we did a good job not losing control and closing out the game strong. Viktor Frankl-Maus was huge at the end, getting the steal, basket and making the no look pass to Wendeler for the basket. He has been doing it all season long and we can always count on him when he has the ball in his hands”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf forward Mike Lucier. After the contest a disappointed Vincent Sanford was trying to analyze why they lost and also found some positives. “We had problems executing and finishing around the basket. We didn´t do a good job handling their runs and had bad phases on defense. I thought we played defense as hard as we could and did a pretty good job on Aaron Nelson”, stressed ex Georgetown guard Vincent Sanford. “This was a super win and I am very happy. We had some dumb mistakes, but tomorrow nobody will remember that. It was important that we won and stayed together without Aaron Nelson who left the game hurt”, stressed Dragons Rhondorf CEO Boris Kaminski.

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Blake Justice (Licher Basket Baeren) My Shooting Ability Has Led To A Lot Of My Success In Basketball

Blake Justice is a 24 year old 191cm guard playing his rookie season with the Licher Basket Baeren (Germany-ProB). He started his basketball career with  Akron (NCAA) playing 6 games. In 2013-2014, he moved to Valdosta St. (NCAA2) playing 28 games averaging 13.0ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.5apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 38.5%, 3PT: 31.9%, FT: 83.3%. In his junior season he played 16 games averaging 12.8ppg, 2.9rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 36.5%, FT: 83.3%. As a senior he played  28 games averaging 15.8ppg, 3.6rpg, 2.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 44.5%, 3PT: 39.3%, FT: 79.3%. He spoke to German Hoops recently when he arrived in Germany to start his professional career with Lich.

Blake thanks for talking to German Hoops. Welcome to Germany. What has been your first impression of the country?

At first it took a little to adjust, but it’s been nice. Germany is a pretty country and each city I have been in has been really nice.

What did you know about the basketball in Germany besides that Dirk Nowitzki and Dennis Schroeder are both playing in the NBA right now?

I’ve had always been told that Germany as a whole had good basketball. I knew guys were known for their ability to shoot along with high IQ players. Of course Dirk is a legend that everyone knows and Schroeder is starting to make a big name for himself as well.

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Vincent Sanford (TG s.Oliver Wurzburg) We Are A Group Of Guys That Are Very Hungry And Have A Lot To Prove

Vincent Sanford is a 26 year old 190cm guard from Lexington, Kentucky playing his third professional season and first with TG s.Oliver Wuerzburg (Germany-ProB). Last season he played with Barrancabermeja Ciudad Futuro (Colombia-Liga DirecTV)Liga DirecTV-1 playing 20 games: 14.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 3.0apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT-2(42.9%), FT: 76.8%. He started his basketball career with Georgetown (NCAA) in 2009 where he played until 2011 playing 54 NCAA games. He then played two years at Dayton (NCAA) playing 68 NCAA games and as a senior played 37 games: 9.6ppg, 2.7rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 44.8%, 3PT: 30.2%, FT: 69.8%. As a rookie, he played for Thor Thorl (Iceland-Dominos League): 13 games: 22.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.1apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 73.0%. He spoke to German Hoops after the huge 89-86 win against PS Karlsruhe.

Vincent thanks for talking to German Hoops. 2017 is here and did you set any new years resolutions or are you the type of guy that doesn´t really put too much focus on setting those type of goals?
Our main goal is to get in a good spot to make the playoffs, and play in the post season.

Congrats on the huge 89-86 win against PS Karlsruhe. How proud are you of the guys for getting the victory against the first place team in the Pro B south?

Definitely proud, we are beginning to find our stride as a team which is very pivotal at this time being the last few games in the season.

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Seth Hinrichs (Kirchheim Knights) Playing A Full 24 Seconds Will Need To Be Our Focus Moving Forward

Seth Hinrichs is a 23 year old 203cm guard from Clara City, Minnesota that is playing his second professional season in the German Pro A with the Kirchheim Knights. Last season as a rookie he played for FC Porto (Portugal-LPB): 20 games: 8.7ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 20.7%, FT: 79.1%; FIBA Europe Cup: 6 games: 6.7ppg, 3.2rpg, FGP: 64.7%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 83.3%. He played at Lafayette (NCAA) from 2011-2015 graduating from Lafayette as the all-time leader in 3PG % in Patriot League history. As a senior he played 32 games averaging 12.9ppg, 5.8rpg, 2.6apg, FGP: 55.5%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 83.1%. He spoke to German Hoops after the incredible 93-90 OT win against Gotha.

Seth welcome back. You were out for a month and now are back. Was that the most basketball time that you had missed since your injury as a junior at Lafayette(NCAA)?

Thanks Miles I appreciate that it’s good to be back. I actually broke my foot last year and missed the last three months of the season unfortunately.

How tough was it not playing and missing three games? One could be mean and say the team didn´t need you in the three game winning streak, but seriously how proud are you of the team continuing to win despite your absence?

 It was tough to miss those games but I was glad we were winning. It would’ve been a lot worse had we lost those games. We had a rough stretch in December losing all four games so it’s nice to be back on a winning streak and be back out there playing.

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Marcellus Barksdale (TG s.Oliver Wurzburg) Defensively We Have A Chance To Really Lock Teams Down

Marcellus Barksdale is a 23 year old 196cm guard from Lexington, Kentucky that is playing his first professional season in Germany with TG s.Oliver Wuerzburg (Germany-ProB) and will start his professional career against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors. 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 after the big 89-86 victory against PS Karlsruhe. 

Marcellus thanks for talking to German Hoops 2017 is here and did you set any new years resolutions or are you the type of guy that doesn´t really put too much focus on setting those type of goals?

New Year resolutions are always a personal focus for me. I use them as a tool for personal growth. On the court, my formula never really changes. It has always been fueled by hard work individually and doing everything I can to add value to my team and teammates.

Congrats on the huge 89-86 win against PS Karlsruhe. How proud are you of the guys for getting the victory against the first place team in the Pro B south?

It was a huge win for us! Hopefully the momentum from this win will help carry us to a strong finish for the rest of the season.

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AJ English Is A Slithering Snake That Isn´t The Saviour Of The Fraport Skyliners, But Just Another Piece To The Puzzle

From November 2014 until October 2016, the Fraport Skyliners were able to have a very stable time in that there was little roster movement as head coach Gordon Herbert had brought in the right mix of players which translated into a Eurochallenge Final 4 appearance, Fiba Europe Cup title and two BBL playoff appearances in a row. In this time, the club had grown massively with their team chemistry as the two point guards Justin Cobbs and Jordan Theodore as well as the big German 3 of Johannes Voigtmann, Danilo Barthel and Konstantin Klein were the main components that held the team together and in a way guaranteed success. However this season was another story as suddenly head coach Gordon Herbert who has been known for reeling in the right point guards in the last years with guys like Dashaun Wood, Justin Cobbs and Jordan Theodore was dealt the wrong card in Markel Starks who had to depart early as another American Kwame Vaughn was brought in. Overall players coming and goings continued to be as prevalent the way new American President Trump has fired cabinet employees in his first two weeks of office as ex Maryland(NCAA) forward Ekene Ibekwe and buzzer beater champion Antonio Graves had to pack their bags. On December 11th, the Fraport Skyliners were sinking quickly in the standings after a  brutal 77-57 loss against FC Bayern Munich at home and head coach Gordon Herbert had 10 long days to figure something out until the next game in the Champions League against Slovenian team Helios. Herbert had some candidates to choose from and also heard the same normal bla bla from agents telling how great their clients were and in the end chose AJ English who like Justin Cobbs two years ago was also a rookie and known to having shot out the lights at Iona(NCAA).Ex Skyliner Sean Armand surely didn´t play a role in helping make Herbert´s appetite grow for his ex teammate and the 2004 BBL champion decided to haul in English and one could carefully say the rest is history for the time being. English very much like Cobbs two years ago has been Veni, Vidi Vici as he has come seen and conquered. Since the arrival of English, he has been nothing short of spectacular helping the team to an 8-0 record and helped move to the Champions League playoffs and has scored in double figures in each game, made a buzzer beater and in the lone game Frankfurt lost in Oldenburg, he was unable to play. During the Pro B game of Fraport Skyliners farm team Juniors against the Dragons Rhondorf where the BBL players often watch and support when they have time, English was able to deny in his soft voice that he is the savior for the team. “I don´t believe that I am the savior, but just another piece to the puzzle. You need to have the right pieces for success. The team just has been meshing together in the time that I have been here”, warned AJ English.

English is a 24 year old 192cm combo guard from Middletown, Delaware who is the son of ex NBA player AJ English who played for the Washington Bullets from 1990-1992 and is playing his rookie season and started his professional career in Italy with Enel Basket Brindisi (Italy-Serie A) playing 8 games averaging 7.9ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.6apg, 1.1spg, 2FGP: 38.7%, 3FGP: 25.0%, FT: 75.0%. In his time there, the team went 4-4 and decided to make changes. The club had talented rookie Nicolas Moore who had a stellar career at SMU(NCAA) and was also on the radar of some NBA teams and also experienced 33 year old guard Phil Goss who has made a name for himself in Italy having played in Rome and Venice and English seemed to have gotten lost a bit in the mix and found himself unemployed in mid December. In his eight games with Enel Basket Brindisi, he was able to score in double figures in three games including 15 point games against Brescia and VF Pescaro. He started his professional career against Dolomiti with a 0/6 performance from the Parking lot, and was never able to fully gain a rhythm with his bread and butter as he shot only 32% from outside. Despite only being with Enei Basket Brindisi for a short time, the American didn´t see his departure as one that was due to poor play. “I didn´t necessarily have to go, but I had just come out of school and they wanted me to play a certain role. I can play the positions 1-3. They wanted me to play one position like you see in the NBA where guys are signed for one particular strength. I guess I wasn´t ready for that role, but I am happy that Frankfurt took me and saw me as a point guard, but also a guy that can also play the two position”, commented ex Iona(NCAA) guard AJ English.

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