Hugh Robertson is a 25 year old 196cm forward that wll play for the RheinStars this season in the German Pro A. He started his basketball career at Tallahassee CC (JUCO) and finished at S.Florida (NCAA) and as a senior played 36 games averaging 6.5ppg, 4.3rpg, 1.3apg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 18.8%, FT: 69.4%. He started his professional basketball career in 2013 with Hopsi Polzela (Slovenia-Telemach League) playing 18 games: Score-5(15.1ppg), 4.1rpg, 1.8apg, Steals-5(1.6spg), FGP: 54.9%, 3PT: 32.7%, FT: 78.1%. In the 2013-2014 season he played for Hopsi Polzela (Telemach League) playing 16 games: Score-1(19.9ppg), 5.6rpg, 1.8apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 62.2%, 3PT: 32.5%, FT: 76.5%, in Feb.’14 agreed terms with Tadamon Zouk (Lebanon-Division A): 11 games: 20.2ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.0apg, 1.6spg, FGP: 52.8%, 3PT: 34.7%, FT: 78.0%. IN the 2014-2015 season he gained further experience with : Cognac BB (France-NM1) playing 30 games: 15.3ppg, 4.6rpg, 3.1apg, 1.7spg, FGP: 52.0%, 3PT: 32.0%, FT: 70.7%. Last season he played for Helios Suns Domzale (Slovenia-Telemach League)playing 36 games: 12.5ppg, 7.1rpg, 2.3apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 54.0%, 3PT: 31.1%, FT: 85.0%; FIBA Europe Cup: 6 games: 11.5ppg, 5.5rpg, 2.2apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 38.6%, 3PT: 29.4%, FT: 76.9%; Alpe Adria Cup: 7 games: 14.4ppg, 3.9rpg, 2.1apg, 1.1spg, FGP: 57.8%, 3PT: 44.8%, FT: 66.7%. He spoke to German Hoops about basketball.
Hugh thanks for talking to German Hoops. Where are you at the moment and how has your summer been?
It feels great to be home, after a long season away from my family, I’m really happy to finally see them
How did it feel coming home to Macon, Georgia as a two time champion with Helios Suns Domzale (Slovenia-Telemach League). Did all the hard work as a professional that you put in each day finally pay off?
I’m really excited to start my new journey, I have been putting in a lot of work throughout the year, and it’s starting to pay off.
Congrats on signing with the RheinStars in Germany. How excited are you to start a new journey in Germany in the Pro A?
I feel really confident and I think it’s going be a really good test for me
Did you get some advice from guys like Marcos Knight, Toralyn Fitzpatrick or Waverly Austin about Germany and it´s basketball to help you make the choice?
Me and Fitzpatrick talk on a daily basis and he just told me Germany is a great place and I should just play my game and I will be fine. I talked with Marcos as well, they both had great things to say about Germany
Did the fact that the RheinStars are a very ambitious organization help sell you most on joining them?
Of course it did, I only heard great things about the organization and that definitely helped sell me.
What was your first impression of head coach Arne Woltmann in the talks that you had leading up to the signing?
I can tell that he is a coach who is about business and really knows what he wants from his players.
Lets talk a bit about your game. You can fill up the stat sheet and your rebounding really stands out. How would you describe your game and if you had to compare your game to an NBA player who would it be?
I would say I’m a versatile player that can do whatever is needed in order to make the team succeed.
What is a hidden strength in your game that doesn´t get noticed right away on the court?
A hidden strength that I think doesn’t get noticed is my ability to pass.
Congrats on winning your first two professional titles the Alpe Adria Cup and Slovenian League last season with Helios Suns Domzale (Slovenia-Telemach League. What made this team so special compared to the first two seasons there for you when you played for Hopsi Polzela?
This season we went through a lot of things on and off the court. Those things brought us closer as a team and ultimately help us win a championship.
What do you feel was the difference in the final series against Zlatorog that got the team over the hump winning the series 3-1? You had a double double in that game with 16 points and 10 boards.
We all came together and used certain situations that were taking place throughout the season as motivation, and that helped tremendously.
After two seasons in Slovenia, you played your third professional season in France with Cognac BB (France-NM1) in the third division. What kind of experience was it playing there and living in Cognac that has a population of 19,000. Did you learn to enjoy the finer sides of French life and it´s wine there?
It was a great experience living and playing for cognac. I learned a lot about the French culture and really enjoyed being there.
In your second season with Hopsi Polzela you led the league in scoring and were the lone American. What was it like being the only American and did you have that responsibility to take over control in the scoring department?
It was good experience playing for Hopsi, being the only American was not bad at all. My teammates made me feel as if I was one of them. I had a big role with Hopsi, I had great teammates that really put me in position to score at a high level. Coach kuhar gave me a lot of freedom as well.
You started your college career at Tallahassee CC (JUCO) and led the Eagles to the 2010 FCCAA Championship game and a 25-6 overall record. How content were you that you could make the next jump to the NCAA while playing there?
I was really excited about making the jump from Juco to NCAA, it was something I always wanted to do. I wasn’t sure as to where I would go but I was confident enough to know that I would end up on some NCAA team.
You played your last two seasons of college ball at S.Florida (NCAA)and finished in 2012. How do you feel were you able to develop your game further at Tallahassee CC (JUCO) that allowed you to compete so well at the NCAA level against top teams in the Big East?
Going to Juco really prepared me in all aspects of the game for division 1 basketball. I learned a lot at TCC.
You played two seasons with Toarlyn Fitzpatrick at S Florida who played in Germany last season with Tuebingen and next season will play for A.G.O Rethymno Aegean (Greece-A1). With all the practices and games played, what was your fondest moment with him?
Toralyn is a really great guy, he is considered as my brother. I can’t think of a specific moment, let’s just say we had a lot of great times during our college days.
Who won a one on one in practice you or Martino Brock at S Florida?
I don’t recall playing Martino one on one but if we would play it will be a really competitive game for sure.
If you had to choose between NBA greats Jeff Malone or Norm Nixon who come from Macon , Georgia to have a meal with who would you choose and why?
Having a meal with either of those Macon legends would be great, I would enjoy them both.
Thanks Hugh for the chat.
German Hoops 