It is always a special pleasure when Fans are able to see former teammates battling against their ex team again. This season the EWE Baskets Oldenburg have two ex Frankfurt Skyliners on their roster with Germans Konrad Wysocki and Dominic Bahinese De Mello who combined played seven seasons and 260 games. De Mello played from 2005-2011 and was primarly known as a shooter and didn´t always have an easy time under head coach Murat Didin, but seemed to forever escape his basketball shell in Frankfurt under Gordon Herbert. Konrad Wysocki played at Ivy league school Princeton getting Ivy league rookie of the year in 2001 and when wearing spectacles could be seen as a young Russell Crowe from the movie A Beautiful Mind and could always hold his own in a conversation about architecture. In his only season in Frankfurt in 2008-2009, he played under Murat Didin who wanted him to play more the position four even though he has his advantages at the position three. That season was n´t the best experience for him as he averaged only 6,0ppg, 4,3rpg, 1,4apg and shot only 29,3% from downtown. The nicest memory of the ex ratiopharm Ulm player was prior to him coming to Frankfurt when he was allowed to guard NBA superstar Lebron James at the 2008 Olympic games in Bejing. Wysocki then departed Frankfurt in 2009 and went a bit further east to Poland where he played three seasons for PGE Turow and played Eurocup and hit very prosperous the lats two seasons at 41% from the parking lot. Wysocki wasn´t able to play, because he was suffering from a charley horse injury, but spent some time before the game saying hello to friends that had made the trip form Frankfurt. De Mello was looking to break the 1-1 record form last season where he helped crush Frankfurt in the home opener on the road, but then lost at home near the end of the season. De Mello was as focused to beta his old team as OJ Mayo of the Dallas Mavericks has been being on of the better players so far, Rick Adelman of the Timberlakes keeping a competitive team there despite nagging in juries or Damien Lillard showing he has been a solid rookie for the Portland Trailblazers so far and the young German was able to help the EWE Baskets Oldenburg grind out a tough 63-61 win. “I was excited to play against my former team and see many friends especially seeing Klaus Perwass and Quantez Robertson was nice. It is always special to play against Frankfurt stressed Dominic Bahiense De Mello. De Mello also is thrilled to be reacquainted again with Wysocki. “He is a good friend of mine. We understand each other very much. He plays the kind of style I play. He does so much for the team and has become such a good player and developed in his time in Poland”, added Dominic Bahiense De Mello. “Wysocki learned very well at Princeton. I always know that I can find him cutting to the basket. He is a leader and always fights until falling down”, said EWE Baskets Oldenburg center Jannik Freese. Purdue almunist Chris Kramer that got the deciding steal and hoop to win the game just uttered a huge smile when talking about the German boys. “De Mello is a clown and always joking around. He was struggling a bit rushing his shot this season, but when he is open and has his feet set, then he is one of the best shooters that I have ever been around. Fis hilarious. He is a Princeton boy and sometimes he makes comments that you would never expect from him. He is a huge asset to the team and very versatile. He is one of the bets offensive rebounders that I have ever seen. He is like a magnate getting those rebounds”, warned ex s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg guard Chris Kramer.
EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Can Dru Joyce (EWE Baskets Oldenburg) Help Forget Bobby Don´t Be Cruel Brown This Season?
After reaching the Beko BBL playoffs year after year, it can quickly become a matter of course for a renowned organization like the EWE Baskets Oldenburg continuing to reach the post season each season as its is for NBA superstar Rajon Rondo to make at least one spectacular eyebrow raising pass each game. After four consecutive playoff appearances and winning the 2009 Beko BBL championship, the club missed the Beko BBL playoffs last season finishing in 10th place despite a very competitive roster. With the arrival of ex NBA player Bobby Brown last season, it seemed like a given that the team would not only reach the playoffs, but possibly reach the final, but the California native was unable to lead the club into the promised land in May. At the times the ex Sacramento King seemed more obsessed with his own scoring average than doing what was best for the team. His lethal scoring at times was so destructive it seemed that the best for the opponent could have been to blare out the famous Bobby Brown hit “Don´t be cruel” in hopes that he might stop, but in the end his scoring wasn´t even consistent enough to get the extra needed victories. Despite leading the Beko BBL in scoring last season and being in fifth place for best assist average, there were numerous games where his one on one play and ego got in the way in crunch time and he could have been wearing a Amare Stoudemire mask and no one would of noticed. This season new Oldenburg head coach Sebastian Machowski hauled in Lebron James friend Dru Joyce who is as much of a classical point guard as NBA legend John Stockton was back in the day. The Ohio native can score if needed, but in his four seasons in the Beko BBL with Ulm and Trier he has been second in assists twice and third once and would most likely choose the pass over a lay up on a 2-0. Oldenburg hopes that his non ego playmaking skills will lead the team back into the Beko BBL playoffs. Joyce knows what he can do and has the needed self confidence to be successful as a professional basketball player. “I go out and try to be a good leader. I know that I am a pretty good playmaker that also likes to create and finish. Key for me also is to play good defense”, warned Dru Joyce. One of the better and more underrated defenders in the Beko BBL is TBB Trier forward Nate Linhart who remembers Joyce well from Akron where they were teammates and from Trier. “Dru has continued to develop his penetration and point guard skills the last years. He is a lot more physical and sees the court better. He has improved his pick and role play the most”, stressed Nate Linhart. If the EWE Baskets Oldenburg reach the Beko BBL playoffs this season, then fans won´t remember how cruel the offseason and long summer was.
Jermareo Davidson Has The EWE Baskets Oldenburg For A Pre Easter Dinner Leading The Fraport Skyliners To 75-67 Victory
The Fraport Skyliners have reached the Beko BBL playoffsthe last 4 years and the last time that they didn´t reach the promised land, Murat Didin had just come back for his second tour of duty in Frankfurt, Jimmy Mckinney had just ended his first professional basketball season in Frankfurt, Jacob Burtschi was a senior at the Air Force and Michael Thompson and Devin Gibson were finishing their senior years in high school. With a do or die type game in Oldenburg and every game like a match point for the reaching of the playoffs and ex Skyliner Dominik Bahiense De Mello ready and parked in the corner to release basketball bombs on his old team and wanting to show Jimmy Mckinney that he had picked something up from the ST Louis native the last years watching him shoot, the Fraport Skyliners were as motivated to keep their winning streak and hopes of the playoffs alive as Deadmau 5 was slamming Madonna at the Ulta Music Festival for glamorizing the use of ecstasy, Tim Tebow exploring his new home New York in a pimped out limo van or pop star Robbie Williams showing his interest in the purchasing the Michael Jackson home as the gang of Muli Katzurin were able to make a beautiful Easter present by winning their third game in a row in Oldenburg 75-67 and showing that they are very much serious in slipping into the playoffs. “This was a do or die game for us and a loss would have put a damper on our hopes of the playoffs. Their crowd kept them in the game, but we just kept pushing getting this big win and hope for playoffs alive”, stressed Skyliner forward Jacob Burtschi. With the loss, the EWE Oldenburg have one less win for the playoffs and their chances erode even more. “We really gave all that we had, but this team has gone through a lot recently. It was very disappointing how the game ended, but every game crucial now and there are 4 games to go, so we just have to see what happens”, added 2007 German cup winner with Rhine Energy Cologne Ronald Burrell. Skyliner Devin Gibson may only be a Beko BBL rookie, but he often plays more like a season veteran and his energy and aggressive defense annoys opponents all day long, but he also doesn´t shy away at sprouting penetrating words. “Teams will still be surprised when we make the playoffs. I hope that they eat my words”, warned Skyliner guard Devin Gibson. “We put ourself in a tough situation with this loss. We have to win the last four games and then just see what happens”, commented ex NBA player Bobby Brown. “For us reaching the playoffs is out of our control. We have to win the rest of our games and see what the other teams do”, commented Rickey Paulding. “We know the win in Oldenburg is huge, but now we have another big game against Phoenix Hagen. We have to keep taking it one game at a time”, stressed Johannes Herber.
Will Any Dirty Work Players Surface For Oldenburg In The Last Month?
Life can always have unexpected turns like winning that so much desired lottery, getting that pay raise despite less than adequate work effort or for example being able to get along with the father in law as Ben Stiller does in the Fockers after many years, but in the basketball world unforeseen events also occur at any moment like a Ron Artest changing his name to World Peace, a Kobe Bryant actually getting benched or how brilliantly Beko BBL team ratiopharm Ulm has mastered the season after Mike Taylor with a rapid resurgence and having such a sweet Cinderella season with midnight about as far away as Paris Hilton is from ever taking a ride in a taxi. One could also say that the unpredictable has happened in Oldenburg this season where a potential top 3 team before the season has fallen to position 9 with the opportunity of the playoffs slowly eroding in the spring moonlight. The club felt a change was needed so successful pooh bah Predrag Krunich had to pack his bags, but even since this event, the team only has a 1-3 record and continuing questions linger about what is wrong with this 2009 beko BBL champion. The current season despite ex NBA player Bobby Brown who doesn´t listen to “Don´t be cruel” shouts or a stellar supporting cast has been as surprising with their record much as the many top seed upsets at the 2012 NCAA tournament or “The Artist” winning at the 2012 Academy awards as a black and white film in an era where high tech and 3D production rule as much Lionel Messi currently does on the soccer pitch. “It has been a very disappointing season for Oldenburg which is probably one of the reasons why Predrag Krunich had to go. On Easter Sunday, kids can be trading easter eggs, but Skyliner forward Jacob Burtschi who does the dirty work on the court is a guy that wont ge lost among the trading easter eggs on Sunday, because he will only wear the Frankfurt blue and white “It is never good to get 5 star type players. You also need guys who will do the dirty work which they don´t have at the moment. It could be very tight for them reaching the playoffs. It depends how the other opponents due in the playoff race”, commented Lti Giessen 46er Achmadschah Zazai.
Bobby Brown (EWE Baskets Oldenburg): I Think There Are Phases Where We Lose Concentration
Bobby Brown is a 27 year old 188cm point guard from Los Angeles, California that is playing for the EWE Baskets Oldenburg. 
He is a very athletic combo guard with great scoring and leaping ability. He played at Cal.St. Fullerton (NCAA) from 2003-2007. In 2007-2008, he played for ALBA Berlin (Germany-1.Bundesliga, starting five): ULEB Cup: 10 games: 16.0ppg, 2.6rpg, 4.2apg, 1.0spg, 2FGP: 47.1%, 3FGP: 39%, FT: 83.3%; German League: 45 games: 13.8ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.7apg, 2FGP: 54.1%, 3FGP: 36.1%, FT: 74.6%. In 2008-2009, he played for Sacramento Kings (NBA): 47 games: 5.2ppg, 1.9apg, FGP: 38.1%, 3PT: 33.0%, FT: 76.5%; in Feb.’09 traded to Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA): 19 games: 4.7ppg, 1.4apg. In 2009-2010, he played for : New Orleans Hornets (NBA): 22 games: 6.6ppg, 2.1apg, FGP: 42.7%, 3PT: 25.8%; in Jan.’10 moved to Los Angeles Clippers (NBA): 20 games: 3.5ppg, 1.0rpg, 2.1apg. Last season, he played for Asseco Prokom Gdynia (Poland-PLK): 4 games: 23.8ppg, 3.0rpg, 4.3apg, 1.8spg; Polish League: Euroleague: 6 games: 10.7ppg, 1.0rpg, 1.8apg, FGP: 38.1%, 3PT: 25.0%, FT: 87.5%; Polish League: VTB League: 5 games: 12.6ppg, 2.0rpg, 2.2apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 38.5%, 3PT: 26.7%, FT: 56.3%; left in Dec.’10, same month moved to Aris Thessaloniki (Greece-A1, starting five): Greek League: 29 games: 11.3ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.0apg, FGP: 42.6%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 67.9%; EuroCup: 9 games: 14.2ppg, 2.6rpg, 3.3apg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 75.0%. He spoke to German Hoops a few hours before the 2012 Beko BBL Allstar game.
You are playing your second Beko BBL Allstar game. What has been your impression of the festivities in Ludwigsburg?
I have been impressed. It is well organized and the arena is pretty new and the fan base is very good here.
What are your memories of the 2007 Beko BBL Allstar game in Cologne?
That was held in a big arena and I remember that we had a good group of guys with Ricky Paulding, Julius Jenkins and Patrick Femmerling. I remember that we beat the south pretty badly. It was a great experience.
Teamcheck 2011/2012: EWE Baskets Oldenburg
The EWE Baskets Oldenburg had a rollercoaster season full of ups and downs in 2010/2011. Most of the new signings could 
not fulfill the expectations and were either replaced throughout the season (Nemanja Protic and Steven Smith) or had to go this summer (Aron Baynes and Lou Campbell).
Only Rickey Paulding and Robin Smeulders remained with the club and coach Krunic had to build a whole new team this summer. It is pretty obvious that the management and Krunic were not in the mood for big experiments. With just two exceptions all rotation players are familiar with the BBL what should minimize the risk of another signing fiasco.
The Thunderbirds could never really fill the gap left by the departure of Jason Gardner. Gardner, a former BBL MVP was one of the main reasons for Oldenburg’s championship in 2009 and retired due to back problems in 2010. I think it must have been Oldenburg’s first priority to find a real quality player for the Point Guard spot.
Bobby Brown Is Basketball Cruel Leading The EWE Baskets Oldenburg Past The Fraport Skyliners 72-53
Back in the late 80s, Boston native singer Bobby Brown was on top of the world celebrating world hits like Don´t Be Cruel, My
Prerogative, Every Little Step, and Roni, while another Bobby Brown, the basketball player was more likely studying the moves and head to head duels of Magic Johnson and Isah Thomas than the dance moves of the ex new Edition singer. Bobby Brown never again found that success in the billboard charts in the 90s while Bobby Brown the basketball player matured as a basketball player and kept having success on the court and leading Alba Berlin to the Beko BBL title in 2008 and is now back in the German league and led the EWE Baskets Oldenburg past the Fraport Sklyiners 72-53 in the opening game of the new season. The Frankfurt defense had relinquished an average of 84 points in the last 3 test games and knew that they would have to have their A game if they wanted to hear Thunderbird Bobby Brown possibly squeal the famous words Don’t be cruel like a disillusioned little puppy would to his master after not getting a juicy bone for its birthday, but Bobby Brown was able to do what he wanted to on the court bring calmness into the Oldenburg offense and not letting the Frankfurt defense be cruel to him. “I had to be cruel today. I brought the whole package today. I got guys involved and hit my shots”, said ex NBA player Bobby Brown. Frankfurt had problems getting the Oldenburg offense to stutter whenever Brown ha dthe balls in his hands. “Brown is a great player who can shoot the ball and has good moves. He is tough to defend”, stressed Skyliner guard Quantez Robertson. “We don’t kid Bobby about the singer Bobby Brown. I think he is too young to know who he is. Our Borwn was cruel for us today. When he is penetrating and hitting his shots is when the team is at its best”, added 2004 Detroit Pistons NBA draft pick Ricky Paulding. “He was very cruel to us and controlled the game. I played against him in Greece. He is a quick athlete that can have big games. Tonight he didn´t have to make the big plays”, added Skyliner guard Justin Gray. The Fraport Skyliners had a horrible shooting day at the office which a team cant do against a strong team like Oldenburg and expect to win. “This was a tough game where we couldn´t get anything going on offense which I think transformed over to our defense. They pressured us all night and played well on offense and defense”, added Justin Gray. The EWE baskets Oldenburg played a very consistent game not allowing Frankfurt to take control. “We had a lot of trust in our system. We played very hard defense and just worked well together as a unit”, commented Bobby Brown.
Can The Fraport Skyliners Defense Force Bobby Brown To Shout Dont Be Cruel When They Meet The Ewe Baskets Oldenburg October 3rd?
When Dominik Bahiense De Mello comes out of the runway and enters the Fraport arena he wont go right, but left to warm up and will be wearing the untypical yellow and blue which will get some getting used to like it is not see Charlie Sheen and his womanizing ways on Two and a half men, seeing Manuel Neuer in a Bayern Munich jersey and not Schalke uniform or thinking actor Nicholas Cage could be a vampire and have been around during the American civil war as an antique picture was revealed of a man that has a scary resemblance to the Con Air man. De Mello played 6 years in Frankfurt for 6 different coaches and who could forget his strong performance in a 2005 game in the Festhalle in a loss to Bonn or his 19 point effort in a 80-81 loss to Alba Berlin in game one of the playoffs last season. It is no secret that De Mello didn´t always have an easy time playing for Murat Didin, but as new coach Gordon Herbert took the reigns in April 2010, the tide started to turn for the Bonn native. Last season, his first full season for Herbert, De Mello started many games averaging 17,2 minutes per game and 5.8ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 50.7%, 3PT: 35.5%, FT: 76.9%. At 26 years of age, the German has matured well, but how well will he come to terms with the style, mentality and moods of head coach Predrag Krunic? “Dominik will make it in Oldenburg. I feel that he will play a good role. He will get his minutes and know how to use them best. He has so much talent and he will gain the confidence of Krunic once he shows his aggressive defense”, stressed Skyliner captain Marius Nolte. De Mello wont have it any easier in Oldenburg as he did in Frankfurt fighting for playing time as his new team went on a successful shopping spree this summer it will depend how the German shows up to play. “De Mello has a new situation and a good team. I don´tknow what his role will be, but it is up to him how he will show is talent best”, warned Skyliner sport director Kamil Novak. I think Domink will do great in that system. He just has to play his game and he will be a key piece this season. he is a solid back up and will give them a shooter and play solid defense as well”, added TBB Trier guard John Bynum. On October 3, the Fraport arena will see De Mello again and just hope that his three pointer isn´t on fire.
Alba Berlin-EWE Baskets Oldenburg Playoff Preview 3-1
If you were to have entered the cook county jail in Chicago in the 70s and told a prisoner(Chicago Cubs fan) who was about to be set free and had
been totally shielded from society for the last 30 years that the Chicago Cubs had recently won 4 World Series in a row after not having sipped the champagne since 1908, would have been as cruel as banning sunglasses from society girl Paris Hilton forever, the Boston Celtic organization putting a clause in the contract of Rajon Rondo not allowing him to follow his passion of roller skating, because of the fear of possible injury or Charlie Sheen not coming to the rescue of former Met star Lenny Dykstra´s 22,000$ debt after the former baseball player had tried to get a star lawyer to help negotiate the return of the actor back to Two and a half men, but for faithful Alba Berlin basketball fans the waiting of experiencing titles has not been as cruel in Chicago, but in Berlin winning was a tradition from 1997-2003, but since then the team has only won one league title in 2008 and two cups in 2006 and 2009. After their undesirable and somewhat unexpected and embarrassing departure last season in the quarterfinals against The Deutsche Bank Skyliners, the expectations to win grows as much as the anticipation of the Royal wedding between William and Kate, if Charlie Sheen will make it a habit to lock lips with elderly women at his show and how long the new found love between teen stars Justin Bieber and Selina Gomez. For the EWE Baskets Oldenburg, they are a novice compared to 8 time beko BBL champion Alba Berlin when it comes to kissing hardware and making additional trophy cases for their titles. The Oldenburg club led by coach Predrag Krunic won their first and only title in 2009 beating The Telekom Baskets in game 5 in the last seconds and since then have been unable to recapture the success of the fabulous 2008-2009 season. Both teams have something to prove to their fans and themselves and will be as motivated as German basket ball star Dirk Nowitzki to reach the next round and despite start problems against the Portland Trailblazers, Kevin Love not taking off the summer and continuing to work hard in the gym and on the court to return next season even better than he is now or The Boston Red Sox trying to rebound from their sickening 11-12 start and attempt to continue to give The New York Yankees competition in the dog days of summer.
Quantez Robertson And Roger Powell Give NBA Showtime A New Meaning Dunking The Deutsche Bank Skyliners Past The EWE Baskets Oldenburg 76-71
With winter taking a much appreciated break and the warmer temperatures blowing the harsh brittle winter air away from Frankfurt, The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were hoping that The EWE Baskets Oldenburg thunderbirds would not be able to get accustomed to the more mild air in the same way ex Oldenburg forward Steve Smith was unable to adapt to the Predrag Krunic thought device, Ratiopharm Ulm fans having to get used to not seeing Mr Ulm Jeff Gibbs racking up rebound after rebound in the Kuhberg halle and soccer millionaires Jefferson Farfan and Demba Ba having to hear the shouting concerts of angry fans and negative responses concerning them not playing for their teams, but striking and causing much disarray. However The EWE Baskets Oldenburg Thunderbirds not only couldn’t get adjusted to the warmer temperatures, but crashed in their flight in the Ballsporthalle in the third quarter as they sustained a 24-0 run by Frankfurt which led the gang of coach Gordon Herbert getting their 10th win in a row in the Ballsporthalle 76-71.The Thunderbirds not only didn’t get used to the warmer air, but seemed famished in the third quarter as they had no energy to stop the 
dunking clinic by Frankfurt. “Oldenburg didn’t get going, because we gave them no food, so they had to leave unhappy after 40 minutes”, joked current BEKO BBL scoring champion Dashaun Wood. Wood might have had the amusing catch phrases after the game, but he was all business on the court finishing with 24 points and seven assists and had the utmost respect from ex NBA player and teammate Roger Powell. “We have the best point guard in the league and have a great team. We had been practicing defense the last days and we finally played good defense”, stressed ex Utah Jazz Roger Powell. The EWE Baskets Oldenburg lost the game in the third quarter as they remained scoreless for almost seven minutes. “We came out with little energy. Everything that Frankfurt did seemed easy. They got many easy baskets and open shots and the crowd helped them get the momentum. We fought back but it was too little to late”, said ex NBA player Eddie Gill.
German Hoops 