Timajh Parker Rivera(Lok Bernau) I Am Very Selective With My Shots And Will Be More Aggressive As The Season Continues

Timajh Parker Rivera is a 22 year old 203cm forward from Milford, Conneticut playing his professional basketball career with SSV Lok Bernau. He played four years at Towson(NCAA) playing a total of 128 NCAA games and as a senior played 33 games averaging 6.5ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.2apg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 58.1%, FT: 50.4%. He spoke to German Hoops after the 85-76 win against SC Rist Wedel.

 

 

Timajh congrats on the big 85-76 win against SC Rist Wedel. The team is now 6-1, but could be 7-0. How much have you personally thought about that annoying three point loss some weeks ago against Rostock that cost you the perfect season thus far?

 

We do wish we could get that game back but our main focus is our next game.

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Jesse Sanders Brings That Certain Sweetness To The BG Goettingen Game

In the last years, 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goettingen had the special privilege of not only having a gifted point guard in Khalid El Amin who was still motoring the team to big wins and spicing up his stat line at age 36 proving that first impressions about his body stature didn´t mean that he wasn´t able of perform as well as the other top point guards in the BBL, but teammates surely also got their fair share dose of interesting NBA stories from back in the day where the 178cm American had his share of duty in 2000-2001. With El-Amin not back for a third tour of duty with BG Goettingen, the club had to react and find a suitable replacement and did with Jessie Sanders as he has taken on the challenge and has had to live up to the legacy that El-Amin has left in Goettingen. Sanders is a 27 year old 190cm point guard that is a big bodied point guard, technically sound, who has great court vision and has the mentality of a floor general. He may not have the spice and NBA stories of an El-Amin, but he brings a certain sweetness to the BG Goettingen game and if needed can scrape out a spec of NBA information if needed if asked and be able to give a brief history lesson about his home Sugar land and why it is called that as it was founded as a sugar plantation in the early mid-20th century and incorporated in 1959 and Sugar Land is home to the headquarters of Imperial Sugar, and the company’s main sugar refinary. A person may be able to get away mentally from texting for just a second when Sanders mentions that a Tracy Mcgrady or Robert Horry came from his town, but then again when  he mentions the name Hakeem Olajuwon, a person may even shut off their phone and listen intensely with sparkle in their eyes, the same way a person would sway in interest when a person shouts barracuda to shark on a full beach on Long Island on the fourth of July weekend. “I was a huge fan of them growing up! I work out at Lifetime Fitness in Sugar Land and from time to time Hakeem will be in there. We got him to play 3 on 3 with us last summer and he was still killing it”, stressed Jessie Sanders. Sanders played his college ball at Liberty (NCAA) and was the third best assist maker in the NCAA in 2012 averaging 8,0 and is playing his fifth professional season. He brought a lot of experience to BG Goettingen having played in Italy, Australia, and Belgium before coming to Germany last season to play for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen. He came to Goettingen with a big chip on his shoulder as his season was cut short in Tuebingen as injury limited him to 16 games where he averaged 5.0ppg, 2.3rpg, 3.6apg. This season the American who lists Steve Nash as his all-time favorite player and always watched how he pushed the ball in transition and created in the lane has adapted well to the BG Goettingen system and  has run the team well as it is in some way still finding it´s rhythm, but he is averaging 9,1ppg,  2,5rpg and 5,1apg. He played a big part in the big 74-71 win against Lidwigsburg powering home 16 points, but has been in a little of a rut in the last weeks as he has coughed up the ball 12 times in the last three games perhaps over forcing a bit at times, but his playmaking has stilll been solid as he is averaging 5,0apg and still having good shot selection as he is shooting 60% from the field in this span. With the arrival of experienced Alex Ruoff, BG Goettingen who is a great all around player back as well as extra talented creator who is averaging 6,7apg. Ruoff is definitely a player that not only will spice up the BG Goettingen offense, but a player that Sanders will feed off nicely and who Ruoff will make better with his keen basketball IQ. This is a breakout season for Sanders and so far he has been producing nicely and once the team chemistry continues to gel, Sanders might just reach his first post season and have to delay the visit back to Sugar Land next summer to see if Olajuwon is still unbeatable on the court at age of 53.

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Eugene Harris(Hebeisen White Wings) Consistency Comes With Preparation So We Have To Continue To Get Better Everyday

Eugene Harris is a 29 year old 193cm point guard from Pittsburgh and is playing his sixth professional season and first in Germany with the Hebeisen White Wings Hanau. Last season he played for Siarka Tarnobrzeg (Poland-TBL): 13 games: 6.9ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2FGP: 32.6%, 3FGP: 25.4%, left in Jan.’16, later that month moved to KTE-Duna Aszfalt (Hungary-A Division): 11 games: 6.4ppg, 1.4rpg, 2.3apg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 28.3%, FT: 75.0%. He started his basketball career in 2006 with  High Point (NCAA) where he played until 2010 playing a total of 121 NCAA games. As a senior he played 30 games averaging 14.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 2.0apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 38.7%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 87.5%.In his first five professional seasons, he has gained vast experience having played in countries like Lithuania, Georgia, Cyprus, Macedonia, and Ukraine. He spoke to German Hoops after the big 70-66 win against Nurnberg.

 

 

 

Eugene congrats on the huge 70-66 win on the road in Nurnberg. How good is basketball life for you at the moment?

Thank you ,It’s always good to get a win on the road in a tough environment and our team responded well. We will enjoy this and then refocus on what’s ahead.

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Brandon Shingles(I’ve Made A Career Out Of Being A Well-Rounded Player)

Brandon Shingles is a 28 year old 190cm guard from Albany, Georgia that currently is at home waiting by the phone for a job. Last season he played for the UNI-Riesen Leipzig playing 23 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 4.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 62.1%, 3PT: 18.2%, FT: 67.2% He started his basketball career at Morehead St. (NCAA) and as a senior played 32 games: 4.8ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.8apg, 1.5spg. In 2010 he started his professional basketball career at  Aschersleben Tigers BC (Germany-2.Regionalliga) playing  15 games: 14.5ppg. He led the team to the Regionaliga 2 title. In the 2011-2012 season he played for Guildford Heat (United Kingdom-BBL) playing  6 games: 7.5ppg, 4.8rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 57.1%, FT: 31.3%; left in Nov.’11, then moved to BBC Febro Eagles Magdeburg (Germany-Regionalliga) playing  7 games: 16.1ppg, 7.1 rpg, 3.9apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 61.8%, FT: 63.0%. He then played for KB Drita Gjilan (Kosovo-SuperLeague) and three years ago for GBP Badajoz (Spain-EBA) playing 15 games: 15.5ppg, 8.3rpg, 3.6apg, 2.3spg, 2FGP: 60.8%, 3PT: 6.3%, FT: 57.3%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

 

Brandon thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how was your summer?

Summer was good with a lot of training and traveling. I also coached AAU in the summer. I’m currently an assistant coach at Taylor county high school.

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Mike Lucier (Dragons Rhondorf) I Try To Play Above The Rim And Get The Fans Into The Game

Mike Lucier is a 23 year old 201 cm forward from Forest,Ontario that is playing his rookie season in Germany with Pro B club Dragons Rhondorf. He played at Lambton (CCAA) from 2011-2016. As a junior he played 18 games games averaging  17.7ppg, 11.3rpg, 2.4apg, 1.1spg, 1.3bpg. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season and first impressions before the start of the regular season.

Mike thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

Hey Miles, right now I am in Bad Honnef getting ready to get our regular season started. My summer was pretty good, I spent a lot of time in the gym trying to prepare myself to take the next step in my basketball career.

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Ekene Ibekwe Leads The Fraport Skyliners Shutting Down Ex Team CEZ Nymburk 74-61 In Champions League

It  was seven months ago that American Eugene Lawrence suffered one of his worst BBL defeats of last season in Frankfurt, but at least the American from Brooklyn, New York who only has to travel 21 miles in the summer to get from his home to Englewood, New Jersey to pick the basketball brain of Champions League opponent Jordan Theodore or to trade secrets about best groomed bald heads and could still boast that his 37 point demolition against Bamberg was worse than the 78-48 loss at the hands of Theodore and the Fraport Skyliners last season. In that game, the Fraport Skyliners shared the ball around nicely while the Telekom Baskets Bonn had a cold shooting day and were totally outplayed and worn down by their stellar defense of last season. Lawrence matched the point total of Theodore with nine points, but dished out only one assist as his playmaking was severely flawed by the aggressive Frankfurt defense. Last season, losing was a habit for Lawrence with the Telekom Baskets Bonn, but this season he returned back to an old stomping ground with CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL) where he won his only two titles in 2012. In the Czech Republic NBL league, he has helped the team register a perfect 10-0 record and their only loss was in Champions league play against Banvit and Theodore last week 75-69. In that loss, Theodore was his usual self-supplying 15 points, six boards and seven assists while Lawrence countered with 11 points. If Lawrence had the audacity to inquire Theodore after the loss some questions about how to beat Frankfurt is unknown, but one thing is for sure, Lawrence returned back to Germany with a massive chip on his shoulder after being swept by the Fraport Skyliners last season and getting creamed in the Fraport arena by 30 big ones. However once again, Lawrence had no fortune in the ex living room of Theodore as a huge second half and comeback by the Fraport Skyliners where they outscored CEZ Nymburk 44-21 helped win their second Champions League game 74-61 moving to 2-2 in group play.

After the loss, Lawrence departed from the locker room sniffling a bit as his cold wasn´t unnoticeable and his mood wasn´t either as he was more than disappointed by how his team collapsed in the second half. “I think that the third quarter killed us. We had too many turnovers and missed layups all game long. On the road, you must always be cautious of everything. We gave Frankfurt the momentum in the third quarter and it carried over until the end. We had a good second quarter, but Frankfurt punched first in the second half and kept coming”, stressed CEZ Nymburk point guard Eugene Lawrence. The Fraport Skyliners totally lost control of the game in the second quarter, but came back in the third quarter turning the game around and finishing strong to earn the win. “Coach Perwas told us at halftime to stay with it. We have worked too hard the last weeks to keep handing games away. Too often we are a good team for 20 minutes, but the other 20 minutes of not being a good team. We were more consistent and wanted it more and it paid off. It was all about better communication on offense and defense and it was the best game of the season where we did that”, explained Fraport Skyliner guard Kwame Vaughn.

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Larry Drew II (Neptunas Klaipeda)I Am Looking Forward To Putting Myself Back On The Map In Europe

Larry Drew the second is a 26 year old 188cm point guard from Encino, California that is playing his fourth professional season and first with Neptunas Klaipeda (Lithuania-LKL). He started his basketball career in 2008 with N.Carolina (NCAA) where he played until 2011 playing 96 NCAA games and winning the NCAA tournament in 2011. He then transferred to UCLA and as a senior played 35 games: 7.5ppg, 2.4rpg, Assists-4(7.3apg), 1.4spg, FGP: 45.1%, 3PT: 43.3%, FT: 60.9%. He started his professional basketball career in 2013-2014 with the Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League, starting five): 46 games: 11.0ppg, 3.3rpg, 6.7apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 38.8%, FT: 69.5%. In the 2014-2015 season he played with the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA) playing 12 games: 3.8ppg, 1.3rpg, 3.8apg, in Feb.’15 signed at Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League) playing 45 games: 11.3ppg, 3.6rpg, Assists-2(9.5apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 42.6%, FT: 74.4%. Last season he played for AS Monaco Basket (France-ProA): 18 games: 4.1ppg, 1.6rpg, 3.6apg, left in Mar.’16, later that month moved to Sioux Falls Skyforce (D-League): 8 games: 3.3ppg, 3.1apg, 1.0spg. Last summer he played NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas (New Orleans Pelicans): 5 games: 7.2ppg, 3.6rpg, 3.8apg, 1.4spg. He spoke to eurobasket on the eve of the 2016 US presidential election and before the Champions League game against the EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Larry thanks for talking to German Hoops Welcome to Germany. It´s election night. What is your impression of this election?

It has been a little wild. So far the media coverage has been big and it feels more like it´s about ratings than about choosing the right candidate to run the country right. I am not a big Donald Trump fan. For me it´s about choosing the lesser of two evils. Maybe we will see Hilary Clinton as the new president.

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Eugene Lawrence (CEZ Basketball Nymburk) I Am In My Prime Now And Think I´m Better Now Than When I Was 27

Eugene Lawrence is a 30 year old 184cm point guard from Brooklyn, New York that is playing his ninth professional season and second with CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL). He started his basketball career in 2004 with St.John’s (NCAA) until 2008 playing a total of 114 NCAA games and as a senior played 30 games averaging 7.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 3.7apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 34.4%, 3PT: 25.8%, FT: 70.2%: Finished career at St. John’s ranked fourth all-time in assists (520), fourth in three pointers made (122) and fifth in steals (196). He started his professional basketball career in 2008 with BK Casta SPU Nitra (Slovakia-Extraliga) playing 32 games averaging 17.9ppg, 5.3rpg, Assists-1(6.4apg), Steals-1(2.3spg), 2FGP: 59.2%, 3PT: 33.7%, FT: 71.7%. He then played two seasons with BK Prostejov (Czech Republic-NBL) and then moved to CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Republic-NBL). He then played with Hoverla Ivano-Frankivsk (Ukraine-Superleague) for one and a half seasons and then played two and a half seasons with the Telekom Baskets Bonn and last season played 33 games: averaging 8.1ppg, 2.7rpg, Assists-2(7.0apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 39.7%, 3PT: 27.4%, FT: 78.7%; Eurocup: 10 games: 10.5ppg, 2.3rpg, Assists-3(7.4apg), FGP: 44.2%, 3PT: 28.0%, FT: 80.6%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Champions League game against the Fraport Skyliners.

Eugene welcome back to Germany. You had a tough departure from Bonn. If you retired tomorrow could you say out of all the teams I played for as a professional, Bonn was my second home?

It’s great to be back. Last season was rough but I also have so many great memories from Bonn. If I had to retire tomorrow it would be really close but Bonn would be in my top 2 places I’ve played for sure.

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The Joseph Lewis Point Guard Mentality Surges medi Bayreuth To 7th Win In Row Creaming The Fraport Skyliners 72-56

The first few weeks in Germany haven´t been easy for Fraport Skyliner Kwame Vaughn as he came into a difficult situation to a team that was suffering growing pains and needed the instant savior as the Oakland, California native didn´t lead the team to new heights, but rather to low heights on a 5 game losing streak. It isn´t always fair to blame the point guard for the team woes, but that is how the basketball reality usually works and the American had to hear criticism, but his play wasn´t all that bad as he showed flashes of his scoring ability and knack of fine playmaking, but just didn´t do it consistently and he also didn´t have a team on the same page which didn´t make his conducting skills any easier. It was obvious that sooner or later the ex Cal State Fullerton(NCAA) guard would slip out of his funk and be good for a break out game and that is exactly what happened 5 days ago where he helped snap the team´s five game losing streak and register their first win in the Champions League. Vaughn entered into the game in Slovenia with a chip on his shoulder and was brilliant scoring 27 points, grabbing five boards, dishing out five assists and getting three steals. He didn´t let a pointless third quarter discourage him as he netted vital buckets in crunch-time to preserve the victory on the road. Vaughn now had some new refreshing self-confidence and had the golden opportunity to add on to his stellar game in Slovenia and help defeat one of the hottest teams in the BBL with medi Bayreuth. Vaughn entered into the Bayreuth game focused and looking to extend the Fraport Skyliners winning streak to two games, but despite a solid effort on his part, he was unable to get the needed support on offense as the Fraport Skyliners lost their fourth game in a row in the BBL and sixth of their last seven games. After the third loss in a row at home in the BBL, Vaughn had the same helplessness look that he had against the SC Rasta Vechta loss, but he didn´t point any fingers at his teammates. “We lost as a team and my teammates always help me on the court. Our problem at the moment is that we can´t execute. I always try to get the team involved, score on my own and just pick my spots. We need to bring more energy and fight to the court. Our biggest downfall today was that we didn´t bring enough intensity at both ends”, stressed Kwame Vaughn who finished with 12 points, four assists and shot 44% from the field.

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Terrell Harris (Iserlohn) We Have The Depth To Play With Anyone In This League

 

Terrell Harris is a 23 year old 190cm guard from Indiantown,Florida that is playing his rookie season in Germany with the : Iserlohn Kangaroos (Germany-ProB). He started his basketball career at Mars Hill (NCAA2) in 2011 and then moved to Georgia College in 2012. As a senior he played 29 games averaging 24.6ppg, 6.7rpg, 4.0apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 59.1%, 3PT: 36.3%, FT: 76.8%. He concluded his college basketball career winning the All-PeachBelt Player of the Year 2016. Harris spoke to German Hoops after the 84-74 victory against Stahnsdorf.

 

Terrell thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the big 84-74 victory against Stahnsdorf. How good did it feel to get back on the winning track after the bitter loss last weekend against Bochum?

Hey Miles nice to talk to you again like always. Thank you on the victory, it feels good to win any game in this league. In all we are better than our performance against Stahnsdorf. I know personally I did not play up to my potential and overall we did not play up to our potential as a team, but we are learning.

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