Stormy Weathers
When trying to summarise former Michigan State swingman Ray Weathers’ professional career, it might be more advisable to name the countries he did not yet play in because that should be a much quicker task than listing those he already frequented. Austria, Portugal, The Netherlands, Japan, the CBA, Venezuela, Greece, Germany, China, Ukraine, Italy and now The Netherlands again are only some of his countless stops since leaving the ranks of the Spartans. Ray Weathers aka Hoops Mercenary? The latter strongly disagrees:
You have played in so many countries that you could easily start writing travel books… Do you like to see different places or would you have preferred settling down somewhere?
If I could do it all over again I would probably choose to settle down in Spain. The Spanish league is the best in Europe and living conditions are great. I never intended to change teams that often, but the respective situation always required it. It all started after my senior year at Michigan State: I came out of college in 1998, the year of the NBA lockout season which was, as you can imagine, a very bad moment. I had to play somewhere, therefore I signed in Austria. That was just the beginning of my odyssey: Whenever a team wanted to sign me to a long-term deal something happened. Either there was a coaching change or another team bought me out of my contract which was the case with the Chinese team of Shanghai. They payed my former team big money for agreeing to let me go and I was packing my bags again…However, with my current Dutch team Eiffel Towers I have signed until 2008 and I plan to fulfill my contract there.
All along your career, you have been close to making it to the NBA but you always seem to just miss out. What do you think is the reason for that? Are you going to retry this summer?
It has been a very frustrating experience not to make it to The League. A lot of people keep on telling me that I belong in the NBA and I think they are right. Mike Bibby and Penny Hardaway, two good friends of mine and both of them seasoned NBA veterans, often work out with me. They do not understand why I have not been given a chance yet. Bibby and Penny nicknamed me “The Microwave” because of my ability to provide energy and score in bunches similar to the “original microwave”, Vinny Johnson.
Over the years I realised that the NBA is not only about talent and determination. It is a political matter, as well. You have to be in the right place at the right time and you have to know certain people in order to be given a real chance.
I will not actively pursue NBA ambitions anymore. If I should get a call one day, I would be ready but I have come to terms with having a career outside the NBA.
Of all the leagues you played in, was there one that especially surprised or disappointed you concerning its level of play or its organisation?
The Italian league is highly overrated in my opinion. The level of play is not nearly as good as it is supposed to be and living conditions are far from fantastic, as well.
Frankfurt, Germany was one of your stops, as well. How do you rate that experience?
First of all, Frankfurt is the greatest European city I lived in so far. It offers plenty of attractions and with its skyline it looks like an American city. What more can you ask?
I would love to play there again. Currently, my friend Darren McLinton is under contract with the Skyliners. Darren, Immanuel McElroy, another good friend who plays for Cologne, and me on the same team – that would be fantastic.
Coming back to the situation with Frankfurt Skyliners: Gordon Herbert, their head coach, hired me as a sixth man, a backup to German national team player Robert Garrett. He wanted me to sign a long-term deal but I just could not imagine being a role player. I had always been a starter and I was not accustomed to the role he expected me to play.
At Eiffel Towers, together with the high-scoring Leon Rodgers and with three-point specialist Gert Kullamae, you form a very experienced nucleus. With that core of players, you should win the Dutch championship, shouldn’t you?
Actually right now, I can not contribute much because I suffer from a nagging injury. I have some torn tissue in my groin area, but I expect to be ready for the play-offs.
What about former Germany Div. 1 players Gert Kullamae and Joaquim Gomes? Does Kullamae still look like an average bank clerk just until he sinks that three with your hand in his face? What about Gomes who was considered a very talented big man prospect over here?
Kullamae is unbelievable. I compare him to former NBA great Jeff Hornacek. He looks like an accountant, has nearly no athleticism but has dominated Dutch competition for three years now. Simply a great shooter. As for Gomes, he has great athletic skills but still has to work on some aspects of his game. He definitely has an NBA body.
Of all players you faced, who were the toughest matchups so far?
I faced a ton of good players. I think fellow overseas veterans Alex Scales, Ricky Price and Khaled El-Amin might have been the best.
At age 31, what are your plans for your post-basketball life?
I am not sure about that right now because I want to continue playing for some time. I will definitely invest some of the money I put aside on the field of real estate.
Shortly after the interview, Eiffel Towers were crowned Dutch champions. “Bank accountant” Kullamae was dominant once again and was named Finals MVP.
Matthias Haufer, a professional sports writer in Germany, is a regular contributor to ElevationMag.
by Matthias Haufer
Matt caught up with former Spartan great and the two took some time to reflect on a career had, and some opportunities missed.
When trying to summarise former Michigan State swingman Ray Weathers’ professional career, it might be more advisable to name the countries he did not yet play in because that should be a much quicker task than listing those he already frequented. Austria, Portugal, The Netherlands, Japan, the CBA, Venezuela, Greece, Germany, China, Ukraine, Italy and now The Netherlands again are only some of his countless stops since leaving the ranks of the Spartans. Ray Weathers aka Hoops Mercenary? The latter strongly disagrees:
You have played in so many countries that you could easily start writing travel books… Do you like to see different places or would you have preferred settling down somewhere?
If I could do it all over again I would probably choose to settle down in Spain. The Spanish league is the best in Europe and living conditions are great. I never intended to change teams that often, but the respective situation always required it. It all started after my senior year at Michigan State: I came out of college in 1998, the year of the NBA lockout season which was, as you can imagine, a very bad moment. I had to play somewhere, therefore I signed in Austria. That was just the beginning of my odyssey: Whenever a team wanted to sign me to a long-term deal something happened. Either there was a coaching change or another team bought me out of my contract which was the case with the Chinese team of Shanghai. They payed my former team big money for agreeing to let me go and I was packing my bags again…However, with my current Dutch team Eiffel Towers I have signed until 2008 and I plan to fulfill my contract there.
All along your career, you have been close to making it to the NBA but you always seem to just miss out. What do you think is the reason for that? Are you going to retry this summer?
It has been a very frustrating experience not to make it to The League. A lot of people keep on telling me that I belong in the NBA and I think they are right. Mike Bibby and Penny Hardaway, two good friends of mine and both of them seasoned NBA veterans, often work out with me. They do not understand why I have not been given a chance yet. Bibby and Penny nicknamed me “The Microwave” because of my ability to provide energy and score in bunches similar to the “original microwave”, Vinny Johnson.
Over the years I realised that the NBA is not only about talent and determination. It is a political matter, as well. You have to be in the right place at the right time and you have to know certain people in order to be given a real chance.
I will not actively pursue NBA ambitions anymore. If I should get a call one day, I would be ready but I have come to terms with having a career outside the NBA.
Of all the leagues you played in, was there one that especially surprised or disappointed you concerning its level of play or its organisation?
The Italian league is highly overrated in my opinion. The level of play is not nearly as good as it is supposed to be and living conditions are far from fantastic, as well.
Frankfurt, Germany was one of your stops, as well. How do you rate that experience?
First of all, Frankfurt is the greatest European city I lived in so far. It offers plenty of attractions and with its skyline it looks like an American city. What more can you ask?
I would love to play there again. Currently, my friend Darren McLinton is under contract with the Skyliners. Darren, Immanuel McElroy, another good friend who plays for Cologne, and me on the same team – that would be fantastic.
Coming back to the situation with Frankfurt Skyliners: Gordon Herbert, their head coach, hired me as a sixth man, a backup to German national team player Robert Garrett. He wanted me to sign a long-term deal but I just could not imagine being a role player. I had always been a starter and I was not accustomed to the role he expected me to play.
At Eiffel Towers, together with the high-scoring Leon Rodgers and with three-point specialist Gert Kullamae, you form a very experienced nucleus. With that core of players, you should win the Dutch championship, shouldn’t you?
Actually right now, I can not contribute much because I suffer from a nagging injury. I have some torn tissue in my groin area, but I expect to be ready for the play-offs.
What about former Germany Div. 1 players Gert Kullamae and Joaquim Gomes? Does Kullamae still look like an average bank clerk just until he sinks that three with your hand in his face? What about Gomes who was considered a very talented big man prospect over here?
Kullamae is unbelievable. I compare him to former NBA great Jeff Hornacek. He looks like an accountant, has nearly no athleticism but has dominated Dutch competition for three years now. Simply a great shooter. As for Gomes, he has great athletic skills but still has to work on some aspects of his game. He definitely has an NBA body.
Of all players you faced, who were the toughest matchups so far?
I faced a ton of good players. I think fellow overseas veterans Alex Scales, Ricky Price and Khaled El-Amin might have been the best.
At age 31, what are your plans for your post-basketball life?
I am not sure about that right now because I want to continue playing for some time. I will definitely invest some of the money I put aside on the field of real estate.
Shortly after the interview, Eiffel Towers were crowned Dutch champions. “Bank accountant” Kullamae was dominant once again and was named Finals MVP.
Matthias Haufer, a professional sports writer in Germany, is a regular contributor to ElevationMag.
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