Frankfurt Skyliners

There Was No Curse As The Fraport Skyliners Survive The Science City Jena Scare Winning 67-65

The weekend was supposed to start off with a bang for the Fraport Skyliners as the easyCredit BBL season was winding down with three games remaining as they were involved in a playoff dog fight with s.Oliver Wurzburg for the eighth and last place. Instead of beginning the weekend with a big victory in Berlin, the 2004 BBL champion stunk up the building so badly losing 106-69 that even NBA legend Jack Sikma who was watching his son Luke play must have thought did Frankfurt really deserve that? The embarrassing loss in Berlin brought back putrid memories from more than 10 years ago when coaches like Charles Barton and Murat Didin had to exit the then O2 arena with nasty 20 plus point slap in the face loses. The only positive effect to the lousy evening was that Wurzburg battled hard in Ludwigsburg, but ran out of gas in the second half losing 87-77. The Fraport Skyliners had one win more than the Bavarian team, but also knew that if they ended up late Tuesday afternoon tied in the standings that they would have an early summer vacation as Wurzburg would get that last ticket because they had the better head to head record.  Wurzburg had an easy road game in Tuebingen while Frankfurt welcomed Science City Jena who had beat Giessen at home 48 hours earlier by 21 points and wanted to end their season in fine fashion as they were resting in 13th place. Even if this was a huge must win for the Fraport Skyliners, it is always a delight for the fans to be able to observe three BBL legends of Derrick Allen aged 37, Julius Jenkins aged 37 and Immanuel Mcelroy aged 38 for another time as these guys just don´t want to quit. When looking at the three Americans, you see unending experience and the three role models combined share 112 years of age. The three players brought combined 43 professional seasons into this season including 38 seasons in Germany displaying their amazing dedication to playing in Germany. The three BBL legends also aren´t short on titles as combined they share 13 professional titles and they share 11 BBL allstar appearances. The three also share 1,163 BBL games, 268 international club games and 66 Euroleague games experience. You could almost call them brothers as all three have a dedication to the game and their body that has allowed them to play so long into their thirties. Unfortunately for the fans only 1/3 of the three legends were active as Jenkins and Mcelroy didn´t make the trip due to injuries, but the Fraport Skyliners still struggled very badly as with a lot of breaks at the end, they didn´t witness a curse, but got around it surviving the guests 67-65.

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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Chicago Bull Paul Zipser in the Fraport arena after the 67-65 Fraport Skyliners win against Science City Jena

There was a short span midway through the fourth quarter where it seemed like the basketball God had had it with the Fraport Skyliners and had set a curse on them. First Quantez Robertson made a steal, turned around and collided into Mike Morrison forcing a turnover, Robertson then missed two free throws and Tai Webster missed an easy lay up. Frankfurt was doing all it could to lose, but somehow the basketball God turned it´s head the other way in the last minute as Frankfurt escaped Science City Jena with a 67-65 victory. Mr Canada Philip Scrubb was calm after the win, but knew they had to quickly forget this loss and get focused for Oldenburg as a win there on Tuesday and a Wurzburg loss against Bayreuth would send them to the playoffs. “We toughed out a win. They hit shots early and quickly had confidence. We didn´t respond well to that and were sloppy taking care of the ball. We´ll take the win. There was no curse, but sometimes when you go through adversary, you don´t always get the bounces, but we did get the stops when we needed to. I hope we get all the right bounces on Tuesday in Oldenburg”, stressed Fraport Skyliner guard Philip Scrubb.

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The German Curry Philip Scrubb And The Fraport Skyliners Steam Roll By Brose Bamberg 83-72
Basketball BL / FRAPORT SKYLINERS - BROSE BAMBERG

Philip Scrubb scored 26 of his 33 points in the first half and proved once again that he is the league’s topscorer averaging 20.0 points per game

For many years there had been serious harmony in Freak City when head coaches Chris  Fleming and Andrea Trinchieri had been at the helm as the most major scandal then would have been if a Daniel Theis and Elias Harris had gotten in a major fight, but not even that happened as despite major competition at their positions, the two Germans were very good friends. But this year the harmony was put on major hold as that once Bamberg consistency had disappeared quicker than ex NBA player Dorell Wright can fly to the rim as it has been a season to forget. Just some weeks ago, Bamberg wasn´t even in the playoff watch, but suddenly they have risen like an eagle and sit at position 4 as they came to Frankfurt. Only 48 hours ago, they disposed of the EWE Baskets Oldenburg winning their fifth game in a row which is their longest winning streak of the season. On the other hand the Fraport Skyliners haven´t played their best basketball either as they entered the game having lost three of their last four games and had lost their last two games at home against Giessen and FC Bayern Munich. Frankfurt erased their bitter three game losing streak with a solid 81-69 win in Bremerhaven and had no problems generating an offense without their second main scoring option Tai Webster as Phil Scrubb like always stepped up with 19 points and the club got steady contribution from Finish national player Shawn Huff and most importantly from Skyliner lifer Quantez Robertson who finally had his shooting stroke alive as he responded to his poor shooting of 3/15 in his last four games from outside going 6/9 in Bremerhaven getting 18 points. The Fraport Skyliners and Bamberg have had unforgettable duels in Frankfurt since the 2003-2004 season and Frankfurt wanted to gain more leverage in the playoff picture and did by playing an all around spirited game for 40 minutes as they were able to get a super defensive performance and had a red hot Philip Scrubb who produced 33 shooting 63% from the field leading the way. It was the second win in a row for Frankfurt as they stayed at position 8, but have Wurzburg breathing down their backs are slowly getting into playoff form and heightened their self confidence one bit more for the last three games. After the big win, all of the Frankfurt journalists swarmed around Scrubb, but a Jordan Sibert was all lonely and had a big smile on his face after the victory. “This win was big for our playoff hopes. We needed this win and got it. We still have a long way to go though. We gave a good game on both ends of the court and Philip Scrubb carried us. Defense was our key to the win. We did a good job with our rotation and our matchups and just helping each other out all night long”, described ex Dayton(NCAA) guard Jordan Sibert.

 

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Jordan Sibert´s (Fraport Skyliners) Secret NBA Word Is Domination But For Now Only The BBL Playoffs Are On his Mind
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Miles Schmidt-Scheuber and Jordan Sibert in the Fraport arena in Frankfurt

Jordan Sibert may not know it yet, but he has a lot of NBA parallel´s with his new club the Fraport Skyliners and it starts each day when he wakes up and sees the enticing and mammoth Frankfurt skyline, when he drives to practice and ends each evening, when he returns home from practice and sees the lights and glitz of the Frankfurt high rise buildings. He would have a great chance of seeing that overwhelming Frankfurt skyline if he was living at the mall where most of his other teammates live, but he actually has an apartment 5 minutes away, but that inviting skyline is always lurking as you turn the next corner. In the NBA, cities have skylines just like in Frankfurt and the American remembers the one in Orlando where he lived when he was with the Orlando Magic. “The Frankfurt skyline reminds me a bit of the Orlando one, but Frankfurt´s is a lot bigger. Orlando has the Amway center and a few hotels to fill their skyline”, smiled Jordan Sibert. Just what NBA ties the Fraport Skyliners have had over the years, all he needs to do is have a 10 minute conversation with Fraport Skyliners CEO Gunnar Wöbke who would give him the low down with that sparkle in his eye. Sibert would hear the stories of how Mario Kasun helped the club win the 2004 BBL title before embarking overseas to play for the Orlando Magic or how dominant Jon Leuer was for a few months in 2011 as he strapped on the Skyliner jersey during the NBA lockout. Other interesting side notes that the ex Dayton(NCAA) star might hear was how they had a NBA draft pick with Malik Badiane on their roster as an unknown African gem, how Skyliner legend Pascal Roller and Tyrone Ellis played at the 2004 NBA Summer league with the Dallas Mavericks with the latter currently being an assistant with the Phoenix Suns. Ex NBA player Rick Hughes being briefly with the team before failing a medical test, or ex NBA player Desmond Ferguson dropping 7 threes in Giessen, current BBL player Danilo Barthel playing at the 2014 NBA Summer League being teammates with Shabazz Napier and battling Justin Hamilton on a daily basis, current teammate Isaac Bonga who is a projected 2018 NBA draft pick. And last but not least, the place where he practices each day the BCM has invited top players like Dirk Nowitzki, Carlos Arroyo and Alan Anderson over the years as their teams practiced there with the latter dropping one of the finest thunderous dunks in 2009 with Maccabi Tel Aviv in a test game against Frankfurt. There are surely more stories that Wöbke could tell, but these are just some of the NBA stories that have been affiliated with the 2000 BBL cup winner.

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Braydon Hobbs Plays Game Changer Saving FC Bayern Munich From 18 Points Down Defeating The Fraport Skyliners 87-83

So often in the past years when the playoffs were drawing nearer, the Fraport Skyliners

Basketball BL / FRAPORT SKYLINERS - FC BAYERN MÜNCHEN BASKETBALL WEISSENFELS

BBL Topscorer Philip Scrubb made 5 of 8 three pointers and finished the game with 23 points

would go on a few days working vacation in order to do some last minute team building for the crunch-time period of the season. This season the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner went to the tourist infested Mallorca to digest their current two game losing streak that left them shaking their heads after the unexplainable and unacceptable loss to arch rival Giessen 46ers and their crunch-time fall out in Bayreuth. The Fraport Skyliners entered the top game of the season against FC Bayern Munich resting in seventh place and if the playoffs started tomorrow would have been in, but had teams like Bamberg, ratiopharm Ulm, Wurzburg and Giessen breathing heavily down their backs ready to attack as the club has a very difficult rest program. FC Bayern Munich didn´t enter the Fraport arena playing their best basketball either having won two of their last four games and playing a very suspect defense giving up 89 points on average in the last two wins. Their offense has been red hot as they scored 100 points or more in the last three games. FC Bayern Munich came to Frankfurt having a 12-5 overall record and positive 5-3 record in the Fraport arena. The Fraport Skyliners had had some very stellar performances against FC Bayern Munich in their living room in the past and were looking for their fourth win at home and another step toward a playoff spot, but instead saw an 18 point lead dwindle down in the fourth quarter as American guard Braydon Hobbs came from the bench and saved his team with the right kind of playmaking and just organizing the team the right way and had an incredible mix of big shots and handing out dimes leading FC Bayern Munich to an incredible 87-83 victory. For three quarters, it was the Fraport Skyliners playing energized basketball and shooting at a high rate, but were at their limit while FC Bayern Munich played uninspired and at times helpless as if it was a pre season game and were somewhere at 40% of their abilities. That all changed in the fourth quarter as the 2018 easyCredit BBL cup champion made a furious comeback to put another dagger in the playoff hopes of Frankfurt. After the victory, ex NBA player Jared Cunningham who has been playing up and down as of late and came into the game shooting 3/23 from the parking lot in his last nine games and finished with only 4 points was thankful the team could pull out the win. “Frankfurt came out very aggressive and we couldn´t get stops which resulted in them taking the lead. We came out harder in the second half started to make big shots and big plays which helped us get the win”, stressed FC Bayern Munich guard Jared Cunningham. Mr Canada Philip Scrubb had made not only huge shots all game long, but some amazing Steph Curry type shots from seemingly somewhere from the other side of Frankfurt, but when it counted most at the end, he was rejected by Reggie Redding ending the game. After the victory, Scrubb was as always prepared to digest another tough loss in his own living room. “We played well for 35 minutes. We were good for three quarters, but weren´t together in the fourth quarter and lost control. I know this was a tough game to lose, but this game showed that we can play with the best teams in the league. We will take some confidence from this game into the next one”, warned Philip Scrubb.

 

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Tai Webster Sparks The Fraport Skyliners Past The Mitteldeutscher BC 83-67

After the embarrassing and unacceptable 83-59 loss in Giessen shortly before Christmas, one would have expected a total 180 degrees turnaround in the return game and the Fraport Skyliners showcasing ecstatic faces after the win, but instead players moped back into the dressing room after the 86-70 loss and sweep by the Giessen 46ers with their heads hanging and fearing to have to confront head coach Gordon Herbert in the dressing room with his post game rant. Four year Skyliner veteran and Florida native Mike Morrison was limping to the dressing room like a destroyed World War 2 battle ship and the usual taciturn Philip Scrubb seemed even more quiet just with the dejected expression on his face. Gordon Herbert left right after the press conference skipping the normal VIP room dinner and one could only have hoped that he had calmed down by Easter Sunday. The only good news was that despite the poor sweep to the Giessen 46ers, the Fraport Skyliners were still in seventh place, but had teams like ratiopharm Ulm and Giessen close on their heels with only one win less for the playoff hunt. However with so many tough games remaining against playoff teams, the 2004 BBL champion had to start winning games against lesser teams in order to have some leverage if they lose some games to the other top teams down the stretch. The Fraport Skyliners had one of those must win situations against 2004 Fiba Europe cup winner Mitteldeutscher BC who they had barely survived winning a nail bitter 96-93 in their first meeting as new Skyliner Jordan Sibert put a scare into his new team with 23 points while Philip Scrubb and Jonas Wolfarth-Bottermann carried the Fraport Skyliners with 47 points combined.

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Tai Webster made 11 of 18 shots and finished the game with 26 points.

The contest also featured the first meeting between Jordan Sibert and his ex team who had rudely disposed of him after bringing back last season´s hero Andrew Warren. The Mitteldeutscher BC entered the game in no man´s land with 8 wins, but wanted to close out the season strong, while Jordan Sibert who had put up strong stats with the Mittledeutscher BC was searching for some revenge.  Sibert didn´t gain revenge with his play in limited minutes, but had the last laugh as the Fraport Skyliners disposed of the Mitteldeutscher BC 83-67 keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Sibert had a smile on his face, but one could sense that he was disappointed he couldn´t contribute more on the court. “The win was important. It was like a practice again for me seeing the guys. It was good to see the guys healthy and playing. There are no hard feelings. I´m happy that we stuck to the game plan, executed on offense and were aggressive on defense”, stressed ex Dayton(NCAA) guard Jordan Sibert.

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The Giessen 46ers Produce the Frankfurt Massacre winning 86-70

After losing a tight 95-92 encounter a few weeks ago on the road against 2010 Eurochallenge winner BG Goetiingen, 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner Fraport Skyliners learned their lesson after a win at home against Gotha going on the road to Bonn and not getting lost in crunch-time again like in Goettingen, but were sparked by a strong 29 point third quarter and had the nerves at the end to pull out the tight 79-75 victory against the Telekom Baskets Bonn. But the question was did the Fraport Skyliners learn their lesson from their embarrassing  loss in Giessen shortly before Christmas 2017. In that game the Fraport Skyliners traveled to Giessen in body, but not mind losing 83-59 which for many belonged to the worst losses in the last years. The Fraport Skyliners came into the game having got off on the wrong side of the bed while Giessen played with a lot of heart and at a high intensity which Frankfurt couldn´t match all game long. Giessen played good team basketball outshooting Frankfurt and pounding them on the boards 43-29 and despite getting 17 points from ex FC Bayern Munich center John Bryant, it was the overpowering shooting duo of Canadian Jahenns Manigat and Mauricio Marin who combined for 34 points and nailed combined nine of the teams 10 three´s on the night. Even if the game was more than three months ago, one could be sure that Fraport Skyliners head coach Gordon Herbert still remembered that dreadful loss well and made the needed adjustment for the always entertaining Hessen derby. The Fraport Skyliners entered the game having won three of their last four games while the Giessen 46ers came into the contest having lost three of their last four, but had beat the Walter Tigers Tuebingen 106-83 and were still dreaming of the playoffs as they were in 11th place, but needed a win on the road in Frankfurt to keep it alive. Basketball BL, FRAPORT SKYLINERS - GIESSEN 46ers /It was an entertaining and tight game up to the break, but in the third quarter the Giessen 46ers played as if they had been totally reborn and the Fraport Skyliners played like they were from Mars giving up a 17-0 run and trailed by 28 points, which led to a 86-60 loss and a date with head coach Gordon Herbert at 7.30 Friday morning for a video session as a punishment.

The Giessen 46ers didn´t only sweep the season series, but did it in amazing fashion outscoring Frankfurt 169-119. After the shocking Frankfurt loss, Gordon Herbert had his team in the dressing room for 15 minutes and after a few players emerged with Quantez Robertson and Shawn Huff wholooked small as their own children after the Herbert post game speech and big Man German Jonas Wolfarth-Botterman tried to convey to the press what had gone wrong. “Coach and us were frustrated after this loss. We never found to our game and it is difficult to say why. We had a tough time reacting to their shooting. We couldn´t play our plays and didn´t play together. We didn´t get many outside opportunities and didn´t get rebounds”, added ex Alba Berlin center Jonas Wolfarth-Bottermann.

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The Fraport Skyliners Survive Gotha Winning 90-82

Minus the injuries to guys like Mike Morrison and Philip Scrubb and seemingly countless sicknesses in the last weeks, the Fraport Skyliners would be in  a lot better position in the EasyCredit standings now and would have a lot more leverage over other potential playoff teams. But the reality of the matter was that there were 10 games left for the 2016 Fiba Europe Cup winner and the season is far from over. The Fraport Skyliners still have a lot of tough games remaining including two difficult home games against Munich and Bamberg and hard road games against Alba Berlin, Bayreuth, Bonn  and Oldenburg. It was no secret that the 2004 BBL champion would get active again on the transfer market and did hauling in guard Jordan Sibert who reached the NCAA Final 4 with Ohio State and NCAA Elite 8 with Dayton and is a huge steal for Gordon Herbert as he was somewhat underappreciated by ex team Mitteldeutscher BC where he was consistent and put up solid stats averaging 12,2ppg, 2,5rpg and 1,0apg and was let go when ex hero Andrew Warren was picked up again after being a main force in the 2004 Fiba Europe Cup moving back to the BBL this season. With Sibert, the Fraport Skyliners got a scorer who will add more scoring consistency to the wing position and give the team a new dimension something they had in abundance last season, but have been lacking this season. The Cincinnati, Ohio native who gained professional experience with the Erie Bay Hawks (D-League) and last season with PAOK Thessaloniki (Greece-A1) who lists Austin Rivers as his most difficult cover in the NCAA and his rebounding as a hidden strength could be the x-factor and the guy that is key for the Fraport Skyliners making the playoffs as the team adds some depth again in the playoff run. It was the Skyliner debut of Jordan Sibert who had only had two practices with the team, but the American had a fine debut with Frankfurt contributing 13 points, three boards, one assist and shot 63% from the field in the 90-82 victory against Gotha. After the win, he had to make the rounds with the local press and was happy with the win and new team. “My goal was to come out and make it simple and knock down some shots. I only knew a few plays so I didn´t have to think so much. I want to make as many shots as possible to help this team win. I felt great on the court hitting some shots and winning. It was good to be back on the court. I did miss some defensive assignments, but I need to be more aggressive in the future”, stressed Fraport Skyliner Jordan Sibert. Hi teammate Philip Scrubb led the team in scoring again, but was content that he had some added firepower on the floor. “He fits our system well. He handles the ball well on ball screen and can shoot the ball. I am surprised that we were able to get him, but we were very lucky”, stressed Philip Scrubb.

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Philip Scrubb Outduells Benzing Leading The Fraport Skyliners Past s.Oliver Wurzburg 78-72

Even if the Fraport Skyliner players forgot the 83-59 massacre in Giessen a little more than two months ago, head coach Gordon Herbert probably thought of that loss daily wondering what it was that negatively turned their season around? The Fraport Skyliners had had a 9-4 record going into that Giessen game on the road and anything but a win seemed realistic, but the surprising loss had turned into a negative trend in that Frankfurt had had a 3-6 record since then and suddenly the playoffs seemed to be a question mark. However their last win in Ulm 18 days ago had lifted the team´s spirits and one can´t forget that they had had suffered many unwanted injuries in that 9 game span and players had been slowly been coming back. The Fraport Skyliners had had a long break of 18 days as they had to wait out the World Cup qualifying games schedule and had a lot of time to work on their weaknesses as well as producing a potent game plan against the s.Oliver Wurzburg squad who had creamed them in their own living 81-64 shortly before the new year. On that night the Bavarian squad came alive in the second half and in total dropped 15 three´s which put out the lights for the Fraport Skyliners. Both teams were fighting for a playoff spot and the perfect playoff atmosphere was set in the Fraport arena as 5000 fans came out for a mild Sunday afternoon matinee and saw a hard fought game that wasn´t pretty and despite Frankfurt having control of the game, they never could totally shake Wurzburg from their backs as they grinded out a brutal 78-72 victory which held them on playoff course.

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Philip Scrubb led Frankfurt in scoring (31) and rebounding (9)

After the game Frankfurt top scorer Philip Scrubb reflected on the big win and the battle to close down a Robin Benzing. “It was a hard fought game and Wurzburg came at us in the second quarter. But we played them tough and rebounded well. We also hit some shots when it counted most. I missed some games this season while Benzing stayed very consistent. He is really difficult to stop. I felt we did a good job making it hard for him to score in the fourth. That was one of the keys to getting the win”, warned  Canadian national player Philip Scrubb. For s.Oliver Wurzburg, it was a bitter loss as they need every win they can get for reaching the playoffs. They did a good job fighting until the end, but had problems getting stops and getting Benzing involved in crunch-time. “We didn´t rebound well and let Scrubb loose. We need to tune up our defense more in the next games to be successful”, stressed s.Oliver Wurzburg guard Abdul Gaddy.

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Thomas Walkup Upends The Webster Show Propelling The MHP Riesen Past The Fraport Skyliners 88-81

It is always a special basketball treat when one sees two basketball minds and two top coaches in the easyCredit BBL with Gordon Herbert and John Patrick go head to head on the sidelines and since the 2010-2011 season where Herbert was coach with Alba Berlin and the Fraport Skyliners while Patrick was head coach with BG Goettingen, Wurzburg and now Ludwigsburg, the two have had some intense battles as the current record stands at 10-10. Herbert won the first five duels, but Patrick is 10-5 since that first season where Frankfurt had BG Goettingen´s number. But not only watching the best two coaches bark the commands and witness how the players execute is a delight, but also seeing each team´s best player go head to head. That unfortunately didn´t happen in the return game in Frankfurt as Thomas Walkup was on the court, but Frankfurt´s best player Philip Scrubb was not. One can argue all day long as to who are each team´s best players, but these two surely would get a good share of the votes. Scrubb showed as a rookie two seasons ago why many in Canada called him the best Canadian college player ever as his high IQ, scoring and passing game made many Skyliner fans´s two hour basketball experience a very enjoyable time. This season Scrubb heightened his game as Frankfurt was hit with the injury bug and he had to really show his scoring gene and did being the leagues top scorer, but a knee injury put him out of action again. The MHP Riesen have many talented players, but of all Thomas Walkup may go the farthest. He came from a lesser known school SF Austin, but made a name of himself scoring 33 points against West Virginia and 22 points in his last NCAA game against Notre Dame. Many basketball experts saw him as a guy that could fit the mold of the New look NBA as a versatile player that can do a bit of everything which isn´t always appreciated from clubs at that level, but the American impressed. “The basketball world is so connected that you can play anywhere in Europe and still be on a NBA team´s radar. I am playing good ball now after not playing as well last season. I will just continue to keep working and see where it takes me”, warned Thomas Walkup.  But instead of landing in the NBA, he played a season with the Windy City Bulls (D-League) playing 40 games averaging 7.6ppg, 3.9rpg, 3.4apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 28.2%, FT: 84.5%.. He put the NBA on the back burner and is concentrating on his game and help Ludwigsburg get a title. He has put up impressive stats as he understands how to fill the stat sheet and really has improved his shooting from downtown averaging 42% in the BBL and BCL competitions. Not only his stellar all-around play has rubbed off on his teammates, but also his winning mentality that has allowed them to be an early BCL title candidate and his hidden strength of having that important winning mentality also has been key. In the first meeting with the Fraport Skyliners, the MHP Riesen toppled Frankfurt 79-62 as he led all scorers with 19 points and while they keyed in on Scrubb limiting him to six points on 1/7 shooting. The Fraport Skyliners had a lot of revenge on their minds as they welcomed the MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg into their living room and for three quarters looked like they might win, but couldn´t handle Thomas Walkup as he stole the show from Tai Webster pouring in 27 points and scored 12 of the last 14 Ludwigsburg points propelling them to the come from behind 88-81 win.

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The Fraport Skyliners Cup Meeting With medi Bayreuth Has A Twist Of The Pope And Tom Brady Banter

It was a packed arena on enemy ground and throughout the game it almost seemed like a boxing match as punches were being traded back and forth in forms of buckets, but it really heated up in the fourth quarter as both guys stepped it up playing for their teams and fans like no other and  random Jordan chants being blurted out from the supporters. There wasn´t one Jordan, but two Jordan´s setting the loud arena on fire and it wasn´t Michael Jordan and the United Center that was involved, but Jordan Theodore of the Fraport Skyliners and Jordan Taylor of the Alba Berlin while the Audi Dome was the show place in Munich. It wasn´t the NBA, but the German BBL as both Jordan´s were putting on a show as the arena was electrifying as the German fans were witnessing a real battle that had the perfect cup atmosphere as it couldn´t have been more exciting in crunch-time. Even if Fraport Skyliner guard Jordan Theodore won the point duel of the Jordan´s with 22 points, it wasn´t enough as his opponent Jordan Taylor who dropped only 12 points saved his best for last making the big shot that counted most sealing the 79-76 win as he nailed a tough pull up jumper from the top of the key with 1,1 seconds to play. Theodore would have one more chance, but fell short. The current Euroleague player with Milan rememberd the final seconds. “ “All I needed was one more second on the clock and I believe I would have made it”, stressed Jordan Theodore.

Alba Berlin would capture their eighth title in their storied history and third under legendary coach Sasa Obradovic beating home team FC Bayern Munich the next day while the Fraport Skyliners had a long bus ride home thinking about the loss as they had had extra time to vent with no game for third place. After the Berlin loss a disappointed Philip Scrubb remembered how vital that last shot can be. ““We trusted our defense to get stops. We wanted to buckle down at the end and not foul. They hit the big shot that counted”, said Philip Scrubb. It has almost been two years since that mid February day in Munich and the Fraport Skyliners are back and have a chance to get back to the cup top 4, only one road block stands in their way with shooting star medi Bayreuth. Two years later Scrubb is excited about getting back to the Cup Top 4. “The last cup semi final I played in was a great game, obviously we came up short but it was a good atmosphere so we’re excited at the opportunity to get back there”, added Philip Scrubb.

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