Bayer Giants Leverkusen

Nate Fox Passes Away

The basketball world has recieved some very sad news with the death of Nate Fox (206-F/C-77, college: Maine). According to news reports Fox died from gun shot wounds in Bloomingdale, Illinois 25 miles west of Chicago after finding Fox shot, he was taken to Adventist GlenOaks Hospital in Glendale Heights, where he later died. Fox had been retired from professional basketball since 2012 and can look back on a very long basketball career having played in Europe from 2000-2012. Fox played 5 seasons in Germany four with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen and one season with Braunschweig.

Fox was a 37 year old that was a 206cm power forward and started his basketball career at Boston College. He finished his last two years at college at Maine. As a senior he averaged 19.0ppg 8.0rpg. He came to Europe in 2000 and as a rookie played for Aveiro Esgueira (Portugal) and later replaced injured Darius Hall at Ciudad de Huelva (Spain-LEB1). In his second season he played for Esgueira Aveiro (Portugal): left in Oct. ’01: 3 games: 15.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.0apg, 1.3bpg, 3.3spg, then joined Barreirense (Portugal): 15 games: 19.8ppg, 9.5rpg, 2.5apg, 1.9spg. In his third season 2002-2003 he had his first stay with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen and in the always improving Beko BBL put up respectable stats of 11,5 ppg, 6,7 rpg. In his fourth season he got further experience in new countries like Hapoel Haifa/Ramat Hasharon (Israel-Premier L.): 8 games: 15.8ppg, 6.9rpg, 1.9apg, 1.6spg, in Feb.’04 signed at Vastiau Basket Groot Leuven (Belgium-D1): 19 games: 16.0ppg, 10.9rpg, 2.7apg. In 2004-2005 he played for MPC/Capitals Groningen (Holland-Eredivisie): 6 games: 12.3ppg, 8.7rpg, 1.3apg, 2.2spg: left in Nov.’04, in Jan.’05 signed at Bayer Giants Leverkusen (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 14 games: 11.7ppg, 7.4rpg, 2.1apg, 1.5spg, 2.1bpg, 2FGP-3 (70.6%), 3FGP: 31.8%. After finishing the 2004-2005 season with Leverkusen, he would remain three more seasons there and have his most fruitful and successful time there. He played with players like Derrick Allen who built a potent 1-2 punch in the front court and guys like Eric Taylor, Jared Newson, Brandon Woudstra and Brant Bailey will surely never forget his competiveness on the court. In the 2008-2009 season he played for BC Kalev/Cramo Tallinn (Estonia-KML, starting five)Basketball Arbitral Tribunal BAT: 0166/11: Estonian League: 15 games: 12.2ppg, Reb-5 (7.1rpg), 1.5apg, 1.3spg, 2FGP: 62.8%, 3PT-3 (46.9%), FT: 69.7%; EuroChallenge: 6 games: 14.3ppg, 7.7rpg, 2.3apg, 1.7spg; Baltic League (Elite Group): 19 games: 14.5ppg, 6.6rpg, 2.3apg, 1.8spg, FGP: 45.5%, 3PT: 41.9%, FT: 67.6%. In 2009-2010, he returned back to Germany to play for Braunschweig playing 18 games: 7.8ppg, 3.8rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 62.5%, 3PT: 31.0%, FT: 66.7%. IN the 2010-2011 season he played for STB Le Havre (France-ProA): 13 games: 6.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 2.8apg, FGP-1 (73.8%), 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 50.0%. He played his last season in 2011-2012 for Generali Okapi Aalstar (Belgium-D1): EuroChallenge: 11 games: 8.5ppg, 5.0rpg, 1.5apg, FGP: 60.5%, 3PT: 34.6%, FT: 80.0%; Belgian League: 32 games: 4.5ppg, 4.0rpg, 1.5apg.

Nate Fox (206-F/C-77, college: Maine) will always be remembered as a very hard working big man that loved the physical play and never shyed away from anyone. He may not have been liked by his opponents who tried to avoid his physicality, but was loved on his own team as he was a team player and simply a warrior on the court. The basketball world will miss Nate Fox (206-F/C-77, college: Maine)! R.I.P Nate Fox (206-F/C-77, college: Maine)

Willy Manigat (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) Osvaldo Jeanty Is In Many Ways The Reason I Started Taking Basketball Seriously

 

Willy Manigat is a 26 year old 180cm point guard from Montreal, Canada that will be playing his third professional season and second in Germany and first with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. Last season he played for the Spot Up Medien Baskets Braunschweig (Germany-ProB, starting five): 8 games: 20.1ppg, 3.6rpg, 3.4apg, 3.0spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3Pts: 41.2%, FT: 81.6%, in Feb.’14 moved to New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig (Germany-BBL): 2 games: 3.0ppg. He started his basketball career in 2005 with  the University of Ottawa (CIS). In 2007 he moved on to  Carleton University (CIS) where he played until 2012 and as a senior played 28 games: 11.6ppg, 2.4rpg, 2.5apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 40.4%, FT: 86.0%. He started his professional basketball career in 2012 for  Summerside Storm (NBL): 36 games: 3.4ppg. He talked to German Hoops about basketball during the summer.

 

Thanks Willy for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how are you enjoying your summer?

Hey Miles, thank you to you and German Hoops for choosing me for this interview. I am currently in Ottawa, Canada, this is where I train for the summer at Carleton University where I attended school. My summer has been going by very quickly with all the training going on but so far so good.

You signed to play for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. How thrilled are you to be able to continue your career as well as staying in Germany?

I’m extremely happy with my return to Germany. When the season ended last year, one of my goals was to come back to Germany in order to continue building on the success of last season. I’m looking forward to this upcoming season with Bayer Giants Leverkusen.

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Jack Eggleston (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) I Am Confident That We Can Step Up And Do The Things We Need To Do As A Team In Order To Stay In The Pro A.

Jack Eggleston is a 24 year old 203cm power forward from Noblesville, Indiana that is playing his third year as a professional for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the German Pro B. He played at  Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2007-2011. He played a total of 125 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 28 games: 13.2ppg, 8.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 45.1%, FT: 73.5%. As a rookie  for Leverkusen he played  23 games: 14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 71.2%. Last season he played 33 games: 15.3ppg, Reb-2(11.1rpg), 3.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 74.7%He spoke to German Hoops before the game against BG Karlsruhe.

Congrats on the important 72-62 win against Gotha snapping their three game winning streak. Leverkusen kept it close trailing only by three points at halftime, but had a big 23-6 run in the third quarter. Did Leverkusen make any adjustment and what was key for this massive turnaround?

Thanks Miles. I don’t think we make any big adjustments. We just did a better job of executing on both ends. The ball moved much more crisply on offense, and we eliminated some silly mistakes on defense.

Leverkusen did a very good job defending the three point line. How key was it limiting them in this area and keeping American Chase Griffin at bay?

Especially after they shot the ball so well against Cuxhaven, we knew we needed to slow them down from the perimeter. Marc Sonnen did an amazing job making things difficult on Griffin and taking away any easy looks.

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Jack Eggleston (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) Goettingen Stayed Home On Me Most Of The Game, Which Made It Tough To Get Going Offensively

Jack Eggleston is a 25 year old 203cm power forward from Noblesville, Indiana that is playing his third year as a professional for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the German Pro B. He played at  Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2007-2011. He played a total of 125 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 28 games: 13.2ppg, 8.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 45.1%, FT: 73.5%. As a rookie  for Leverkusen he played  23 games: 14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 71.2%. Last season he played 33 games: 15.3ppg, Reb-2(11.1rpg), 3.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 74.7%He spoke to German Hoops Before the next game against Ehingen.

A tough 89-64 loss to number one team BG Goettingen at home. When you look at the half scoring one could say that Leverkusen played well for 20 minutes, but in between lost some focus in the second and third quarter. Why weren´t you able to play better for 40 minutes?

I thought we played a decent first quarter, but Goettingen tightened up defensively after that. They are a very talented team with a lot of depth and it was tough for us to keep up.

BG Goettingen had a comfortable 12 point lead at half time thanks to a strong second quarter outscoring Leverkusen 23-9. What adjustments did BG Goettingen seem to make in the second quarter and why wasn´t Leverkusen able to stay with the 2010 Eurochallenge winner?

The biggest adjustment they made was to take us out of our ball screen game. They pretty effectively shut down that part of our offense and made it difficult for us to operate.

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Jack Eggleston (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) We Will Keep The Same Routine Because Hard Work Is Leading To Success Not Because Of Superstition

Jack Eggleston is a 24 year old 203cm power forward from Noblesville, Indiana that is playing his third year as a professional for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the German Pro B. He played at  Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2007-2011. He played a total of 125 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 28 games: 13.2ppg, 8.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 45.1%, FT: 73.5%. As a rookie  for Leverkusen he played  23 games: 14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 71.2%. Last season he played 33 games: 15.3ppg, Reb-2(11.1rpg), 3.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 74.7%He spoke to German Hoopsbefore the game against the MLP Academics Heidelberg.

 

Jack congrats last weekend on the 93-73 win against the Finke Baskets Paderborn. It was an even game at halftime, but the Bayer Giants Leverkusen shifted up a few gears in the second half to win the game. What were the main reasons for getting this big

 

Thanks Miles. I think we turned up the intensity on defense and did a much better job of taking away easy transition buckets and clean three point looks. Offensively, we moved the ball very well and knocked down open shots.

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen got big production from Tony Watson, Marc Sonnen and yourself. How relieving is it to know that you were able to play so well without a Jake Koch who didn´t play. With him playing the team is even more dangerous.

Tony and Marc both played very well against Paderborn and have been playing well all year. It has been fun to watch them develop over the course of their first pro season, and I’m sure they will continue to improve the rest of the year. Hopefully we can get Jake back on the court with us soon.

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Jack Eggleston (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) We Need To Make Sure We’re Taking Advantage Of Every Opportunity To Improve

Jack Eggleston is a 24 year old 203cm power forward from Noblesville, Indiana that is playing his third year as a professional for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the German Pro B. He played at  Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2007-2011. He played a total of 125 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 28 games: 13.2ppg, 8.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 45.1%, FT: 73.5%. As a rookie  for Leverkusen he played  23 games: 14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 71.2%. Last season he played 33 games: 15.3ppg, Reb-2(11.1rpg), 3.4apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 51.2%, 3PT: 34.1%, FT: 74.7%He spoke to German Hoops about his come back and current Leverkusen losing streak.

Jack thanks for talking to German Hoops again. A tough 78-75 loss to BG Karlsruhe. The team keeps getting closer and closer but lost again. What was key for not being able to get the win at the end?

I think we just dug ourselves too big of a hole in the first half. We need to be able to come out of the gate with the energy and intensity that we showed in the second half.

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen seemed to have no answer in containing Germans Rouven Roessler who played many years in the BBL and breathed German national team air and Oliver Komarek who was a German A-2 national player in the past. How much fun is it experiencing good German players each weekend?

Both of them are good players, but I can’t use the word “fun” to describe any game that we lost. I look forward to seeing them later in the season so we can have another opportunity to contain them better.

After your long injury, how excited were you to finally be able to play on the court again? How did you feel physically and mentally?

It was great to get back out on the court and help my team. There was definitely a bit of an adjustment period after being out for two months, but I felt like I was able to get comfortable out there fairly quickly.

How tough was it the last months having to sit on the bench and not be able to help the team get out of this losing streak?

That was really the worst part of my injury, just sitting there feeling like I was letting my teammates down. I tried to be positive and support the guys, but no competitive person wants to sit on the bench and watch.

Have you ever suffered a 10 game losing streak in your career or is this the first time? How have you been dealing with it?

I wish the answer to that was no but we actually lost my first ten games in my junior year of college. This season, just like that season, is not the way you want to start. I’m confident though that we’ll continue to improve as a team.

What have been the main reasons for the losing streak. The loss of Josh Parker and your injury surely weren´t beneficial, but the team picked up some solid talent especially with Tony Watson.

Obviously any time you lose a tremendous player like Josh, you have to figure out ways to replace his contribution. I think Tony has done a great job in his place, but we’ve struggled a bit with injuries. All of our big men have missed significant time and some of the other players have nagging issues.

Especially a guy like American Marc Sonnen was a big pick up who shot over 40% his last two seasons in the NCAA. What do you like most about his game?

Although most people notice Marc’s shooting ability first, I really love his defensive intensity. Even if the ball isn’t falling for him, he’s going to give us everything he’s got on the other end of the court.

What parts of your game have been most difficult to get used to again after your long injury?

I’d say my touch around the basket and my decision making are the two things that are the toughest to get back. I’ve made progress with both and will continue to improve in the coming weeks.

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen can´t panic now. What will be most important for the team do now besides sticking together?

We need to make sure we’re taking advantage of every opportunity to improve. Every practice, every game is a chance for us to get better as a team. We can’t waste those chances.

What was the last DVD movie that you saw?

I just watched Primer.

Thanks Jack for the chat.

Tony Watson (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) I Don´t Feel Any Pressure Filling Josh Parker´s Shoes

Tony Watson is a 188cm guard from Riviera beach that will be starting his rookie season in the PRO A with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He played four years at Buffalo(NCAA) from  2009-2013 playing  a total of 107 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 31 games: 11.3ppg, 3.1rpg, 3.6apg, FGP: 47.7%, 3PT: 41.6%, FT: 87.5%. German Hoops gave the American a welcome to Germany interview.

Tony thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on your new job with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen. What were the main reasons for taking this offer?

Leverkusen offered me a great opportunity to play for a well-known club that has had a lot of success, which is important to me as a rookie. The Giants have also been known for having excellent players at the point guard position and that is a trend I wish to continue. The coaching staff has get experience and knowledge that will improve my game. It is also a great city that I will be able to adapt to easily all while playing the sport I love.

Do you feel a lot of pressure having to step into the foot steps of MVP Josh Parker who moved up 2 leagues to the top German league Beko BBL?

Josh is an excellent player and did a ton for the Giants last season, but I don’t really feel any pressure on filling Josh’s shoes. We have actually talked a little bit about the Giants and he has given me a lot of advice. His main point was to just go out there and play your game and the rest will take care of itself.

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Jack Eggleston (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) I Can´t Even Imagine Where We Would Be Without Josh Parker

Jack Eggleston is a 24 year  old 203cm power forward from Noblesville, Indiana that is playing his second year as a professional for the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the German Pro B. He played at  Pennsylvania (NCAA) from 2007-2011. He played a total of 125 NCAA games. In his senior year he played 28 games: 13.2ppg, 8.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 50.4%, 3PT: 45.1%, FT: 73.5%. Last season for Leverkusen he played  23 games: 14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 2.1apg, FGP: 49.5%, 3PT: 37.1%, FT: 71.2%. He spoke to German Hoops after beating Oldenburg in the playoffs.

Congrats on getting past Oldenburg in the first round of the playoffs? The three games had a total of 551 total points. How much energy did this series cost the team?

We’ve played all of our games this year at a pretty fast pace so I don’t think that the series took any more energy than usual out of us. We have plenty of time to get rested and ready for our first game Sunday.

The Bayer Giants Leverkusen won game three 95-90. The Giants had a nice lead at halftime, but Oldenburg stormed back in the third quarter to get back into the game. What was key at the end for Leverkusen winning the game?

I thought we did a great job of finding their shooters down the stretch and making sure they didn’t get any easy looks. Also we made sure to secure defensive boards and limit them to one shot.

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Josh Parker (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) I Have To Keep Working Hard To Live Up To That Name Mini Rose

Josh  Parker is a 23 year old 183cm point guard from Harvey, Illinois that is playing his rookie season in Germany for PRO B team Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He played at Drake from 2007-2009 and then played for Dayton(NCAA) from 2010-1012. He played a total of 130 NCAA games. Currently he is tearing up the German PRO B. He spoke to eurobasket after the 107-67 loss against the Fraport Skyliners.

A tough 107-67 loss against the Fraport Skyliners. What was the main reason for the loss?

I have to give them a lot of credit. They played very well. They executed their game plan and hit shots. It was a bad loss for us, but it was simply their day. We have to keep battling and playing hard, because we want to reach the playoffs.

You hurt yourself in the third quarter. What happened and are you all right?

I rolled my ankle, but I am ok. I wanted to keep playing, but coach thought it was better I didn´t and not to risk anything. I have a week now to get ready for the next game.

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Josh Parker (Bayer Giants Leverkusen) My Teamamates And Coach Have Given Me A Great Opportunity For Me To Play The Game I Know How

Josh  Parker is a 23 year old 183cm point guard from Harvey, Illinois that is playing his rookie season in Germany for PRO B team Bayer Giants Leverkusen. He played at Drake from 2007-2009 and then played for Dayton(NCAA) from 2010-1012. He played a total of 130 NCAA games. Currently he is tearing up the German PRO B. He spoke to German Hoops about his rookie season.

Josh welcome to Germany. On the court you have had no adjusting to do, but how have you adjusted to the German way of life?

Thank you I am so glad to be here! I have been adjusting to the German way of life pretty good. Germany is really Americanized and easy to adjust most of the people here speak English so it has been a smooth transition for me.

The team currently has a record of 3-4. What has been the main reasons for the 3-4 start?

It’s been some ups and downs through the season like every team and with our team we lost some very close games that could have easily went our way that was unfortunate. With a team it always take some time to get familiar with everyone and now I feel like we are getting a pretty good feel for one another and starting to play well together.

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