MICOS SCHREMVELT   6-3   185  PG/SG   Germany   1984--Playing for Adelis Acapulco, Schremvelt primarily wills his team to wins with his slashing ability and his excellent defensive mindset. It doesn't hurt to have the length, lateral quickness and athleticism either; Schremvelt prides himself on his defense, always tending to lower his man's percentages in playing generally sound perimeter defense. Sometimes he gets away with defense simply because of his physical tools, but he is an absolute beast when he puts his mind to it, even getting steals in the process with his quick hands. Offensively, Schremvelt loves to slash to the basket, albeit with mixed results because his ballhandling ability is not fully developed. His jumpshot is equally a mixed bag, not having consistent offensive polish; his jumpshot mechanics are horrible as of now and will need correction for the NBA. He's not a prolific scorer because his offensive decision-making is subpar, his offense is raw and he tends to get ahead of himself, but he has potential here. As for being a point guard, Schremvelt is not a pure point guard either; he is a point guard for himself, and not for the team, and seemingly only gets assists off of flash-type plays such as driving and dishing rather than executing sets. He's a combo guard who doesn't have prolific scoring or passing ability, but simply gets into the fray with his tools and defense. After all, defense is harder to "teach" than offense. Despite being 22 already, scouts believe Schremvelt has untapped potential and already make comparisons to Keyon Dooling and Daniel Ewing with his frame.

 

VANS HOLLEREIN    6-8   230   SF/PF  1987--Like his fellow countryman Micos Schremvelt to an extent, Hollerein is currently stuck with the 'tweener" label; he doesn't consistently show the polish and skill set of most SFs, and he lacks the height, and weight and overall toughness one would expect from a PF. However, being still young, he shows great flashes of making the transition to the SF position, even though he still makes too many "youthful" mistkaes to offset that a little. First of all, Hollerein has some skills that simply can't be taught; he is extremely quick in the open court, being able to take it coast to coast with his above average ballhandling skills which work at least at the level that he is currently playing in. He finishes extremely well with his athleticism and great vertical leap especially for his height, which definitely makes him a terror in transition and in an up-tempo style of game. However, he tends to neutralize himself in slow-down games, displaying careless turnovers whether by putting the ball on the floor or by abusing his excessive talents in whatever way. He can certainly slash in half-court and finish, but he looks a bit unorthodox and rather sloppy driving in this area. He needs to firm up his stroke in this area, as well as from the perimeter where the opposition can simply leave him open from 10'' and beyong and expect a missed shot. He's very raw offensively and doesn't contribute much when the game isn't in favor of his style. Hollerein's rebounding skills are just average for a player of his caliber, although he certainly is an all-around player. Hollerein is strictly a potential player who has flashes of defensive greatness with his SportsCenter-type blocks, but he is currently simply a flashy showboater who does not have a legitimate position or have a legitimate presence whatsoever consistently. His past off-the-court problems only add up to the red flags that we may see of Hollerein.

 

PAULUS JEFFNY   6-9   241   PF   1985--Jeffny is a fundamentally sound PF, a meat and potatoes guy, who is that type of player by necessity for his team, Vatish Vogue, which he shares with teammate Vans Hollerein. The leader and primary presence of the team, Jeffny seems to be everything Hollerein isn't: Consistent, expected to give his dues on both ends of the floor, showing flashes of a solid inside-outside game as well as good rebounding ability. Jeffny has the latent athleticism to make a bigger impact, and he can explode off the ground for some impressive power dunks at times playing in the post. He is a solid defender at the EuroLeague and will probably amount to becoming a solid one at the NBA, having good bulk and an assortment of tricks to thwart his defender from feeling comfortable with his shot. The problem with Jeffny is primarily what seems to his lack of potential: he may still have untapped potential, but he has adjusted his game so much towards the garbage-type aspects (somewhat like Joe Smith) that he is not willing to take more risk type plays. His game is predictable and that of a role player's. Also, his height is merely average for the league in terms of PFs. What you see is probably what you get.

 

RAVE MONTA    6-9    197    SF    1988-- Monta is a relative newcomer to the draft boards and has recently intrigued skills with a budding SF skill set complete with silky smooth perimeter shooting and above average athletic ability. Monta is underweight at this point and is in need of putting more bulk to his naturally lean frame, but that does not hinder his quickness as he is almost always able to get a step on his defenders with his long strides and his semi-inclination for slashing. Monta combines solid slashing ability with his good body contortions to finish near the basket area. On the flip side, he can create his own shot with ease from mid-range, often swishing many of them in the process. His offensive game is very advanced for his age, and he is recently displaying  his Euro-three pointer repertoire from all angles. Monta's talent and immense potential is undeniable, but he sometimes drifts and lacks concentration within the game. He also tends to score points at inopportune times, seemingly; he scores most of his points in the flow of the game, coming off naturally, to the point where he doesn't make an impact in his team's victories and scoreboard. He tends to shuffle into the mix of the team and masquerade himself as a role player, although his flashes and explosions show that he is coming along. Monta also tends to shy away from contact, especially with his drives, so he doesn't get to the line much at all. Monta's 7'1" wingspan enables him to become a defensive force, but currently he isn't; it's about mentality, and he needs to put more focus and dedication in this area of the game. Overall, Monta needs to stay hungry and continue developing his game; he has game, but he is potential at the moment.

 

SAKAREM DANIEL  6-4    215   SG   1984--  Daniel is an interesting breed of player considering that he mixes external toughness with internal toughness; a tough minded player, Daniel forces his slashes and barrels into the lane, and is hard to stop considering his momentum and activity level. Daniel loves to stop for floaters or tear drops over the defense but can equally finish rapidly with a swift-moving layup or even a reverse when the defense bites on the other end. Daniel loves to pass the ball in motion and has potential in this area, but the fact that he accumulates an excessive amount of turnovers by doing so is a red flag in terms of his PG potential. Besides, Daniel is a player who needs touches to be effective, and his offensive game is utterly one-dimensional, only with slashes sprinkled with some passes at times. His mindset may need to change as he often hurts his team as much as helps it. Daniel has an interesting body, but he lacks height severely for the SG slot and is a tad slow and unathletic to keep up with PGs--besides, he is a non-impact defender who can be prone to lapses. He's not really an NBA prospect, barring a sudden explosion in his offensive ability of some sort.

 

FREDRICH KIERNER   6-10    265    C    1984--Kierner is a big body in the paint in terms of his NBA potential. Lacking great lift and mobility, Kierner tends to camp out in the paint and wait for the offense or defense to come to him. He is not much of a shotblocker due to his lack of lift and reaction time, but he can alter shots simply by his presence and foul when necessary. Offensively, Kierner is very solid; he has several go-to post moves down pat, and the fact that he is ambidextrous makes him prone to operating both sides of the low posts equally efficiently. He has left and right jump hooks. However, his offensive game is quite mechanical what with footwork and fundamentals, that he lacks flexibility to extend himself over the defense for layups or dunks--those only come off of open situations, and even so Kierner doesn't dunk as often as expected for most big men. He is an adequate rebounder but there are times where he is unable to pursue them due to his lack of physical tools; this may actually hinder him in the NBA. He tends to get winded due to lack of conditioning, and controlling his weight is a must. He sorely lacks NBA potential, but teams can use a marginally skilled big body in the paint.

 

HANS GORMAN   6-5    186     SG    1985-- Gorman has recently stepped up his offensive assertiveness and displayed his beautiful stroke from outside the three point range. Possessing range beyond the NBA three point line, Gorman can light it up from range if he so chooses to do so. However, he often lacks confidence in himself and doesn't contribute too many positives for his team in doing so; he tends to miss even open shots for someone who has a reputation for being a "shooter." He has great mechanics, but the light bulb and consistency definitely needs to turn on within his game. He can become a sniper threat in the NBA only if he wants to. Even so, though, his game is utterly one-dimensional: he lacks great athleticism, great height, defensive toughness, and an all-around ability characteristic of many guards in the NBA. Even so, though, his biggest hurdle is what was once thought to be his perceived strength--shooting. His recent string of good scoring nights is what puts him into this column.

 

That's all for the "German aggressors." Stay tuned for more the following weeks!