Abdul Gaddy

Abdul Gaddy (s.Oliver Wurzburg) We Have A Very Good Will To Win And Can´t Ever Rely On Only One Player For Success

Abdul Gaddy is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Tacoma, Washington that is playing his fifth professional season and first in Germany with s.Oliver Wurzburg. Last season he played with VEF Riga (Latvia-LBL) playing 26 VTB United League games averaging 5.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.5apg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 27.5%, FT: 52.4%; In the Latvian LBL, he played 25 game averaging 9.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 5.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 50.0%. He played two seasons in Italy with Granarolo Bologna (Italy-Serie A) and as a rookie played with the Charlotte Bobcats (NBA), then moved to Maine Red Claws (D-League) playing 46 games averaging 9.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 5.0apg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 57.6%. He played at Washington(NCAA) from 2009-2013 and as a senior played 34 games averaging 10.9ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 30.9%, FT: 65.9%. He spoke to German Hoops before the last game of the season against medi Bayreuth.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Abdul Gaddy after a game in Frankfurt this season

Abdul, thanks for talking to German Hoops. There is one game left in the regular season and it´s do or die for s.Oliver Wurzburg. How exciting have the last days been for you?

It´s been pretty fun. We have been playing well lately despite having had injuries. It will be a fun day playing against Bayreuth. Both Frankfurt and us are playing for something. These type of games are the reason why we play the game.

On Friday night the Fraport Skyliners were destroyed in Berlin 106-69. Wurzburg played alter that evening in Ludwigsburg. Did head coach Dirk Bauerman tell you that result at halftime in the locker room? What were your feelings?

Coach Bauermann kept quiet. He didn´t look into the score of the Frankfurt game, because he was so consumed with our game in Ludwigsburg. After our loss he told us about the Frankfurt result. We knew after the loss that we had given up a big opportunity. But we can still make something happen against Bayreuth.

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Abdul Gaddy (s.Oliver Wurzburg) I´m Not A Big Stat Guy But More Worried About Making The Right Play

Abdul Gaddy is a 26 year old 193cm guard from Tacoma, Washington that is playing his fifth professional season and first in Germany with s.Oliver Wurzburg. Last season he played with VEF Riga (Latvia-LBL) playing 26 VTB United League games averaging 5.5ppg, 2.8rpg, 4.5apg, FGP: 42.9%, 3PT: 27.5%, FT: 52.4%; In the Latvian LBL, he played 25 game averaging 9.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 5.4apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 40.0%, FT: 50.0%. He played two seasons in Italy with Granarolo Bologna (Italy-Serie A) and as a rookie played with the Charlotte Bobcats (NBA), then moved to Maine Red Claws (D-League) playing 46 games averaging 9.0ppg, 3.2rpg, 5.0apg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 42.0%, FT: 57.6%. He played at Washington(NCAA) from 2009-2013 and as a senior played 34 games averaging 10.9ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 47.4%, 3PT: 30.9%, FT: 65.9%. He spoke to eurobasket before the game against the Fraport Skyliners in Frankfurt.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing s.Oliver Wurzburg guard Abdul Gaddy after he steered home 17 points in helping secure 2017 Gezeiten Cup over the Telekom Baskets Bonn

Thanks Abdul, for talking to German Hoops. Last weekend was the World Cup qualifying round and teams had a break. How did you use this time?

I went home for four days and was able to celebrate my mom´s birthday.

Your playing your first season with s.Oliver Wurzburg. After two seasons in Italy and a season in Latvia, what kind of experience has it been playing in the BBL?

It´s been good. The BBL is a defensive orientated league where you have to respect every team from top to bottom. It has been an enjoyable experience.

I had Wurzburg as one of my dark horse favorites before the season. Despite injuries and numerous guys coming and going, what do you believe has been key for still having a solid record.

We have a pretty good team. You have to credit coach Bauermann for picking a good team. We have a good mix of Americans and Germans. Our team chemistry has been good. We have had ups and downs, but we are headed in the direction of the playoffs.

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Abdul Gaddy´s Precision And Instincts Secures Wurzburg 2017 Gezeiten Cup Over The Telekom Baskets Bonn 71-67

There were many interesting stories in and around the 2017 Gezeiten Cup as the weekend tournament brought together EasyCredit BBL teams Telekom Baskets Bonn and the s.Oliver Wurzburg as well as Pro A team RheinStars Cologne and home team Dragons Rhondorf. Wurzburg head coach Dirk Bauerman finally made it to the Gezeitencup as a year ago, the s.Oliver Baskets weren´t in his plans yet as he was the head coach of the Iranian national team, but shortly before the start of the cup dropped out. Another big story was the DiLeo brothers in the house with Bonn guard TJ and RheinStars Cologne guard Max, but they never found their way to the court for a confrontation as Wurzburg defeated his Cologne team missing the final while TJ reached the final with Bonn ousting the Dragons Rhondorf. The only conversation they might have had was who would visit whom first in their respective cities or where their favorite spots to hang out are along the beautiful Rhein river. However the most endearing story was that of Andrej Mangold who a few months ago wasn´t sure where his basketball future would be heading after sustaining a nasty ACL in his left knee at the start of the 2016-2017 season with BG Goettingen. He needed all last season to rehabilitate it and this past summer was signed by the s.Oliver Wurzburg as Dirk Bauermann took a chance on him. Mangold had to pay his dues as he toiled around in the Regionaliga, Pro B and Pro A with teams like Oldenburg, Munich and Hannover and didn´t reach the BBL until 2010 with the Artland Dragons. However his most prosperous time in the BBL came with the Telekom Baskets Bonn where he played 5 seasons playing 172 BBL games, 20 Eurocup games and 26 Eurochallenge games. His last game in a Bonn uniform came on May 1^st in a season ending 95-93 loss against Braunschweig where he steered 4 points. After a little more than 16 months later he met his former team again with no former teammates left on the team and even if he was opponents had a fond memory of his times in Bonn playing with guys then like Jared Jordan and Tony Gaffney and helping serve up those tasty alley-oops to the American Gaffney who had that special distinction of being on the Celtics and Lakers rosters, but never having played an NBA game. In the final of the 2017 Gezeiten Cup the Telekom Baskets Bonn clashed against the s.Oliver Wurzburg and it wasn´t Mangold who was the story who scored two points in 8,28 minutes, but his teammate Abdul Gaddy who took control on two plays using precision and instincts sealing the win for the Bavarian team 71-67. “Coach Bauermann told us before the game that it would be a dog fight. We knew that Bonn would be aggressive and we wanted to be the aggressor. We did a good job staying composed when they turned up the heat. Gaddy kept us ahead in the down stretch with big plays”, stressed ex Illinois(NCAA) player DJ Richardson. After the win a tame TJ DiLeo was doing his post-game stretching and had had a special weekend seeing his brother again even if the basketball god didn´t see fit that both play each other in the final. The ex Temple(NCAA) guard was positive with the result even if his team did suffer the loss. “This was a hard-fought final with two good teams. Both teams scouted each other well and it was a shame it got a bit choppy at the end. I am happy the way we looked despite missing some plyers. We need to be more disciplined rebounding even when we were without Julian Gamble. Every player position 1-5 needs to rebound”, stated TJ DiLeo.

Miles Schmidt-Scheuber interviewing s.Oliver Wurzburg guard Abdul Gaddy after he steered home 17 points in helping secure 2017 Gezeiten Cup over the Telekom Baskets Bonn

s.Oliver Wurzburg found their rhythm first getting out quickly on a 9-4 lead as they got some timely and hot shooting off the bat from Gaddy and sniper Maurice Stuckey while also getting a lay in from Lithuanian Osvaldas Olisevicius who played with all the Lithuanian national youth teams.

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