pic credit: Nico Leistner

I wish for just once I could have experienced Chris Carter (193-G-1992, college: Florida Tech) LIVE help one of his teams move back up to the easyCredit. Just once see him do his magic and then see his post game celebration. You know I felt a little like Kramer from Seinfeld when he proclaimed in season 1 that he almost ended up going to a Mets game and Seinfeld´s hilarious answer was, “you haven´t been out of the building in 10 years. But I actually also almost ended up going to game 4 in Giessen. However I missed it. My car had it´s annual inspection check up so I was without a car and couldn´t attend this historical day in Jena basketball history. But maybe one day I will witness him do it for a fifth time. He began his incredible quest of helping teams move to the easycredit BBL with Vechta, Chemnitz, Rostock and now with Jena. Almost 5 years ago when he signed with the Rostock Seawolves, I asked him if he was the basketball magician helping Pro A teams move to the easyCredit BBL, he had a rapid response. ““No I’m not. I just been blessed to be a part of two good programs”, warned Chris Carter. Now I guess his answer would be the same with “No, I´m not, I have been a part of 4 good programs”. But seriously after a fourth time, he is definitely the Basketball magician for helping Pro A teams move up. One thing is for sure, every new experience feels great. “ It feels really good and I am blessed for the opportunity to do it again. The fourth one is very special because it has never been done before! Jena was at the top all season long”, stated Chris Carter. Where does this special Jena team rank with the other 3 that he helped move up? “I have been blessed to be on some really good teams. I definitely think it’s up there in rank”, warned Chris Carter.

Pic credit: Nico Leistner

The 33 year old native who believes that the Oklahoma Thunder will clash against the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA finals had a superb performance in game 4 on the road scoring 12 points and grabbing 4 rebounds and dishing out 5 dimes. But it was the incredible game of Zac Cooks who heaved Jena into the easyCredit BBL with 30 points and buzzer beater that will always be remembered from the faithful Jena fans. It was a play that a Jalen Brunson, Donovan Mitchell or Anthony Edwards couldn´t have done better as Cooks displayed a fancy cross over and then drove to the rim and took an off balance floater with 2 fierce Giessen players coming at him and banking it off the glass for the victory. “He is a beast and he had a great season and amazing second half for us. I have seen him do that floater hundreds of times this year in practice and in games so I was confident but still crashed the boards in case he missed it”, smiled Chris Carter. The mutual respect for one another is enormous as Carter´s track record of moving teams up is a well known fact. ““I remember my first day in Jena we got in the gym and got some shots up. We talked about the expectations of the season and the past seasons of ours and we clicked right away. I knew he would be my right hand man this season right after that. Chris is special and does a lot of the little things that statistics may not show. He’s a very vocal person and is always positive on & off the court. We follow his lead and he has helps me a lot especially this season”, explained Zac Cooks.

pic credit: Nico Leistner

Jena didn´t arrive into the playoffs with momentum losing 2 of their last 3 regular season games and knew that they had to take care of business in the post season. “We just had to all get healthy and get rhythm. Then everything would take care of its self”, said Chris Carter. The team held it´s word easily sweeping Bochum. “That was crucial building momentum at the right time”, commented Chris Carter. Jena didn´t start off on the right track losing game 1 at home to Giessen, but then rebounded winning 3 in a row. Was losing that game 1 a blessing in disguise? “Yes I would say so. We had to get some tension back from the Bochum series”, added Chris Carter. Having grit was key in winning the Giessen series and overall Jena had a special team that combined chemistry and character on and off the court. “We had a great group of guys that made competing fun. We worked hard and pushed each other and all understood the common goal”, warned Chris Carter. One can go down the list of 12 players and every guy would be lauded for their contribution, but none more than ultimate veteran and teammate Raymar Morgen who averaged 7/3 in 13 minutes and left his ego behind and accepted a lesser role for the good of the team. “Raymar is a phenomenal veteran and set the tone of what a great vet does behind the scenes”, stressed Chris Carter. Carter´s season isn´t over yet as he has a Pro A final to play against second ranked Trier. Trier swept the season series and you can be sure that Jena will be seeking massive revenge. “We just want to come out and compete and let’s see what happens. Trier is a good team but so are we”, warned Chris Carter. He is still perfect in winning Pro A finals so why not keep it perfect and make it 3 in a row over Trier.