wiha Panthers Schwenningen

Bill Borekambi (wiha Panthers) Staying Is The Best Option Because I Love Playing In Schwenningen

Bill Borekambi is a 26 year old 198cm forward that has played for 9 professional teams and completed his first season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (ProB) averaging 16,6ppg, 7,2rpg and 2,5apg. He has a lot of professional experience having played 36 Pro A games for Cuxhaven and Nurnberg and played 75 Pro B games with Lich, PS Karlsruhe and Rostock. He also played two seasons with Coll.Sequoias CC (JUCO) and played a season in the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven organization playing second Regionalliga and NBBL. Last season he was a key contributor for the Rostock Seawolves (ProB) playing 30 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com after the completion of the 2018-2019 season.

Bill thanks for talking to germanhoops.com. Congrats on an amazing season. How disappointed are you and the club about the season ending in Munster?

hey miles thanks for having me again. It was at first very disappointing because we knew we could have won that game in Munster. Losing a game 3 by 3 points is tough but after a couple days, I realized we had a great season and accomplished way more than expected.

The club has some nice road trips home after the game three wins in Wedel and Giessen. How hard was the bus ride home and what were the most active thoughts going through your mind on the trip home from Munster?

Man the bus ride home after that was the longest, your body is tired but you can’t sleep because you keep thinking about the game and what if.

The wiha Panthers had to fight back the whole playoffs and had extreme problems winning on the road early. Why do you feel did the team always have to put themselves in a hole early in the series?

Definitely wasn’t planed lol. I think it just took most of the time a game to get some feeling for our opponents and gain confidence back at home after a loss on the road. But even though we had some struggles we never gave up from the staff to the players.

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The wiha Panthers Do it Again German Style Almost Always Wining It In The End Pulling Out Dramatic 101-100 OT Win In Giessen

One thing is for sure nobody who follows the Pro B closely or is a wiha Panthers Schwenningen fan can say that the season of the newcomer hasn´t been spectacular or exciting. Of course the success of his team doesn´t surprise head coach Alen Velcic, but for others not as close to the club would have had the audacity to predict that the team would have such an exciting season. The club won some very exciting close games, saw the Pro B break through of jovial Mr everything Rasheed Moore and even experienced some tough tough games when they were without their captain the strong muscled kostas Karamatskos who always seems to have one expression on his face as a guy who is all business on the court. The playoffs remained very dramatic for the club from Schwenningen as they were down 1-0 to SC Rist Wedel in games and fought back to in two do or die games in a row and were in the same position again with the Rackelos Giessen. After stealing a very exciting 92-86 victory in Giessen were Rasheed Moore took control in crunch-time, the club came back very confident to slam the door on Giessen as everybody expected a win, but instead the guests showed immense heart and fighting qualities winning 81-76 on the road. Borekambi who continues to have an amazing playoffs and Moore combined for 42 points, but they couldn´t keep talented young German Bjarne Kraushaar under control as he netted 23 points and the few more possessions that Giessen had at the end made the difference. After two excruciating long road trips to Wedel that covered 2000 kilometers, the club had to go back to Giessen for a second time, but all in all had a lot more comfortable trip as it was less than half way to Wedel.

Pandimonium breaks out in wiha Panther country after the buzzer sounded beating Giessen 101-100 in OT

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Rasheed Moore (wiha Panthers) Coach Velcic Has Taught Me To Be More Patient Instead Of Forcing The Issue

Po-Rasheed Moore Rasheed Moore is a 23 year old 198cm forward from Wilkes-Barre playing his second professional season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (Germany-Regionalliga). Last season as a rookie he helped lead the team into the Pro B playing 27 games averaging 21.4ppg, 7.4rpg, 1.7apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 56.2%, 3PT: 31.4%, FT: 75.5%. He began his basketball career at Martin Luther King High School. He then played at E.Stroudsburg (NCAA2) from 2013-2017 playing a total of 106 NCAA 2 games and as a senior played 26 games averaging 19.0ppg, 7.0rpg, 1.1apg, 1.0spg, 1.2bpg, FGP: 53.4%, 3PT: 48.0%, FT: 79.2%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the playoff series against Giessen.

Rasheed thanks for talking germanhoops.com You have experienced many exciting things in your basketball career, but where does the playoff series rank against SC Rist Wedel?

Thank you Miles for taking the time to reach out to talk to me, and yes I have experienced many exciting things in my career but this series will always have a special place with me because it was my first playoff series. Not only was it my first playoff series but it was also our club’s first playoff series so being able to get a win for our organization just means a lot.

How important was it having playoff experience with E Stroudsburg (NCAA2)? Did you feel like at home in game three in Wedel? It could happen again with Giessen if you’re faced with a do or die?

For me it was very important to have playoff experience and playing in games where every possession matters. You have to know how to react and respond in crucial moments of the game. With 4 years of playoff experience at East Stroudsburg I learned how to control my emotions and composure at the most crucial parts of the games. For game three in Wedel we did not feel like we were at home but we did not let their fans rattle us. We were all able to keep our composure and just find a way to win. That is what you have to do on the road in the playoffs.

Congrats on beating SC Rist Wedel 2-1. How difficult was this series for the club? The club had to travel twice to Wedel covering 2000 kilometers. Do you feel like surviving this series could capitulate the wiha panthers to greater things as the playoffs continue?

Thank you and this was a very difficult series for the club. Wedel was a very good fundamentally sound basketball team who has not lost on their home court all so they were not an easy team to beat and they never gave up. The series came down to the last shot and could have gone either way but since we were able to come out with the win then I feel like we could keep the momentum moving forward.

Game Three was a real nail bitter. The wiha panthers were behind by double-digit points, but never gave up. What was key in the fourth quarter for saving the season and winning the series?

The keys in the fourth quarter for us was to just stick together and trust one another while leaving everything we had in us on the court. Even when we were down by double digits we never panicked and knew we would find a way to come back. We just trusted in one another to go and make the plays that we have all year long. With that trust in one another we were able to make the plays we needed to make.

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The wiha Panthers Schwenningen Big Third Quarter Breaks The Fraport Skyliners Juniors 75-65

Every winning streak has to come to an end sometime as the wiha Panthers experienced last weekend losing a bitter nail bitter to Coburg 85-82 which ended their amazing 23 game winning streak at home which had started in April of 2017 and carried over all through last season where they won the Regionalliga title. They didn´t need any adjustment time this season as they have taken the Pro B South by storm. They won their first four games, but since then have had ups and downs, but produced a positive 7-6 record to have a strong hold on second place. A big problem for their offense has been the injury to captain and robust point guard Kostas Karamatskos as the team playmaking and leadership has been dearly missed, but the club still has done a good job compensating his void by getting solid production through out the roster. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors continue to play a super season despite having changing rosters all through out the season with the availability of the BBL double license players and injuries effecting their results. The Fraport Skyliners Juniors arrived into the battle with the wiha Panthers Schwenningen with a lot of self confidence as they had beaten talented and 2018 Pro B champion ScanPlus Baskets 81-75 as they were extremely deflated without their leading BBL double license players, but the younger guys stepped up and came up big in their absences leading the club to a huge victory. Against the wiha Panthers Schwenningen, the Fraport Skyliners Juniors were without young kids Len Schoormann, Maxi Begue, Calvin Schaum and Jordan Samare who were balling at the Addidas Next Generation Tour in Munich, but in good company again as some of the BBL double license players were on board again like Elijath Clarance and Armin Trtovac, but not Richard Freudenberg and Garai Zeeb as a high scoring third quarter of the guests broke the back of the home team as they could never recover losing 75-65. After the tough loss, many of the players snuck out through the rear of the gym next to the dressing room, but young German big man Aaron Kayser left through the main entrance and gave his two cents about the loss. “We didn´t play together as a team in the third quarter. We had no solution for their zone. We also gave up too many transition baskets. We have to learn to play better as a team and share the ball better. Obviously Garai Zeeb was dearly missed, but that can´t be an excuse as we won last weekend without him”, stated ex Chemnitz Niners center Aaron Kayser. After the big win Philadelphia native Rasheed Moore was proud of how his team stuck together for 40 minutes. “We gave all we had today. We didn´t have a great start. The first half was ugly. In the second half, we began to hit shots and turned up the defense”, stressed wiha Panthers Schwenningen forward Rasheed Moore.

Post game interview with Bill Borekambi after he dropped 23 points in the win

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After Surviving His Nurnberg Woes Bill Borekambi (wiha Panthers) Learned One Should Never Give Up No Matter How Tough The Challenge

po-bill borekambi Bill Borekambi is a 26 year old 198cm forward that has played for 9 professional teams and is playing his first season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (ProB). He has a lot of professional experience having played 36 Pro A games for Cuxhaven and Nurnberg and played 75 Pro B games with Lich, PS Karlsruhe and Rostock. He also played two seasons with Coll.Sequoias CC (JUCO) and played a season in the Eisbaeren Bremerhaven organization playing second Regionalliga and NBBL. Last season he was a key contributor for the Rostock Seawolves (ProB) playing 30 games averaging 14.3ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.4apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.6%, 3PT: 33.3%, FT: 72.6%. He spoke to germanhoops.com before the Pro B game against the Fraport Skyliners Juniors.

Bill thanks for talking to germanhoops.com! You’re 26 years old and have played for 12 teams in the last 12 years. Are you a guy that has to by nature always be on the run and can’t be in one place for a longer moment of time.

Hey miles, I hear that question a lot. but yea honestly I like to collect different experiences and see different places. For me it’s fun to see so many places for me it’s a part of that pro basketball lifestyle. It really helped me to grow as a person and player.

You helped lead PS Karlsruhe and Rostock to the Pro A. I never understood why a guy like you didn’t get rewarded with remaining with one of the teams and playing Pro A again. Has this bothered you and created a chip on your shoulder?

I figured out for myself that the Pro B is the perfect league right now for myself because I’m also working off the court on my future after basketball. I know the league very well by now and know that I can have a big impact on any team. I had a couple Pro A offers but instead of being a role player in the Pro A, I rather be a league lower and be one of the team leaders. I probably don’t have too many years left of pro basketball and I want to use them playing as much as I can and don’t sit somewhere on the bench.

Your playing your first season with the wiha Panthers Villingen-Schwenningen (ProB). If somebody had told you in training camp that the team would be in second place with a record of 11-5 in January 2019 and had won all 8 games at home what would you have thought?

I knew we had a very solid team and that the ambitions of the club and coaching staff were the same like before in Rostock and Karlsruhe. I think a lot of teams underestimated us but for me it wasn’t too much of surprise because I know that we put that work in and everybody is on the same page.

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The wiha Panthers Schwenningen Display No Hero Ball Surviving The Dragons Rhondorf Scare 73-65

It would be interesting to see how a panther could hurt a dragon and somehow withstand its forceful and damaging fire that it releases from its mouth, but on the basketball court the wiha Panthers Schwenningen don´t have to worry about a hot fire, but have to find other means to beating the opponent. So far this season the ambitious team that belonged to the absolute best teams in the Regionalliga last season and currently haven´t lost a home game in over two years have had no problems adjusting to the Pro B coming into the game in Bad Honnef with a 8-4 record and have held their fans at home at the edge of their seats with overwhelming exciting wins againstWurzburg 68-66, 78-76 against Erfurt and against a 75-74 nail bitter against Orange Academy. At the other end of the court the Dragons Rhondorf´s fire hasn´t been burning very strongly this season as they came into the game with a disappointing 3-9 record and were reeling to get back on the winning track something that has been very difficult to master this season having lost their two import players early and have been hit by the injury bug that has robbed them of being able to develop any long lasting chemistry or consistency. The game boasted two of the leagues absolute star players with Lithuanian big man Zygimantas Riauka who was averaging 17 points and 13 boards per game while Schwenningen boasted the undersized 199cm forward Rasheed Moore who dominated the Regionalliga last season averaging 21,4ppg and 7,4rpg and this season hasn´t let up in a higher league averaging 21,2ppg and 6,8rpg coming into the game. Schwenningen wanted to get back on track after a disappointing loss in Erfurt while the Dragons Rhondorf wanted to forget their 20 point loss in Coburg and gave a great fight for 38 minutes, but a basketball game has 40 minutes and the club failed in crunch time as the wiha Panthers Schwenningen displayed no hero ball surviving in the Dragon Dome with a 73-65 victory. After the game top Pro B player Rasheed Moore of the wiha Panters Schwenningen was relieved that his team could enjoy the long 6 hour bus ride home, because a loss most likely would have had them walking home as head coach Alen Velcic had expected a win and no less. “We didn´t make our open shots in the first half, but finally knocked down shots in the second half. They defended very well contesting our shots, messing us up with their press and their zone threw us off. But we did a better job beating their zone in the second half”, stressed Philadelphia native Rasheed Moore.

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The Wiha Panthers Schwenningen continue their success story in the Pro B

After eight games the Wiha Panthers Schwenningen and the Fraport Skyliners Juniors may have had an identical 6-2 record in this year’s Pro B competition. But apart from the record Schwenningen and Frankfurt don’t have much in common. While Frankfurt has a roster full of german talents and primilary uses the Pro B as a platform to develop players for their first division team, Schwenningen mainly counts on experienced players and tries to establish basketball in the Black Forest. On Gameday 8 Schwenningen hosted Frankfurt at the Deutenberghalle and 850 spectators witnessed a commanding 68-48 start-finish victory of the home team.

Elijah Clarance (blue jersey #1) and Rasheed Moore (orange jersey #23) led their teams in scoring. Clarance scored a team-high 15 points and Moore dominated with 31.

In Schwenningen the fans are used to see their team winning. Since 2015 the club has won the vast majority of its home games and established a growing fan basis. After winning the Regionalliga title in 2016/17 the Wiha Panthers became one of the main talking points in german basketball. The club was not happy about the foreigner rules in Germany’s third-tier level league and threatened to initiate legal actions. In Pro B competition at least three german or so called local players have to be on the court at anytime. Schwenningen did not want to part ways with some of their european top performers and declared that the practiced rules may not be in accordance with european regulations. A process that could have dramatically changed the foreigner rules in german basketball ended abruptly before it even started. Due to a procedural error in their application documents the Wiha Panthers could not make the jump from the Regionalliga to the Pro B. Schwenningen’s head coach Alen Velčić still believes the decision of the Zweite Basketball-Bundesliga was mainly politically motivated to keep his club out of the competition. But Schwenningen did what they do best, competed for another year in the Regionalliga Südwest and could again win the championship with just one loss in 28 games. This time the club declared to play by the rules and accepted the existing foreigner regulations.

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Tabari Perry (wiha Panthers) Coach Velcic´s Style Of Play For The Game Is The Type Of Guy I Am On The Court

Tabari Perry is a 203cm forward that will be starting his second professional season and first in Germany with the wiha Panthers. As a rookie last season he played for Nagennises Germasogeia (Cyprus-Division A) playing 3 games: 14.3ppg, 6.7rpg, 1.0apg, in Jan.’16 moved to Templeogue Azzurri Dublin (Ireland-Premier League). He started his basketball career in 2008 with Cecil College (NJCAA): 24 games, 7.2ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.2apg, 1.4spg, 1.8bpg, FGP: 31.7%, 3PT: 26.1%, FT: 56.0%. He then played three seasons with Slippery Rock(NCAA2) playing a total of 64 games and as a senior played 32 games averaging10.3ppg, 6.3rpg, 1.1apg, 0.9spg, 1.1bpg, FGP: 48.5%, 3PT: 30.4%, FT: 82.5%. He spoke toGerman Hoops about basketball.

Tabari thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?

My summer is amazing. Been doing a lot of working out to prepare myself for my next professional contract .

Congrats on signing with German Regionaliga team wiha Panthers. How excited are you to be playing your second professional season in Germany?

Thanks a lot I appreciate that. First I would like to thank the man above Jesus Christ for blessing me with this talent and giving me opportunity to play pro basketball , I’m very excited and blessed to be playing in Germany for my second year. It’s a honor and a privilege.

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Brice Brooks (Schwenningen ProB): I Think My Leadership Doesn´t Always get Noticed

Brice Brooks is a 24 year old 203cm forward from Seattle, Washington. He played at sacred Heart from 2004-2008. In his senior year, he played 32 games averaging 12.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 1.6apg, 1.0spg, FGP: 50.5%, 3Pts: 42.9%, FT: 75.8%. He was a Tournament Finalist in 2007 and 2008. He started his professional basketball career in 2008 for Kaiserslautern Braves (Germany-ProA), waived in Feb.’09: 17 games: 7.9ppg, 4.2rpg, FGP: 50.5%, 3PT: 23.3%, FT: 52.2%. Last season, he played for 1862 Langen (Germany-ProA): 6 games: 6.3ppg, 2.7rpg, FGP: 42.4%, 3PT: 14.3%, FT: 58.3%, waived in Dec.’09, in Jan.’10 moved to UBC Muenster (Germany-Regionalliga): 8 games: 17.5ppg: He signed at Schweinningen(PRO B) a few weeks ago and is averaging 9,5ppg, 4,0rpg, 1,0apg and 1,0spg. He took some time to talk to German Hoops about the game he loves a short time before he was signed by Schweninngen.

You are from Seattle, Washington. Is it as cold here as there?

The weather is similar, but it doesn´t snow as much back home. As soon as we get around one inch of snow everything shuts down. Schools close and people dont go to work. Since I have been in Germany it has always snowed. At Sacred Heart, it snowed all the time and it was not my favorite.

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