How did you get to where you are today? Tell us a little about your background and your family.
Both of my parents played basketball. Nevertheless, I played soccer at the beginning, of course, and then played basketball for the first time a school club. I enjoyed that right away and at the same time I enjoyed soccer less and less. At some point I decided to play basketball primarily. From then on, it went very quickly, first I played in a smaller village club outside of Munich. Relatively quickly I had a lot of talent and Bayern Munich became aware of me, so I then moved completely to Munich and have also, so to speak, completely abandoned my youth, because only basketball and school were my everyday life. But there I developed well, because of my very good coaches (Steffen Hamann, Andreas Wagner, etc.). And yes, finally, last summer I decided to come to Ludwigsburg and concentrate completely on basketball for the first season.
For those who don’t know your game: What are your biggest strengths and your playing style?
My biggest strength is that I am a team player and with my character I am a natural leader who gives his team what it needs. I am also a versatile player. I have a good shot, but I can also create off the dribble or contribute valuably with the help of cuts or running through off-ball screens. Defensively, I can take the opponent’s best player out of the game and defend. I would say that I can defend anything from position 1-4 (depending on who is playing on the 4). Finally, my style of play is shaped by my constantly engaged character.
What role models do you play by or watch highlights of, for example?
There are definitely some players I look up to. In the NBA, when it comes to creating his own shot it’s Devin Booker. That’s a component that can get even better in my game. I actually follow the EuroLeague a lot, also because of my Bayern past. There are also some guards there that I follow a lot.
What have you been working on lately or are you working on specifically to become a better guard?
Basically I’m constantly working on my shot, trying to get as many shots as possible every day after practice. In addition, I’m doing a lot of individual workouts regarding passing skills and ball handling with David McCray (assistant coach of Ludwigsburg).
Would you say you can be a leader?
Yes definitely I can be a leader, which I also learned in Munich the last years when I got bigger and bigger roles in the youth leagues. Especially because I’m someone who tries to motivate his teammates and keep the structure together.
What are your short-term goals for yourself as a player?
For me, it’s about giving my best in every game. Be it in the 1st team or in the U19s. In the Bundesliga, my goal is always just to be ready, to defend my man defensively and not to make any mistakes, because otherwise I’ll be back on the bench pretty quickly anyway. Offensively, to be confident and not to be afraid. Still, my game depends on energy, so that’s my main focus. When I play with energy, things always go well and I’m productive. Sure, sometimes you don’t hit shots, but then I can still say I’ve pushed the team.
What are your plans for the summer? If I remember correctly, the U20 European Championship is coming up.
National team is always a super cool experience. I was already in contact about this summer with the german head coach. In the end, it all depends on my long-term future, where I play next season.
Who was the toughest opponent you ever played against?
I would name two players that I face on a daily basis in practice. One is Jonathan Dunn and the other is Yorman Polas Bartolo. Both are tough opponents in different ways. Yorman defends tremendously aggressively and with Jonathan it’s the other way around. With us, plays are often made for Dunn, so you’re scrambled around blocks to stay on him. Against Yorman it’s sometimes comparable to a wrestling fight, where you can just pick up some dirty tricks.
Let’s talk about your future plans. Is there already something more concrete concerning college or also the planning in Ludwigsburg? Where will we see you next season?
I am very open in my decision. I am in contact with colleges and also in constant contact with Ludwigsburg. I will let it come to me, but you can expect news at the beginning of April.
What factors will ultimately determine when you make your choice?
It will depend on whether there is a college that convinces me. Whether there is a coach who will let me play. If that’s a given, I would choose college.
What are your biggest interests outside of basketball?
I’m a guy who likes to be outside, go for walks to come down. But also a very social guy who likes to meet up with friends and go out and just meet for coffee. And I also like to cook, which I had to learn since last summer, after I lived alone for the first time. In general, though, there’s not too much time left for any activities because I’m often exhausted after training, just sleeping, chilling or just hanging out with my parents.
If you were stuck on a desert island forever with only food, water and shelter, what three personal items would you take with you?
I think I would take my cell phone if there is mobile reception. Just to keep in touch with people, otherwise the loneliness would kill me. I would also have to take a basketball, it’s just too big an item for me personally. And third, anything useful to build myself a shelter or something (laughs).
If you weren’t pursuing a career as a professional basketball player, what would you be doing?
I’ve always been interested in the direction of economics and business. So probably after a transition year of traveling and working, I would have ended up somewhere in that field. I wouldn’t have had a real plan exactly though.
Besides basketball, where do you see yourself in five years?
Whew five years. Assuming I go to college, I’ll either have made it to the NBA or found myself here at a good European level. Preferably in international competitions like EuroLeague or Champions League. Of course, I would love to be able to live completely from basketball. Besides basketball, I would like to have developed personally, to have built up relationships with great people over the years and finally to have a top relationship with my family.
