Having a perfect regular season in any sport is an accomplishment if it is in baseball with 162 games or NBA or NHL with 82 games or even in the NFL which has 16, but accomplishing this is as rare as Boston Red Sox fan ever having the audacity to put on a hated New York Yankees cap at the bleacher bar at Fenway Park. Sometimes it is done as Tom Brady took the New England Patriots to a perfect record in the 2007-2008 season, but couldn´t cap of a 19-0 season as the New Giants crushed their season winning the Super bowl on the last drive. In a way Tom Brady and Basketball Lowen Braunschweig guard Derek Needham have one big similarity in that they had perfect regular season records, but the Needham took it one step further by not losing a single game last season for BK Khimik-OPZ Yuhzny (Ukraine-Superleague) going 37-0 winning the league title while playing 36 games averaging 11.9ppg, 3.4rpg, 4.6apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 49.4%, 3PT: 43.4%, FT: 71.0%. After not having that horrible feeling of defeat once last season in the Ukraine, losing the first regular season game with Braunschweig must have been like a culture shock, but the American hopes that with due time his winning experience from last season will be transformed on to his new team and he knows what it takes to win and there definitely were no secretes. “No secrets we worked very hard and loved each other. We stayed focused throughout the season and had a great coach. We players and coach get along it makes it easier to go to battle with your team”, stated Derek Needham. If someone had told him this season like last season that he wouldn´t lose a single game, he probably would of uttered the same words as a year ago. “I would have said they are crazy and that’s very very very hard to do. To stay focused and perform every night and to win the games was amazing. Still can’t believe that happened”, added Derek Needham. Needham is a 25 year old 180cm point guard from Dalton, Illinois and playing his third professional season and belongs to the smallest guards in the Beko BBL. He is a player that can penetrate very well and knows when to find his teammates and since the unbeaten season last season has leadership that is a strength even if he feels it isn´t always noticed. “Maybe my leadership is hidden, I love to help my team and make sure everyone is one the same page and in tune with the game so we can play our best every game”, said Derek Needham. He has always been consistent since he started at Fairfield (NCAA) in 2009 and played until 2013 and then moved on to Lithuania and the Ukraine last season and never averaged less than 11,4ppg. He also has improved his three point shooting as he shot his best last season during the title run. Surprisingly he had his best games against the top teams like Bamberg and Alba Berlin where he even had a better ranking then top Beko BBL point guard Brad Wanamaker. The season is still young as Braunschwieg is up and down and the team is trying to still find each other, but Needham will continue to develop further as he gets used to the style of the Beko BBL as he tries to fill the shoes of last seasons point guard Dru Joyce. After last season´s bitter end of just missing the playoffs, Braunschweig could have the arsenal to make it this season and with the mix of the disappointment of Nicolai Simon missing the playoffs last season, the NCAA experience and success of Josh Gasser and Needham´s run last season could be the right mentality for added minutes in May.

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