Bobby Brown (EWE Baskets Oldenburg): I Think There Are Phases Where We Lose Concentration

Bobby Brown is a 27 year old 188cm point guard from Los Angeles, California that is playing for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. He is a very athletic combo guard with great scoring and leaping ability. He played at Cal.St. Fullerton (NCAA) from 2003-2007. In 2007-2008, he played for ALBA Berlin (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): ULEB Cup: 10 games: 16.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 4.2apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 47.1%, 3FGP: 39%, FT: 83.3%; German League: 45 games: 13.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.7apg, 2FGP: 54.1%, 3FGP: 36.1%, FT: 74.6%. In 2008-2009, he played for Sacramento Kings (NBA): 47 games: 5.2ppg, 1.9apg, FGP: 38.1%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 76.5%; in Feb.’09 traded to Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA): 19 games: 4.7ppg, 1.4apg. In 2009-2010, he played for : New Orleans Hornets (NBA): 22 games: 6.6ppg, 2.1apg, FGP: 42.7%, 3PT: 25.8%; in Jan.’10 moved to Los Angeles Clippers (NBA): 20 games: 3.5ppg, 1.0rpg, 2.1apg. Last season, he played for Asseco Prokom Gdynia (Poland-PLK): 4 games: 23.8ppg, 3.0rpg, 4.3apg, 1.8spg; Polish League: Euroleague: 6 games: 10.7ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 38.1%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 87.5%; Polish League: VTB League: 5 games: 12.6ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 38.5%, 3PT: 26.7%, FT: 56.3%; left in Dec.’10, same month moved to Aris Thessaloniki (Greece-A1, starting five): Greek League: 29 games: 11.3ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.0apg, FGP: 42.6%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 67.9%; EuroCup: 9 games: 14.2ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.3apg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 75.0%. He spoke to German Hoops a few hours before the 2012 Beko BBL Allstar game.

You are playing your second Beko BBL Allstar game. What has been your impression of the festivities in Ludwigsburg?

I have been impressed. It is well organized and the arena is pretty new and the fan base is very good here.

What are your memories of the 2007 Beko BBL Allstar game in Cologne?

That was held in a big arena and I remember that we had a good group of guys with Ricky Paulding, Julius Jenkins and Patrick Femmerling. I remember that we beat the south pretty badly. It was a great experience.

(more…)

Tony Gaffney: Marcus Camby is Similar To Chris Ensminger Who Will Probably Play Until He is 50

Tony Gaffney is a 27 year old 204cm forward from Berkely, Massachusetts that is playing for the Telekom Baskets Bonn. He is a forward who brings a high level of energy and athleticism to any teams he joins. He is a tenacious rebounder and great defender. He was the Atlantic 10 Conference defensive player of the year in 2008-09, and one of the nation’s leading shot-blockers. He played at Boston University from 2004-2006 and then went to Massachusetts (NCAA) where he played from 2006-2009. In his senior year, he played 30 games: 11.5ppg, RebA10-2(10.2rpg), 1.7apg, StealsA10-2(2.0spg), BlocksNCAA-3(3.8bpg), FGP: 54.2%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 64.6%: Finished career at UMass ranked seventh all-time in blocks (174). In 2009-2010, he played for Altshuler Saham Galil Gilboa (Israel-Premier League): 1 game: 2pts, 2reb, 1steal, 1block, but left next month, in Apr.’10 moved to Boston Celtics (NBA). Last season, he played for the Boston Celtics (NBA), in Oct.’10 moved to Turk Telekom Ankara (Turkey-TBL): Turkish League: 8 games: 6.0ppg, 2.4rpg, FGP: 63.0%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 80.0%; EuroChallenge: 3 games: 8.0ppg, 4.7rpg, 1.0spg; left in Jan.’11, same month acquired by Utah Flash (D-League): 38 games: 10.3ppg, 6.8rpg, 2.3apg, 1.4spg, Blocks-4(2.3bpg), FGP: 55.9%, 3PT: 27.8%, FT: 66.7%. He spoke to German Hoops a few hours before the 2012 Beko BBL Allstar game.

What is your impression of the 2012 Beko BBL Allstar game?

I like the festivities and the interaction is nice with the fans. It is a nice way to relax with the guys.

Germany-USA. Do the Germans have any chance?

Of course Germany has a chance. They have many great players like a Tibor Pleiss or Heiko Schaffartzik. I feel like Heiko could make 45 points tonight. Germany has great leaders and I think that this game will be very competitive!

(more…)

My 2012 Beko BBL Allstar Reflections And Schaffartzik And Gaffney Speak The Same Language Stealing The Show

After the brutal 78-65 Fraport Skyliners loss Friday night against the LTI Giessen 46ers in the Hessen derby which is about as tough to digest for Frankfurt fans as it is for Celtic fans if Lakers coach Phil Jackson catches an errand pass on the sideline in Boston and heaves up a shot from the bench seeing nothing but net to put more salt into a Celtic loss, Tom Brady having to survive a second loss to Eli Manning in a Superbowl or for the families of 911 victims having to hear the comments that actor Mark Wahlberg made stating he could of fought off terrorists in one of the 911 terror flights and landed the plane safely if he had been on one of the hijacked planes as the Lti Giessen 46ers snapped their nine game losing streak against Frankfurt dating back to their last victory in 2007 on a Rouven Roessler buzzer beater. What better way then to jump in a car 16 hours later and to visit the 2012 Beko BBL Allstar day in Ludwigsburg to get the daily team basketball(Fraport Skyliners) out of your mind and just enjoy a day of high class basketball festivities with the best players in the top German league. In January each year, the Beko BBL steps aside one weekend from the top level competition and gives the fans the chance to get close to their stars and just be spoiled with an NBBL game touting the best young German kids playing against each other, a three point shooting clash, an always exciting and spectacular slam dunk contest, fun with the team mascots and to close out the day with the Beko BBL Allstar game in the evening.

(more…)

Chad Prewitt And Barry Stewart Shoot Out The Lights Erasing The 9 Game Giessen Losing Streak Against The Fraport Skyliners 78-65

Winning against the LTi Giessen 46ers in recent years has seemed as simple for the Fraport Skyliners as the fourth quarter was recently for San Francisco 49er Alex Smith as he showed Drew Brees and the Saints who boss is and sent them on an early vacation, Hollywood actress Jessica Biel not getting ticked off at the material girl Madonna for accidently stomping all over her dress at the Golden Globe awards or Tim Tebow fans hurriedly jumping off his band wagon as Kevin known as Jesus of West Hollywood recently did after the Broncos humiliating 45-10 playoff loss to the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. Coming into the game, the Fraport Skyliners had won the last nine games against the LTiGiessen 46ers and last four at home. The last loss against Giessen was a 2007 Rouven Roessler buzzer beater as ex Skyliners Robert Maras and Gerrit Terdenge celebrated while guys like Michael Bauer, Mike Benton and Jemeil Rich were sulking. However there is always a time for long winning streaks to get snapped as the LTi Giessen 46ers marched into the Fraport arena and quickly got next to the fire place shoving the Skyliners away early and never letting them get comfortable near the warmth with their FAZ newspaper as they won the Hessen derby 78-65. For the players on both teams the long streak didn´t mean much except to Mckinney who had lost to Giessen only once in his career. “We could of ended the first half of the season with a win and have a clear mind going into the second half of the season, but we were a step slow today”, stated a disappointed Jimmy Mckinney. For American Chad Prewitt, he had worn the red of the Artland Dragons for 175 games, but felt very comfortable in the dark red colors of Giessen. “I may not be part of this team long, but I know about the Frankfurt-Giessen rivalry. We have been struggling this season and had injuries, so this was a big win. Frankfurt has always had good teams, but for some reason, they play better on the road this season. We are just happy that we got the win. It was hard to see Achmadschah Zazai go down with an injury. He is always hustling so much. This win is for him”, stressed Chad Prewitt. “It was tough losing this game after not playing in Giessen. I feel a bit responsible as I made some mistakes at the end. This loss reminded me of when we played Nichols in college. We beat them my first three years twice each season, but lost my last game against them”, stressed Skyliner guard Devin Gibson.

The Fraport Skyliners were looking for their second home win in a row, but continue having problems winning in their own living room. The Fraport Skyliners enter the 2012 Beko BBL Allstar break with an 8-11 record and rest in 12^th place. It was a very bitter loss as the team had fought back to tie the game at 57, but were unable to get over the hump and celebrate their third home win of the season. “Key for Giessen winning was that they did a good job capitalizing on our defensive breakdowns. It was just a terrible defense performance by us. They made us pay for that with their three point shooting”, stressed St Louis native Jimmy Mckinney.

(more…)

Harley Fuller: When You Lead A Team In So Many Categories, You Never Expect To be Released

Harley Fuller is a 23 year old 188cm point guard from Gloversville, New York. He started his basketball career in 2006 at Cobleskill Junior College where he played until 2008. In 2008-2009, he played for Florida Intern. (NCAA): 23 games: 1.7ppg, 1.7rpg, 1.1apg, FGP: 41.0%, 3Pts: 32.0%. In 2009-2010, he played for Molloy (NCAA2): 30 games: 8.9ppg, 6.6rpg, 6.0apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 41.4%, 3Pts: 28.8%, FT: 74.6%. Last season, he started his professional basketball career in Germany for TuS Treis-Karden (Germany-Regionalliga): 16.3ppg, 6prg, Assists-1(6apg), FGP: 56.0%, 3Pts: 40.0%. This season, he played for BG Illertal/Weissenhorn (Germany-ProB) where he averaged 12,7ppg, 3,1rpg and 2,9apg before leaving the team recently. He spoke to German hoops about his experience with BG Illertal Weissenhorn.

What wishes do you have for 2012? I guess not reliving a half season like you had in Weissenhorn?

My wishes for 2012 are to sign with an organization that is invested in winning and nothing else. That is the type of player I have always been and always will be. I just want to win. If I have to score 25 then I’ll do that, If I have to have 9 assists and 12 points then that is what I’ll do and have always done. So my wish would be to sign with an organization that wants to win as bad as I do.

When you came to BG Illertal Weissenhorn last fall, did you ever imagine that the team would go 1-13 in the first half of the season during training camp?

No, there was no signs of us having an unsuccessful season in training camp. We had a great month of training camp with a great coach Rainer Bauer who I respect and everyone including me had a great deal of confidence in. Everyone was working hard, and it was obvious that talent wasn’t an issue for our team. We were picked preseason to move up! So i’d say no one saw an unsuccessful season coming, including me.

(more…)

Can the Fraport Skyliners Win Their Fifth Game In A Row At Home Against The LTi Giessen 46ers ?

January is always an interesting month in the Beko BBL as the Allstar break surfaces and the schedule allows many teams to have their two meetings of the season in only a short period of time. After the Fraport Skyliners celebrated a more than satisfying 64-56 win in the always noise infested Osthalle against the LTi Giessen 46ers on January second, the two teams will battle in round two of the 2012 Hessen derby again on January 20^th in the Fraport arena. So much can happen in an 18 day span in this huge world like Hollywood actor George Clooney dating half of the Dallas Cowboys cheerleader squad and it somehow not being noticed, Tim Tebow getting one million marriage proposals for his heroic play in the last months and getting the thumbs up from stone cold Steve Austin for duplicating the infamous 3:16 against the New England Patriots which didn´t happen, Paris Hilton setting a new Google record for clicks or Kim kardashian/Kris Humphries continuing to set new news records with their bizarre relationship. However one thing is certain, in this 18 day span nothing will change with the immaculate on going nine game winning streak of the Fraport Skyliners and four game winning streak at home against the LTi Giessen 46ers. The last time that Giessen won in Frankfurt was in 2007 as Rouven Roessler hit a buzzer beater dashing the hopes of the then Deutsche Bank Skyliners. Roessler is now playing for BG Karlsruhe since years and could enter the arena now and remain unnoticed by Skyliner players except for Jimmy Mckinney or sport director Kamil Novak who might cringe at his presence as they were in the arena on that bitter day. No current Giessen player was in the arena in 2007 and surely don´t know about the long losing streak and will be focused on getting a much needed win to stay alive in the standings. “Records are there to be broken. We don’t care what the record is or who the team is. We just want to win”, stressed Giessen 46er Achmadschah Zazai.

(more…)

Devin Gibson (Fraport Skyliners): I Will Always Bring Energy

Devin Gibson is a 182cm guard from Houston, Texas that is playing his first season with the Fraport Skyliners. He played at the university of Texas at San Antonio from 2007-2011. In his four year basketball career, he played a total of 119 NCAA games and in his senior year, he played 34 games: 17.0ppg, 5.2rpg, 5.4apg, 2.7spg, FGP: 42.3%, 3PT: 30.3%, FT: 78.1%. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season with the Fraport Skyliners.

Where would you rate the 56-51 win in Wurzburg in your all time hardest fought games?

I would place it up at the top. I really wasn´t aware how much they would press, but I saw a lot of this play in college.

What impressed you most about the Fraport Skyliners in Wurzburg?

I liked our chemistry and that we never gave up. We kept fighting and one could feel that we wanted to win in our hearts.

Have you ever played against tougher defenders than John Little or Chester Frazier?

In the States in the NCAA, many teams play like that where they press and try to rattle you. We had some problems at the start, but once we settled, we started to play good.

(more…)

Ilian Evtimov (Chalon): Chris Ensminger Loves Basketball And It Doesn’t Matter The Age, He Still Has Love For The Ball

Ilian Evtimov is a 28 year old 201 cm forward playing his second season in France for Chalon. He has the French-Bulgarian citzenships and played at North Carolina State from 2001-2006. In his senior year, he played 31 games averaging 10.4ppg, 3.7rpg, 2.5apg, 1.2spg, FG: 45.3%, 3PT: 40.8%, FT. After a short stint with Estudiantes Madrid in 2006, he played at VidiVici Bologna in the 2006-2007 season. He played FIBA EuroCup playing 15 games averaging 6.3ppg, 2.4rpg, 2FGP: 65.4%, 3FGP: 47.1%, FT: 72.2%; and playing15 games in the Italian league averaging 3.1ppg, 2.1rpg. In 2007-2008, he moved to The Deutsche Bank Skyliners playing 10 ULEB Cup games averaging 14.5ppg, 3.4rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 40.7%, FT: 85%; and in the German League playing 44 games averaging 13.1ppg, 5.1rpg, 2.1apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 41.4%, 3PT: 33.9%, FT: 86.2%. In 2008-2009, he continued playing in Frankfurt playing 10 EuroChallenge: games averaging 8.3ppg, 3.5rpg, 1.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 45.2%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 70.0%; and in the German League playing 34 games averaging 8.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 43.6%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 74.6%. In 2009-2010, he played for BC Levski Sophia (Bulgaria-NBL): 1 game: 6pts, 5reb, 2ast, 3steals; Balkan League: 1 game: 3pts, 1reb, 1ast, 2steals; in Oct.’09 moved to Proteas EKA AEL Limassol (Cyprus-Division EuroChallenge: 13 games: 10.9ppg, 3.3rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 46.8%, 3PT: 45.6%, FT: 83.3%: FT-2(90.9%). Last season, he played for Chalon playing 33 games: 11.6ppg, 4.2rpg, 1.9apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 39.8%, FT: 84.2%. He spoke to German Hoops before the Eurochallenge game against the Telekom Baskets Bonn January 18^th.

Chalon continues to play great basketball. How good does it feel sitting in first place?

Its a great opportunity to be first, especially in a very strong league like France.

You will play against 2011 top France PRO A scorer Rick Hughes. What is always the most important thing you have to do against him on the court?

I know Rick for a few years now, we have played many games against each other. He is a great player, extremely gifted, and it doesn’t matter the age he has, he is always getting numbers. I got a lot of respect for him.

(more…)

Louis Hinnant (MBC): Troy Bell Told Me That By Game 4 You Will Be Starting And Low And Behold I Did

Louis Hinnant is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Gwynn Park/Oxon Hill,Maryland that recently joined the Mitteldeutscher BC. He played at Boston College from 2002-2005. In his senior year, he played 36 games: 7.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.6apg, FG: 48.4%, 3PT: 43%, FT: 69.1%. He reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2006. In 2006-2007, he started his professional basketball career with Sundsvall Dragons (Sweden-Basketligan, starting five): 22 games: 16.0ppg, 3.8rpg, 4.9apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 38.0%, FT: 74.1%. In 2007-2008, he played for Joensuun Kataja (Finland-Korisliiga, starting five): 41 games: 18.0ppg, 5.3rpg, Assists-2(4.4apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 35.1%, FT: 87.5%. He then played for Zalakeramia-ZTE KK (Hungary) from 2008-2010 winning the league title and cup in 2010. Last season, he played for Kryvbasbasket-Lux Kryvyi Rih (Ukraine-Superleague)playing 13 games: 10.2ppg, 2.4rpg, 3.7apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 27.3%, FT: 71.7%. This season, he started off with Anwil Wloclawek (Poland) but left in Oct.’11, in Dec.’11 moved to Khimik-OPZ Yuzny, but left the same month. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Welcome to Germany. You signed for the German team MBC. What were the main reasons for coming to Germany?

Germany “generally” provides a more stable surrounding than a lot of other countries as far as sports and the economy are concerned. Not being in so “stable” situations in the past really wore on me, and I wanted to get back to stability.

(more…)

Michael Stockton (BG Karlsruhe): My Dad Is An Unbelievable Passer While I Am A Good Passer

Michael Stockton is a 22 year old 185cm point guard from Spokane, Washington. He is playing his rookie season for BG Karlsruhe in the German PRO A. He played four years at : Westminster (NAIA) from 2007-2011. In his senior year, he played 30 games: 18.2ppg, 4.0rpg, 4.2apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 54.4%, 3Pts: 36.4%, FT: 78.5%. Awards/Achievements in his basketball career have been NAIA D1 Elite Eight -09, NAIA D1 Sweet 16 -10, and All-NAIA D1 3rd Team -11. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season in Germany.

You played against Takumi Ishizaki this season. What was it like playing against a Japanese player?

It was interesting. He is a good player and I believe that he made most shots against us. When he had an open look, he really made us pay for it.

What are the biggest differences between Utah and Karlsruhe?

Utah has a lot of mountains and snow. So far there has been no snow in Karlsruhe which is nice. I have met good people in Karlsruhe and I am happy to be here.

(more…)