European Prospects

The University of Maine has put its name on the map through their international recruiting over the last years. Till Gloger, who comes from Germany, is one of their international freshmen this season. Here is what the Power Forward has to tell us in today’s Living in America edition.

Why did you decide to play College Basketball?

I decided to play College-Basketball, because I thought that it would be the best possibility for me to develop my skills and game in general. College-Basketball is very professional and I believe that it offers me the opportunity to earn new experiences as a person as well. In addition to that I made a lot of vacation in United States with my family over the last years and I really liked the American lifestyle.

How was your recruiting process and why did you chose the University of Maine?

My recruiting process was very exciting and my recruiter Douglas Leichner did a tremendous job to convince me that Maine is a good choice academically and basketball wise. Last year in March my recruiter invited me to a visit and when I came back I realized that UMaine would be the best solution.

I chose UMaine, because I can earn playing time in my freshman year which is very important for me. I don’t want to sit out, because I think that playing time in games is very valuable to improve and get to the next level.

What do you expect as personal development over the next years? What do you think you can develop better by playing College Basketball compared to Europe?

College Basketball is faster and the game here is more physical than in Europe, so I believe that I can develop my athleticism and skill set during the next years. The Coaching Staff in the NCAA works very professionally and the opportunities to work out are much better here than in Europe, because basketball has more significance.

Furthermore I think that college basketball is more intense and the players have more physical abilities from which I can learn to get tougher and stronger.

You immediately got some minutes in the inside rotation for the Black Bears. Were you surprised by this? What are your personal expectations concerning your playing time over the next years?

When I spoke with my recruiter last year, he said that I have the opportunity to get playing time in my first year. Because of that I worked out last summer and I am glad that I am constantly in the rotation this season.

Right now I got around 15 minutes average playing time in a game and I think that I can increase my minutes in the following years. Furthermore I expect that I can increase my impact on the game offensively and defensively.

The University of Maine Basketball team is quite an international team with people coming from lots of different countries. Do you think the Coaching Staff adapts its style to the international game or do they try to help you out in the American game more? Or is it a mix of both?

The fact that we have a lot of international players from all over the world is very helpful for me to feel comfortable on and outside the court. We have players from 7 different countries and everybody brings different elements to our game. Our Coaching Staff adapted some international aspects, so I would say that our game is a mix out of the American and International game.

When you were younger, you were active in Track&Field. How much did this help you in your Basketball game?

Yes, I did track and field about 4 years before I decided to focus on basketball. At first I was running long distances and after that I did decathlon 2 years. I believe that it helped me a lot to develop certain skills which are important for basketball. In fact during this time I learned a lot of coordination stuff and some overall movement skills which helped me to improve in the past years.

What are you plans concerning your major?

I am a business major and I think that my degree can help me to find a job after basketball somewhere in Europe.

Where do you see yourself in 4 years from now?

Of course 4 years are a pretty long time and some things are unpredictable, but actually my plan is to play professional basketball in the BBL after my graduation from UMaine.

Till Gloger averages 3.3 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in 14.3 minutes on the court.