Why did you decide to play College Basketball?

I decided to play College Basketball because I really like the possibility to combine studies with playing Basketball. I always wanted to compete with future NBA player. For me, it is a dream coming true that I wanted to live since I am 13 years old.

What do you expect as personal development while playing in the United States?

Personally, I hope to become more independent from my family. I have my own room here and my own obligations that I have to fulfill. I have to organize everything by myself which is a good challenge before I walk out to the big wide world.

You decided to major in a very special domain. Can you give us more information about your studies?

I am majoring in Environmental Studies with a minor in International Development. I am very interested and committed to environmental aspects. We have a so-called “Green Club” on campus where we discuss a lot about strategies and news in this domain. I have a lot of fun doing this and trying to make this a better world. Later on, after my basketball career, I want to work for a non-governmental organization like Greenpeace or Amnesty International.

Last summer, you had a historical result with the U20 National Team (5th). What made this team so strong?

I can not underline it more than what a great team we were during the European Championship in Bilbao! Nobody cared about his own stats, how many points or rebounds he had. For us, the main goal at every game was to win it for Germany. Every game, there has been a new top scorer or top performer. This team made every step together. Frank Menz, the coach, did everything to have a lot of options and training camps together. There is no question about him being a potential candidate to become the future German Senior National Team coach.

You played together with Niels Giffey, Dennis Ogbe, Mathis Mönninghoff, Dennis Kramer and Patrick Heckmann who are all currently attending College. Do you have a lot of contact with them?

We do not really have a lot of contact but we speak some times. Everybody has his own special situation and problems. Of course, we exchange some ideas but I mainly only do this with my former team mate and now UConn Husky Niels Giffey. We played together two season in Berlin. You have to admit too that we have a lot of work to do.

Recetnly, Thomas Pletzinger released a book called “Gentlemen, wir leben am Abgrund” about the last season of ALBA Berlin, your former team. Did you have the time yet to read it?

Unfortunately, I have not read it yet. As soon as I am back home in Germany this summer, I will read it with great pleasure. I have seen him all last season in our different gyms making notes and following our practices. Unfortunately, I could not find the time yet with all the work I have to do here for my College education.

Malte Ziegenhagen averages 2.0ppg (29.0% 3FGs), 0.4rpg and 0.4apg in 8.8 minutes on the court. We wish him all the best for the rest of the season and his future career.

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What made you decide to take the step to the NCAA in your career?

As a kid I always wanted to go to USA and play basketball on the college level, so I’m really happy that this dream came true.

Can you describe a bit more your recruiting process?

In 2010, after two good tournaments (U17 World Championship in Hamburg, where we finished as runner-ups and U18 European Championship in Vilnius, where we earned 6th place and qualified for U19 World Championship) some US schools, including Liberty University showed a lot of interest in recruiting me. I decided to take my chances, took the SAT exam and was invited by Liberty to make an official visit on their campus. I flew to Lynchburg, Virginia and had spent three days there. I really liked the whole university campus and the basketball facilities. We have anything we need to improve, but no one can make you a better player unless are willing to work hard every day.

What are the team goals for this season?

Despite a really tough start of the season due to injuries, when we lost our leading scorer and rebounder, lost another big man for the whole season and some other players, including me (dislocated my right elbow a week before the first game, had a 6 week break) battled with injuries as well our goal remains the same – Win the Big South Conference Tournament and advance to the NCAA Tournament in March.

What do you expect as personal development over the next years?

This year I really want to improve physically, get a stronger body to compete against tough opponents. Also, I work a lot on my shooting technique and face-up moves. Overall, I think there is a lot of space to improve in every aspect of my game.

Do you know already in what you will be majoring in?

Right before I started my second semester here I decided to major in International Business.

Last summer, you played at the U18 Euro in Poland. How satisfied were you with the results and what are the next steps on the National Team side for you?

We finished at the 6th place, losing badly to Italy in the quarter-finals. For me, it was a disappointing result, I feel we could definitely win a medal in that championship. We beat Serbia earlier in the tournament, who earned silver medals, we also beat Turkey and they got bronze medals, so we could definitely finish higher than a 6th spot. I still want to play for my National Team, it’s an honor to represent your country, so anytime I will get an invitation to the National Team camps, I will accept that!

Your team mates from Poland, Pontika and Karnowski, were also thinking about NCAA one moment. Ponitka signed as a professional but Przemek is still thinking. What can you tell him about NCAA and why should he decide to come to the US?

I am good friends with Przemek, so I already spoke to him several times about United States and college basketball. It’s his decision whether he will play in the NCAA or not, but I would recommend him coming to the States. It’s a great opportunity to improve as a player, play basketball and get education at the same time. And even if you don’t like it, you can come back to Europe and start playing professionally.

Tomasz Gielo currently plays nearly 20 minutes per game for the Flames. He averages 4.7ppg (51.3% FGs), 2.3rpg and 0.3 blocks. We wish him good luck for the rest of the season and all the best for his future career.

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Aldemir plays nearly only close to the rim or Pick and Roll situations right now. He got used by his team mates for a low post situation where he showed a nice move with his back to the basket. He banged a bit on his defender to come closer to the basket and faked to go for a right handed jump hook. He used the little hesitation of the defender to make a front turn and finish on the left handed lay up. Aldemir can also score with a jump hook score after a dribble from the top of the basket. In another situation, the 1991 born inside player received a possession with his back to the basket where he started going over his right hand but made a turn to the baseline to finish on the left handed jump hook.

Aldemir mainly tries to finish on this kind of jump hooks as he had some more that he missed though. His physical strength that helped him to dominate on the youth level is matched in the Euroleague. This helps him though to not be overpowered in the low post. He does a good job on hedging situations as his lateral speed is good for a 2m07 tall. With his arms up high, he deflects some of the passes out of these situations and helps him to be very effective on recovering his initial defensive matchup. When defending in the low post, he tries to avoid reaching or blocking fouls but he sometimes gets called for moving a bit too late in order to push his opposition into a bad situation.

The biggest strength of Aldemir is his rebounding presence. Even if he is not boxing out perfectly every time and often looking too much for the ball instead of his opponent, he has an excellent feel for grabbing the ball on the boards. He goes up high with two hands and protects the ball well. After having caught the ball, he might hold it a bit too long instead of playing the quick outlet pass which puts him in situations risking a turnover when being doubled. His presence on the offensive glass is a lot more important than on the defensive end as underline not only his pure numbers but also his team rebounding percentages (19.1% offs rebounds vs. 12.0% def. rebounds in the Euroleague). He can come up with quick jumps and tips to keep the ball alive and offer second chances for his team.

Aldemir has still a lot of parts in his game where has to progress. So far, he has no outside game at all. We do not speak about a lacking jump shot around the paint but he feels not very comfortable when getting the ball out of position. He showed some problems to execute well a hand off situation where the guard did not pick up the ball and he had to play the dribble entry from outside. In the paint, his shooting touch is looking good but it would help him if he could come up with a bit more explosiveness on his finishes as he often prefers the layup to the dunk when he has a defender in front of him.

With the success of players like Omer Asik in the NBA, Aldemir is of course a target because of his size and rebounding presence. He has another year to become automatically eligible but it would not be a surprise to see him enter the NBA Draft already this season. His progress margin is there which gives him a status of a long-term prospect when adding a mid-range jump shot. His weaknesses in ball-handling will probably prevent him to become a face-up forward one day but as a pure inside role player, Furkan Aldemir has a future on the highest level in the next years.

Furkan Aldemir makes his mark in the Euroleague is a post from: European Prospects
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What made you decide to take the step to the NCAA in your career?

I always knew that I wanted to get out of Norway at some point. Don’t get me wrong, I love Norway and the league, but I knew that if I wanted to be really good I would have to move on. The thought of playing NCAA basketball and especially division 1, was always tempting to me. Sure I wouldn’t mind a pro contract somewhere, but I felt I wasn’t in the position to get a contract anywhere at this point in my career.

Can you describe a bit more your recruiting process?

My recruiting process was a little different I guess. Not many (if any) Coaches or programs scouted me or was interested in me so I had to do a lot myself. With good help from my dad and family I was able to go over to the US for some trips and visits to some different schools. It wasn’t like I was going up to Duke or Uconn and knocked on the door I was visiting mostly NCAA 2 and NAIA schools. I wasn’t sure I was able to get a scholarship at a division 1 school even though my mind was set upon playing D1. People I knew got me in contact with different schools where I got to visit and play a little bit. During all these visits I talked a lot to my buddy Aksel Bolin who was currently going to school at NIU (Northern Illinois) and I decided to go up there for a visit and see what it was like. I liked it a lot, especially the size and the facilities, coach and that I could play with Aksel again (we played on the same team when we were like 12 and the national team).

What are the team goals for this season?

Our goal this season is to reach the playoffs and compete for a MAC championship. Our team is young (5th youngest in the country) this year and we will probably need a little time, but that doesn’t mean we can not compete for a playoff spot this year. As long as we got Seniors we are always trying to play for them and get a championship.

What do you expect as personal development over the next years?

Definitely expect to get tougher and used to physical contact. How to run a team against faster and more athletic guards. Right now I am just working on getting stronger in everything I do, and I think that is key to me succeeding and getting better.

Do you know already in what you will be majoring in?

Right now I am a Business major, but I have no idea what I want to be. Business seems ok this far but don’t know if that is what I want to do for four years.

Norway is far from being a basketball powerhouse. How can you describe the development in your country over the last years?

I am not sure how to answer, but I have noticed a bigger number of players seeking outside of Norway to play instead of just stopping after high school. We are doing a better job of giving good players chances to develop and showcase their skills through tournaments outside of Norway (Regional teams, National teams).

Who would you consider as the biggest Norwegian player of all-time and who would you consider as your model in terms of basketball?

In terms of achievements and accomplishments I would have to say Torgeir Bryn. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see Torgeir play in his prime but from what I have heard he was no flashy player, but did his part really good and was a valuable player for every team he was a part of. I can mention a lot of Norwegians I thought would become very very good, but most of them stepped down when they were at their best for different reasons.

My big brother has always been my inspiration and model. I was always following him around to practice and trying to be like him. He was always very patient with me and taught me a lot. He has always been a good example for me both on and off the court. When he went to college after high school, I knew I wanted to do the same and he always motivated me to be the best I could be. He has always been a huge help for me and tried to advise me and point me in the right direction.

Stian Emil Berg is currently averaging 11.7 minutes per games for the Huskies. He scores 2.8ppg and has 0.9 assists per game. His numbers have increased heavily since the beginning of the year 2012 as he is playing 21.5 minutes for 5.3ppg at 8/19 from behind the arc.

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Thomas de Thaey is a 20 year old freshman from Belgium who moved to the North Carolina State Wolfpack this summer after having prepared during one season at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain. But what made him decide to take the step to play NCAA Basketball?

The reason why I decided to go play college basketball, was because it’s a chance that’s is not given to everybody. Playing for NC State was a dream becoming reality for me. You play against future NBA players every night.

Why did you chose to play for North Carolina State?

When I was playing at the Canarias Basketball Academy last season, the assistant coach of NC State (Bobby Lutz) came over to take a look at me, we kept in touch and after a while I decided to sign my letter of intent for NC State.

What are the team goals for this season?

We want to keep improving as a team and as individuals. We want to win as many games as possible, which we are doing right now and going to March Madness would be great.

What do you expect as personal development over the next years?

As a freshman right now, it’s always hard to get playing time but in the next years my coaches and myself see me as a key player on this team. I need to keep working hard every day so when my opportunity comes, I will be ready to fulfill it.

You have decided to major in French. How did this idea come up?

French is my 2nd language so it’s not a hard thing to do for me. But I might change my major in the future.

The Belgian National Team was recently featured in a movie called “Belgian Lions: a Locker Room story”. Did you see this movie?

I haven’t watched it yet, but I’m planning to do it as soon as have the opportunity.

Thomas de Thaey is currently averaging 6.9 minutes per game for the Wolfpack. In these minutes, he comes up with 1.3ppg and 1.2rpg. You can follow Thomas on his official Twitter account here.

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The home team from Turkey can be considered as one of the favorites again this year. They won the Iscar tournament in December where they beat Russia, Spain and Castilla Leon pretty easily. The team was led by Mert Cevik who averaged 16.7ppg over the three games in Spain. He will get some support by the very young Okben Ulubay who played already as a 14 year old with the U16 National Team in the Czech Republic last summer. Other players to watch in the team are Tolga Gecim and Mehmet Alemdaroglu.

Poland comes to Turkey with an interesting team as well as the Eastern European country wants to underline its progress in the youth sector. The team of coach Arkadiusz Miloszewsi has interesting size with the 2m10 tall but very raw Daniel Kolanowski and the more developed Filip Pruefer (2m08) who saw already some minutes on the U16 level last summer. Kamil Zywert should be their main asset in the back court as he is ranked #1 prospect by polishhoops.pl in his generation.

Germany will be lead by their all-around forward Jan-Niklas Wimberg who was already one of the most interesting players last summer in the Czech Republic. Wimberg is averaging big numbers in the JBBL League with 28.0ppg, 18.9rpg, 5.7apg, 2.9bpg and an incredible 41.0effpg. He will get some support by the improving Lennart Okeke who is an explosive scoring guard and the versatile Andreas Obst. The German team reached the second spot in Geneva in December and might be able to have a good result in Turkey as well.

France comes to Turkey with a Centre Federal loaded team as 10 of the 12 players are currently playing for the INSEP team. The only player for the French team that was already active on the U16 level is the 2m01 tall inside guy Elie Fedensieu. One of the main guys in the back court could be the shooting guard Erwan Ruiz.

Latvia won the Baltic Sea Basketball Cup a few weeks ago in Tallinn behind the efforts of Gustavs Treimanis and Rudolfs Stradnieks. Treimanis who won the MVP trophy for his team in Estonia has already played minutes on the senior level in Latvia for his team of BS Riga. Stradnieks is even a regular contributor in the 2nd Latvian senior league as the 2m02 tall forward gets nearly 15 minutes per game for Barons.

For Serbia, one of the main attraction should be “el Serbio” Stefan Peno. The 1997 born guard should play for FC Barcelona after he moved to Spain from Serbia last summer but is still listed officially as an OKK Belgrade player because of some transfer issues. Additionally, Serbia will most likely assemble a good mixture of shooters and big men (Jovan Grujic 2m06, Basil Vucetic 2m06, Nikola Pavlovic 2m04) and can be considered as one of the favorites for the Gold Medal.

The Slovenian team of coach Milos Sporar will have the support of the highly talented wing Tilen Kodrin but does not have on its roster Matej Kavas who was playing regular minutes on the Division B Gold Medal U16 team from last summer. Jan Zatkovic is another guy to follow as the 2m06 tall inside player is a good rebounder and might even grow a bit more in the next years.

The teams from Ukraine, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Russia and Egypt are more or less unknowns for me so I can not really give much information about them. You can follow the tournament on the official website and eventually through LIVE Streams. We will keep you posted on our Twitter account if we get any info on LIVE Streams available of the Turkish games at least.

Türk Telekom Tournament 2012 about to start is a post from: European Prospects
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The 1m94 tall guard sees nearly twenty minutes per game this season for FIATC Joventut Badalona. The main role of Jelinek is to score the basketball. He constantly moves off the ball in order to get open, spread the court and be in position. He has an excellent sense to find the right position on the court and being a threat on the weak side. The 1990 born and therefore automatically eligible player does not have the ball in his hands very often and does not help to bring up the ball that much for example. He plays most of his minutes on the SG position but sometimes has to be on the 3 spot when his team wants to play short. In that case, he struggles heavily on the defensive end and in rebounding situations; something that took him out of the game in overtime as he committed two fouls against a taller wing player in the low post and a defensive rebound situation.

On the SG position, Jelinek shows better defensive skills as he is able to stay in front of his man and has relatively good lateral speed. Even if he is not a great defender right now, Jelinek has the potential to become a player on the next level with defensive missions and offensive firepower from behind the arc because the Czech player has the scoring touch in his veins and should be able to deliver some points over short periods.

In the game we saw, he started slowly into the game though and had some misses on the drive as he tried some difficult out of balance finishes against taller players. He is able to beat his opponent with a good first step and create some opportunities for himself or help situations that allow him to dish the ball to his team mates but he needs to become more under control in these situations to have a better finish close to the basket. This is a point where Jelinek has some work to do as his decision making on the drives is perfectible. He has some good instincts and fakes so that he can get open to the basket where he can finish with either hand and above the rim as well.

His main strength is his shooting where he has an excellent quick jump shot from behind the arc. His mechanics are very fluid and a very high curve on the ball makes his attempts looking aesthetic. He can fire it up quickly in catch and shoot situations even without taking the ball down below his head and still make the perfect shot. When he has a slight opening, he takes the ball down to chest-height before executing his move. This does not bother him a lot as he executes very quickly and without hesitation. As mentioned above, he moves very well off the ball and can open up easily on the wing for the immediate pull-up jump shot. He does not use the mid-range jump shot that often when putting down the ball on the floor but he can hit it from around the key without any major problem.

Even if he still needs to gain more experience on decision making on the drive, Jelinek showed that he gained in maturity in other fields of the game. He learned how to draw the charge on the fast break and how to use his body in those situations. Additionally, it was him who scored the two free-throws that gave Joventut the tie to reach the overtime in the final seconds. Looking at all that, you can see that there is some kind of progress in his development but when you dig deeper in the stats (we used the database of Draftexpress.com), you can see some problems.

In nearly all the more complex statistical numbers, the impact of Jelinek has dropped since last season. His PER went from 15.2 to 10.0 so far this season while his efficiency per 40 minutes went down to 8.2 coming from 14.5. On the other hand, the number of possessions that he played grew in relation to his minutes on the court. His possession ratios remain fairly stable but his impact in terms of percentages of the team’s offensive stats grew differently. In fact, his percentage of the team’s attempts from 2 and 3 point area grew stronger than his percentages of the team’s made shots. This underlines his still sometimes erratic shoot selection and decision making (even if his turn over number remains really low) but also that he might be a better player for shorter rotations.

If you put all this together, David Jelinek can either develop into a high-profile scorer with improving shooting percentages in the next years and be the top-scorer of his team or accept becoming a role player who only sees the court over shorter periods but with more efficiency. It is about him to decide where his career path will bring him as he remains very young but has already seen quite some minutes on the highest level. A regular Eurocup or Euroleague team should be the next step for him in the upcoming months.

David Jelinek does the Scoring Machine is a post from: European Prospects
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So I decided to put all the best articles from 2011 into an e-book format that you can buy now for the symbolic price of 0.99€ on Amazon. The goal is not to make a lot of money but to see a bit how this e-book process works and if this has some potential for the future. The e-book contains more than 80 pages of text including several player portraits, the reports on the main events like the Adidas Eurocamp, NIJT Qualification and Final Tournament as well as the Continental Championships I visited last summer.

All these articles have been published on the website but with this e-book, you can have them available offline on your Mobile Reader when you are traveling. Feel free to check the Preview on the Amazon page to see the whole content that is available. Any kind of reviews, comments or ideas are of course very welcome.

Buy the EuropeanProspects.com – 2011: the Year in Review e-book on

• Amazon.com
• Amazon.de
• Amazon.fr
• Amazon.co.uk

2011: The Year in Review (e-book) is a post from: European Prospects
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U18 Roster – Finland

• Joonas Lehtoranta – 1m85 – 1994 – KTP Kotka
• Joni Herrala – 1m85 – 1994 – ToPo Helsinki
• Niko Mattila – 1m91 – 1994 – Tampereen Pyrintö
• Ville Hänninen – 1m93 – 1995 – Turun NMKY
• Henri Ventoniemi – 2m01 – 1995 – Tapiolan Honka
• Oskar Michelsen – 2m03 – 1995 – Helsingin NMKY
• Mikael Kauhanen – 2m02 – 1994 – Helsingin NMKY
• Anton Odabasi – 2m01 – 1995 – Tapiolan Honka
• Julius Rajala – 2m04 – 1994 – ToPo Helsinki
• Miikka Luosmaa – 2m02 – 1994 – KaU Karkkila
• Mika Nuolivirta – 2m10 – 1994 – ToPo Helsinki
• Orlando Taylor – 2m05 – 1994 – PJ Warriors, Helsinki

NIKO MATTILA: Probably the biggest upside of any junior national team guards in Finland. A terrific defensive player, reads the game well and reacts well. Needs to improve his shot, bulk up and develop his footwork. Already playing rotation minutes for reigning Finnish champion Pyrintö.

VILLE HÄNNINEN: Sasu Salin-type of player; a bit more passive but handles the ball better than Salin did at same age.

OSKAR MICHELSEN: 203 cm and growing, moving from power forward to small forward. A versatile, do it all type of fellow. Could blossom into a tremendous modern European player who can drive to the hole and shoot the three; the next a couple of years will be crucial.

ANTON ODABASI: Lacks athleticism and quickness, but can score from any position and is one of the toughest, meanest post players from Finland ever. Willing to sacrifice his body and gather a few bruises if it helps his team.

ORLANDO TAYLOR: This guy is an enigma so far, he hasn’t been in 1994 born national team group these past years but his performance in local junior leagues have been impressive (double-doubles and dunks every night). When you have a 17-year old, 205 cm, 110 kg guy in your roster, you can expect something big.

U16 Roster – Finland

• Fifi Aidoo – 1m75 – 1996 – Sykki Helsinki
• Tuomas Hirvonen – 1m76 – 1996 – Kouvot Kouvola
• Henri Niemistö – 1m95 – 1996 – ToPo Helsinki
• Elias Eerikinharju – 1m86 – 1996 – ToPo Helsinki
• Ville Leikas – 1m85 – 1997 – Wartti Helsinki
• Arttu Saarijärvi – 1m84 – 1996 – Namika Lahti
• Okko Järvi – 1m91 – 1996 – Tapiolan Honka
• Samuli Nieminen – 2m00 – 1996 – JKS Järvenpää
• Leo Machana – 1m90 – 1996 – Tapiolan Honka
• Juho-Matti Henttonen – 1m96 – 1996 – Namika Lahti
• Akseli Hartikainen – 1m93 – 1996 – Namika Lahti
• Thomas van Santen – 2m05 – 1996 – Tapiolan Honka

HENRI NIEMISTÖ & ELIAS EERIKINHARJU: The heart and soul of Helsinki-based ToPo’s 1996 born team, both flavored in international games these past years. Terrific scorers and ballhandlers, both play defense well. Eerikinharju is 186cm, but expected to reach 195-200cm.

SAMULI NIEMINEN: A tall, long, athletic and smart small forward who has been already scouted by some bigger teams in Europe.

OKKO JÄRVI: Natural born scorer, currently averaging 24.5 points a game in Finnish u16 league.

THOMAS VAN SANTEN: 205 cm and 15 years of talent. Still growing.

You can follow the tournament on the official website in English with Live Scores. There is also a LIVE Stream available for 5€ of the U18 games.

Baltic Sea Cup 2012: Finland Preview is a post from: European Prospects
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Maik Zirbes is playing an excellent season so far from an individual point of view. The 2m07 tall and 115kg heavy Center from TBB Trier is averaging 11.7ppg at 61.9% shooting and 6.9rpg this season. He constantly improved his numbers over the last three seasons and earned his first All-Star selection this year. We have seen him several times already but this games was the first one for this season. And you could clearly see why Zirbes has again improved his numbers in all categories.

The automatically eligible Zirbes mainly scores out of Pick and Roll situation created by his PG Dru Joyce. He rolls well to the basket and knows how to open up for either the direct pass out of the Pick or with the opening pass to the wing player. He has good hands and can finish these plays around the basket with either the strong dunk (when open) or the more finesse play on the layup. He could go more often for the dunk as you have sometimes the impression that he does not want to dunk it but he has the necessary physical tools to do so. In the end of the game this week, he refused the slam in a situation after an offensive rebound trying the difficult layup and missed this crucial one. This is a part of his game that he can improve, but we said this already in our previous reports.

Where Zirbes has improved though is his game in the low post. He scored several times over Tibor Pleiß in a variety of ways. He started with a nice left handed hook shot and then had a Olajuwonesque low post move with two fakes and a double spin to get open. This move was very impressive and we have never seen him do anything like that before. In the second half, Zirbes also opened up against Pleiß to play him face-to-face and beat him on the dribble over the baseline to score with the foul. Additionally, he made his only mid-range jump shot from the baseline to finish on an excellent 6/9 FGs in this game. His free-throw shooting remains constant around 70% which is still improvable but already a correct number for a 21 year old big man.

On the defensive end, Zirbes has improved his boxing out but remains a limited rebounder though. He only averages 3.6 defensive rebounds in nearly 29 minutes on the court which is not great. However, he has a very good 3.2 offensive boards per game which gives him a multitude of second chances. The main weakness though remains his lateral speed and defensive footwork where he gets beat quite often. He is not able to stop big guys who face him to play the drive. He often has to commit fouls in these situations which is a problem for him and the team. On the long term, he needs to work on this which might open up some possibilities to play the PF position in the future, something that a previous coach tried him out at but it failed. This was though two years ago and with more maturity and improving fundamentals, this might remain an option for the future as his shooting mechanics and skills are there.

Overall, Zirbes can become an option for some NBA Teams that want to make a gamble in the second round even if he lacks a bit of size for the top level. After two seasons with good numbers and minutes in Trier, the next season might become crucial for him as he has to decide if he feels ready for making the next step and trying himself out on a Eurocup/Euroleague level team or stay another season close to his roots. An invitation to the Adiadas Eurocamp seems to be a “no-brainer” in our eyes as the number of productive big men in a serious league that remain undrafted is quite limited right now.

The surprise of the day came on the other hand from Philipp Neumann who got nearly 9 minutes of playing time in a tight game. With the problems of Pleiß against Zirbes and despite a stupid foul in the seconds he played in Q1, coach Chris Fleming is doing a great job in giving more and more minutes to the 1992 born big guy, even outside of the garbage time.

He scored his only basket of the game at the halftime buzzer with a two handed tip in. In the third quarter, Neumann played a longer stretch where he showed great intensity on both ends of the court setting screens relentlessly without even touching the ball once. He was not considered as an offensive option at all as his team mates did not pass him the ball when he was posting up. He grabbed a strong offensive rebound where he unfortunately fell back into his typical head-down forcing playing style as he tried to put the ball on the floor before going up. He got robbed the leather but could save the possession somehow through his fighting spirit.

Overall, his performance was very encouraging and coach Fleming has certainly gained an additional option for some regular minutes throughout the rest of the season. Neumann will of course make some errors as he is aware of his talent and is not shying away from trying something on the offensive end. With the current stagnation of Pleiß progress, Neumann might grab some more minutes here and there and should be ready to become a serious contributor by next season.

Maik Zirbes confirms, Philipp Neumann emerges is a post from: European Prospects
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