When you look back at the rosters of the Frankfurt Skyliners between the seasons of 2007-2010, you will come across players that one never saw again in action playing for another German Beko BBL team like an Adam Emmenckar, Jimmie Hunt, Greg Jenkins, Dragan Labovic or Seth Doliboa. The list grows however when you list the names of guys that one saw play again since their stay in Frankfurt with guys like Jimmy Mckinney, Konrad Wysocki, Anthony King, or a Dominik Bahiense De Mello. There are even a few guys that changed jerseys more than once like a Koko Archibong who played in towns like Giessen, Bayreuth and Munich or even a Max Weber who really might have had a rebate on Regio trains in Germany as he was shuffling all over the place from Giessen to Kaiserslautern, to Goettingen or to Ludwigsburg and now is closer to home playing with SC Rasta Vechta. But if one had to choose one player that one has the most affection for when seeing him dazzle the paint area even in a strangers uniform then it is Mr ballerina Derrick Allen. He also has changed uniforms more than once in the Beko BBL since his last season in Frankfurt in 2009-2010. His last game was the bitter last second loss to the Brose Baskets Bamberg in game 5 of the 2010 finals. Since then he went for the money in the twilight of his career playing for Alba Berlin form 2010-2012 and last season in Belgium for Belgacom Spirou (Belgium-Ethias League). He is known as being one of the hardest workers in the game of basketball and in his time with the Frankfurt Skyliners was the go to guy playing a total of 148 games for the 2004 BBL champion. He was second in league scoring in 2008 and was just a delight to watch and one of those guys when asked why you came out to the arena saying to watch Derrick Allen play. His trademark was his unconventional, overhasty moves that at times looked like a factory worker stumbling to punch out at 4.30 in the afternoon to get over to the bar to join the boys. He may be 33 and is his twilight of his career, but he can still be a force as he has formed a solid forward punch with Brian Harper with the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. He was back again at the office dueling against his ex coach Gordon Herbert who he had as coach in Frankfurt and Berlin, but couldn´t put a dent in the explosive Andy Rautins Show as the Fraport Skyliners snapped their two game losing streak 88-72. Allen was sold again in his third game scoring 13 points, grabbing five rebounds and finding the open man from the post with two assists. Brian Harper who was a force last season with TBB Trier and is 5 years younger than Allen scored only two points and is always able to learn something from the Alabama native. D.A is the ultimate professional. He plays hard every minute in practice and game. It is awesome to watch him play and I can still learn from him and get better. It is an honor to play with him. He is a great captain”, added Bremerhaven forward Brian Harper. Allen was playing a lot of center in the game and Skyliner Jacob Burtschi was glad he didn´t have to be perplexed by his ballerina moves. “He works so hard and I am happy that I didn´t have to guard him. He makes you play and never takes any possessions off. I have a lot of respect for him”, added Jacob Burtschi. After the loss Bremerhaven head coach Calvin Oldham had little mimic in his expression, but when he heard the name Derrick Allen, his face lit up as bright as the New York skyline. “As a professional, Derrick is at the top of the list. There are always guys you like to be around no matter their talent. I always feel like he says and does the right ting at every moment”, lauded Bremerhaven head coach Calvin Oldham.
Eisbaeren Bremerhaven
John Bynum (If It Wasn´t For Saurunas Sakalaukas, I Would Never Have Gotten The Chance In The BBL)
John Bynum is a 35 year old 191 cm guard from Visalia California that will play for New Energie Elephants Grevenbroich (Germany-Regionalliga) this season. Last season he played for BV Chemnitz 99 (Germany-ProA): 21 games: 11.8ppg, 5.2rpg, 3.6apg, 1.5spg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 15.4%, FT: 62.2%. with TBB Trier playing 32 games: 6.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 39.9%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 63.6%. He played college basketball at College of the Sequoias Junior College:from 1996-1998 and then transferred to Metropolitan St. (NCAA2): and played there from 1998-2000. He started his professional basketball career in 2001 in the Uk for the Solent Stars (United Kingdom-NBLConf): 31 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assist. In 2002-2003, came his first tour of duty in Germany for BSG Grevenbroich (Germany-Regionalliga): 24.7ppg, 9.2rpg, 6.7apg, 3.5spg. In 2003-2004, he played for the Ulriken Eagles (Norway-BNLO): Regular Season: 14 games: 20,1ppg, 8,1rpg, 2,5apg, 2,9spg, 0,4bpg.In 2004-2005, he was back in Germany playing for BSG Grevenbroich (Germany-2. can Bundesliga): 30 games: Score-5(26.0ppg), 7.7rpg, Ast-4(5.4apg), 1.7spg, 2FGP: 55.5%, 3FGP: 33.3%, FT: 63.6%. In 2005-2006, he played for InterCollege Etha Engomis (Cyprus-A1): only pre-season, then joined COOCOON Baskets Weiden (Germany-2.Bundesliga, starting five): 8 games: 15.6ppg, 5.9rpg, 2.0apg, 1.6spg, 2FGP: 51%, left in Jan.’06 and later that month signed at Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 21 games: 7.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 1.8apg, 2FGP: 56.5%. In 2006-2007, he played for the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven (Germany-1.Bundesliga): 31 games: 5.7ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 2FGP: 43.1%, 3FGP: 25.0%, FT: 55.9%. In 2007-2008, he played for USC Heidelberg (Germany-ProA, starting five): 14 games: 14.4ppg, 4.4rpg, Assists-5(4.6apg), 2.3spg, 2FGP: 54%, 3FGP: 27.3%, FT: 58.5%, left in Jan.’08 due to shoulder injury, in Feb.’08 moved to Digibu Baskets Paderborn (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): 13 games: 6.3ppg, 3.0rpg, 2.4apg, 2FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 70.0%. In 2009-2010, he played in the PRO A for Proveo Merlins Crailsheim (Germany-ProA, starting five): 27 games: 16.9ppg, 7.1rpg, Assists-3(5.4apg), 1.1spg, FGP: 51.8%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 62.8%. He played for TBB Trier from 2010-2012. He spoke to German Hoops after taking part in a special exhibition game against the current Eisbaeren Bremerhaven roster with the ex Bremerhaven players.
You were in Bremerhaven twice during the 2010-2012 seasons to play with TBB Trier against your old team Eisbaeren Bremerhaven, but last night you returned to play in the Allstar game. What kind of a feeling was it returning to an event like that was more for fun than for fighting for Beko BBL points?
For me it was good to see everyone who I have not seen in a while. We had two special seasons while I was there and it felt good seeing the guys who I had some great memories with. It was a lot easier playing for fun though rather than fighting for points. But overall it was a great experience and it was an honor to be a part of something like this.
What was your impression of this unique idea by the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. Are you surprised that there haven’t been more games like this hosted by Beko BBL teams?
I think it was a great idea for the club to do something like this and it wouldn’t suprise me to see more clubs around the country to do it more. Like I said it was an honor to be a part of it.
Stanley Burrell (We Never Established A True Identity)
Stanley Burrell is a 28 year old 190cm point guard from Indianapolis that just completed his first season in the Beko BBL for the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven. He played at Xavier from 2004-2008 and in hiss enior year played 37 games: 9.7ppg, 2.2rpg, 3.8apg, FGP: 39.1%, 3Pts: 39.3%, FT: 82.3%. He played a total of 132 NCAA games. In 2008-2009, he turned professional and played for Bosna ASA BH Telecom Sarajevo (Bosnia-D1): Adriatic League: 17 games: 9.7ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.8apg, FGP: 58.8%, 3PT: 10.5%, FT: 72.2%, left team in Jan.’09, in Feb.’09 moved to Austin Toros (D-League): 23 games: 6.1ppg, 1.6rpg, 2.0apg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT: 30.8%, FT: 76.9%. In 2009-2010, he played for VOO Verviers-Pepinster (Belgium-D1, starting five): 31 games: 10.8ppg, 2.1rpg, Assists-1(4.6apg), FGP: 50.9%, 3PT: 28.6%, FT: 67.4%. In 2010-2011, he played for Generali Okapi Aalstar (Belgium-D1): EuroChallenge Qualifying Round: 2 games: 15.0ppg, 2.5rpg, 2.5apg, 2.0spg; Belgian League: 36 games: 8.6ppg, 1.5rpg, 2.7apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 29.6%, FT: 66.0%. In 2011-2012, he played for Energa Czarni Slupsk (Poland-PLK, starting five): 39 games: 15.6ppg, 3.2rpg, 4.8apg, FGP: 51.3%, 3PT: 40.5%, FT: 81.9%. He spoke to German Hoops after the end of the 2012-2013 Beko BBL season.
Where are you currently and what was the first thing you did when you arrived in the States?
Im currently back in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana. The first thing I did when I arrived home was surprise my mother at her job. She was in tears and had no idea I was back in the country already. It was a great moment!
You played your first season in the Beko BBL with the Eisaberen Bremerhaven after playing in countries like Bosnia, Belgium and Poland. How challenging was it for you playing in the Beko BBL?
Surprisingly, it wasnt as challenging as I thought it was going to be. The summer/offseason before coming to Germany, I trained harder than I had ever trained in my career…. (As you can see in the highlight video I had posted on Eurobasket.com and my facebook fan page) I knew the BBL was one of the top leagues in all of Europe, so I wanted to be prepared. I didnt know what to expect, so I just prepared myself for EVERYTHING. That hard work in the offseason put my confidence in my game at a high level. I was ready to show what I was capable of in Germany. To come in my first season in the league, be an All Star, and almost lead the league in scoring, I proved what I was capable of.
Can The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven Maneuver Into the Beko BBL Playoffs?
After the surprising entry to the BBL in 2005 for the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven, reaching the playoffs in the first three years seemed as simple for the club like a zoo keeper feeding a malnourished polar bear, Chris Paul mowing down the competition and winning the 2013 NBA allstar MVP award instead of Kobe, Lebron or Kevin or Kenny Frease winning any gum chewing contest in the world. With players like Adam Chubb, FC Barcelona forward Judson Wallace, Nick Jacobson or Zygimantas Jonusas, the team was able to reach the promised land each season. However in the last 4 years, the club has only reached the playoffs once and even finished in 18th place in 2009 despite having a Marcus Slaughter shortly before his brat wurst affair. The team continues to get potent players; but due to the league becoming more competitive the last years, they have been enjoying May in the café instead of on the court. This season the team brought in Jacob Burtschi who is the typical glue guy that would jump into the first row to save a loose ball even if it meant falling into a pit bull. Last season, the Fraport Skyliners almost reached the playoffs after a massive turnaround in the second half where the Oklahoma native had a huge part in. If the team is too make a run for the playoffs then there is no better player than Burtschi to lead them as he has the whole package on the court and is able to infect his team positively with his playing style and his character. He is just a player that you have to love. It isn´t just what he accomplishes on the court, but also off the court which gets teammates to just feel comfortable with him. Times are tough now, and those are the situations where a captain has to insert those special qualities. At the moment Bremerhaven is more involved with getting away from the lower places in the standings as they have one win more than the 16 and 17th placed team, but are only two wins away from the playoff position eighth place. With five of the last eight games at home and a pretty lenient schedule, they will need as many wins as possible to reach the promised land.
When Jacob Burtschi (Eisbaeren Bremerhaven) Talks, People Listen
Usually when a new captain is named by a Beko BBL team, there are not more than a few sentences dropped if that, but when I saw the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven announcement back in September that Jacob Burtschi would get the captain duties it pleased me, but on the other hand didn´t surprise me either, because the Oklahoma native isn´t your typical player or captain either. After a NCAA career with the Air Force, he has started his third professional season with the Eisbaeren after showing his talent already with Phoenix Hagen and the Fraport Skyliners and getting a tooth pick taste of how the ACB in Spain works with his short stay with CAI Zaragoza.
As a rookie with Phoenix Hagen, Burtschi played 33 games averaging 14.2ppg, 6.9rpg, 2.5apg, Steals-3(1.5spg), FGP: 56.0%, 3PT: 44.2%, FT: 82.2%. He was honoured by Eurobasket.com with Eurobasket.com All-German Bundesliga Newcomer of the Year -11, Eurobasket.com All-German Bundesliga 3rd Team -11, and Eurobasket.com German Bundesliga All-Newcomers Team -11. Already as a rookie, the charming 198cm forward showed how versatile he can be, but on account of him playing on a team that relied on scoring more than the other team even if it was a 105-102 result to win, his other qualities on the court that were already prevalent for captain qualities seemed a bit overshadowed.
Can Jacob Burtschi and Co Help Lead The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven Back To The Beko BBL Playoffs?
It always a delight when a Beko BBL team returns to face off against an ex teammate. In the last years the Fraport Skyliners had to tangle with former players like Derrick Allen who continued to ballerina Skyliner players dizzy like a kid trapped on a merry go round, Koko Archibong who seemed like an even more foreign on body each passing year with his further stations in Duesseldorf, Giessen and BBC Bayreuth denying Dashaun Wood a win despite a big win, Ken Johnson being a menace swatting away balls with Bonn or Max Weber who has been a Beko BBL traveler having played in Giessen, Goettingen and now the Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg getting in a laugh in the first game of the season beating his ex team. This Sunday the Fraport Skyliners have a basketball date with the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven and ex player Jacob Burtschi. Burtschi wasn´t only a great player with his short stay with the team after coming in December 2011 for the NBA departed Jon Leuer and without the Oklahoma native might never have had such a successful second half of the season just missing the Beko BBL playoffs with a last game loss in Bonn. Burtschi might be the most charismatic player in the 14 year history of the Frankfurt Skyliners. Burtschi was a guy that brought a positive attitude to the club on and off the court. He enjoyed competiting, playing hard, giving 180% and diving for the ball until he was black and blue, but retaining that boyish look and charm. Who could forget his interview session at the Skyliner tuxedo fitting day where he grabbed the mic and interviewed Skyliner players and made it look easy and seemed to be like a Carson, Leno and Letterman in one 198cm body. He is a player that can can do it all on the court which is shoot, rebound, play defense and lead a team. As the team started 0-3, he led his team to a whipping of the LTi Giessen 46ers 114-80 where he was top scorer where he was all over the court and the only thing missing was him interviewing Giessen mascot Fabius and being critical asking him why he hadn´t given more effort firing up his team. His hidden strength is his passing and he loves monopoly which he played with a passion as he was a member of Phoenix Hagen. The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven have gotten off to a slow start at 1-3 and have missed the Beko BBL playoffs the last years and if there is one guy that can help lead the team back to the promised land of the playoffs then it is Jacob Burtschi. Bremerhaven is a handful of decent clubs hoping to get back there. It doesn´t matter who you talk to, every person has only positive things to say about the Oklahoma native. Last season with the Frankfurt Skyliners there was the debate if he was better kept playing the three or four which ha dalso been an issue in 2008-2009 with Konrad Wysocki. “Jacob Burtschi is a very interesting young man. I saw him play with Phoenix Hagen. He is a tweener. I remember talking about Klaus Perwass. We had different ideas about where he should play, but as coaches you are always right. I think he is more a three, but he played the position four with Frankfurt and Hagen. It will be interesting to see how Doug Spradley plays him. I think he is better at the three since he has a good shot and can move well. At the position four he has to play more at the hoop and can have problems with more physical four opponents. He is a very good player and will be very motivated to play against his old team”, stressed basketball expert Steven Clauss. The ex teammates of Burtschi in Frankfurt also had good memories of the Oklahoma native. “I am looking forward to playing against him again. I remember him telling me where the best food places were in Frankfurt and he knew that already after a few weeks there. He also always joked saying I stole his rebounds”, smilied Texas native Devin Gibson.
Jeff Gibbs (Toyota Alvark) My Toughest Player Opponent Ever In The BBL Was The Team Of John Patrick)
Jeff Gibbs is a 32 year old 18cm forward/center from Columbus, Ohio that is playing his third season in Japan for Toyota Alvark. He played at Otterbein(NCAA3) from 1998 to 2002. He was NCAA3 champion and Final Four MVP in 2002. He holds the record for rebounds in a game (25) at NCAA3 Final Four, record for rebounds (40) in a NCAA3 Final Four and holds Otterbein’s record for career rebounds. He went to Germany in 2003 to start his professional basketball career to play for TSG Ehingen. In 2004-2005, he tore up the second Bundesliga playing 22 games and averaging 21.5ppg, Reb-1(12.8rpg), 1.8apg, 2.3spg, 1.2bpg, 2FGP: 62.6%, 3FGP: 31.6%, FT: 70.7%. In 2005, he went to Ratiopharm Ulm where he would play for until 2009. In 2005-2006, the team won the second Bundesliga south and came to the BBL. He was the BBL top rebounder for three straight years (2007,2008,2009). In 2009-2010, he played for the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven playing 44 games: 13.9ppg, Reb-1(8.6rpg), 1.5apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 54.9%, 3PT: 38.9%, FT: 73.5%. Last season for Toyota Alvark, he played 48 games: 12.9ppg, 8.2rpg, 1.7apg, Steals-4(1.6spg), FGP-2(57.3%), 3PT-1(43.8%), FT: 72.0%. He had 10 double doubles. He returned back to Frankfurt for an exhibition game against the Fraport Skyliners and spoke to German Hoops..
Welcome back to Germany Jeff. You are back in Germany playing an exhibition series against TBB Trier, FC Bayern Munich and the Fraport Skyliners. How happy are you to be back?
I am very happy to be back. I saw some Ulm fans at the game against Munich in Rosenheim. It is cool that Munich is playing in the BBL. I always thought that they should of had a team in the league considering the budget that they have. It was a great experience playing against them despite losing.
What have you missed most about Germany?
I have missed everything especially the homely atmosphere. My wife loved it as much as I did. Germany will always be a second home to me. I couldn´t wait to have Wiener Schnitzel and Pommes when I got to Germany. I had it in Trier at a nice restaurant with Don Beck.
Jason Cain Muscle And Anthony Smith Precision Pace The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven Past The Fraport Skyliners 76-70
For Quantez Robertson coming to play in the northern most Beko BBL city of Bremerhaven to display his mind boggling 
athletic arsenal has been a joy since he arrived on the scene in Germany in 2009. In his first two encounters in the Eisbaeren cage, he suffered negative experiences losing a nail biter in the regular season 76-74 and game one 78-75 of the 2010 semi final playoff series. However since then the energetic flying Cincinnati kid had left the floor in Bremerhaven as a successful Eisbaeren hunter having won game three 79-53 and the exciting game five 56-52 in 2010 where you could of told a devoted eight year old Eisbaeren fan that Lebron James was outside the Stadthalle with Rihanna and the kid would probably still have followed the ending of the thriller playoff game. Super Tez Robertson also helped contribute to the win last season as Frankfurt rolled by Bremerhaven 71-56 with a typical Dashaun Wood Derrick Rose stat line of 25, 8 and 7. Robertson seldom smiles except for his energy outbursts as he was going for his fourth win in a row in Bremerhaven, but was denied as the Eisbaeren withstood a fourth quarter Skyliner comeback and closed out the game with a 7-0 run winning 76-70 giving 
Frankfurt sort of a taste of their own medicine as they had let Braunschweig come back last weekend, but saw them lose it in overtime through a clutch Jimmy Mckinney performance. Eisbaeren fan favorite American Torrell Martin is close to making his comeback, but sat out one last time and remembered the Robertson athletic flair two years ago. “I remember how dynamic Tez was in that playoff series two years ago. We both always had great battles. We were always both very aggressive and he elevated my game to new heights. Frankfurt made a comeback at the end tonight2, but we were able to pull it out”, stressed Torrell Martin.
Can The Icy Weather Continue To Keep The Eisbaeren Bremerhaven Content At Home?
The last time the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven had a two game winning streak this season before their current two game wining streak against Braunschweig and Giessen, the St Louis Cardinals were just crowned MLB World Series champion, any kind of Kevin Durant rumor in Bayreuth would have been met with a startled look as they were still a month away and the New York Giants were a 6-2 team and still far away from being in the 2012 Superbowl. Since the big 86-83 win in Artland October 29th, the Eisbaeren have been an up and down team at 7-7 spanning three months where they were unable to win two games in a row. Even if they continue to give up way too many points to the liking of ex Paderborn skipper Doug Spradley, the team seems to have used the huge 92-87 OT win at home against the New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig as a spark plug where Philadelphia native Jason Cain made a jaw breaking buzzer beating three pointer to bring the game to extra minutes and then winning it in fine style in the extra time and the 102 point explosion in Giessen. It seems like the club is using the unbearable, nasty, Siberian ,freezing like temperatures to their liking as they are playing as focused as Madonna was in the Superbowl halftime show showing no signs of an old 53 year old woman with her moves, Kim Kardashian telling the world that she will never date another football player again and CEE LO throwing out his hard earned cash at a strip club at a pre super bowl party in Indianapolis recently. The Eisbaeren aren´t thawing out at the moment, but instead seeming to be using their natural habitat in the cold to their advantage. “It seems that Bremerhaven is getting more aggressive on the court while everyone else is hibernating. But if Bremerhaven would visit my team Wels in Austria, we would make sure to turn up the temperature in the gym, so they wouldn´t be able to play so well”, joked ex Phoenix Hagen American Quentin Pryor. “If the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven played us in the Paul Horn arena now during this cold weather, they would have the home court advantage, because it is so cold here, that we have to practice more with snow balls than with basketballs”, joked Walter Tiger Tuebingen forward Ruben Spoden. The good news for the Fraport Skyliners is that Bremerhaven has gotten back to plus Celsius temperatures which might just make the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in the mood for a short 40 minute hibernation.
Torrell Martin Doesn´t Need To Display Traffic Dunks But Shows His Taste Of Ray Allen Leading Bremerhaven Past The Fraport Skyliners 63-55
3 years ago around this time, The New England Patriots were still recovering from their surprising and disheartening Super Bowl loss to the New York Giants, Keith Simmons was starting his first season with The Deutsche Bank Skyliners and thoughts of playing the next three years in Turkey were still far away and Marcus Slaughter was learning the hard way not to eat a curry hot dog before a basketball game. Three years ago the Eisaberen Bremerhaven were in the midst of a 16 game losing streak despite strong play from Marcus Slaughter who was the top Eisbaeren scorer in their first seven games. Now in 2011, the basketball world of the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven is solid as they rest in position six whereas the Fraport Skyliners basketball world in the last four years has been as radiant as the smile of actor George Clooney, the surfing success of American Kelly Slater or the hit making of French artist David Guetta, but this season the team is going through unexpected and unwanted growing pains as their losing streak grew to five games as they let the game slip out of their hands into the bushy white claws of the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven in the fourth quarter losing 63-55. Frankfurt played a lot better than in the last games, but sometimes during losing streaks, basketball luck and lady luck don´t always mesh. “Long losing streaks are always tough and they wear down a team mentally. Losing at the end was tough, because coach prepared us well and we showed a lot of improvement on defense. I remember going through a 13 game losing streak at Northwestern. We stuck together as a team and continued to work hard. We stayed tough and broke the streak”, stressed Skyliner guard Michael Thompson. Bremerhaven point guard Jamison Brewer who has 54 NBA games under his belt knows something about losing streaks. “I remember as a freshman at Auburn, we lost 12 games in a row and all in the last minute and three in overtime. If Frankfurt really has a team belief then they will dig down look in the mirror and come together as a unit. They have a good team and coach and if they continue to work hard, they will see positive results”, stressed Jamison Brewer. “I think that Frankfurt have a nice squad. Many teams go through a process of meshing and finding the right team chemistry. I think that Frankfurt will be fine”, warned Mike Smith.
German Hoops 