Miles Schmidt-Scheuber doing play by play commentary in english at the 2016 Gezeiten Haus Cup in Rhondorf in support of the 2016 Basketball Aid international tour.

After two playoff appearances in a row and the Fiba Europe Cup title last season only the third club title in the 18 year history of the Fraport Skyliners, this rapid success of the team could have kept a good majority of fans content this season as that third playoff showing didn´t happen as the season was at best average. There weren´t too many highlights to remember this season for the 2004 BBL winner that one will take into dream land when one is stuck on the German autobahn in the dog days of summer wanting to reach Salzburg, Austria in time for afternoon coffee and fluffy Nockerl at Cafte Mozart. Some things that stand out was the impressive rookie season of American Shavon Shields, the AJ English buzzer beater in Tuebingen, the magnificent 35 point performance and 8 crushing dunks by Florida native Mike Morrison against Pinar Karyisaka in Champions League action or the signing of another young gun for Gordon Herbert´s stable with 18 year old Richard Freudenberg who looks a tad like the young version of Zack Morris aka Mark Paul Gosselaar from 90s American TV show Saved By the Bell.  So with one game remaining on the Fraport Skyliners schedule against 8 time BBL champion Alba Berlin in the Fraport arena one has little to look forward except for observing a good hard fought game and seeing some last great plays this season like Quantez Robertson feeding a Mike Morrison for the felt like 1000 alley-op of the season or asking a Nils Giffey in warm ups for the 20,000 time what it was like playing together with Kemba Walker at Uconn and where he stores his 2 NCAA rings. Not only what is on the court is worth observing, but also people who are roaming the Fraport arena. In Los Angeles you have Jack Nicholson courtside wondering when his Lakers will ever be good again, in New York it can be Spike Lee wondering who will be in the tabloids first the next morning him or Carmelo Anthony and in Frankfurt you have Hans Beth. Beth may not be as prominent as the Hollywood actors, but in the Fraport arena everyone knows his face as he is at every game sitting a few rows up behind the scorers table and is always flashing that charming smile and never seems to lose his dapper look and still has the combined look of James Bond star 007 Roger Moore and Dynasty star John Forsythe minus the grey. Beth shakes almost as much hands during a game as Don King does in any Boxing ring from New York to Tokyo and Fraport Skyliner CEO Gunnar Wobke and is always ready to bring further awareness to his baby Basketball Aid. This Saturday he will be talking to numerous people and could be bringing further life to the Basketball Aid international tour something he has been supporting and been in charge of the last years.

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The familiarity of German arenas for German basketball ambassador Hans Beth where ex NBA players like Elias Harris and Chris Babb battle to the extreme to get back on the radar of overseas scouts or tiny gyms were American ex NAIA or Juco players play out their dreams just to be able to make a scant basketball living is about equal to if you asked NBA legend Larry Bird to recount specific plays from the 1986 finals where the Boston Celtics dismissed the Houston Rockets to win another NBA title. However for one night in June 2016, Beth left the German basketball court on the back burner and witnessed a totally different sport and breathed in a totally different way of life in the eyes of an American at the legendary Fenway Park. The game had 10 players like basketball, but not on a court, but on grass and dirt. The playing area wasn´t in a arena like the Fraport arena that has a capacity of 5,002, but outside with a capacity of 37,949. The music was totally different as there was no Separate Ways from Journey or current pop songs blaring in the Fraport arena, but classic American songs like Sweet Caroline from Neil Diamond or the song every American knows by heart “Take me out to the ball park. The food was also different as unlike the fewer food choices in the Fraport arena, there was the smell of roasted peanuts or the famous Fenway Franks which is an American Hotdog that tastes best at the ball park. In the Fraport arena, Hans Beth can mingle with people like Jason Boone, Martinis Woody or head coach Steven Key while in Fenway Park, he could come across a totally different type of person with celebrities like New England Patriots CEO Bill Kraft, US secretary of State John Kerry, country singer Kenny Chesney, American writer Stephan King, 80s top model Christie Brinkley, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck or the Wahlberg brothers Donnie and Mark. For one evening Hans Beth who comes over like he could be the lost brother of James Bond as his dapper look is always on as he was able to forget basketball for three hours and catch  America´s pastime Baseball, a sport from a totally different perspective or could he? Hans Beth´s sole purpose  in Boston wasn´t to become a German expert on the sport of baseball, but to continue to shape the 2016 Basketball Aid international tour and get to personally meet and spend time with Northeastern head coach Bill Coen and athletic director Peter Robby. Even if watching that baseball game wasn´t the first time for Beth, basketball will still dominate his heart. “When I am in the states, I enjoy watching baseball and football games. My American friends didn´t only explain the rules, but I also understand the tactical things better and better. I think that when one is in Boston, it is a must to visit the traditional Fenway Park with the Boston Red Sox to catch the atmosphere. However if there is a college game at the same time, then you will see me there. Basketball is and will remain my number one sport”, stressed Hans Beth.

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When visiting a home game of the Fraport Skyliners it isn´t uncommon to see a slick and debonaire like looking gentleman who has that combination of James Bond star 007 Roger Moore and Dynasty star John Forsythe sitting in one of the first few rows behind the scorers table and usually is playing that basketball ambassador role as he is usually not alone, but in the company of some important guest from around the world. The man I am talking about is 57 year old Hans Beth who is mostly known as being a basketball coach, but he does so much more as his resume is as long and diverse as that of a hungry American who wants to be the best at everything they do. It seems like for Beth having many jobs is like having different challenges in his career path. Each and every job has taught him a different lesson and has increased his skills as well as knowledge of working in different work cultures. Besides having been a head coach for multiple decades, he has been very much involved with society as well helping the less Privileged in the basketball world trying to find employment as well as doing many jobs well. He is a professional speaker for companies, universities, and associations on topics such as securities & capital market but also team-related matters such as important factors for team success. He studied sports &amp and political science at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany. One could sit down with Beth at 8am and talk about how he sees so much issues in life, but he would still be weighing in on so many topics well after midnight into the next day. His duty as teaching talented players has earned him three titles and reaching the next level in German leagues while in his other field of work he has been working successfully as a highly appreciated lecturer and capital market analyst for more than 30 years now. His day usually ends at night with basketball practice while during the day he is an investment consultant and financial analyst which has been on his resume for 30 years. He made a name for himself becoming an investment consultant and financial analyst where he showed his ability to direct employees with financial analyses or customer research. He also lecturer at the “Rhineland-Palatine Sparkassen Academy” and is member of the “German Association for Financial Analysis and Asset Management. The German has a unique ability to bring together business and sport. He has great knowledge in team building, leadership and strategies for dealing with conflict.

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