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!

Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 2

[Streetball’s Finest  –  5.28.12] – Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 2

Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 

Images: Fabian Greiser / Paul Gudde / Flash

Following up Part 1 of And1 Ph’s basketball diary of the Germany’s Finest Philippine tour (click HERE for the article) that was posted last May 24, here are some more updates on their activities from May 24 thru 27.  The third and final part of our exclusive coverage will be uploaded sometime between June 7-8 (originally slated June 2-4), and shall include information about the Bacolod and Boracay leg of their tour (May 31-June 6).

The Philippine Experience – Part 2

After their May 23 (Wednesday) game in the Magallanes Village gym, I was able to catch up with the rest of the team last Thursday night (May 24) for a hearty dinner in Glorietta 5 mall along Ayala Avenue in Makati City.  Aside from helping out with fellow Pinoy Third Stocker (who is the team’s liaison and playing coach) in picking out Filipino dishes for the rest of the team, And1 Ph also co-sponsored the dinner and made sure that the guests were well-fed and well-entertained.  Some pictures of the get-together below.

The next day, the team played against the PBA D-League team Cebuana Lhuillier in the Reyes gym in Shaw Boulevard, courtesy of local player-agent for the PBA, Mr. Danny Espiritu.  The images below are courtesy of Fab Greiser (Germany’s Finest).

On Saturday, the team went around their area in their Makati residence (rented condominium) to play some three-on-three games against the local basketball players and generally just had a good time with the kids and the people around their neighborhood.  The team really enjoyed playing with local talent who at times were just wearing flip flops and sandals.  As always, Germany’s Finest players are very appreciative of the Filipinos innate love for basketball and passion for the game.

Rounding up their basketball-filled weekend was a game against a selection of players in Marikina last Sunday (May 27).  With full support from local authorities and baranggay officials, the team was warmly welcomed before the game and Germany’s Finest made sure that the crowd would be able to watch a very entertaining match against their local counterparts.  Suffice to say that the team electrified the crowd with their own brand of German basketball; showcasing a lot of highlights ranging from pinpoint three-point shooting, acrobatic lay-ups, nifty ballhandling and anklebreakers, and of course, thunderous dunks.  And1 Germany sponsored their jerseys and shorts (shoutouts to Laurent and Max), and I was there with the team to cover the event exclusively for And1 Philippines, gathering images and videos to be posted on the And1 Ph Facebook page in the next few days.  Posted some pictures below for everyone’s enjoyment.

 

As of this writing, the team will be playing against some players from the Philippine Air Force by Monday, May 28; another 3-on-3 pick up game in their neighborhood court in the evening and most likely one game each on Tuesday and Wednesday (schedules and venue to be posted in And1 Philippines Facebook page for faster reference) before the team heads to Bacolod for the start of the provincial leg of their tour.    As previously posted, their schedule is as follows:

• Bacolod (May 31 arrival):

June 1 - exhibition game against Brgy Cansilayan and Murcia Selection Players.

June 2 or June 3 - Game against West Negros College in West Negros Gym.

• Boracay:

June 5 - game against Boracay Selection Team

Venue (to be announced)

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!

Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 1

[Streetball’s Finest  –  5.24.12] – Germany’s Finest Basketball Diary Part 1
Inks: FLASH aka g_sk1lls 
Images: Germany’s Finest / Paul Gudde / Alex Biernat / Flash

Last May 14, I posted an article (click HERE) about the arrival of Germany’s Finest (Germany’s only true streetball movement – website: www.germanysfinest.de), and their Philippine tour (Manila, Bacolod, and Boracay).  This blog diary will be released in three parts, and Part 1 will be about the group’s activities since they arrived and some images of their 1^st 5-on-5 game against local talent in Magallanes Village gym in Makati (covering May 21-23).  Part 2 will be released on Monday (May 28) and Part 3 will be sometime between June 2-4.

The Philippine Experience – Part 1

Upon the group’s arrival last Monday, the group has settled comfortably in the Luxor residences in Manila and have already played some 3-on-3 games with the people around their area last Tuesday, May 22.  The team was very amazed with the Filipino’s passion and love for the game of basketball and has openly marveled at our local brand of streetball.  Playing against bystanders in flip-flops (tsinelas), the team were also amazed that in almost every streetcorner, there is a basketball hoop/half court, something of which is not common in Germany.  Posted below are pictures from Paul Gudde’s and Alex Biernat's Facebook page.

 

Paul, as I’ve mentioned in my previous blog, is hailed by most German basketball fans as the one of the godfathers of German streetball (and one of the three founders of Germany’s Finest along with German Graham and Simon Zeitz).

Yesterday, May 23, I was able to finally meet the team courtesy of Third/Trainman Stocker, a Pinoy who is also the group’s liaison for all of their activities while in the country.  The team who made the trip were 8 players, but only 7 suited up with Fabian Greiser nursing a knee injury.  Nonetheless, the rest of the squad included Enrico Kufuor, Sebastian Köhnert, Marian Schick, Lars Meyer, Anday Ergen, Emre Ergen, and Paul.  Accompanying the tour is Alex, Paul’s girlfriend.

Posted below are images from the team’s friendly match in Makati.  More pictures are uploaded in the And1 Ph Facebook page.  The jerseys and game shorts were provided by AND1 Germany (shoutouts to Laurent Burkart and Max).

 

Here are some additional images of the team, with And1 Ph’s very own Flash.

Getting goofy!

Paul Gudde, Flash, and high flyin' Lars Meyer aka "Larry Lawless"

With Trainman/Third Stocker.  Proudly Pinoy (check out his shorts).

After the game, the team headed off to watch a couple of PBA games at the Smart Araneta Coliseum aka the Smart Dome.  The two matches were Ginebra vs Air21 and Meralco vs TNT.  Paul’s girlfriend, Alex, was even named Face of the Day.

As of this writing, the team will be playing against the PBA D-League squad Cebuana Lhuillier by tomorrow, May 25.  Pocket matches (3-on-3 and 5-on-5 games) will happen over the weekend and up until Wednesday next week.  Details (date/time/venue) to be provided in the And1 Ph Facebook page and/or Twitter profile for faster viewing.

For now, their upcoming provincial tour schedule is as follows:

• Bacolod (May 31 arrival):

June 1 - exhibition game against Brgy Cansilayan and Murcia Selection Players.

June 2 or June 3 - Game against West Negros College in West Negros Gym.

• Boracay:

June 5 - game against Boracay Selection Team

Venue (to be announced)

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!