s.Oliver Würzburg

Quantez Robertson Pokes And Steals The Fraport Skyliners Past s.Oliver Wurzburg 79-76

The one guy is a legend and as present in the German basketball world with his black attire as is legendary actor Jack Nicholson when he is in the front row in the Staples Center at Lakers games while the other guy is one of 1000´s of Americans playing out his dream of being a professional basketball player and one of the fewer making the slow steps up the professional basketball ladder from league to league and from level to level. The legend is none other than Dirk Bauermann who has to be considered as the German Phil Jackson in terms of what he did in the 90´s winning 9 titles with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen as well as being coach of the German national team and winning the 2005 Silver at the European championships with Dirk Nowitzki in Belgrad. After leading FC Bayern Munich into the BBL in 2011, his attempt at winning a title failed and he disappeared from Germany for four years coaching Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius, Krasny Oktyabr Volgograd (Russia-VTB) where he was forced to insert the eccentric club CEO into games and had a short stint with the Iranian national team. He returned back to the Fraport arena a place where he won many games, but lost the 2004 BBL title with Bamberg and now was leading the charge with another Bavarian team s.Oliver Wurzburg and came in as the savior, but so far has experienced something he has rarely seen as a coach in Germany losing as he is still looking for his first win as he was 0-5. The other guy coming with Bauermann was American Vincent Sanford that came to Germany late joining s.Oliver Wurzburg farm team in November and right away was a spark averaging 17,7ppg, 4,6rpg and 2,9apg while shooting 40% from downtown helping the team to a 5-4 record. The American is one of those guys that has had to prove himself his whole career as he played 54 games for the well known Georgetown(NCAA), but averaged only 1,8ppg,and transferred to Dayton(NCAA) where he had more of a role and solidified himself as a solid NCAA player averaging 12,3ppg and 9,6ppg in his last two seasons. However despite reaching the NCAA Elite 8 in 2014 and having good stats didn´t grant him a free pass to a top league as he had to claw himself up the professional ladder playing with Thor Thorl (Iceland-Dominos League): 13 games: 22.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.1apg, 2.0spg, FGP: 50.8%, 3PT: 42.9%, FT: 73.0% and last season played with Barrancabermeja Ciudad Futuro (Colombia-Liga DirecTV, starting five): Liga DirecTV-1: 20 games: 14.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 3.0apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 50.0%, 3PT-2(42.9%), FT: 76.8%. Now in his third professional season and after 9 Pro B games, he suddenly saw himself suit up in an easyCredit BBL game against Tuebingen scoring 9 points in 14 minutes and a week later had 13 points in 17 minutes against the Telekom Baskets Bonn, There are basketball worlds between Bauermann and Sanford, but both had the same goal and wanting to win that first game with s.Oliver Wurzburg. However both didn´t leave the Fraport arena with smiles, but moreover with sullen expressions as they lost a tough 79-76 battle to the hands of the Fraport Skyliners. Bauermann was not only disgusted with his 6th loss in a row, the most that he had lost in a row in Germany and also for being called for a technical foul late in the fourth which turned the game in favor of Frankfurt. Sanford was unable to match the personal success of his last games as he credits a lot to Bauermann as he had one point on 0/3 shooting in 9.12 minutes and was far form 100%. “I have no excuses, but I couldn´t really dribble as I have been playing with a broken hand. You have to take the good ones with the bad ones. Bauermann has helped me see the game differently in the BBL. He has helped me a lot mentally”, stressed Kentucky native Vincent Sanford.

Basketball BL, FRAPORT SKYLINERS - s.OLIVER WÜRZBURG

25.02.2017 / Basketball BBL / -23- Quantez Tez Robertson / FRAPORT SKYLINERS / -9- Maurice Stuckey / s.OLIVER WÜRZBURG

The Fraport Skyliners came into the contest against s.Oliver Wurzburg riding a three game losing streak having lost badly to Bamberg and Munich and then being embarrassed in Turkey against Pinar Karsiyaka ending their Champions League season. Frankfurt came into the game with a lot to prove, but were having problems with being able to play consistent for long spurts, but were able to overcome a nine point deficit in the fourth quarter as s.Oliver Wurzburg were putting up prayers left and right as if Larry Bird had haunted the Fraport arena and stayed calm and showed their big strength having those fighting mentality qualities, buckled down on defense and won with heart and pride. “Key today for pulling out the win was staying together during the ups and downs in the game. They hit tough shot after tough shot and we had our backs to the wall, but we always stuck together. We played Skyliner basketball until the end and executed down the stretch”, stressed Iona(NCAA) guard AJ English. s.Oliver Wurzburg hoped their basketball woes would come to an end with legendary German head coach Dirk Bauermann, but instead the team still has the big goose egg looking for that first win. After the loss a dejected Jake Odum(Indiana State) exited the locker room and one could feel his disappointment as his soft voice described the game loss. “It went down to the wire. It was very disappointing that we couldn´t come away with the win. It has been very tough not being able to win a game in two months. Most of us aren´t used to losing like this. We have been getting better in practice, but haven´t learned how to finish games. I put a lot of blame on myself for not doing my job. I credit the Skyliners for making plays when it counted”, added Jake Odum.

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Brendan Lane (s.Oliver Wurzburg) Dirk Bauermann Has Been Transitioning Me More At Position Four Which Will Help Me Develop More

Brendan Lane is a 26 year old 206cm center from Rocklin, California playing his third professional season and second in Germany in the EasyCredit BBL with the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. As a rookie he played with Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins (Japan-NBL): 52 games: 12.8ppg, 7.9rpg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 73.4%. He started his basketball career in 2009 with UCLA(NCAA) where he played until 2012 playing a total of 79 NCAA games. He finished his college basketball career at : Pepperdine (NCAA, starting five) playing 29 games averaging 13.2ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.2apg, 2.4bpg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 62.4%. Last season with Wurzburg he played 37 games averaging 13.7ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 59.6%, 3PT: 14.8%, FT: 73.6%. He belonged to the top centers in the Beko BBL He spoke to German Hoops before the game against the Fraport Skyliners.

Brendan thanks for talking to German Hoops! 2017 is here and were almost into March, but did you make any new years resolutions this year or are you more a guy that concern himself with that?

No I’m not really one to make specific new years resolutions like that.

A tough 101-84 loss on the road to the Telekom Baskets Bonn. Bonn pretty much already had the game sealed at halftime leading 54-32. I wouldn´t have wanted to be a fly in the locker room since head coach Dirk Bauermann prides defense. What went wrong on the defensive side in the first 20 minutes?

We started the game off letting them get some easy lay ups in the half court and in transition. That gave them their confidence early and that led to them knocking down open 3’s and we dug ourselves into a deep hole.

Wurzburg found better consistency on offense in the second half, but couldn´t get consistent stops. Was this just one of those nights where no matter what adjustments were made nothing really worked?

We just started to try being more aggressive too late and our defensive effort wasn’t there the whole time. By the second half they already had so much confidence it was difficult to get stops.

The Telekom Baskets Bonn are having a solid season and are a favorite to win the Fiba Europe Cup title despite having a change at the coaching position due to sickness have kept the team chemistry. What do you believe is the team´s biggest strength?

They have a lot of offensive firepower and play an up tempo pace that puts a lot of pressure on the opposing teams defense. They seem to play at another level at home too. They’ve had some really good games there this year.

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Michael Cobbins (s.Oliver Wurzburg) You Need A Drive And A Will To Make Things Happen To Reach The NBA

Michael Cobbins is a 24 year old 201cm forward from Amarillo, Texas playing his second professional season and started this season with AS Apollon Patras (Greece-A1) playing 12 games averaging 6.7ppg, 4.8rpg, 1.2apg, 2FGP: 61.4%, FT: 55.6%, in Jan.’17 moved to s.Oliver Wuerzburg (Germany-BBL). Last season as a rookie he played for the Oklahoma City Blue (D-League): 27 games: 1.7ppg, 1.4rpg. He played his college ball at Oklahoma St. (NCAA) playing a total of 106 NCAA games and as a senior played 29 games averaging 6.8ppg, 5.9rpg, 1.8bpg, FGP: 58.2%, FT: 56.9%. He spoke to German Hoops recently when he arrived in Wurzburg, Germany.

Michael thanks for talking to German Hoops. You recently joined German team s.Oliver Wurzburg after starting your rookie season with Apollin Patras in Greece. How big an adjustment has it been for you coming from the warm coast of Patras in Greece to cold Germany? Is the beautiful Wurzburg scenery and river a little consolation?

Yes, the scenery was a big change but I am enjoying my time here and the views of this town.

What kind of a feeling was it for you having to play your first professional game in Germany against top club FC Bayern Munich?

It was a great first game to get a feel for the league and the fan base was amazing! Having a crowd like that at home always helps.

You played against top Greek teams Olympiacos and Panathinaikos holding your own with seven points. Were these two teams with their lineup still a notch above what you saw from FC Bayern Munich?

These teams are all good and play at a high level. But the style of play is different from both leagues.

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Dirk Bauermann returns to the BBL

After I finished reading “Teamplayer”, a biography about legendary american head-coach Pat Elzie, I was looking for some new basketball-related books. Unfortunately there are just a handful of german basketball biographies available and I thought that I already had read all of them. But when I scrolled through some related books on amazon I found something I had missed: Dirk Bauermann “Mission Erfolg. Meine Vision, mein Plan, mein Weg” [engl. translation: Dirk Bauermann ‘Mission success. My vision, my plan, my way].
Somewhere in the back of my mind I was aware of the fact that Bauermann had released a book, but I was never that interested in reading it. I saw excerpts of the text and simply felt that it was probably written on advice from a public relations office.
Published in 2012, it is still available on hardcover for 20 Euros. Obviously the book did not sell very well as it never even made it to a paperback version. And at first glance, one may wonder why. Dirk Bauermann is the most successful and most famous German basketball coach. I would even say that when it comes to basketball personalities recognized by the average sports fan in Germany he is right behind Dirk Nowitzki and Dennis Schröder. Nine BBL-championships and seven cup-titles with Leverkusen and Bamberg are on his résumé and at the EuroBasket 2005, he led Germany to an unforgettable and sensational silver medal. But Bauermann’s reputation suffered a lot after his last successful run with Bamberg. He could not fulfill the high expectations of Bayern Munich and was fired by the club in September 2012 – just seven months after the release of the book.
Ever since Bauermann has worked in different places (Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Iran), but never found a new home and was not really successful. Somehow the former head-coach of the German national team was off the radar. Whenever a BBL-club was looking for a new head-coach and some names came up, it seemed like no one was thinking about him. The way his teams had played in the past and his whole coaching philosphy did not seem well suited for the modern BBL basketball. Whatever he was doing in the middle-east as head-coach of the Iranian national team, no one seemed to miss him around the league.
The publisher of his book must have thought the same as there is a really cheap e-book version for just 1,49 €. Of course I had to give it a try.

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Brendan Lane (s.Oliver Wurzburg) Teams Will Definitely Focus On Shavon Shields More But He Will Be Dangerous All Season

Brendan Lane is a 25 year old 206cm center from Rocklin, California playing his third professional season and second in Germany in the Beko BBL with the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. As a rookie he played with Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins (Japan-NBL): 52 games: 12.8ppg, 7.9rpg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 73.4%. He started his basketball career in 2009 with UCLA(NCAA) where he played until 2012 playing a total of 79 NCAA games. He finished his college basketball career at : Pepperdine (NCAA, starting five) playing 29 games averaging 13.2ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.2apg, 2.4bpg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 62.4%. Last season with Wurzburg he played 37 games averaging 13.7ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 59.6%, 3PT: 14.8%, FT: 73.6%. He belongs to the top centers in the Beko BBL He spoke to eurobasket after the big 73-64 win against the Fraport Skyliners.

Brendan thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the two game winning streak. Is this years team finally figuring out how to win games?

Yeah I think we finally got that confidence back after that tough start. Getting that first win was big for us and hopefully we can keep it going now.

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Brendan Lane And The s.Oliver Wurzburg Want To Avoid The Sophomore Blues

Sometimes the start to two new seasons can be like day and night and as different and as unexpected for many as the Boston red Sox were swept by the Cleveland Indians in the ALC as legend David Ortiz had to shed tears a few weeks earlier than he may have expected. For easyCredit BBL club s.Oliver Wurzburg and second year man Brendan Lane, they have experienced a tale of two totally different starts to the season. Last season Wurzburg returned back to the big dance from the pro A rattling off 4 straight wins against playoff teams like Ulm and Frankfurt and before anyone had really noticed were 7-1 and the little darlings of the league while Bavarian neighbor Brose Baskets Bamberg were wondering if they had to seriously need to pay any attention to this wizardry. The club finished last season grabbing the last playoff spot and being swept by Bamberg, but had gained the respect again of the league. This season´s start hasn´t been as kind to the club as instead of building on the success of last season, the club has quickly dug a hole for themselves starting 0-4. It definitely has helped the team that the BBL schedule pitted three playoff teams against them including the two top teams of Bamberg and FC Bayern Munich. At least second year man Brendan lane hasn´t take the nose dive in his play from last season as the team has as he has had a solid start, but the work horse hasn´t had the shot selection he had last season. Last season the California native played 37 games averaging 13.7ppg, 5.2rpg, 1.2apg, FGP: 59.6%, 3PT: 14.8%, FT: 73.6%. He was rewarded with Eurobasket.com German Bundesliga All-Newcomers Team 2016. This season so far through four games the ex UCLA) center is averaging 11,8ppg, 3,8rpg and 1,8apg, but hasn´t had a game yet getting 10 or more shots. Last season he had 22 games where he had 10 or more opportunities to make buckets. The American who is as humble as a player can get credited his team for helping him adapt to the BBl. “The key for me has been my teammates. I’m playing with unselfish guys who are great passers and that helped me earlier in the year get easy baskets and gain that confidence that has helped me throughout the whole season”, stressed Brendan Lane. This season Lane should be able to have another strong season as with Jake Odum has one of the more underrated point guards in the BBL that understands the pick and roll and can stick the ball to a player in even the most congested traffic jams in the paint. He also has good clever players around him that can spread the floor and get him the ball in various moments. Last season he had success against two thirds of the big three with Bamberg and Fc Bayern Munich, but has unhappy memories against Alba Berlin and is hungry for then this season. “Those games were definitely frustrating for me. Two of the games I got in quick foul trouble and wasn’t able to play much and get a rhythm. I wish I could’ve stayed on the court more in those games to see what I could’ve done”, added Brendan Lane. The club hopes that the start of this season doesn´t resemble last season´s start of 7-1 with the numbers reversed of 1-7 as both Wurzburg and Brendan Lane want to avoid the sophomore blues. The club has the head coach with Doug Spradley who now is being tested, but he has the player personal that will get him back to winning ways and a center that wants to add on to his stellar play from last season with fine center play and just doing what it takes to win ball games now.

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Brendan Lane (s.Oliver Baskets) My Teammates Have Been Key For Me Adjusting To The BBL By Giving Me Confidence Early On

Brendan Lane is a 25 year old 206cm center from Rocklin, California playing his second professional season and first in Germany in the Beko BBL with the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. Last season as a rookie he played with Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins (Japan-NBL): 52 games: 12.8ppg, 7.9rpg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 53.0%, 3PT: 35.4%, FT: 73.4%. He started his basketball career in 2009 with UCLA(NCAA) where he played until 2012 playing a total of 79 NCAA games. He finished his college basketball career at Pepperdine (NCAA) playing 29 games averaging 13.2ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.2apg, 2.4bpg, FGP: 56.6%, 3PT: 38.5%, FT: 62.4%. He belongs to the top centers in the Beko BBL this season and currently is averaging 13,6ppg, 5,3rpg and 1,2apg. He spoke to German Hoops before the game against the Fraport Skyliners.

Brendan thanks for talking to German Hoops. Congrats on the huge 81-70 win against the Crailsheim Merlins. How relieving was getting this win after having sustained a four game losing streak?

This win was very important for us not only for the playoffs, but just us as a team to get a win and get some momentum again

The s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg overwhelmed Crailsheim in the statistical categories and played good defense again. Was this all in all the type of Wurzburg basketball that gives the club the best chance to win?

Yeah when we are being aggressive and playing good defense it carries over onto the offensive end for us and we are a much better team. Our success is very much dictated by our defense.

Currently the s.Oliver Baskets are in eighth place battling for the last playoff spot with the Giessen 56ers. How exciting is the whole notion that it is two teams that came up from the second division that are battling for that last spot?

It is very exciting. I think it goes to show how deep this league is that even teams who just moved up are talented enough to compete with the top teams and make the playoffs.

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Carlos Medlock (s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg) I Came To Wurzburg To Show That I Am Not Only A Scoring Point Guard, But That I Can Run A Team

Carlos Medlock is a 27 year old 183cm point guard from Detroit, Michigan that is playing his first season for the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. He started his basketball career at Eastern Michigan. In 2010-2011 as a rookie he played for Utah Flash (D-League): 3 games: 4.3ppg, 1.3rpg, left in Nov.’10, in Feb.’11 moved to Guildford Heat (United Kingdom-BBL, starting five): 17 games: 14.9ppg, 3.8rpg, Assists-4(4.6apg), 1.7spg, FGP: 48.0%, 3PT: 36.9%, FT: 64.1%. In 2012-2013, he got experience playing for U.M.F. Skallagrimur Borganes (Iceland-Dominos League), then moved to Club Deportes Las Animas (Chile-Liga Nacional), then signed at U.M.F. Skallagrimur Borganes (Iceland-Dominos League, starting five): 24 games: Score-2(27.2ppg), 4.4rpg, 4.8apg, Steals-5(2.3spg), FGP: 58.1%, 3PT: 36.9%, FT: 78.9%. Last season with Crailsheim, he played 37 games: 17.3ppg, 2.9rpg, 4.6apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 49.6%, 3PT: 41.3%, FT: 82.2%. He reached the 2014 Pro A final and achieved Eurobasket.com All-German 2.Bundesliga Pro A 2nd Team -14. He spoke to German Hoops about the first month of the 2014-2015 Pro A season with the s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg.

Congrats on the 101-67 win against SC Rasta Vechta last week who are 0-5. When you win by 34 points, can you say after 40 minutes that it was a perfect game?

Of course not I don’t think any team can play a perfect game. It’s always something you could’ve done for an even better result. But we just came ready to play and happy we got the win.

How do you feel beating a worthy candidate like SC Rasta Vechta who have big aspirations of moving back up to the Beko BBL? Is the team farther after 5 games than you expected in terms of team chemistry and where you want to be after one month into the season?

Truthfully it felt like any other game I look at Vecha the same way as any other team in Pro A. Our team chemistry is good we at a point where we all understand what we bring to this team.

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