Ludwigsburg. Sometimes, Tremmell Darden admits, he feels guilty when his teammates have to wait for him again. The basketball professional of the MHP giants Ludwigsburg takes 25 minutes after each game to keep his body fit with stretching exercises. The representatives of the press are mostly pleased. Because if the giant coach John Patrick appears earlier than usual at the press conference since this season after the mostly successful games in the Bundesliga, it is thanks to Darden. “We have postponed the team briefing by 25 minutes so that Tremmell can stretch,” Patrick recently explained his early arrival.
Darden, on the other hand, will probably not take any of his teammates badly. Because the oldest player in the BBL at 39 years old pays back the special treatment with performance. The fact that Darden and the Ludwigsburgs are favorites in today’s game against the ex-series champion Brose Bamberg (8.30 p.m. / Magentasport) shows the rapid development of basketball in Ludwigsburg – and how bumpy it has been for the tenth-placed from Bamberg so far.
Darden likes his role as a reliable force on the floor and as a mentor off the field: “We win. And as an experienced player, I want to be a positive example for the young guys. ”The term“ young guys ”, according to Dardens interpretation, covers an age range from 16 to 39. “I call everyone in the league young guy. I know that I’m the oldest, ”he laughs. Coach Patrick has already praised the model athlete’s physique several times. Darden is not afraid to climb to the block against the “young guys” or to attack them hard. “I don’t think I’m moving like the oldest player in the league,” said Darden.
Wandering bird in the basketball world
The 1.94 meter tall Forward can safely be called a wandering bird. He has already worn the jerseys of 15 professional clubs in nine countries. “I had many opportunities to stay longer, but I always strived for the highest level”, Darden explains his club change. The highest level, that was for the American as for most basketball players the NBA. “It was always clear to me: If I don’t make it into the NBA, then I want to play for Real Madrid,” he says of his dream, which came true in 2013. Until 2014 he played for the royal team, was Spanish champion, cup winner and won the Supercup. “That was the high point of my career,” Darden looks back with a crying eye. Because when asked whether he regrets one of his many steps in basketball career, the 39-year-old is at peace with himself – actually. “If there was one place I should have stayed longer, it was Madrid.” But he turned down a two-year contract with the Spanish in 2014, “maybe because of my ego”.
The decision fits the wandering bird’s career. Darden, who was born in Inglewood, California, has not been with any team – whether in Turkey, Belgium, Australia, France, Spain, Lithuania, Greece, Italy or Germany – for more than two years. However, the fact that his journey never led to the NBA stage still preoccupies him: “I would be lying if that wasn’t the case.” As a teenager, he flew under the radar of talent scouts for a long time, which made the route through top colleges difficult. His trip to Niagara University led across Europe, to Australia and now to Ludwigsburg. But even a 39-year-old can still dream. “As crazy as it sounds, the dream of the NBA is still somewhere in the back of my mind – until I hang up my shoes.”
Darden does not yet know when that will be. “If I got another year it would be wonderful,” he says. “But my children may see me in the last year of my career.” His eldest son, aged 14, is only three years younger than his team-mate Jacob Patrick. From 2005 to 2018, his family was present at each of his stations. “It’s easy to forget how much it can be worth,” says Darden about the support he received from his wife and now three sons who moved with him to Ludwigsburg.
He continues to take on a mentoring role in the giant team. “In recent years, my word has always been respected by players and coaches,” says Darden. He describes his influence as “hoop and help” (“play and help”). “I’m still trying to get the best out of myself,” says Darden, referring to his upper arm tattoo, which shows a basketball with a crown on. “To be a king in what you do”, that means. “Maybe even a better coach than a player,” he announced. Until that happens, however, he will initially compete with the “young guys” against Bamberg.
