Last week at the beko BBL Top 4 in Bamberg, people were as confident for a Frankfurt-Bamberg final as many feel Chicago Bull guard Derrick Rose will be 2011 NBA MVP, as actor Charlie Sheen is going totally beserk since his gig in Detriot and Perez Hilton is giving the juiciest gossip in Hollywood, but instead The Deutsche Bank Skyliners left the Bavarian city in fourth place and a lot of people wondering how that was ever possible. It was extremely obvious, that Skyliner skipper Gordon Herbert would not endure another performance like that again against Phoenix Hagen as The Deutsche Bank Skyliners returned with clenched fists and a mouth watering hunger for the opponent like German Formula one driver Sebastian Vettel has for defending his title, actor Jeremy Renior giving his all in the new Bourne movie as a whole new type of hero and kid hero Justin Bieber wanting to serenade his mother with a birthday cake, but mistakingly setting her hair on fire as the Frankfurt team blew away Phoenix Hagen 93-53. “We had the right attitude tonight. We had been thinking all week about the Braunschweig cup loss. We showed that we wanted to win very badly with our performance. Our defense kept their offense in check from the second quarter until the end. We did very much right today and I am very happy about that”, stressed Skyliner center Marius Nolte. Phoenix Hagen knew that Frankfurt would come out motivated, but had no answers on offense or defense. “Frankfurt had a chip on their shoulder. They came out and just handled us and wanted to boost their confidence. We had energy before the game, but as the game started we showed nothing as nobody did anything. Frankfurt exposed all part of our game”, stressed an unhappy Jacob Burtschi. “We were very focused this week. We showed tonight that we learned from our mistakes in Bamberg. We knew that with Hagen being a very good offensive team, that it would be a good test for us. We knew this game would be a good chance to show our Skyliner basketball and we did”, warned Skyliner guard Dashaun Wood. “We could have lost by 50 points. Nothing happened in this game for us. It was a catastrophe on offense and defense. Frankfurt came back form their poor showing in Bamberg and continue to keep second place”, added Bernd Kruel.

(more…)

For The Deutsche Bank Skyliners, their goal now after the TOP 4 bust in Bamberg losing too Braunschweig and Artland with very little resistance like a George Clooney has for beautiful women is too just finish the current beko BBL season on a strong measure while for Phoenix Hagen, the season is winding down quickly and some players are already counting the days before they are back home in the crib and getting ready for where ever they will play next season. Phoenix Hagen is tiptoeing in muddy no mans land at the moment not wanting to get their sneakers filthy, but at the same wanting to get as many wins as possible. Despite their dream of reaching the playoffs in their second season back in the beko BBL not happening, something positive can still happen to American teammates Jacob Burtschi and Mark Dorris. Both guys are beko BBL rookies and if nothing goes drastically wrong like a team like Bamberg playing a lower team leading by 20 on their home court and then losing in crunch time, one of them or possibly both could be named best beko BBL newcomer 2011 on account of their consistent and potent play this season. ‘I didnt even know that there was such an award. It would be a great honor. I think it would be pretty interesting if we both shared th award’, commented Phoenix Hagen forward Jacob Burtschi. ‘Both of them have a great chance because both of them had great seasons and led there team in a lot of ways. I like both of their styles of play and they bring a lot to the table day in and day out’, warned TBB Trier guard John Bynum.It has been so much more surprising how well they have developed considering Quantez Robertson friend Mark Dorris came from the PRO A where one isnt always guarenteed of making a splash in the beko BBL, but guys like Danny Gibson and Omari Westley have recently and Jacob Burtschi who had to wait 3 years after finishing in the NCAA, because he had to fulfill his duty in the Air Force. ‘I am very surprised how well it has gone for me. I knew that I could be an effort player if all else failed, but surprisingly I have shot the ball well and done a few other things well. I am glad that my hard work for three years has paid off. I think that Mark has always been a great player. He was just never given the opportunity until this year. He finally had the opportunity to showcase his talent’, stressed Phoenix Hagen American Jacob Burtschi. ‘I was surprised because I know being out for one year it was hard for me to get into a rhythm but Jacob Burtschi did a great job and is having a great season. He can shoot the ball from anywhere and causes a lot of match up problems. I got to see Mark Dorris last season in Cuxhaven and he deserves to be at this level. It did not surprise me one bit, there are a lot of players in Pro A if given the right chance and the right system can have a lot of success, Hagens system gave Mark a great chance to show his ability and he took full advantage of the opportunity’, warned TBB Trier guard John Bynum. It is only normal that both guys will want to finish the season helping their team get wins and also shine in their own play and will be as focused as the NCAA team Butler team has been this March Madness, actor George Clooney having to explain why he is a witness in the Silvio Berlusconi prostitution trial despite only meeting him once and how the Deutsche Bank Skyliners will have to be against Phoenix Hagen when they meet April 8th in the Ballsporthalle.

(more…)

There are always big time events that one can dream about or look forward to like seeing which soccer team will beat Bayern Munich next, seeing if Paris Hilton would have any chance in a cat fight against super model Naomi Campbell in Times Square in New York, Derrick Allen giving the first ever how to master the ballerina  moves clinic in the O2 World arena in Berlin or Lebron James and Kobe Bryant going head to head in a one on one duel on a special man made court on top of Burj Al in Dubai where tennis aces Roger Federer and Rafel Nadal also had a battle, but the BEKO BBL was ready for the first ever professional duel between Skyliner Mr road runner Dashaun Wood and Phoenix Hagen Mr fantastic Mark Dorris and despite the hype, the guys didn´t have an all out one on one slug fest on the court with the ball as both held back a bit not forgetting their teammates and it was Skyliner Jermaine Bucknor who stole the show from the two American guards scoring 19 points and hitting a big three pointer in crunch time sealing the 90-85 victory for the Deutsche Bank Skyliners over Phoenix Hagen. After the game both players seemed subdued when talking about the others players quickness, but one sort of felt that both had enjoyed the challenge. “Dorris is very quick and he scored a lot tonight. This was our first duel again since we played each other in the NCAA. I didn´t really want to get into a one on one with Dorris. I wanted to stay under control and not be out of control like Phoenix Hagen tend to play”, warned Dashaun Wood. Dorris was sad the team lost, but had enough words for the Wood duel and was unable to say who was faster now. “We spoke a bit before the game. He played with a friend of mine Scottie Wilson and we were talking about him. We then competed. Wood is fast and it is hard to say who is faster. We would have to settle it on a track. I tried to do the same like Wood and just stay under control. There will be a part 2 in Frankfurt. But this was a game of basketball and not a track meet. It was also nice playing against Tez”, commented Phoenix Hagen guard Mark Dorris. “I think Dorris is quicker. He also may be a bit more athletic, but it was a great duel”, stressed Andreas Buechert. Despite playing only 9 minutes and putting up the big goose egg in the points department, Skyliner captain Pascal Roller was able to joke about the Wood-Dorris quickness battle. “I believe the quickest was Marius Nolte who got his 5th foul about 2 seconds after coming back on the court”, laughed Pascal Roller.

(more…)

In the tactical game of Baseball, famous pitching duels between guys like Roger Clemens and Dwight Goodon in 1986, John Schmoltz vs Jack Morris in 1991, Kevin Brown vs Randy Johnson in 1998 or Tim Lincecum vs Roy Halladay have been as unforgetable like that first tender kiss or The New England Patriots showing the world a few days ago with their 45-3 rout of the New York Jets that even with a somewhat suspect and young defense all you really need is Tom Terrific Brady who is showing again that he really is the best quarterback on earth. However this upcoming Saturday will be the first meeting on the professional ranks between road runner Dashaun Wood and Flash Gordon/Mr fantastic Mark Dorris that might remain as memorable as the first meeting between Kobe Bryant and Lebron  James in 2003. “I would see them both being a duel between two fast ball pitchers”, commented TBB Trier guard John Bynum. “I would be Tim Lincecum and Wood Cliff Lee”, joked Mark Dorris. Both Wood and Dorris played against each other in the NCAA when they were at Wright State and Marshall. “We beat Wood and Wright State. It was a long time ago and I played pretty well, but so did he. Wood was already that quick back then. You can´t teach quickness. Your either born with it or not”, warned Phoenix Hagen guard Mark Dorris. “I would say Mark is lightning. Its not too many people in this league that will be able to stay in front of him”, laughed Quentin Pryor.
It is no secret that they can do a lot on the basketball court like score, rebound and pass, but all eyes will be focusing on their flights and sprints across the floor. It might be so fast between the both of them that one might be wondering if both players had been substituted for world class sprinters Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay? “I agree with the comparison. I would be Usain Bolt and Wood would be Tyson Gay. These are the only two sprinters that matter. My buddy Quantez Robertson would be Asafa Powell. I wouldn´t be surprised if Tez steals the show from us. He is from Cincinnati so speed is in him”, joked Mark Dorris.

(more…)