With Christmas gifts and scrumptious food on the back burner, the Deutsche Bank Skyliners had their last game of 2010 on the schedule and
wanted to depart 2010 and halt the 2,187 day winless streak in Bonn with a win and didn’t lose any of their focus that they have had this season as they were in the zone as much as the Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki are this season looking for that first NBA title, The New England Patriots are threatening to win a fourth Super Bowl title with Tom Brady and an inexperienced and young defense that continues to make strides or the motor city Detroit Red Wings who are playing with a zooming passion and have a 21-8 record and are seeking another Stanley Cup win after winning their last in 2008, but as so often this season on the road, the Deutsche Bank Skyliners lost their fourth game on enemy territory in crunch time all games that they had in their grasp, but lost control of falling to the Telekom Baskets Bonn 92-89 in a high scoring game. In crunch time, Frankfurt let referee decisions get in the way of their play and emotions. . It was a very physical game and it seemed with the flow of the game that the referee´s lost a handle on the game. “We seem to have had a problem this season with referee calls and we have to find a better way not to get involved with it. Today it bit us in the butt. I told the referee “he pushed me” and I get a technical 
foul for that”, stressed BEKO BBL top scorer Dashaun Wood. The Telekom Baskets didn´t let any calls disturb their rhythm as they finished strong and had a handle on their emotions and their shots in crunch time. “We hit big shots at the end. At times we lost our game plan, but at the end when we needed it most, we followed our defensive plan and we kept Frankfurt from making the key three pointers”, stressed Telekom baskets Bonn forward Patrik Flomo. “This was a disappointing loss, but one cant forget that Bonn is a very good team and we played them in their arena. A loss is a loss, but we fought back and made it a good game at the end”, said Skyliner forward Kimmo Muurinen.
So far this season, the name Dashaun Wood has been a topic of chatter in the German basketball world the same way guys like Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are talked about in the NBA. The BEKO BBL has an influx of very talented and powerful point guards and one player who is slowly starting to make a mark in the BEKO BBL is Houston Texas native Nic Wise who is a BEKO BBL rookie that played at Arizona(NCAA) from 2006-2010 averaging 14.4ppg, 3.3rpg, 3.3apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 38.6%, 3PT: 36.0%, FT: 87.8% in 31 games. This season he has been pretty solid, but still needs to get adjusted to the European style. “The BEKO BBL and NCAA are different. The shot clocks are different and in Germany I have to get the offense started a lot quicker. I have to get guys in position a lot faster”, stressed Nic Wise. In the last few weeks, Wise has made some more strides as he won the point guard duel against two top BEKO BBL players with Tyrese Rice and Dashaun Wood. “I know Tyrese since a long time. He is always tough to guard. I like how he can change speeds. He will move down the court in a nonchalant way and then all of a sudden blow by you. He is hard to guard when he changes speeds like that. I saw film of Wood for the first time recently. He is very quick and very crafty. He has the total package and can do it all. That is the reason why he is leading the league in scoring”, stressed Nic Wise. His teammates also have seen a rise in his game. “Nic is developing well. He is more calm now and is running the show better than at the start of the season. With scorers like Campbell and myself, we need someone like Wise to score and open it up for us. He is progressing game by game”, stated ex Cologne guard Jeremy Hunt. “Wise showed how good he was tonight. He made tough shots. Even when we switched the ball screen and put a four on him, he made the shot”, said Dashaun Wood. “Wise is a good point guard. He made tough shots and showed a lot of poise in crunch time, but that is how good point guards are supposed to play like”, commented Skyliner guard Quantez Robertson. One thing is for sure, Arizona guards stick together. “When I was young I looked up to Damon Stoudamire(Memphis Grizzlies coach). He was small like me and even though he was small, he played with a big heart. I also liked Jason Gardner. His heart was big and one of a kind”, added Nic Wise.
One player who is very motivated to show his skills at the BEKO BBL level is 22 year old 190cm guard Sajmen Hauer who is day to day and had to sit out the Frankfurt game. He seemed very calm in street clothes and was itching to be on the court. He started his career with Franken Hexer, but then went to the Brose Baskets Bamberg in 2004. Already as a 17 year old, he played six BEKO BBL games. “Bamberg was like a dream. The most important thing that I took with me with this experience was how high the intensity was with the opponents who I played against in international games”, stressed Sajmen Hauer. Then all of a sudden as if he had opened a door and misfortune slapped him in the face, he landed in the PRO B for Franken Hexer and then played for RSV Eintracht Stahnsdorf . He had been labelled as a big talent who had a difficult character. “I was injured in this time and just had to find myself. I was away from my family and had to do everything by myself. The most important thing was just that I could play again”, added Sajmen Hauer. This season, Hauer has only scratched at the rotation and is hoping for more playing time down the road. “It was obvious that I would not be bale to jump in and get 20-25 minutes. I have shown this season that I can come in for 5-10 minutes and give Wise a rest”, commented Sajmen Hauer. At age 22, he is still very young and has the same goal as when he was a 16 year old playing for Dirk Bauermann in Bamberg. “My goal isn’t any different than for a person working in a bank who wants to own the bank some day or be at the highest position. I want to play at the highest level and play well. I will just continue to work hard and do my best”, warned Sajmen Hauer.
Playing in Bonn is always a special event for certain members of the Deutsche Bank Skyliners. Skyliner shooting guard Dominic Bahiense De Mello comes from Bonn and always has many friends at the game. Skyliner assistant coach Klaus Perwass and Skyliner manager Gunnar Wobke were seen before the game giving hugs to friends. Frankfurt was thrilled to have ex Utah Jazz Roger Powell back in the lineup who had missed six games. Bonn has never been a friendly environment for Frankfurt, but they quickly felt cosy after going on a ligtening 12-2 start as the club of Gordon Herbert banged home four consecutive three pointers from Wood, Jimmy Mckinney and two from Kimmo Muurinen. Skyliner big man Joe Dabbert then made a lay in as Frankfurt led 14-3. On the score by Mckinney, it was Dashaun Mr road runner Wood who penetrated into the zone scathed Nolte and while being blinded by two Bonn players somehow kicked the ball out to the American who was free for the three pointer. Wood is like a waiter who will serve his teammates all day long with delectable passes. It seemed like Frankfurt was more surprised by their quick start than just accepting a great start. Then the tide turned as Bonn American Jeremy Hunt got an offensive rebound and knocked home a three pointer which would ignite a 24-7 Bonn run as they retook the lead 23-21. In this run, Hunt quickly showed why he can light up the score board and score in bunches as he would nail two more three pointers. Bonn also got production from BEKO BBL stallion Chris Ensminger with a dirty work lay in after getting an offensive rebound and a three pointer from German national player Tim Ohlbrecht. Frankfurt got production from Wood and Mckinney. Ex Artland Dragon Folarin Campbell would give Bonn the lead and the club of Michael Koch led 27-22 after one quarter. “Bonn showed their fighting qualities. Their guards Campbell and Hunt did a good job and Bonn stepped up the defense”, stressed German agent Patrick King. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were shooting 50% from the field and 50% from outside while The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were shooting 47% from the field and 67% from outside. Bonn had the 10-5 rebound edge and four turnovers while Frankfurt had two turnovers.
Ex Skyliner Alex King was so deep in the corner that he somehow made a fade away jumper that only Celtic legend Larry Bird seemed to make, but since the Bavarian native is in Bonn, he has really stepped up his game. Bonn led 29-22, but Frankfurt roared back on a 8-0 run as Skyliner captain Pascal Roller dropped two bombs from downtown Bonn and Joe Dabbert dunked after getting a perfect feed from Wood. Frankfurt trailed only 32-30. Just as quickly as Frankfurt had stormed back, Bonn went on a 9-0 run which was helped by an unneeded Joe Dabbert technical foul. Jacob Jaacks scored on a runner in the lane and a jumper and Campbell with a runner in the lane as well as three free throws. Frankfurt was having problems giving resistance in the lane as there was no stopper present. Canadian national player was able to put a small dent into the Bonn fire with a jumper, but Bonn kept hitting their shots as Wise hit an off balance jumper and Alex King demonstrated that making a three pointer for Bonn is a piece of cake which wasn’t the case in Frankfurt as Bonn led 47-34. Frankfurt had a mini 4-0 run as Wood scored and Mckinney found Roger Powell with a back door pass as Frankfurt trailed 48-40. However Jeremy Hunt closed out the second quarter with three pointer over Marius Nolte as The Telekom Baskets Bonn led 52-41 at halftime. “We got down in the second quarter, but we fought back which was the story of our game tonight”, added Denver, Colorado native Joe Dabbert. “Bonn held the lead and were doing a good job on their ball movement and their defense was very good. Their was a lot of help for Wood and pressure on the wings. Bonn rebounded very well and Frankfurt missed too many open shots”, stressed player agent Patrick King. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were shooting 54% from the field and 54% from the three point line while The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were shooting 39% from the field and 60% from the three point line. Bonn had the 19-16 rebound edge and six turnovers while Frankfurt had only three turnovers.
In the third quarter, the offensives of both teams seemed to be stagnating a bit, but The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were able to chew at the Bonn lead and quietly get back into the game. Frankfurt clawed and scrapped away at the lead going on a 15-7 run to trail Bonn only 58-57. Frankfurt was getting to the free throw line and also getting hustle plays like Dabbert dunking home a Wood miss and Quantez Robertson making a lay up speeding by Hunt. Frankfurt continued to get free throws from Wood, Muurinen and Bucknor and were trailing only 56-54. After a Wise fade away jumper, it was Bucknor who hit a three pointer as Frankfurt trailed only 58-57. However The Telekom Baskets Bonn then showed how dangerous they can be as they showed another type of blitzkrieg attack going on a 10-0 run and giving the word scoring in bunches a new meaning. Folarian Campbell nailed two three pointers and Bonn then got two buckets inside from Ensminger and Campbell as the Frankfurt defense just watched. Bonn was leading in double figures again 68-57. Roller and Hunt then traded jumpers as Bonn led 71-61 after three quarters. “In the third quarter, we let up on defense and they came out aggressive on defense and limited us to one shot”, stressed Skyliner guard Quantez Robertson. “We moved the ball well on offense and played good team defense. I thought that we contained the Wood penetration pretty well and kept him away from the lane and on the side which made it easier for our rotations”, expressed Ohio native Patrik Flomo. The Telekom Baskets Bonn were shooting 53% from the field and 53% from the parking lot while The Deutsche Bank Skyliners were shooting 37% from the field and 41% from the parking lot. Bonn had the narrow 26-25 rebound edge, but eight turnovers and Frankfurt four turnovers.
Both teams saved their best for last as the last 10 minutes proved to be extremely exciting as there were 8 lead changes and The Deutsche Bank Skyliners didn´t wait long to make their move in their comeback attempt. Frankfurt came out of the blocks in the last quarter going on a 14-3 run to retake the lead 75-74. Kimmo the invisible dirty work Muurinen started the run with a tap in off a De Mello miss, De Mello made a three pointer from the left and right wings, Mckinney a floater and Jermaine Bucknor one of two free throws giving Frankfurt the lead back for the first time since the first quarter. Now the game would go back and fourth as no team wanted to give up that last quarter big run. Wise gave Bonn lead back 76-75 with a pull up jumper, but De Mello scored inside getting a back door pass from Bucknor as Frankfurt led again 78-76. Nobody could handle Campbell all night long as he pumped home another three pointer as Bonn led again 79-78. Dabbert then made one of two free throws and Wood scored inside as Frankfurt led 81-79. Frankfurt then had some fortune as Jeremy Hunt only made one of three free throws as Bonn still trailed 81-80. However then it was Nic Wise that took control of the game and stole the show from BEKO BBL leading scorer Dashaun Wood. Wise made a three pointer as Bonn led 82-81. Joe Dabbert who was a real force on offense sunk a mid distance jumper from the wing giving Frankfurt its last lead of the game 83-82. Wise then made two free throws as Bonn led 84-83 and would never look back again. Wood then had a turnover and got a technical foul. Wise then made two free throws and made a pretty fade away jumper in the lane as Bonn led 88-83. Wise then made a pull up jumper as Bonn led 90-83 as the hero wasn´t a road runner with Dashaun Wood, but a calm cool cat with Nic Wood. “Wise came up big for us. We need him to step up big in tight games”, stressed teammate Jeremy Hunt. “Wood is an unbelievable player that is fast and under control and its amazing how he play like that with his speed. Nic stepped up to the challenge. We helped him on defense to contain Wood. If there is a weakness in the game of Wood then his defense. This loss wont shake Wood. He will be all right and rebound in next game”, added Patrick Flomo. Wood didn’t let the score get him down or the pressue get to him as he stormed back with a runner in the lane and free throw as Frankfurt trailed 90-86. Frankfurt then got some fortune as wise missed a key free throw as Bonn led only 91-86. De Mello, who seemed to take the role of Pascal Roller made a big shot from the corner as the captain was watching from the bench as Bonn led only 91-89. With less than a minute to go, Wise again made only one of two free throws as Bonn led 92-89. With 11 seconds to play, Frankfurt had only play and Bonn elected not to foul challenging Frankfurt to shoot themselves into overtime, but Bucknor missed a three pointer sending Frankfurt into 2011 without a victory. “We lost our composure a bit at the end arguing with the refs. That got us out of our momentum and they hit easy shots and got to the free throw line”, added Quantez Robertson. “We didn’t want to get beat by the three pointer so we rather had Wood penetrate and try to score over our four man. We did a good job not getting beaten by the three pointer at the end”, said Patrick Flomo. Saying that Wood lost the game at the end would not be fair. “You have to look at the big picture. There were so many other incidents where you could say that that was the turning point of the game. One cant say that one turnover or technical foul was the turning point of the game. We aren’t pointing any fingers. We work together and are family”, warned Kimmo Muurinen.
The Telekom Baskets Bonn were led by Folarin Campbell with 24 points. Nic Wise added 21 points and five assists. Jeremy Hunt chipped in with 16 points and three assists. The Deutsche Bank Skyliners had seven players in double figurers and were led by Dashaun Wood with 20 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Joe Dabbert, Kimmo Muurinen and Dominik Bahiense De Mello chipped in with 11 points a piece. Pascal Roller, Jermaine Bucknor and Jimmy Mckinney added 10 points a piece.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners finished the game shooting 45% form the field and 42% from downtown, but couldn’t match up to the hot Bonn shooting of 54% from the field and 50% from downtown. The best Frankfurt quality once again was not crawling into a hole and surrendering. “Fighting back was our best quality. It was a tough and physical game and we did a good job fighting them physically. We won the rebound battle”, stated Kimmo Muurinen. The big weak point for The Deutsche Bank Skyliners was their defense. Even if Bonn was hot and made many contested shots, giving up 92 points was not acceptable. “Even though we practiced one on one defense last week, it didn’t help much against Bonn”, added Kimmo Muurinen. “We have to get back to the basics on defense. We have to play better help side defense and better one on one defense. They hit made half their three pointers. Any team will be hard to beat when they are hitting that many”, added Dashaun Wood.
The Deutsche Bank Skyliners finish 2010 in second place with a 12-4 record and have many wishes for 2011. “My goal is to get better as an individual person and player get team to the top”, warned Dashaun Wood. “My big wish is that the Skyliners win the title and that Finland qualifies for the 2011 European championships”, said Kimmo Muurinen. “My big wish is to come back in 2011 and have a big winning streak”, added Quantez Robertson. “I want to have a long season and good finish”, warned Joe Dabbert. “My biggest wish is to have a healthy baby boy and then to stay healthy and win the title”, stressed Patrick Flomo. Ratiopharm Ulm host The Deutsche Bank Skyliners on January 6th at 16:00.
German Hoops 