A homecoming game like no other

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Aaron-Forrest Wainwright
  • 86th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany --  For the first time in college basketball history, University of Connecticut the Huskies and Michigan State Spartans played a regular season game in Germany, but it was not Enosch Wolf, Niels Giffey and Leon Tolksdorf first time here.

These three athletes grew up in Germany, Giffey and Tolksdorf grew up in the busy city of Berlin, Wolf grew up in a village about three hours outside of Berlin called Goettingen. These three were able to seize this golden opportunity to come back to their home country, in front of family and friends, and play the game they love: basketball.

Basketball's popularity is on the rise in Germany and these talented athletes playing for UCONN  are proof.

"In the last five or six years basketball has been getting a lot better in Germany, especially with Dirk Nowitski he helped make basketball a lot more popular in Germany," said Wolf.

Tolksdorf added, "As a German, Dirk Nowitski is one of my idols, he is a great basketball player but also a great person and is definitely a guy every basketball player can look up to."

For Tolksdorf this was his first regular season game, on an Air Force Base in his home country.

"It's a great honor to play on an Air Force base, and get to see what all the troops do for their country, we are all really happy to be here and ready to play."

This was an extremely unique opportunity for both teams.

During the game, Giffey scored three points in 14 minutes of play. Wolf followed with 11 minutes, two points and a single block late in the first half. Tolksdorf did not see any playtime in the season operning game.