Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 3

[Streetball’s Finest  –  6.11.12] – Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 3
Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 

Images: Germany’s Finest / Paul Gudde / Flash

Greetings AND Juans!  After three weeks of touring the Philippines, immersing in our culture, enjoying the scenery and local dishes, and of course, playing streetball and sharing our love for the game of hoops, the 2012 Philippine tour of Germany’s Finest comes to a close.  The team (comprised of Enrico Kufuor, Sebastian Köhnert, Marian Schick, Lars Meyer, Anday Ergen, Emre Ergen, Fabian Greiser, and Paul Gudde) headed back home last Saturday night and brought with them unforgettable memories of their stay here, and left a promise that they will be back again next year for the 2013 Germany’s Finest Philippine tour, quite possibly with more players to join the trip.

This blog diary is the last of three parts, covering their activities from May 27 - June 9.  Click the links below for our previously published articles:

• Germany’s Finest Philippine Tour (Primer)
• Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 1
• Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 2

The Philippine Experience – Part 3

After the team’s Sunday game in Marikina last May 27, they played a pick up game against members of the Philippine Air Force on May 28, courtesy of their coach and team liaison Third Stocker, who is also a Pinoy.  The team capped off their Manila basketball week with a visit to the renowned Palladium Bar in New Worlds Hotel on Wednesday night with Flash.

Germany's Finest partying in Palladium with Third Stocker and Flash

The team then departed for a Bacolod trip that included two games against the locals last June 1 and June 3 (Sunday venue was the famed West Negros University gym, site of this year’s PBA All Star Weekend).

Boracay was up next in their itinerary, and the team got a taste of its world-class beaches upon arriving there last June 5.  The players even managed to squeeze in a game before they left for Manila and won that match via a thrilling game winning three-point shot from GF sharpshooter Sebastian Köhnert (he likes to be referred to as “Mainit” for his hot shooting from deep).

Repping hard in Boracay.

Upon their return to Manila last June 7, they shopped for pasalubong in Greenhills, San Juan and played a couple more 3-on-3 matches in the evenings near their condominium in Manila.   The most of Germany’s Finest spent their last night in Manila partying in the exclusive Republiq club in Resorts World and got a taste of Manila’s nightlife with DJ Vice during the launch party of the HTC One X with Smart Communications.

Lars Meyer (aka Larry Lawless), Fabian Greiser, and Flash at Republiq

Before they headed back for Germany last Saturday (June 9), Paul Gudde left us AND Juans with this video clip, giving some shoutouts to AND1 Philippines and promising to be back again next year for a bigger and crazier Germany’s Finest 2013 Philippine Tour.  Peep the video below: 

On behalf of Luis and Mark, AND1 Philippines co-admins, I would like to extend my huge thanks to the team for allowing me to exclusively document their 2012 tour and for giving me the chance to act as some sort of a tour guide (bringing them to places to eat around Metro Manila, clubs to party out, etc).  Hanging out with Germany’s Finest made me realize that we AND Juans are very lucky to have a country that is utterly crazy about the game of basketball.  We are truly a nation of basketball fanatics, and even Germany’s Finest players acknowledge it. 

Watch out for more And1 Ph news in the local and international scene by following us on Twitter (@and1ph) and LIKE us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/and1ph).  And that’s the 411, And Juan!