Walter Tigers Tuebingen

Jesse Sanders(Walter Tigers Tuebingen) Igor Perovic Understands My Game Well And Correctly Assesses How I Can Help The Team

Jesse Sanders is a 25 year old 190cm point guard from Sugar Land, Texas that will play his fourth professional season with the Walter Tigers Tuebingen. He started his basketball career in 2008 with Liberty where he played until 2012. In the 201-2013 season he started his professional career in Europe with Fileni BPA Jesi (Italy-Lega2): 25 games: 9.7ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.1apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 52.6%, 3PT: 34.5%, FT: 75.7%. In the 2013-2014 season he played down under with the Sydney Kings (Australia-NBL, starting five): 13 games: 10.5ppg, 4.7rpg, 3.5apg, Steals-2(1.8spg), FGP: 53.7%, 3PT: 17.2%, FT: 89.5%. Last season he led the Belgium league in assists and played withLimburg United averaging 11,5ppg, 5,1rpg and 5,0apg. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.

Jesse thanks for talking to German Hoops Where are you at the moment and how have you been enjoying the early part of the summer?

I’m in Sugar Land visiting my parents. It has been great to be back and to introduce my daughter (Ava Michelle Sanders) to all of my family. Having some of our favorite Mexican food has been great as well.

You have signed with German beko BBL team Walter Tigers Tuebingen. How excited are you be playing in the fastest growing league in Europe?

This is an awesome opportunity and I’m really looking forward to getting over there and beginning work with the team!

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Bane Ratkovica(Walter Tigers Tuebingen) Quietly Remains One Of Top Point Guards In The BBL

Walter Tigers Tuebingen head coach Igor Perovic has had that special right instinct for getting young players from the NCAA the last years as well as the right mix of players for his rosters the same way as Borussia Dortmund head coach Jurgen Klopp has been able to shape successful teams the last years especially this season with lesser known star players. Perovic brought in guys like Vaughn Duggins or Tyrone Nash the last years who have become better players in Tuebingen and moved on in their careers, but at the point guard position, he has had his up and downs the last years landing some good experienced players while other times not having as much luck. From 2009-2011, he had Serb Branislav Rathkovica who led the Beko BBL in assists both seasons and two years ago had Louis Campbell who was vital in the team sniffing near the playoff area. Two seasons ago, he had NCAA rookie Dale Davis who had to pack his bags early and newcomer Cameron Wells who did a solid job, but one can´t always expect much from a player coming late to a team. Last season combo guards Jonathan Wallace and Josh Young shared the point guard position who were solid, but more scores than guys dishing out assists as if they were on a silver platter and the club has started off slow and had issues on offense not having that needed consistent playmaking and losing needlessly to teams like TBB Trier and SC Rasta Vechta. So if a top point guard like Branislav Ratkovica is on the market why not reel him in like a lonely salmon in a lake on a leisurely Sunday fishing trip. Perovic gobbled up the free Ratkovica back again last season who is in his best basketball age at 28 and right in his first game helped the Tigers to a big road win in Braunschweig. Before returning back to Tuebingen last season, the Serb had a nomadic season as he had his suitcase in constant service starting the 2012-2013 season with Aliaga Petkim (Turkey-TBL) playing 3 games: 5.7ppg, 1.0rpg, 6.0apg, 1.0spg; EuroChallenge Qualifying Round: 2 games: 13.0ppg, 2.0rpg, Assists-2(6.0apg), Steals-4(2.5spg). He then moved to Olin Edirne Basketball (Turkey-TBL) playing 13 games: 5.0ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.9apg, 2FGP: 48.4%, 3FGP: 28.1%, FT: 80.0%, in Feb.’13 signed at Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck (Germany-BBL, starting five): 11 games: 7.5ppg, 1.3rpg, 4.6apg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.7%. Ratkovica played three seasons in Tuebingen from 2008-2011 and two with Perovic and one senses that the harmony is still there between both. “He knows a lot about basketball, he is patient and reasonable, which has positive effects on the team. I think it has already been shown how much Tuebingen appreciates him. Our cooperation is great. We have complete confidence in each other, which means a lot to me as a point guard”, stressed Branislav Rathkovica. Last season for Tuebingen the Serb played 27 games averaging 8.8ppg, 2.1rpg, Assists-4(5.4apg), FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 73.4%. Once again he was one of the top playmakers in the Beko BBL despite playing for a weak team. Ratkovica has gotten used to being on struggling Tiger teams, but still is able to make the most out of his situation. He has done a superb job in the playmaking and the club definitely can put points on the board, but just have defended as if they were on a Sunday walk along the Neckar river instead of focusing on their opponent on the court. With one game left in the regular season, Ratkovica leads the BBL in assists once again with 7,2 and is close to his best assist rate ever in the BBL with 7,4 which he had in the 2010-2011. Even if Tuebingen didn´t have the greatest season, Tuebingen fans can look at it in two ways. Without Ratkovica the club may have been worse off and missed staying in the league, and just having him on the team is an attraction because he is a spectacular player and just his passing is worth the price of admission and worth making an extra mark in the calendar to see if you live far away and want to make the drive into any arena in Germany to see him wheel and deal.

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Reggie Redding (Alba Berlin) Has Gone From Under The Radar To An Established Euroleague Player

The Walter Tigers Tuebingen have been known in the past few years as being one of those Beko BBL teams that doesn´t have the biggest budgets, but still have the power to haul in talented and interesting players within their budget that offer themselves to better teams with strong seasons in the Swaben city. In the past years, players like AJ Moye, Michael Haynes, Branislav Ratkovica or Jermaine Anderson have used The Walter Tigers Tuebingen as a place to tone their skills while also enjoying some juicy meat at the OX US steakhouse after practice or games. Tigers head coach Igor Perovic came on board in 2009 and has done a fine job keeping the team in the middle pack of the standing and sometimes grazing on the boundry of the playoff places like a famished cow on the pasture always hungry for more while having talented players according to their budget. Perovic was responsible for bringing in somewhat established players like Romeo Travis, Michael Jenkins, Chris Oliver and Dane Watts who have all moved on to bigger and better things on the basketball map. Especially in the 2011-2012 season the Serb head coach must of heard that special song from a mocking bird that gave him the right inspiration of not only bringing in the right players, but super character guys with Josh Young from the PRO B, Vaughn Duggins and Tyrone Nash from the NCAA and Reggie Redding from Cyprus and all four players eclipsed expectations and didn´t follow the trend of past years and fleeing to snatch the bigger bucks somewhere else, but already got contract extensions during their rookie seasons. American boy Reggie Redding had his breakout season in Tuebingen after a stellar career at Villanova where he played with NBA player Dante Cunningham and Beko BBL players Dwayne Anderson and Corey Stokes. Before coming to Tuebingen, Redding played his rookie year in Cyprus for Intercollege Etha Engomis. He had a solid season in Cyprus helping the club win 2 titles, but there was no real guarantee that he would explode in the higher league Beko BBL. Finding that special player in the Cyprus league is about as difficult as predicting what kind of pass of Rajon Rondo will fill the highlight reel that evening, but Perovic made the perfect snatch in Redding. The American had little difficulty being a force in the German league averaging 13,2ppg, 5,8rpg and 3,3apg while shooting 50% from the field and 41% from downtown in his freshman season with the Tigers. He was awarded three eurobasket.com awards and sent Igor Perovic into summer vacation with a smile and being able to whisper the words “I told you so” to possible critics. Redding has been fighting his whole career with failed recognition, but doesn´t let it bother him. “I have been dealing with this all my life being under the radar. Many people don´t know how good I can be, but that doesn´t matter. I just try to do whatever it takes to help my team win. People not knowing this isn´t going to change the way I play. I think that I am a lot better shooter for what people give me credit for. Last season opponents really let me shoot. I worked on my shot last summer. I think that I can do many things great and not just one. This has helped me become the complete player that I am today”, stressed Philadelphia native Reggie Redding. In his second season in Tuebingen, Redding heightened his stats from last season and it wasnt only offense that did the talking on the court, but his defense. “He is one of the best defenders that I ever played with”, warned ex BBC Bayreuth American Corey Stokes. His teammates know what his worth was three seasons ago. “He was so valuable to us with his defense, passing and rebounding”, stressed Indiana native Vaughn Duggins. Against Frankfurt in 2011-2012, Redding had nine points and six rebounds in a loss in Tuebingen and then exploded in a win in Frankfurt with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. In his second season with Tuebingen, he improved his stats more as his responsibility grew playing 34 games averaging 14.0ppg, 5.4rpg, 4.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 81.1%. After two seasons in Tuebingen, it was time to say goodbye as he moved to 8 time Beko BBL champion Alba Berlin. He paid his dues with Tuebingen and last season won his first Beko BBL title the cup with Alba Berlin. Despite a much more talented and deep roster than in Tuebingen, the Philadelphia native held his own and led the team in scoring, was third in rebounds, first in assists and in steals despite having the best defensive player in the league with Clifford Hammonds, Redding easily showed that he is a complete team player. This season, it is the same story as Redding is at the top of numerous statistical categories for his team. The 26 year old 196cm swing man doesn´t seem to be in his prime yet and sky is the limit for the player. If he hadn´t hit the buzzer beater in cup play last season against the Telekom Baskets Bonn, then he would still be searching for his first Beko BBL title. Buzzer beaters continue to be on his menu as he connected for another this season against Malaga. In Euroleague play he has also been a central figure in their offense as he is second in teams scoring, rebounding and assists. His stock as a high profile American player in Europe keeps rising and rumor has it that he has a contract offer from top European team Maccabi Tel Avivi, but before he makes any choices about signing, he first wants to help Alba Berlin win another league title something the team has about as good chances as their last win in 2008 as they are the best team currently in the Beko BBL.

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Quantez Robertson Unveils The Super Tez Offense Leading The Fraport Skyliners Past Tuebingen 79-63

It has been almost been 8 months since the Walter TIgers were another Beko BBL team that defeated the Fraport Skyliners in a narrow crunch time game and the unlucky goat was Oklahoma native Jacob Burtcshi who tried to make the cute extra pass to Danilo Barthel inside instead of taking the possible game winning shot. If Burtschi who is back home living in Oklahoma is aware that the FRaport Skyliners were playing the Walter TIgers Tuebingen is unknown, but if he does come upon the name of that yellow colored team with the cute tIger, it is almost probable that he will remember that fateful day last season. The question was how much was this memory from last season which was a bitter crunch time loss and the buzzer beater loss a few days earlier in Eurochallenge play against Boras Basket have an effect on the German players like Johannes Voigtmann and Danilo Barthel? Both Germans still remembered the difficult defeat last season against Tuebingen and played their hearts out against Boras Basket, but weren´t rewarded at the end with a win as the rocket man Adama Darboe beat the Fraport Skyliners with a buzzer beater mid distance jumper which pierced the hearts of not only both Germans, but also the complete team which played without 5 players. With the walking wounded still long and seemingly never ending, the Fraport Skyliners had to fight against all odds and play against a feisty Tuebingen team who wanted to start a way out of the cellar with a victory on foreign ground in the Fraport arena, but were denied as the Fraport Skyliners gave a great team effort for 40 minutes having a consistent game and never letting Tuebingen match their game and before I forget their good luck charm me was in the Fraport arena for the fourth complete game of the season and the club is 4-0. After the unneeded crunch time loss to Tuebingen last season and crunch time loss to Boras in Ruesselsheim 96 hours earlier, German national player Johannes Voigtmann was relieved to breathe more smoothly in the last minutes as defeat was as far away on that night as the family of Skyliner Kyle Fossman in Alaska. “It was nice to win a game again having a good lead and not having it be tight. Even when Tuebingen got a bit closer, we learned from our past mistakes and were able to pull away again. We were rewarded with a win for our efforts”, stated Johannes Voigtmann. After the game, the Walter Tigers Tuebingen players looked like a beaten Tiger that had just lost a fierce battle and gotten pounded hard without any remorse and basketball is a very simple sport as Nick Wiggins who is the brother of NBA player Andrew Wiggins explained on the floor during his postgame stretching. “They made shots for 40 minutes and we didn´t. It is as simple as that”, expressed Nick Wiggins. Despite the walking wounded list still being long, the club did welcome back the cool Finish sniper Mikko Koivisto who had much to explain after the victory. “We may have many injuries, but we cant make excuses. We just came out and played as hard as we could under the circumstances and with what we had. It helped that we hit many three pointers tonight. We moved the ball well, had many assists and did a good job rebounding in certain phases. We have had problems in the past rebounding, but we took the challenge up against Tuebingen”, expressed Mikko Koivisto.

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Can Bane Ratkovica Lead The Walter Tigers Tuebingen Out Of The Beko BBL Cellar?

Walter Tigers Tuebingen head coach Igor Perovic has had that special right instinct for getting young players from the NCAA the last years as well as the right mix of players for his rosters the same way as Borusia Dortmund head coach Jurgen Klopp has been able to shape successful teams the last years especially this season with lesser known star players, but that have panned out in the early going. Perovic brought in guys like Vaughn Duggins or Tyrone Nash the last years who have become better players in Tuebingen, but at the point guard position, he has had his up and downs the last years landing some good experienced players while other times not having as much luck. From 2009-2011, he had Serb Branislav Rathkovica who led the Beko BBL in assists both seasons and two years ago had Louis Campbell who was vital in the team sniffing near the playoff area. Two seasons ago, he had NCAA rookie Dale Davis who had to pack his bags and newcomer Cameron Wells who did a solid job, but one can´t always expect much from a player coming late to a team. Last season combo guards Jonathan Wallace and Josh Young shared the point guard position who were solid, but more scores than guys dishing out assists as if they were on a silver platter and the club has started off slow and had issues on offense not having that needed consistent playmaking and losing needlessly to teams like TBB Trier and SC Rasta Vechta. So if a top point guard like Branislav Ratkovica is on the market why not reel him in like a lonely salmon in a lake on a leisurely Sunday fishing trip. Perovic gobbled up the free Ratkovica who is in his best basketball age at 28 last season and right in his first game helped the Tigers to a big road win in Braunschweig. Before returning back to Tuebingen last season, the Serb had a nomadic season as he had his suitcase in constant service starting the season with Aliaga Petkim (Turkey-TBL) playing 3 games: 5.7ppg, 1.0rpg, 6.0apg, 1.0spg; EuroChallenge Qualifying Round: 2 games: 13.0ppg, 2.0rpg, Assists-2(6.0apg), Steals-4(2.5spg). He then moved to Olin Edirne Basketball (Turkey-TBL) playing 13 games: 5.0ppg, 1.5rpg, 1.9apg, 2FGP: 48.4%, 3FGP: 28.1%, FT: 80.0%, in Feb.’13 signed at Artland Dragons Quakenbrueck (Germany-BBL, starting five): 11 games: 7.5ppg, 1.3rpg, 4.6apg, FGP: 40.7%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.7%. Ratkovica played three seasons in Tuebingen from 2008-2011 and two with Perovic and one senses that the harmony is still there between both. “He knows a lot about basketball, he is patient and reasonable, which has positive effects on the team. I think it has already been shown how much Tuebingen appreciates him. Our cooperation is great. We have complete confidence in each other, which means a lot to me as a point guard”, stressed Branislav Rathkovica. Last season for Tuebingen the Serb played 27 games averaging 8.8ppg, 2.1rpg, Assists-4(5.4apg), FGP: 46.1%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 73.4%. Once again he was one of the top playmakers in the Beko BBL despite playing for a weak team. Currently Tuebingen is in the Beko BBL cellar like they started last season and the Serb seems to need to be the savior. So far Ratkovica is averaging 10,1ppg and 6,1apg second in the league in assists. He has done a superb job in the playmaking and the club definitely can put points on the board as the team has scored 80 plus points in the last five games, but just have defended as if they were on a Sunday walk along the Neckar river instead of focusing of their opponent on the court. The Serb has teammates that can put points on the boards and he will continue to have the offense moving, but its time for the most experienced guys with Alexsandar Nadfjeji and him to reel the troops together and find a sound defensive concept to help compliment a solid offensive foundation that will definitely have less pressure when they start producing more stops which will power their offense as well.

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Face To Face With Cameron Wells (Giessen 46ers)

Cameron Wells is a 26 year old 186cm point guard from Houston, Texas that is playing his third professional season and first with the Giessen 46ers. He played at Citadel (NCAA) from 2007-2011 where he finished as the school´s alltime leading scorer and as a senior played 32 games averaging 17.2ppg, 5.1rpg, 4.3apg, 1.4spg, FGP: 43.7%, 3PT: 24.7%, FT: 82.7%. He started his professional basketball career in 2011 with Landstede Basketbal Zwolle (Holland-Eredivisie) playing 36 games: 14.0ppg, 3.9rpg, Assists-4(3.6apg), Steals-1(2.4spg), FGP: 45.5%, 3PT: 30.0%, FT: 78.1%. Two seasons ago he played for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen (Germany-BBL) playing 29 games and averaging 6.0ppg, 2.0rpg, 1.6apg, FGP: 43.1%, 3PT: 31.6%, FT: 82.7%. He spoke to German Hoops about Basketball.

After tearing your ACL last season how happy were to make your debut in a Giessen jersey?

I was really excited to play again. I was all smiles before the game. I am just happy and relieved to be able to play the game that I love.

What exactly is your role with the Giessen 46ers?

My role is to be a leader and as the point guard get all my teammates involved and just get the team going.

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Igor Perovic (Walter Tigers Tuebingen) The Game Against Phoenix Hagen Will Be The Biggest For Me As Coach

Igor Perovic is in his fifth season as head coach for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen. He had a long playing career that lasted from 1991-2008. In this time, he played for teams like Partizan Beograd, Radnicki Beograd,  Crvena Zvezda Beograd, Beopetrol Beograd, Gravelines (France), Hapoel Holon (Israel), Buducnost Podgorica, Elitzur Qiryat Ata/Motzkin (Israel-Premier L.), TSK Wurzburg (Germany-1.Bundesliga), Lavovi 063 Beograd and for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen (Germany-1.Bundesliga) from 2005-2008. It hasn´t been the easiest of seasons for the club as two months ago, it seemed like the team would move down, but they rallied and won five of their last eight games and had the chance on the last game day to stay in the league with a win against Phoenix Hagen. Perovic spoke to German Hoops about that last game.

 

There is one game left in the Beko BBL season. After the loss to medi bayreuth on March 15th, most had Tuebingen moved down. However since then the Tigers have won five of eight games and have a chance on the last game day. Were you confident from the start of the last eight games that your team had the fight and will to make this come back?

 

I think we played much better in the last few months. We had a lot of problems with injuries this season and in last two months we didn’t have these problems. I knew we had the quality to win games and I was optimistic. We never stopped to fight.

 

What has been the secret of the recent success? Winning in Frankfurt in the last seconds and beating the Artland Dragons by 40 points must have been enough reason that your team can play with anyone?

 

Win in Frankfurt and great game against Artland were important games for us and showed us directions we havd to go.

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Reggie Redding (Alba Berlin) Can Fit Into Any System

The Walter Tigers Tuebingen have been known in the past few years as being one of those Beko BBL teams that doesn´t have the biggest budgets, but still have the power to haul in talented and interesting players within their budget that offer themselves to better teams with strong seasons in the Swaben city. In the past years, players like AJ Moye, Michael Haynes, Branislav Ratkovica or Jermaine Anderson have used The Walter Tigers Tuebingen as a place to tone their skills while also enjoying some juicy meat at the OX US steakhouse after practice or games. Tigers head coach Igor Perovic came on board in 2009 and has done a fine job keeping the team in the middle pack of the standing and sometimes grazing on the boundry of the playoff places like a famished cow on the pasture always hungry for more while having talented players according to their budget. Perovic was responsible for bringing in somewhat established players like Romeo Travis, Michael Jenkins, Chris Oliver and Dane Watts who have all moved on to bigger and better things on the basketball map. Especially last season, the Serb head coach had the right feeling bringing in Josh Young from the PRO B, Vaughn Duggins and Tyrone Nash from the NCAA and Reggie Redding from Cyprus and all four players eclipsed expectations and didn´t follow the trend of past years and fleeing to snatch the bigger bucks somewhere else, but already got contract extensions during their rookie seasons. American boy Reggie Redding had his breakout season in Tuebingen after a stellar season at Villanova where he played with NBA player Dante Cunningham and Beko BBL players Dwayne Anderson and Corey Stokes. Before coming to Tuebingen, Redding played his rookie year in Cyprus for Intercollege Etha Engomis. He had a solid season in Cyprus, but there was no real guarantee that he would explode in the higher league Beko BBL. However the American had little difficulty being a force in the German league  averaging 13,2ppg, 5,8rpg and 3,3apg while shooting 50% from the field and 41% from downtown. He was awarded three eurobasket.com awards and sent Igor Perovic into summer vacation with a smile and being able to whisper the words “I told you so” to possible critics. Redding has been fighting his whole career with failed recognition, but doesn´t let it bother him. “I have been dealing with this all my life being under the radar. Many people don´t know how good I can be, but that doesn´t matter. I just try to do whatever it takes to help my team win. People not knowing this isn´t going to change the way I play. I think that I am a lot better shooter for what people give me credit for. Last season opponents really let me shoot. I worked on my shot last summer. I think that I can do many things great and not just one. This has helped me become the complete player that I am today”, stressed Philadelphia native Reggie Redding. In his second season in Tuebingen heightened his stats from last season and it wasnt only offense that does the talking on the court, but his defense. “He is one of the best defenders that I ever played with”, warned ex BBC Bayreuth American Corey Stokes. His teammates know what his worth was two seasons ago. “He was so value to us with his defense, passing and rebounding”, stressed Indiana native Vaughn Duggins. Against Frankfurt in 2011-2012, Redding had nine points and six rebounds in a loss in Tuebingen and then exploded in a win in Frankfurt with 24 points, eight rebounds and five assists. In his second season with Tuebingen, he improved his stats more as his responsibility grew playing 34 games: 14.0ppg, 5.4rpg, 4.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 36.4%, FT: 81.1%. After two seasons in Tuebingen, it was time to say goodbye as he moved to 8 time Beko BBL champion Alba Berlin. He paid his dues with Tuebingen and this season won his first Beko BBL title the cup with Alba Berlin. Despite a much more talented and deep roster than in  Tuebingen, the Philadelphia native has held his own and is the second top scorer behind David Logan and has shown that his skils and mind can work with  a top level team. It doesn´t matter if he is mr everything in Tuebingen or a part of many in Berlin, he can fit into any system. His stats are a bit down from Tuebingen, but with so many scorers with Alba Belrin, that is only normal. Redding is averaging 12,2ppg, 4,2rpg and 3,5apg. He has scored in double figures 20 times including 23 points against Oldenburg. He was just as impressive in Eurocup play averaging 12,9ppg, 4,8rpg and 3,7apg and scored in double figures 16 times including 24 points against Valencia. Redding will be an instrumental part in the chances of Alba Berlin winning a second title this season. He already showed his worth with a buzzer beater against Bonn sending his team to the Cup top four.

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Daequan Cook Trying To Get The Walter Tigers Tuebingen Out Of The Doom Room

When one closely inspects the progress of the Walter Tigers Tuebingen in the last seasons under head coach Igor Perovic, one sees that the club has always gotten nearer to making the playoffs for the first time in the Beko BBL after finishing last season in 10th place. Croatian head coach Igor Perovic has been the heart and soul of the club as he has done  a terrific job of finding the right mix the last years despite having one of the lowest budgets in the league. Fans and critics were edging toward even more success this season, but it has been a season to forget as the club has been in the cellar of the standings so deep that even the most agile rats would have problems scaling up the stairs out of the doom room. Despite picking up talented guys like Alex Harris, Jonathan Wallace and Bane Ratkovica, the mix coupled with last seasons team just hasn´t meshed well and the Johannes Lischka tumor was about the worst timing that ever could have happened with the misfortune on the court. Tuebingen on the brink of desperation made a real coup on January 29th, 2014 bringing in ex NBA player Daequan Cook who seems to be a sort of savior for the season. Cook is a 26 year old 196cm guard that is a flat out explosive scorer that played at Ohio State and six seasons in the NBA totaling 367 games for teams like Miami, Oklahoma State, Houston and Chicago. He came to Europe this season and played for Budivelnyk Kyiv (Ukraine-Superleague): Euroleague: 4 games: 9.0ppg, 1.8rpg, 1.0apg; Superleague: 4 games: 4.8ppg, 2.5rpg, 3.0apg, Even if Cook may be seen by some as a type of savior, so far the club has only won one game and is still entrenced at number 18. So it is simple to see that one player wont always make the difference unless maybe your Lebron James. “I don’t think that he is expected to be the Saviour but for sure he was brought in to help improve the situation. He has done well. We have been playing much better and now just have to translate that into wins”, stressed Tuebinge guard Josh Young. At the moment the American is averaging 11,2ppg, 5,2rpg and 1,2apg. For  aplayer who is known for dropping bombs from the parking lot, he still has vast territory to improve from there as he is averaging 30%. His role isn´t just to light up the scoreboard, but to be a guy who makes his teammates better. “DC’s role is to make plays, whether that be scoring the basketball or making plays for others. He shoots it so well that defenses have to respect it”, added Josh Young. Even if the most important thing now for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen is to rack in wins, it seems like he will never shake the notion that he is a vicious shooter. “I remember him being the 3 point specialist in the NBA regardless of the team. When he played in OKC, he had some big games where he shot unconsciously. I was at some of those games live. I enjoy it. I’m impressed by his 3 point shot. He can get it off whenever he wants. When he gets going, it’s tough to stop and that opens up the court for the rest of us. The most amazing thing that I have seen him do is hit every shot he took in a 2 hour practice. Contested and uncontested, it didn’t matter. He was feeling it”, stressed Oklahoma native Josh Young. Even if the 2009 NBA three point shooting winner at the Allstar game won´t surprise you with his shooting, big men might have to be wary about is his knack to help out around the hoop. “A hidden strength in his game that doesn´t get noticed right away is his rebounding. He is an excellent rebounder”, commented Josh Young. The season is winding down, so a winning streak will need to be started soon by Tuebingen and if it does, one will surely see a Cook being hot from down town during it.

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The Fraport Skyliners Crunch Time Welcome To The Jungle Defense Squashes Tuebingen 76-67

What cities and ex teammates do you get if you take a California city that is adjacent to the west of Oakland and east of San Francisco, observes many wind and kite surfers, has the official offices of the Oakland Raiders and hosts the second oldest and longest Fourth of July parade and an Oklahoma city  that has the annual festival of light, the muscle car ranch hosting an annual swap meet and concert that has featured well known rock groups like Jefferson Airplane and Bad Company and has an NFL player Stephen Jackson form the Denver Broncos as a notable person? Well you get Alameda, California native Alex Harris of the Walter Tigers Tuebingen and Chickasha, Oklahoma native Jacob Burtschi of the Fraport Skyliners. Last season, the 27 year old 196cm forward Alex Harris and the 29 year old 199 cm Jacob Burtschi played together with the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven and both had less than solid seasons and the California native was injured for a part of the season and never found a smooth rhythm while Burtschi was captain of the team and didn´t find that consistent touch in his game and had his hands full with a team that had internal problems. Both guys who shared a good camaraderie in Bremerhaven came back on the court again, but as opponents and while Burtschi and his Skyliner teammates had to find a way to deflect the annoying pink of the Paul Horn arena and Harris and his teammates had to find a way to get along without important scorer Johannes Lischka and find a way to keep an eye on sharp shooter Andrew Rautins with possibly unleashing the Tiger mascot for some havoc. However Jacob Burtschi won round one against his buddy Alex Harris as the Fraport Skyliners silenced the Tiger jungle with a big 76-67 victory in Tuebingen. Burtschi who found his touch from outside was happy to see his buddy again. “Alex is like a brother to me. He had a rough start to game, but finished strong with a dunk and three pointer. He has been up and down with Tuebingen, but once he gets everything figured out there, he will be a very tough player in the league”, stressed Oklahoma native Jacob Burtschi. After the game despite a tough loss, Harris had a golden smile when he could reflect on the game and character of his ex teammate Burtschi. “The thing I respected most about him was his work ethic in Bremerhaven. He took everything serious and even when he had to guard bigger players he never complained and fought like hell. He is undersized, but a great rebounder that works his butt off. He has an outstanding character and one of the closest friends that I have and he is one of those guys that I will be friends with for the rest of my life. I really wish that I could of beat him, but he deserved to win”, added ex Ludwigsburg American Alex Harris. Injured Fraport Skyliner Quantez Robertson knew what it felt like for teammate Burtschi seeing Harris play as the American is good friends with Mark Dorris who will enter the Fraport arena next weekend with Phoenix Hagen, but not play against Tez. “It is always good to see Dorris. We played against each other last summer. I will talk some trash and get under his skin from the bench”, smiled Robertson.

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