Who's Afraid of Matt Haarms?

His opponents on the basketball court.

That is the great hope of Skyliners trainer Diego Ocampo, who says of the center with the impressive height of the guard: "Matt is a great player who is intimidating because of his size, but still has good mobility." Haarms measures 2.21 meters.

This makes him the greatest player that the Frankfurt Bundesliga club has ever had in its ranks.

Jörg Daniels

Editor in the sports department

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In the new division of the 24-year-old Dutchman, who was born in Amsterdam, only the Berlin professional Christ Koumadje (also 2.21 meters) with hairs at eye level. The basketball giant from Main wears shoe size 49.5 and can easily turn in light bulbs at home from a standing position. In his new, tailored apartment, Haarms appreciates the almost three meter high door frames.

The Skyliners, who received this Sunday (3 p.m. at MagentaSport) in the Ballsporthalle Hamburg, are Haarms' first professional station. The first two lost games in the Bundesliga and the cup game won against Oldenburg have shown that the new player in the Frankfurt game still has a lot to learn. With a good 18 minutes of first division time per game, he has so far averaged eight points and three rebounds.

In the duel with Oldenburg there were also eight points, but this time Haarms was the top rebounder of his team with nine rebounds.

The huge talent from the Skyliners' point of view proved its presence especially on the defensive.

The opposing guards could keep Haarms, who can change the throws of the opponent due to his size, at a distance.

In the Bundesliga, however, he has to make significant gains in the offensive.

Especially with regard to the demands that Ocampo places on its center.

He is offensively a "complete player", says the new Skyliners head coach.

"A player who brings a lot to the table"

The fact that the Big Man not only has his place under the basket, but can also throw, was revealed by his time at Purdue College in the United States, when he scored a good 31 percent of his three-point throws for the Boilermakers.

In his four years in college - last year he was a member of the BYU Cougars - he got a total of 8.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

Finally, the Dutchman was voted "West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year".

With its versatility, hair suits the image of the modern big man.

For Ocampo, the center is “a player of the present and the future who brings a lot to the table”.

In Frankfurt, the Dutchman should develop into a “top center” (sports manager Marco Völler) in European basketball.

To do this, he still has to improve physically.

Although Haarms has strong legs, the 113-pound professional can still work on his upper body in the weight room.

In his spare time, Haarm's fellow human beings are not afraid of him.

On the contrary: Its remarkable length helps it to make new contacts.

He is not only approached by basketball fans.