"They keep score for a reason"

Image: imago images / Ulmer Pressebildagentur

For Ryan Mikesell, wins are the most important statistic

After already winning the regular-season title, this weekend, Walter Tigers Tuebingen were the first team to go through to the semi-finals in Germany's Pro A, the country's second tier. An impressive accomplishment given that they were not projected to finish anywhere near the top of the standings by most observers. We spoke to Ryan Mikesell, arguably the Tigers' top player and a multi-faceted combo forward who is rumored to draw interest from top-league clubs both inside and outside of Germany. 

Before we begin to talk about basketball, we read somewhere that you are a big baseball fan. With the MLB season just having started, have you been able to catch any games? 

I usually don't stay up and watch the games live but I check the box scores and highlights in the morning. I am a Cincinnati Reds fan and they had an underwhelming offseason in terms of personnel moves so I am a little disappointed (Editor's Note: 3-14 record to start the season...). But that is nothing new, they really never have been good in my lifetime but there is always hope I guess.

Did you play baseball yourself?

Yes, I was actually going to play both basketball and baseball collegiately at the University of Dayton but it turned out to not be sustainable to play two sports in college and maintain good grades at the same time so I ended up focusing on basketball. 

What position did you play?

I was a pitcher. 

How hard were you able to throw? 

I clocked out at 92 mph, without a lot of practice. I was just naturally gifted for baseball, but I always had more of an interest in developing my hoops game. 

Focusing on basketball has proven to be a solid decision for you. You are currently enjoying a tremendously successful campaign with Tigers Tuebingen, both as a team and individually. What's the secret to that success? What makes the Tigers so good? 

There are several reasons in my opinion. First and foremost, our Head Coach Danny Jansson did a good job in finding the right personnel, both basketball-wise but also when it comes to character off the court. We all get along really well and that helps our chemistry on the court, too. Secondly, we had a number of younger players really step up during the course of the season. Right now, we are playing very good team basketball. I don't know the exact numbers but our assist totals must be pretty high (Editor's Note: 711 total in 32 games, 2nd in ProA) and that is a sign of a fun team to play on because everybody is getting involved. 

When it comes to your season individually, you are putting up great numbers across the board. With it being your first full season overseas, why were you able to adapt to European basketball so quickly?

I pride myself on my basketball IQ and on understanding what my strengths and weaknesses are. I have always been a solid shooter, even though in college I was not always featured to show that. Here I have been asked to handle more of the scoring and playmaking load and I feel that the work I put in over the years starts to show. I am a very team-oriented guy and I will not force to get mine. I think I have a decent understanding of the game and how to pick my spots to be successful and the team puts me in the position to capitalize on that. 

This is how we summarized your game on SCOUTORY: "Combo forward profile with a great understanding of the game. Above-average shooter who could be a high-level complimentary player. Smart, mobile and versatile. Solid enough defender. Can play both 4 and 3 which gives him a great advantage matchup-wise. Great size for the 3. Not a post-up specialist." How far off are we? Anything we should add or change in your opinion?

I think that's quite spot-on. In college, I actually posted up quite a bit but I have not done a lot of that over here. 

What are the areas that you are mainly working on to improve? 

After college, I really put a lot of emphasis on becoming a more consistent three-point shooter. I am at close to 40% from beyond the arc this season so that definitely paid off. During the next off-season, I plan on working on my ballhandling. Coming off of pick-and-rolls, making the correct reads, stuff like that. Right now, in these situations I sometimes feel that the ball is a little loose in my hands so I want to tighten up my handle. 

Other than that, overall strength is something that I want to improve on. From watching Euroleague games live I know how big, athletic and physical these guys are and I need to continue to work on my body to be able to bang with them but also to keep them in front of me at the defensive end. 

You just mentioned the Euroleague. Is it one of your objectives to play on that level one day? 

I am a confident player and I think it cannot hurt to dream big so my goal definitely is to play at the highest level in Europe. The Euroleague game I went to was Milan versus Bayern Munich so I got to see top players like Vladimir Lucic or Kyle Hines first-hand, which made me want to get there even more. But it will obviously not just happen over night and it requires taking the necessary steps. I will keep working and try to win as many games as possible along the way and then hopefully, it will come true.

Winning games is always a good "ingredient" to furthering your career. A lot of players underestimate the value that coaches and GMs put into potential recruits having been winners at previous stops. Often, this is more important than individual accolades and statistics. 

That's one thing that my entire career kind of stands for. I am not this jaw-dropping athlete breaking rims but I will bring it consistently every game and every year. My teams always win, in high school, in college and now in the pros. They keep score for a reason. At the end of the day, your team wants to be the one with more points on the board than the other one and I consider myself a winner. 

You mentioned Vladimir Lucic. Is he an "archetype" that you model your game after? 

Definitely. He does a little bit of everything, can guard multiple positions. Will Clyburn is another one who I enjoy to watch. He is more athletic than me but also kind of a combo forward with a great skill level. He can play pick-and-roll, make fade-aways. I definitely try to take some things from these guys. 

Who was your toughest matchup in Germany ProA this season?

Rohndell Goodwin with the Kirchheim Knights comes to mind. We beat them twice but his game was very efficient and smooth. He had 36 points on 7-of-9 from three but you did not even realize how well he played until taking a look at the stat sheet after the game. 

How did you end up in Tuebingen in the first place? What was it like to navigate the jungle that overseas basketball appears to be coming out of college? 

It was complicated, in particular since Covid hit during my senior season at Dayton. Due to that, it was hard to get exposure as there was no Portsmouth Invitiational Tournament, no NBA Summer League, etc. When my agent put me in contact with Tuebingen, I jumped at the opportunity. Then, five quarters into my rookie season, I hurt my ankle and was done for 20/21. The Tigers still wanted to bring me back this season and I decided that with me already being familiar with the coaching staff and some of my teammates, it would make sense to return. It has worked out very well for both parties. Hopefully we can cap it off by making it to the finals. 

Given the year you are having, your name should come up in ProA MVP discussions. Do you concern yourself with that at all? 

I will continue to focus on controlling what I can control which is playing hard and trying to get as many wins as possible. Certainly, I am not on the court counting my points or assists thinking I need to reach this and that number to improve my chances in the MVP race. If the winning leads to me being voted the MVP at the end of the season, that's cool, if not, my team is still one of or maybe even the best in the league. 

Since we are a scouting-centered website, in your opinion, what makes a good scouting report? What amount of information on your opposition is helpful for you going into a game? 

I have really enjoy the scouting reports our assistant coach puts together. You can write down all these advanced stats and measurements but there is a danger of overcomplicating the issue. He finds a really good balance. I like looking at stats, percentages, where the majority of my matchup's shots is coming from, etc. but I also want to marry the report with film to recognize tendencies. Maybe the player likes to go to the right elbow to pull up or always tries to get to the rim when driving left, is left shoulder/right hand in the post, things of that nature. I have a high basketball IQ so when I read and see something like that, I usually manage to process it quickly during the game. 

Players with an elevated basketball IQ tend to transition into coaching when they are done playing. Could that become an avenue for you down the road? 

We will see what my situation looks like when the ball stops bouncing. But some of the coaches I encountered during my career have told me that they could see me doing that. I will probably stay involved in basketball in some way. For now, however, I want to maximize the opportunity that somebody is willing to pay me to play basketball. 

Best of luck with that and thank you for talking to us.