Elvir Ovcina (LTi Giessen 46ers): This Win Against Bamberg Was Very Special For The LTi Giessen 46ers

Elvir Ovcina is a 35 year old 211cm power forward/center that was born in Sarajevo and is playing his second season with the LTi Giessen 46ers. He played for Syracuse from 1995-1999 reaching the NCAA final in 1996. After playing in Slovenia for two seasons, he came to Germany and played for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg from 2001-2004. In the 2003-2004 season, he played 27 games: 14.9ppg, 9.3rpg, 2.7apg, 2.8bpg. In 2004-2005, he played for Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus (Greece-A1): Euroleague: 8 games: 4.3ppg, 5.6rpg; Greek League: 9 games: 5.7ppg, 3.1rpg, 2FGP: 52.0%, in Dec.’04 moved to RheinEnergie Koln (Germany-1.Bundesliga): ULEB Cup: 5 games: 11,2ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 51.3%, 3Pts: 33.3%; German Bundesliga: 21 games: 10.1ppg, 4.9rpg, 1.5apg, 1.6bpg, 2FGP: 49.7%, 3FGP: 20.0%. In 2005-2006, he played for Khimik-OPZ Yuzny (Ukraine-Superleague): EuroCup Challenge: 2 games: 10.5ppg, 3.0rpg, 0ast, FG: 63.6%, 3PT: 50%; Ukrainian League: 8 games: 7.6ppg, 3.8rpg, 2FGP: 51.0%, 3PT: 50.0%, FT: 66.7%, in Dec.’05 joined Telindus BC Oostende (Belgium-D1): 21 games: 10.7ppg, Reb-4(7.8rpg), 1.7apg, 1.2spg, 2FGP: 55.0%, 3PT: 20.0%, FT: 55.0%. He then played in Belgium from 2006-2008 for Telindus BC Oostende winning the cup in 2008. In 2008-2009, he played for Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo (D1): Adriatic League: 5 games: 9.8ppg, 9.2rpg, 3.6apg. in 2009-2010, he played for Polzela (Slovenia-Liga UPC): 5 games: 12.8ppg, 5.8rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 55.3%, 3PT: 66.7%, FT: 85.7%, in Jan.’10 moved to LTi Giessen 46ers (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 14 games: 14.1ppg, 8.1rpg, 2.8apg, 1.0bpg, FGP: 57.7%, 3PT: 32.3%, FT: 69.4 Last season for Giessen he played 34 games: 11.4ppg, 6.6rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 17.6%, FT: 76.4%. He spoke to German Hoops after the stunning 68 -65 win against the Brose Baskets Bamberg.

Congrats on the 68-65 win against Bamberg. Was the Osthalle like a zoo after the siren sounded ending the game?

Yes it was like a zoo. Fans gave us great support for 40 minutes. It was loud for the whole 40 minutes and it is a great victory for Giessen.

Was this your biggest win in Germany?

I don’t know. I have played 6-7 years in Germany and have had some special wins. I know that this win against Bamberg was very special for the LTi Giessen 46ers.

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DaShaun Wood(Alba Berlin): Winning In Munich Was like A Dream For Me

DaShaun Wood is a 26 year old 185cm point guard from Detroit, Michigan that is playing his second season in Germany for Alba Berlin. He is a young point guard with natural leadership abilities, who directs teammates on the floor and takes the ball in clutch moments. Loves to go inside to score, challenging the big guys, but has also shooting range from behind the 3pts arch. Despite lack of size, he can be effective even at the defensive side. He played at Wright state from 2003-2007. In his senior year, he played 33 games averaging 19.6ppg, 5.1rpg, 4.0apg, 1.9spg, FGP: 43.5%, 3Pts: 37.3%, FT: 88.3%. In 2007-2008, he played his rookie season for Tisettanta Cantu (Italy-SerieA, starting five): 38 games: Score-5(16.9ppg), 3.0rpg, Assists-4(3.3apg), 2.7spg, 2FGP:52.1%, 3PT-2(42.8%), FT:77.4%. In 2008-2009, he played for : Benetton Treviso (Italy-SerieA), injured in Oct.’08 and was off for 2 months: Eurocup: 12 games: 5.3ppg, 2.0rpg, 3.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 40.0%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 87.5%; Italian League: 17 games: 7.2ppg, 2.9rpg, 3.2apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 35.6%, FT: 70.4%. Last season, he was the Beko BBL MVP with The Deutsche Bank Skyliners playing EuroCup Qualifying Round: 2 games: 13.5ppg, 2.5rpg, 5.0apg; EuroChallenge: 6 games: 16.3ppg, 3.8rpg, 5.2apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 46.9%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 73.7%; German League: 42 games: Score-1(19.0ppg), 4.6rpg, Assists-2(5.9apg), 1.2spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 33.2%, FT: 80.3%. He spoke to German Hoops after the 85-79 win against FC Bayern Munich.

Congrats on the 85-79 win in Munich giving the team of Dirk Bauermann their first loss at home. What was the atmosphere like there playing in front of German soccer player Bastian Schweinstieger and everyone else?

Winning in Munich was like a dream for me.  It is a great city with great fans, a great coach and many great German national players. The atmosphere was great and it was great competing at a high level and winning the game in their arena.

Michigan beat Ohio State 40-34 today who have the blue and yellow colors as does Alba Berlin. I guess the color of the day was blue and yellow?

I am from Michigan and today was perfect. Michigan and Ohio State are two great rivals and the funny thing is that Ohio State and Bayern Munich both wear the color red.

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Where Will The Journey Of TBB Trier End With An Added Concentration On German Players And Extra Focus On Team Defense?

The biggest successes with TBB Trier are already 13 and 10 years old as they were able to hoist the Beko BBL cup twice in 1998 and 2001, but since then the club has been as far away from consistency and the Beko BBL playoffs as Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries are of reconcilatation, as any one could ever imagine Leborn James playing a pick up basketball game at a community college in his home state where they lit his jersey on fire last season after he announced going to the Miami Heat or Charlie Sheen ever will have of returning to Two and a half men after his death on the show. The last time that TBB Trier were able to taste some post season air, The Opel Skyliners were still searching for their first BEKO BBL league championship, Skyliner Justin Gray was still practicing with NBA superstar Chris Paul daily at Wake Forest, Lance Armstrong was about to win an unprecedented six consecutive Tour De France, The Montreal Expos organization was still playing in Canada before moving to play in Washington D.C and Lindsay Lohan was still far away from becoming a usual guest in the tabloids as 2004 was the last time the Mosel river club had reached the promised land as they finished at position seven. In the seven seasons since their last playoff appearance the team has averaged a 12th place finish in those years. “It has been a pity that TBB Trier hasn´t been in the playoffs for a while, but we that budget wise, we don´t belong there. It may sound crazy, but if you look at the budgets of other teams, you can see it like that. We were close last year making the playoffs and it hurt that we didn´t make it. This season we are young so making the playoffs is a big challenge”, stated TBB Trier center Maik Zirbes.

 

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Hansbrough Watch – Nov 24 / Bayern – ALBA preview


A quick update on Ben Hansbrough’s situation:

During a press conference today, FC Bayern München coach Dirk Bauermann said that there was a clear hierarchy for his PG spot: Hamann, Wallace, Hansbrough. He also said that Ben’s chances for seeing any playing time had not increased. (All my blogging! All the hard work! All the blood, sweat and tears! For nothing! Oh, the humanity!)

So, Ben is third in the PG rotation. Trouble is, SG Je’Kel Foster also sees a few minutes on the PG spot in almost every game. SF Philip Schwethelm also takes the ball upcourt sometimes. So in reality, the PG rotation looks like this:

Hamann
Wallace
Foster
Schwethelm
Hansbrough

And why doesn’t Ben get some burn as a SG, which is the position he is better suited for anyway?

****

A look ahead:

Bayern’s next game is at home against ALBA Berlin on Saturday. ALBA is a perennial contender that’s been on a roll lately. Last weekend, they beat Brose Baskets Bamberg, the reigning German champions and cup winners (both back-to-back, in fact) who have been dominating the league for two years. On Tuesday, ALBA easily dispatched Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro) in their second Eurocup game of the season. They seem to be clicking / firing on all cylinders / [add your favorite cliché here].

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Justin Gray(Fraport Skyliners): Konrad Wysocki Was A Great Locker Room Guy

Justin Gray is a 27 year old 188cm guard from Charlotte, North Carolina that is playing his firstseason with the Fraport Skyliners. 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 for Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium-D1): 32 games: 14.0ppg, 1.8rpg, 2.9apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 51.0%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 51.0%. In 2007-2008, he played for Dexia Mons-Hainaut (Belgium-D1, starting five): 36 games: 15.1ppg, 1.9rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 46.0%, FT: 89.0%. In 2008-2009, he played for CEZ Basketball Nymburk (Czech Rep.-NBL): Eurocup: 6 games: 15.5ppg, 1.3rpg, 3.8apg; Czech Rep. League: 43 games: 10.9ppg, 1.9rpg, 2.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 51.9%, 3PT: 39.7%, FT: 77.2%. In 2009-2010, he played for PGE Turow Zgorzelec (Poland-PLK, starting five): EuroCup: 6 games: 9.7ppg, 2.3rpg, 4.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 23.8%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 85.7%; Polish League: 30 games: 14.6ppg, 2.7rpg, 3.3apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 53.6%, 3PT: 34.2%, FT: 89.3%. Last season, he played for PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece-A1, starting five): Greek League: 18 games: 11.8ppg, 2.9rpg, 2.8apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 81.3%; EuroCup: 6 games: 11.5ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 79.3%, left in March’11, in Apr.’11 moved to BC Donetsk (Ukraine-Superleague): 16 games: 6.4ppg, 2.3rpg, 2.4apg, FGP: 37.5%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 70.4%2011: Guangzhou Free Man (China-NBL, starting five): 9 games: 24.4ppg, 5.4rpg, 3.0apg, 2.1spg, FGP: 37.8%, 3PT: 41.8%, FT: 85.4%.  He reached the NCAA Sweet 16 in 2004, was Czech Rep. League Champion -09, Czech Rep. Cup Winner -09, and played at the Polish League All-Star Game in 2010. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

You have played against Chevon Troutman in your career. Does he belong to the top centers in the beko BBL?

When he is at his best yes. He is a big key for the success of FC Bayern Munich. I would put John Bryant at the top with him.

How much of a factor was Muli Katzurin for you coming to the Fraport Skyliners?

He was very key for me coming to Frankfurt. I had played for him at Nymburk and know he coaches. Another important reason was that Frankfurt is a great organization and I heard only good things.

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Gran Canaria Were On The Beach In Thought The First Half, But Were All Business On The Court In The Second Half As Taurean Green Leads The Attack Past The Fraport Skyliners 71-58 In Eurocup Play

With the days getting shorter, temperatures falling to a point where you want to make that first visit to the sauna, and the first shoppers getting ideas about Christmas gifts, a get away trip to exotic Gran Canaria could be more than enticing. When thinking about Gran Canaria, the first thoughts may be how warm the micro climate currently is, if there is ever a possibility of hot lava oozing down the side of a mountain on the island of volcanic origin,12 time wind surfer world champion record holder Bjoern Dunkerbeck giving a clinic on the court, tennis player Carla Suarez Navarro ever reaching the top 10 in the WTA rankings, or how many of the yearly 2,2 million tourists  actually know where the island is geographically before going there. However for many one of the last thoughts that the team could actually have a professional basketball team is high. For many players also basketball isn´t the first thing that they think about when they have the island Gran Canaria in deep thought. “ I played against Gran Canaria with Polish team Turow some years ago. You think more about the water before basketball, but when you see the great atmosphere in the arena and the fans, you quickly know that that would be a great place to play at. I was surprised how close the gym was to the water”, stressed Skyliner guard Justin Gray. “When I think of Gran Canaria, I think of holiday and going to the beach, but then once you see the basketball atmosphere there, you see that there is a lot of basketball tradition there and feel great being able to play there”, stressed ex Bamberg forward Spencer Nelson.

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Hansbrough Watch – Nov 22

My article on Ben Hansbrough’s lack of playing time yesterday received quite a lot of attention, so I decided to follow up on it with the inaugural edition of our brand-new Hansbrough Watch!

From now on, the Hansbrough Watch will keep you up-to-date on Ben’s playing time – or lack thereof – after each FC Bayern game.

Before I tell you how much burn Ben got in Bayern’s Eurocup loss to Cedevita Zagreb, however, I’d like to add a few things to yesterday’s article.

As you may remember, the official reason for Ben’s non-existent minutes is that he still needs to adjust to the European game. The flaw in this reasoning is so glaring that I didn’t mention it yesterday, but after today’s game (can you guess yet how many minutes Ben got?), I thought it was time to drop the … nonsense … and expose that explanation for what it is: A load of … nonsense.

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Marquez Haynes(Gran Canaria): My Sweetest Memories Of Ilian Evtimov With Chalon Are When He Dunked Against Roanne.

Marquez Haynes is a 24 year old 191 cm guard from Irving texas that is playing his first season in the ACB for Gran Canara as is their current leading scorer. He played at Boston College from 2005-2007 before transfereing to Texas Arlington (NCAA) where he played from 2008-2010. In his senior year he was the third best scorer in the NCAA averaging (22.6ppg), 4.3rpg, 3.7apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 48.3%, 3PT: 40.9%, FT: 74.6%. Last season, he started his professional basketball career for ES Chalon-Sur-Saone (France-ProA, starting five): 33 games: 14.3ppg, 2.2rpg, 3.9apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.3%, 3PT: 38.3%, FT: 73.1%. Currently he is averaging 12,1ppg, 1,8rpg and 2,4apg. He played at the 2011 European championships for Georgia playing 8 games: 8.0ppg, 1.6rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 32.0%, FT: 53.3%. He reached the NCAA Sweet 16 with Boston College in 2006 and won the French Cup with Chalon in 2011. German Hoops spoke with the American before the Eurocup game against the Fraport Skyliners November 22nd.

A tough 69-65 loss in ACB action against Fuenlabrada. What were the main reasons for the close loss?

Tonights loss was a combination of many things. It is always hard to win on the road in the ACB. I think tonight we were just a step slow energy wise. Their activity and size inside gave us some problems as far as rebounding and scoring easy points. We shot a lot of 3’s tonight. in the future we have to do a better job attacking the paint and the rim. Along with taking better care of the ball. They forced us into many turnovers.

Kirk Penny led the opponent with 17 points. What was your impression of the ex NBA player from Australia?

He is one of those guys that you can´t leave open, because he can shoot out the lights. Kirk Penney is a hell of a player. I saw on film that he does not need much time to get his shot off and he is a very deadly shooter that does not need much space. I think we did a solid job making him take some tough shots. He is a guy that is going to take shots regardless, you just have to make his looks as tough as possible.

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The Curious Case of Benjamin Hansbrough

Ben Hansbrough is a household name among basketball fans in the US – and not just because he is the younger brother of Indiana Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough. He happens to be an excellent basketball player himself. After averaging 18.4 PPG and shooting 43,5% from three-point range in his senior year for Notre Dame, he was voted the 2010-2011 Big East Player of the Year.

Although he was projected as a possible secound-round pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, Hansbrough went undrafted (which some called “the biggest snub of the year”). There were lingering doubts about his ability to defend quicker, more athletic NBA guards and to create shots at the next level. He also missed the NBA Draft Combine in Chicago due to an ankle injury, which certainly didn’t help his stock.

Soon after the draft, Hansbrough announced that he had signed a one-year contract with FC Bayern München of Germany’s BBL, the highest division in Dirk Nowitzki’s home country. Ben’s signing caused quite a stir among basketball fans in München (or Munich, as you Anglophones call it) and Germany. He was even anointed an early candidate to win BBL MVP in 2011-2012 by some over-enthusiastic fans in online discussions. That may have been a bit too optimistic, but all experts agreed that Hansbrough would be a very good BBL player. And he should be.

Yet nine games into the 34-game BBL season, Ben Hansbrough has been turned into Bench Hansbrough. He hasn’t started a single game yet. In FC Bayern’s season opener in early October, Hansbrough logged 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in 23 minutes – a good debut. Since then, his playing time has steadily decreased. Here’s an overview of his BBL minutes so far:

23:22
19:17
15:17
DNP-CD
10:20
2:22
8:05
DNP-CD
DNP-CD

A grand total of 78 minutes in 9 games – or less than 9 minutes a game. Officially, he’s averaging 13 minutes, but that doesn’t take into account the three DNP-CDs. And even the 9 MPG are skewed by the fact that most of those minutes came in the first three games of the season and he hasn’t had any significant playing time in the last six games. (Seven, if you count the Eurocup game against Benetton Treviso last week, in which Hansbrough collected another DNP-CD).

So … what happened? Why is Hansbrough not playing? There are several answers to this, an “official” one and two “intelligent guessing” ones. Let’s break them down:

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Je’Kel Foster Connects With The Money Ball Shot And Unseemingly Impossible Offensive Rebound Leading FC Bayern Munich Past The Fraport Skyliners 58-57

When going to the beautiful Bavarian city of Munich for a day trip, one has a bundle full of delightful options to pick from like going to the October Fest beer festival and seeing which German celebrities are drunk, experiencing if one is permitted entrance to the famous P 1 club and seeing what models are gawking at German soccer legend Oliver Kahn, hanging out that the pretty Marine place and counting how many different nationalities are taking photos in the gap of an hour, going to the Bavarian Film studios to witness how film is made in German style or just relaxing in the English garden and observing the beauty of the Chinese tower, but until recently the choice to go to a Sunday matane basketball game and see top class basketball has been more of a dream than reality. However ever since FC Bayern Munich has returned to the Beko BBL this season since the departure in 1974 when Germany won the World Cup and FC Bayern Munich soccer was starting its rise, it has become an option for basketball fans to go to games. What is nicer than to run elbows with an Uli Hoeness philosophizing about Thomas Muller against Mario Gotze, but never losing touch with the Davidson-Troutman battle underneath or sharing a Hot Dog with German soccer stars Bastian Schweinsteiger, Jerome Boateng or Holger Badstuber. Even though Basketball is slowly trying to become a house hold name in Munich, it is other things that one thinks about first before thinking about dunking home a ball in the Audi Dome. “I like Munich, because you are so close to the mountains and lakes only 30 kilomters away while in Bamberg I had to drive 300 kilometers”, joked FC Bayern Munich youth coordinator Volker Stix. For 2008 cup winner Darius Hall who is in the later stages of his basketball career, it is like night and day to Quackenbruck. “I first think of the soccer team when I hear the word Munich. It is a great place for Americans, because you have such a diverse choice of eating places and movie places. Munich really has a lot to offer to Americans”, joked Darius Hall. “I like the parks where I can spend a lot of time with the kids and the beer gardens as well”, smiled Serb power forward Alexsandar Nadjefji.

FC Bayern Munich remained undefeated at home after they followed up their big Eurocup win against Benetton Treviso five days earlier with a big, but also very fortunate 58-57 win. It was a game where the defense intensity seemed to pick up with each quarter. Sometimes playing at home and coming off a big win gives a team that extra kick to make the right plays and win that luck in the waning minutes to help propel a team to victory. “This was a classic win for us. This was a tough win and a kind of knock down grind out win. We had the better luck at the end getting those offensive rebounds. However this was win we wanted to get more”, warned FC Bayern Munich center Darius Hall.

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