This season The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have received a human like road runner in Dashaun Wood who has displayed game after game that
he can get into the zone quicker than Jerry Magiure could say “Show me the money”, George Clooney can flash his million dollar smile or wink at a beautiful women sneaking a peak into his yard on the Coma lake in Italy or world class sprinter following the Skyliner into the zone with two cinder blocks attached to his back as Frankfurt hope that the flashy guard can continue to show his magic sprints into the Artland Dragons zone on Saturday and lead his team to victory on October 30th. Last season, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had point guard Aubrey Reese who found holes in the zone and often finished with a difficult fade away jumper or off balance lay up. With Dashaun Wood, Frankfurt has a no hesitation point guard that will dash to the basket as if there were a million bucks waiting on the rim and he had to get there as quick as possible as there was a cheetah chasing him on his tail. “I am sure that Wood can out run the dragon flame, because he has even more extra strength now that he got that contract extension. I saw Wood play on TV and it seems like he has that
extra gear like a Lamborghini”, joked Phoenix Hagen American Quentin Pryor. “I think if Wood can run even faster than he can now, then he should be able to be faster than the flame of the dragon”, joked Chemnitz guard Achmadschah Zazai. Wood might not win a 100 yard dash against Usain Bolt, but could compete with the quickest BEKO BBL players this season. “If Wood would run against Mark ´Dorris, it would be a tough race. I would have to take Dorris right now only because I haven´t seen Wood in person yet, Said Quentin Pryor. For a player to pick another player over himself in any kind of sporting match is about as unlikely as former president Bill Clinton not having a wandering eye on a busy street for at least a day. “I would say I would win and he would say himself”, joked Mark Dorris. “I would make a 100 yard dash interesting with Wood by giving him a head start and then coming and rolling forward ove rthe line”, joked ex Artland Dragon Achmadschah Zazai.
Dashaun Mr Dash Wood Shows The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig His Road Runner Dash Leading The Deutsche Bank Skyliners To Victory In Crunch Time 94-91
In the last years, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have had to be aware of the Heiko Schaffartzik bombs from the Messe Tower just like 2010-
2011 BEKO BBL teams have had to keep an eye on the PSB(powerful scoring boys) of Zachery Peacock, Ryan Brooks and Anthony Smith of the Giessen 46ers, pop sensation singer Justin Bieber having to cope with jealous fans bullying him and calling him vicious names or Bayern star Thomas Mueller keeping a watchful eye on his refrigerator and not letting Bayern scoring legend Gerd Mueller steal his Mueller milk, but Frankfurt didn´t have to worry about Schaffarzik since he is playing in Turkey, but moreover Brandon Thomas that was hitting from all over the court as if he was trying to persuade NBA legend Larry Bird to watch his shooting clinic, but the troops of Gordon Herbert was able to rally and come back and defeat The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig 94-91. “Thomas was pretty dangerous. He showed he can score posting up driving or hitting from outside. Both he and Schaffartzik are dangerous shooters, but it didn´t matter, we showed last season, we can beat them with Schaffartzik and tonight showed we could beat them without him and with a hot Thomas”, stressed Quantez Robertson. “We would of had a good chance with Heiko on the court. He might of made big shots at the end, but we are a different team now and we lost twice with him last season. We have to learn to win without him”, warned Brandon Thomas. “I would have loved to have played against Schaffartzik tonight. I am always up for a challenge”, stressed Skyliner American Jimmy Mckinney. Frankfurt stayed unbeaten at home this season winning their third in a row and 10th game in a row against Braunschweig dating back to 2006. “This was a great team win. Braunschweig has a tough 8 man rotation, but we proved grit and were very tough. We showed that we could pull it out at the end”, stressed Skyliner American AJ Moye.”We had big lapses on defense and being outrebounded hurt us. Key was having lapses on defense and not executing on offense”, commented Braunschweig American Brandon Thomas. “This was a crazy game that we maybe shouldn´t have won”, commented Dashaun Wood.
Can The New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig Overcome The Injury Hit Deutsche Bank Skyliners With An Older Marcus Goree And No Heiko Schaffartzik?
After the very satisfying 81-66 victory over Bremerhaven last weekend, Skyliner head coach Gordon Herbert might have jumped for joy about
the win if his back was 100% like Paris Hilton might when she finds a pair of sunglasses she doesn´t already have, but his good mood most likely was made even more sour than currently singer J-Lo who had to discover on fotos that she had cellulite as the Skyliner skipper had to accept two new crucial injuries to Jimmy Mckinney and Jermaine Bucknor. The basketball tide can turn so quickly as The Deutsche Bank Skyliner now have to face off against 2010 BEKO BBL semi finalist New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig with a sling of injuries that might even get a cringe out of ex Skyliner coach Murat Didin who had to battle injuries the last years as well. Mckinney will miss four to six weeks on account of a torn ligament in his left knee and Canadian national player Jermaine Bucknor will miss 10 days due to a stretched ligament in his left knee. Center Joe Dabbert returned to practice this week and a decision shortly before the game will be made if he can suit up Saturday . Quantez Robertson is still out. Frankfurt now has to regroup and find a way to play successful with less bodies. “The injuries put pressure on guys who weren´t playing as much and extreme added pressure to starters, because they have to increase their production to make up for the loses. I think mentally it can also take a toll on the players, because the players had gotten used to playing with each other and knew where each guy was on the court before the injuries”, stressed Phoenix Hagen forward Quentin Pryor. One guy who could benefit in this period could be captain Pascal Roller who has been shooting colder than if a person were to open a Air France door at 20,000 feet to test the air temperature. Currently Roller is shooting 10% from the field and 11% from the parking lot. For Roller to suddenly get a hot hand would be as if Frankfurt had gotten a very early Christmas present. “Frankfurt now will need guys to step up more than ever for the loses. I am sure Pascal Roller will get going”, warned Quentin Pryor. “Pascal is a great shooter and one of the best in the league. His shooting doesn´t worry me really. It will only worry me if he stops shooting. He knows that he is not playing well, but he is working very hard and being very aggressive. He might of been one of our best players in the Bamberg final series. He might be 34, but he has the physical ability of a 24 year old”, warned Skyliner skipper Gordon Herbert.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Give Grayson Moyer A Goodbye Gift With a 81 – 66 Win Over The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners surely remember how powerful and overwhelming Eisbaeren point guard Louis Campbell was last season, but 
with his departure last summer, his missing deadly penetration was evident in the play of the team and similar as if NFL Clubs didn´t have to witness last minute comeback Drives from New England Patriot Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant missing in the Lakers attack and taking a night off and sitting next to actor Jack Nicholson in the first row talking movies or German National player Miro Klose not scoring any more goals in international games as he is currently as hot putting the ball in the net as is Papiss Demba Cisse is for SC Freiburg in the German Bundesliga, but Frankfurt not only didn´t have to worry about Lou Campbell anymore, but neither about new starting point guard Donald Copeland who was 550 Kilometers away in Bremerhaven nursing an injury as they had little problem winning their second home game 81-66 against The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. The absence of Copeland showed quickly as Bremerhaven had no rhythm or flow in their offense, but Frankfurt showed they could do it at both ends of the court. “They had misfortune having to play without Copeland, but that is part of the game. They had to fight without Copeland and change their rhythm, but we were without Tez, Dabbert and Muurinen. We have been fighting hard the first four games and played good defense, but today we played both defense and offense well. If a team can plan both offense and defense well then you will have good chances to win. We hope to continue to keep playing like this”, stressed Skyliner point guard Dashaun Wood. Bremerhaven never got their offense going without their starting point guard Copeland. “We didn´t have Copeland and Canty hasnt´t really practiced much with us. It was hard to get a chemistry. It was tough as Schwethelm was playing out of position. These things happen and we couldn´t adjust”, commented Eisbaeren guard Jermaine Thomas. Maybe it wasn´t only the absence of Copeland that helped the Skyliners, but the batman shirt of Mckinney that he was sporting after the game. “The brother of my fiancee is a huge Batman fan. I don´t know if a bat scared the polar bears, but you never know, bats can be very vicious. they come out of nowhere and swoope down on you”, laughed Austin native Brad Buckman.
Can The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven Forget The Playoff Game 5 Loss and Lou Campbell Departure Against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners October 17th?
For some Eisbaeren Bremerhaven like Torell Martin or Andrew Drevo recalling the big three pointer by Quantez Robertson or the giant free throws by Derrick Allen in last seasons game five playoff game down the stretch might have stayed as vividly in their heads as child hood memories when they unearthed that first Alex Rodriguez or Ken Griffey Jr rookie Topps baseball card, seeing Michael Jordan win that third consecutive NBA title in 1993, football hero OJ Simpson being chauffered down Highway 10 in downtown Los Angeles by buddy Al Cowlings or remembering the day where they were when singer Kurt Cobain died. The long series last June where The Deutsche Bank Skyliners beat The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in along and dramatic five games series could be on their minds as well as other players like Germans Phillip Schwethelm and Jan Lipke. Last season, the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven went from 18th place the season before to finishing in th place in the regular season and were close to tasting some possible early champagne for reaching the final the same way Lebron James can everyday the Atlantic Ocean in Miami as the team of passionate coach Doug Spradley lost 57-52 in a tense series. “the loss to Skyliners still hasn´t gone away. It was tough losing and I felt we played good enough to win, but we just didn´t play to our level. I don’t only have the three pointer and free throws swirling in my head, but many many plays from that fifth game”, stressed Eisbaeren American Torrell Martin. That game five loss is now nearly four months old and a new season has started so whatever happens in this game wont necessarily be remembered next May. “Game five might be in their heads for some players and they may want payback which is only human, but the season is long and can be a struggle, but this game on Sunday wont define their season”, stressed former Artland Dragons assistant coach Jamie Duncan. Torrell Martin surely will be giving an extra 110% on Sunday despite it only being the fourth game of the new season for Bremerhaven. “I can´t say if it is a type of revenge, but there could be some emphasis. Nobody has been talking about that game 5 loss, but it is in our heads”, added Torrell Martin.
Anton Gavel Pulls Out His Magic Wand As The Brose Baskets Bamberg Slip By The Deutsche Bank Sklyiners 71-62
After suffering a humiliating 85-58 loss in the Champions Cup 18 days ago, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners wanted to escape the memory of this
Bamberg offense firing range the same way the Miami Dolphins did losing 62-7 to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2000, the 1988 Baltimore Orioles losing their first 21 games in a row or the Miami Heat losing 148-80 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1991 which could of started fans covering their faces with bags and Frankfurt were a lot stronger than their last visit to the Steckert arena, but had their usual woes not being able to get by the 2010 BEKO BBL champion in the fourth quarter as they gave up a 16-2 run which was fuelled by three straight drawn fouls by Anton Gavel to end the game losing 71-62. Frankfurt has only won once in Bamberg in almost six and a half years and might have had that same feeling as actor Mickey Rourke was having when he was finally going to have success again all those years prior to the Wrestler movie being a success. “We knew coming in that this would be a very difficult game. Frankfurt was banged up in the first game and came back a new team with two new players and more confidence. They fought very hard and we won, but it wasn´t easy. The way Frankfurt came back to play better in this game from that 27 point loss last time was like a boxer who lost that first round, but came back in the next fight with more motivation to prove that they are better than their last loss. The whole Bamberg/Frankfurt history and the fact that they played each other so many times in the last year reminds me of the great rivalry of Ali and Joe Frazier”, stressed Bamberg American Kyle Hines. It was obvious by the fierceness of Frankfurt that they wanted to make amends for the Champions Cup loss. “The players had talked about the Champions Cup and were all disappointed, but didn´t want to dwell on that loss to much, but just be focused and I think that we showed that we could compete tonight and almost won”, added Skyliner Canadian national player Jermaine Bucknor.
ChampiosCup Highlights
With 51 Rebounds And The Two Bucks(Buckman/Bucknor) The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Are Ready To Rock The Brose Baskets Bamberg And The Jako Arena October 13
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners basketball past in Bamberg in the last six seasons has been about as desolate as the 2007-2008 Oklahoma Thunder where they lost a franchise record 62 games, tennis pro Marat Safin losing 129 Grand Slam matches in a row before reaching a Grand Slam final or the sad demise of lovable actor Mel Gibson who was more in the headlines for his phone affairs then for his critical acting this year, but who is making an acting comeback with The Beaver, and How I spent my summer vacation soon. At times it has seemed that there has been some kind of curse on the Frankfurt club like there had been on the Boston Red Sox for 86 years and still is on the Chicago Cubs who have not won a World Series in 102 years as 2,186 days had gone by from 2004-2010 for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners not winning a game in Bamberg between game four win in 2004 and the First game of the final in 2010 as the long drought was finally broken as it was old coach/new coach Gordie Herbert that was able to win again in game one of the 2010 BEKO BBL finals 65-63. Since this thrilling win, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have had little luck losing the next three games on the road in Bamberg including game five and the 2010 Champions Cup and being outscored 254-180 in the last three games in the Jako arena. 18 days ago, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners suffered a humiliating 85-58 loss in Bamberg in the Champions Cup, but were as handicapped without center Joe Dabbert and Quantez Robertson and only one true big man with Marius Nolte like as if one small tiny sweet cat was surrounded by five hungry lions, The Boston Celtics had to play without the GAP trio of Garrnet, Allen and Pierce or character Ethan Hunt of the Mission Impossible getting through life unhurt without his slick gadgets. This time, Frankfurt travel to the pretty Bavarian city with their Bucks(Buckman/Bucknor) in their baggage, plus 51 rebounds from the ugly Duesseldorf win and about as much self confidence as former president Bill Clinton has when he is out on the town. Frankfurt had to deal with the Duesseldorf sixth man Murat Didin on Sunday and now four days later have to deal with the Bamberg sixth man their fans. “It is tough playing in Bamberg. The fans are so much into the game. It reminds me of when we played at the University of Dayton. It was sold out and loud each time. It is tough to say if the Bamberg fans are their sixth man, but for sure when you play the Artland Dragons”, joked Phoenix Hagen American Quentin Pryor. Frankfurt can only pray that the game is as quiet as at the Champions Cup, because at times one could of heard the cash registers in the supermarket basement.
The Evil Eye Of Murat Didin Doesn´t Help As The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Plow By The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf
With a packed Ballsporthalle, an atmosphere that could have been confused with the Akatlar arena in Istanbul and ex coach Murat Didin back in his living room, the Frankfurt fans could not have asked for a more delectable first home game, similar as if the Miami Heat would open up in Cleveland with Lebron James, actor George Clooney returning to an ER type of reunion show or Randy Moss returning back to New England making a winning touchdown with the Minnesota Vikings. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners sent nobody home sad as Murat Didin and the Gloria Ginats didn´t find the missing spice for glory on this sunny afternoon in Frankfurt getting trampled 58-43. “I had no personal feeling towards Murat. This was a delectable game and became more tasty in the second half. We prepared the meal in the third quarter and ate it in the fourth quarter”, joked Skyliner center Marius Nolte. Spinning a basketball on your finger can be classified as pure beauty, but this basketball game at times looked more like an episode of beauty and beast with 10 Vincents running around the court with missed shots and tons of turnovers. “This was not a pretty game. It was a hard fought game with good defense on both sides. Both teams missed a lot of shots, but we stuck with it, grinded it out and pull out the win at the end”, stressed Skyliner guard Grayson Moyer. For the Gloria Giants Duesseldorf, it was their second loss this season, but considering how new the team was an effort that was a lot 
improved over the loss in Bremerhaven. “I am from Detroit and there is not a special way how to classify a game like this except that it was real ugly. Frankfurt demolished us on the boards. We started off well and had a chance to push away but Frankfurt was able to capitalize on our mistakes. I have to blame this loss on us”, stated ex Paderborn guard Deandre Haynes. “This was a real sluggish game. Our offense was rolling, but we just weren´t hitting shots. These things happen and it is a part of life. We are happy that we won it and will take a win like this any day”, added Brad Buckman.
Can Murat Didin And The Gloria Giants Duesseldorf Win Their First Game Of The Season In His Old Stomping Ground Against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners October 10Th
Big play unusual moments are welcomed in sports about as much as rich tasty syrup is for your Sunday brunch pancakes as who could forget The Play in 1982 as Stanford was leading California 20-19 with four seconds left and on the last kickoff the Golden Bears took the kick back unleashing several lateral plays and getting unexpected help from the Stanford marching band who thought the game was over winning 25-20, or the classic game between Cibona Zagreb and Serbian team KK Partizan where Cibona nailed a three pointer with 0.6 seconds remaining and celebrating the victory which was squashed as Dusan Kecman heaved a 75 footer finding nothing but net and getting the improbable win or most recently the most criticised New England Patriots defense with no name Patrick Chung blocking two kicks and intercepting a pass for a touchdown as the special team stole the limelight of Tom terrific Brady silencing the Miami Dolphins 41-14, one might dream of having such an ending to add to the drama with the return of ex Skyliner coach Murat Didin with the Gloria Giants Duesseldorf on Sunday. Didin had quite some dramatic games in his four year tenure like the final game 5 loss in Bamberg in 2005, or the nail bitting game 5 win in Leverkusen in 2008 or the buzzer beater in Duesselodrf in 2009 by Quantez Robertson and some might be dreaming of some kind of magic occurring or a Agatha Christie type of ending which would get the Ballsporthalle decibles reaching an alltime high as if a Rihanna, Jay Z and Prince had rocked the arena a day earlier. “My favorite sports ending would probably be my boy Vince Young leading the Texas Longhorns to the NCAA title against USC in the 2006 Rose Bowl. He led the team down the field and scored the winning touchdown and it was really exciting since he scored with about 20 seconds left. They had been the two best teams in college football that year. I am sure due to circumstances that with Didin returning it will be an exciting game”, stressed American Marcus Sloan. Phoenix Hagen American Mark Dorris also has a special favourite sports moment. “My greatest Sports Moment has to be Michael Jordan against the Utah Jazz 1998 the year Michael Jordan would say good bye to the game he loved. It was like a story book ending the heros last bit of energy last shot of his career would be to win the NBA Championship and ride off into the sunset that is the way every body would want to go out. I pray I can have a similar ending one day“, added Phoenix Hagen American Mark Dorris. If the Frankfurt-Duesseldorf ending will be anything spectacular like the sports world has witnessed in the last 30 years is not known, but with Murat Didin anything is possible and he will have his famous tricks up his sleeve once the jumpball happens. “The coach will be motivated to win against his former club and the players will be wanting to win against their old coach”, warned Marcus Sloan.
The Rapid 10 Miles Questions Basketball Exchange With Travis Walton(Ratiopharm Ulm)
Travis Walton is a 23 year old 187cm point guard from Lima, Ohio. He is playing his first season with Ratiopharm Ulm. He played at Michigan
State from 2005-2009 where he served as team captain for three consecutive years, being the 3rd in history of Michigan State school to do that. Led the Big 10 in assist to turnover ratio 2.4 to 1 and broke Magic Johnson’s career assist record at Michigan State. Walton possesses great toughness, strength and leadership skills and is an exceptional defender. Last season he played shortly for Lugano Tigers (Switzerland-LNA, starting five), left in Dec.’09: 13 games: 8.9ppg, 1.2rpg, Assists-5(4.9apg), 1.5spg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 85.7% before returning back to Michigan State to help the coaching staff. Some achievements that he has received were Big Ten Tournament Semifinals -06, 08, 09, Big Ten All-Defensive Team -07, 09, NCAA Sweet 16 -08, Big Ten Regular Season Champion -09, and Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year -09. Walton took the rapid 10 Miles questions basketball exchange for German Hoops.
Coach Mike Taylor is well known for having magical strength of getting players to come to Ulm to play. How did coach Taylor persuade you to come to Ulm?
Well firstly, Mike Taylor is a great guy and I had met him out in Vegas while I was playing basketball last year, so we already knew each other a little bit. Then when we talked over the phone and he told me about the team and that Ratiopharm Ulm is a great organization, I just knew it would be a great fit for me.
