DG 129 - Part 2

Continuing now with a look at dreads in pro basketball 2011-12. Part 1 focused mostly on the NBA. Now part 2 of dread gallery #129 features some of the best dreads on European clubs.

But before we get started I wanted to do a quick update. If you were able to view DG109 last year (before it disappeared), you'll recall that former NBA player Mickael Gelabale was no longer in contention for the best dreads in Europe because he had cut off his dreads (last May) after having grown them for nearly a decade. It was a sad day indeed when I found that out. Well, Gelabale has been re-growing his hair for the past 14 months and recently put it into braids. Hopefully he'll switch over to dreads soon. But it's going to take quite a long time to get his new dreads to the awesome level of his previous dreads. Gelabale btw will be playing for France in the upcoming Summer Olympics.

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 1. Crvena Zvezda F Omar Thomas throws a pass past Partizan F Dusan Kecman in a battle between two Belgrade rivals on Dec. 25. Despite Thomas' 12 points and 5 rebounds, Partizan spoiled Christmas for Crvena Zvezda fans with an 85-67 home victory. Indeed Partizan ruined the whole season for CZ fans, but they're used to it by now. Not only did Partizan sweep CZ 4-0 in the regular season meetings, they defeated CZ in the playoffs as well, 3-1 in the finals to clinch the Serbian League title for the 11th year in a row. In his first season for Crvena Zvezda (after playing the last five in Italy) the 6-6 Thomas played 34 games, averaging 12.9 points (43.3% FG), 5.4 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 27 minutes per game.

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2. I always wondered what happened to Lekendric Longmire after he didn't return for his senior season at Oregon in 2010-11. I actually was searching for photos for somebody else when I accidentally found this picture of him in a SLUNETA Usti nad Labem uniform. Longmire, a 6-5 G, was playing very well for the Czech Republic club (15.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.6 SPG), but I guess he wanted to be home for Christmas because he quit the team in early December after just 15 games ..... Longmire was not the only player with dreads in the Czech NBL .....

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 3. ..... Lekendric Longmire tries to keep his dribble while holding off Levharti Chomutov G Rob Lowery with his other arm in a game on Oct. 26. Longmire led SLUNETA with 23 points and 6 rebounds, but Lowery got the W, finishing with 21 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals as Levharti picked up an 86-79 road victory.

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 4. You are looking live at Chomutov Arena .... where they have to keep the curtains closed to keep the sunlight off the court. It's where former Dayton G Rob Lowery played his home games in 2011-12, including here on Mar. 3, a game in which he had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists as Levharti defeated Plzen 81-67.

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 5. 6-3 G Rob Lowery ices what looks like a sprained ankle after he played 3 minutes of a game at USK Praha on Nov. 12. Levharti went on to win the game 85-74 but lost by 27, 45, and 21 points in the ensuing three games that Lowery missed. When Lowery returned on Dec. 10, they lost by 40 .....

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 6. ..... In happier times, Rob Lowery celebrates after leading Levharti to a crucial 92-91 road victory over Turi Svitavy on Mar. 24. Rob finished with 26 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals as Levharti took a big step toward clinching the 10th and final playoff spot. It would be the last celebration of the season for Lowery as Levharti dropped their final two regular season games to finish 16-24 then got swept 2-0 in their opening round playoff series. After playing his rookie season in Germany, Lowery had an excellent season in Chumutov (just across the border from Germany). He was 5th in the league in scoring and 7th steals. In 36 games he averaged 17.6 points (50.0% FG), 4.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.9 steals in 31 minutes per game.

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Speaking of Germany ......

 7. 6-5 F Arizona Reid, the 2007 and 2008 Big South player of the year while playing for High Point, drives to the basket wearing the uniform of Mitteldeutscher BC in a German League Pro-A (2nd division) game on Jan. 6. Reid had 27 points and 9 rebounds as MBC defeated Gloria Giants Dusseldorf 70-68.

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 8. It was a happy ending for Arizona Reid in his only season for MBC. By finishing the regular season in 1st place at 23-5, MBC earned a promotion back to the 1st division for 2012-13. And here on May 6, with Reid contributing 12 points and 6 rebounds, MBC won the Pro-A trophy with an 81-73 home victory over Kirchheim in the 2nd game of the 2-game finals (MBC lost the first game 88-82 and needed to win game 2 by at least 7 points). After playing in Finland, Australia, Lebanon, Switzerland, and the Phillipines the previous three seasons, Reid earned 1st team all-league honors in Pro-A after averaging 16.8 points (53.4% FG) and 5.9 rebounds in 33 games for MBC. But he will not be back next season because he's pursuing what was described as "better offers." 

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 9. Former NBA player Jermareo Davidson of Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt plays keepaway from Phoenix Hagen F Edward Seward in a German Beko BBL (1st division) game on Apr. 11. It was a typical game for both players statistically, with Davidson finishing with 14 points and 8 rebounds, while Seward had 4 points and 6 rebounds in Fraport's easy 92-47 victory. In his 2nd season with PH, the 6-9 Seward played 26 games, averaging 4.3 points (67.6% FG) and 4.4 rebounds in 14 minutes for a club that finished in 15th place at 11-23 are barely avoided dropping down to Pro-A.

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 10. Jermareo Davidson, 6-10 F, sets to make his move against Bayern Munich C Jared Holman on Feb. 18 at Frankfurt. JD had 12 points and 5 rebounds in Fraport's 68-49 home win. For the season Fraport Skyliners barely missed the playoffs, finishing at 17-17; and Davidson played 32 games, averaging 12.7 points (47.1% FG), 1.4 blocked shots (2nd in the league), and 6.7 rebounds in 27 minutes.

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 11. With his dreads noticeably shorter than they were last season, Brose Baskets Bamberg G Julius Jenkins drives to the basket against Bayreuth G Rain Veideman in the regular season finale on Apr. 28. Jenkins had 17 points and 4 assists in 19 minutes in a 102-65 home victory as Brose finished with a league-best 30-4 record.

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 12. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. That's what Julius Jenkins did. Here JJ defends against ALBA Berlin G Heiko Schaffartzik on Nov. 20 at Berlin. Jenkins hit 4 of 5 from the field and scored 11 points in his first game against his former club, the club he had played for for the last 5 seasons. Brose lost this game; but after being denied the championship last season (Brose defeated ALBA 3-2 in the finals), Jenkins lifted a trophy at the end of this season. After losing their playoff opener by 1 point, Brose won their next 9 in a row, including a 3-0 sweep of Ratiopharm Ulm in the finals. A star player while at ALBA, Jenkins played just 19 minutes per game for Brose Baskets, averaging 9.9 points (43.5% FG) and 1.9 assists in 47 games. Now 31 years old, Julius will be playing with his 3rd BBL club in as many seasons in 2012-13 after signing with EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

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Julius Jenkins may have left town, but there still were some sick dreads in an ALBA uniform this season .....

 13. Torin Francis, a 6-11 F, challenges this shot by Brose F P.J. Tucker on Nov. 20. Francis had 6 points and 6 rebounds as ALBA dealt Brose one of their 4 losses 87-81.

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 14. Torin Francis goes to the basket against F Alex King on May 6 in Game 1 of ALBA's quarterfinal playoff series against s.Oliver Baskets Wurzburg. Francis had 5 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists as ALBA won 75-67. But ALBA, which finished in 3rd place at 26-8, lost the next three and was upset by #6 seed s.Oliver. In his 6th pro season (and his first in Germany) Francis played 48 games and averaged 8.3 points (62.8% FG) and 5.2 rebounds in 19 minutes per game.  

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15. It says in his bio that John Thomas was an NBA 1st round draft choice in 1997, but I don't remember him. He certainly didn't have dreads while averaging 2.7 PPG in 208 career NBA games for 6 different teams between 1997 and 2006. Looking for steadier employment, the 6-foot-9, 265-pound, soon to be 37 year old Thomas has spent the last 3 seasons overseas, playing this season in Israel for Hapoel Migdal Jerusalem. Here Thomas gets beat to a rebound by Hapoel Holon F Bryant Dunston in their playoff opener on Apr. 29. Thomas had 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists in a 78-73 home victory for HMJ; but HMJ lost the next 3 (two of which were at home) and were eliminated by Hapoel Holon. Thomas played 26 games, averaging 5.4 points (60.5% FG) and 3.9 rebounds in 16 minutes.   

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 16. Playing in his 3rd season in Israel (for his 3rd different club), Ironi Ashkelon G Dwayne Mitchell faces double jeopardy as he looks to get a shot up against F Adrian Uter (#8) and G Nizan Hanochi (#8) during Game 5 of a quarterfinal playoff series against the team he played for last season, Maccabi Rishon LeZion. Mitchell had 10 points and 4 rebounds as Ashkelon's season ended with a 77-63 road loss, their 3rd straight defeat after winning the first 2 games of the series by 1 point each. For the season Mitchell played 27 games, averaging 15.4 points (46.6% FG), 6.4 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.8 steals in 35 minutes.   

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From one D.Mitchell to another .....

17. Darrel Mitchell did not have dreads when he played at LSU (2003-06), so I had no idea who this was when I first saw this photo. A 5-11, 175 G, Mitchell here plays for Ukrianian club Khimik Yuzny on Mar. 13, a game in which he had 19 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals in a 77-67 home win over Hoverla. Playing this season in his 6th different country, Darrel averaged a team-leading (and 8th best in the league) 16.2 PPG (45.8% FG) for Khimik, which finished 4th in the Ukrainian Superleague before being swept 3-0 in the quarterfinals of the playoffs. He played 45 games and also averaged 2.9 rebounds and a league-leading 5.9 assists in 31 minutes per game.  

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Of course, when you're talking about dreads in Ukraine .....

 18. ..... You'll find none better than those on the head of Brian Greene. Since hitting the game-winning layup at the buzzer to give FAMU the 2007 MEAC tournament championship, Greene, a 6-5 F from Jacksonville, has spent parts of three of his last four pro seasons in Ukraine, playing this season for Hoverla, located in Ivano-Frankivsk. Here on Oct. 23 Greene dribbles upcourt in front of Kryvbasbasket F Bryan Davis. Greene had a big game with 24 points and 13 rebounds as Hoverla improved to 7-1 with their 7th straight W, 87-75.

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19. The agency that represents him claims that Brian Greene has a "near 40-inch verical", so he can get up even higher than he does here for a layup against Ferro-ZNTU on Feb. 15. Greene had 13 points and 5 rebounds as Hoverla picked up a 101-79 road victory.

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 20. Greene's dreads try to devy gravity as he drives against G Keddric Mays (those are braids, not dreads) on Apr. 12. Greene had 20 points and 4 rebounds as Hoverla wrapped up the regular season in 6th place (22-17) with an 84-72 home win over Halychyna.  

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 21. No doubt Brian Greene believes in playing defense hands-on. Here he checks F Zach Morley during a 74-61 home loss to Budivelnyk on Mar. 7 .....

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22. ..... and now Cherkasy F Jason Davis gets the personal touch on Apr. 8. Greene had 17 points and 8 rebounds in this one as Hoverla won on the road 79-69.

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23. Oops. I guess this time Brian didn't have the hand check ready in time, and he struggles to hold his ground against G Artur Drozdov on Mar. 27. Drozdov (17 points) and Greene (15) were their team's high scorers as Hoverla picked up a 71-69 home win over Azovmash.

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 24. Never mind that F Dmytro Gliebov is in the way, Brian Greene lifts off to the rim on Dec. 28 for what would have been a spectacular slam dunk if he had made it. How do I know he didn't make it? I don't. But the box score has Greene down for 0 2-point FG in the game; so he either missed it, or if he made it, he got called for an offensive foul. Brian finished with 9 points and 4 rebounds as Hoverla defeated 1st place team BC Donetsk 74-73.

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 25. What's this here? Of course, what a great idea! Use your dreads to blind your opponent. But it looks like Greene hasn't quite perfected the technique just yet. He doesn't have his dreads completely covering the face of the Azovmash player and ends up getting his shot blocked in this quarterfinal round playoff game on Apr. 22. Keep working on it, Brian. Greene shot just 1 for 9 from the field, finishing with 3 points and 2 rebounds as Hoverla lost Game 3 of the series at home 77-72. Hoverla also lost Game 4 at home two days later and were eliminated 3-1.

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 26. As long as Brian Greene's dreads are, sometimes he uses two bands to bunch them together. But it always looks better when he uses just one, as in this game on Apr. 8. If you like, you can take a couple of minutes and see those dreads in motion. Click on the first link below as Greene drives the lenghth of the floor and dunks in two of his 20 points in an 86-70 home win over BC Odessa on Mar. 3. The second link features several Greene highlights from a Ukrainian Cup game (I think) on Feb. 6.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQWOgpe0Pzs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tng__uUvxOQ&feature=relmfu  

Let's face it, Greene may be a great athlete, but he's not talented enough for the NBA. But in Ukraine, where he often is the quickest player on the court, he can have some success. In his first season in a Hoverla uniform Brian played 48 games, averaging 11.4 points (45% FG), 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.4 steals in 27 minutes.

With Mickael Gelabale becoming an ex-dread, and with Julius Jenkins cutting his dreads a little shorter, Greene probably thought he would be the easy winner for the longest dreads in European basketball ...... but not so fast. Challenging him for the honor was .....

27. ..... none other than fellow Jacksonville native Raymond Sykes, who spent  2011-12 with German club BG Goettingen after playing the previous two seasons in the D-League. Here Sykes drives against C Tibor Pleiss in the season opener at Bamberg on Oct. 4. Sykes had 13 points and 4 rebounds as BG got slaughtered by Brose Baskets 107-63. It was the beginning of a very long season for BG.

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28. Raymond Sykes slams home 2 of his 14 points in front of G Joshua Young and F Tyrone Nash at Goettingen on Dec. 10. Sykes hit 6 of 7 from the field and added 8 rebounds as BG ended their 9-game losing streak and improved to 2-10 with an 80-75 victory over Walter Tigers Tubingen.

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 29. Raymond Sykes goes up for another dunk in BG's next game on Dec. 17, this one in front of F Steve Esterkamp of Ratiopharm Ulm. Despite 15 points and 9 rebounds by Sykes, BG lost 82-71, the first L of a 14-game losing streak.

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 30. Raymond Sykes has ZZ Leiden F Seamus Boxley in his way as he tries to get to the basket during a EuroChallenge game at Goettingen on Nov. 15. Despite 18 points and 8 rebounds by Sykes, BG lost 80-71. BG finished 0-6 in their EuroChallenge group and did not advance (you think?) to the second stage of the tournament.

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 31. A 6-9 F who played in college at Clemson, Raymond Sykes drives against C Kyle Visser on Jan. 2 as BG started 2012 off on the wrong foot, losing at home to New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig 76-66.

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 32. It's a duel of the dreadlocked big men at Berlin on Jan. 8 as Torin Francis of ALBA goes to the basket against Raymond Sykes.

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 33. Torin Francis gets his only block of the game, rejecting BG G Paris Horne as Raymond Sykes looks on.

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 34. I'm not totally sure, but I think this was bad timing by the photographer. If he/she had waited a split-second more, we would have seen a nice shot of Torin Francis dunking against Raymond Sykes.  

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35. Now the shoe is on the other foot, as Torin Francis can't keep Raymond Sykes from dunking ..... Sykes fought hard but it wasn't enough. Francis takes the unanimous decision in this one. Sykes finished with 11 points (5-17 FG) and 16 rebounds. Francis had 22 points (10-12 FG) and 10 rebounds as ALBA crushed BG 83-50.

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36. It's another duel of the dreadlocked big men as BG hosts Fraport Skyliners on the day after Christmas. Raymond Sykes gets a pass past Jermareo Davidson. It was a big game for Davidson, who finished with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots.

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37. Raymond Sykes' dreads have broken free from their bands (!) (at least some of them) as he tries to hit a short shot despite getting shoved by Jermareo Davidson. It was also a big game for Sykes, who had 24 points and 4 rebounds in another BG loss, 78-65 ..... No doubt I'd love it if there were more photos like this one, with dreads flowing freely. But there's no use getting excited about something that's not going to happen. As we all know, in basketball, long free-flowing dreads, no matter how great they look, constantly are getting in your own face and blocking your vision. Banding them is a necessary evil.  

There are some great photos of yet another BBL duel of the dreadlocked big men on Dec. 30 between Sykes and Edward Seward, but you can't save them from the Phoenix Hagen website. So here's the link to the entire photo gallery of the game. It takes awhile for the photos to load, but it's worth the wait.

http://www.phoenix-hagen.de/fotoalben_2011_2012/goettingen_30_12_11/ ...... Sykes outscored Seward 22-2 in the game, but Phoenix Hagen got the W 83-77.

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 38. Raymond Sykes turns to make his move as C Povilas Cukinas defends on Mar. 31. Sykes played only 11 minutes, finishing with 7 points and 4 rebounds in an 83-67 road loss to Walter Tigers. There aren't many photos of Sykes from the last three months of the season, and that's because he broke his ankle in a game on Jan. 28 and was out of action for 5 weeks. When he returned, he was nowhere near healthy, and after playing 20 minutes in his first game back on Mar. 3, he played no more than 12 minutes in any of the final 9 games of the season.

Sykes injury was just a bit of the misfortune that BG endured during a bizarre season. One of the players lost his girlfriend and a sister in a tragic auto accident. And there were financial woes throughout the season. I mean, I saw one story where the team's fans were trying to raise money just so that a better player could be added to the roster. It all added up to a 4-30 record (dead last, of course) and relegation to the 2nd division. This after making the playoffs last season. Sykes, who will not be back next season, played 33 games, averaging 11.3 points (47.7% FG) and 5.9 rebounds in 22 minutes - numbers that would have been significantly better had he stayed healthy.

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One last thing before wrapping up DG129. I don't have any photos, But I have to mention something about J'Nathan Bullock. I don't know how he ended up playing in Iceland, but he was too good for the competetion there. He was the league's player of the year, leading Grindavik to a 1st place finish at 19-3 and then scoring 36 points in Game 4 of the finals as Grindavik defeated Thor Thorl 3-1 for the championship. Bullock averaged 21.4 PPG (49.0% FG) and 9.6 RPG. Well done, J'Nathan, and hopefully I'll get some photos from wherever it is you're playing next season.