Top rebounder Gavin Schilling moves to city of his birth

FC Bayern's basketball team is expanding its frontcourt: the German Cup winner and EuroLeague quarterfinalist has signed up-and-coming power forward Gavin Schilling for the upcoming season. The 25-year-old German-American - a native of Munich - played last season in Braunschweig and was the league's second-best rebounder.

Gavin Schilling was one of the top German scorers in the BBL last season as the 6ft7 model athlete delivered personal bests in his third year in his father's country, averaging 10.9 points (54.9 percent from the floor) and a whopping 7.5 rebounds. The Michigan State University graduate spent his first two professional years in Ulm from 2018 to 2020.

 

"Gavin is a very talented, physical and tough player who I have followed closely since his freshman year in college," said FCBB Sports Director Daniele Baiesi. "He still has a lot of room to improve and will strengthen our frontcourt with his rebounding and scoring. Gavin also has Munich roots, which is a nice coincidence, but that's not the only reason we're very happy to have him with us."

Gavin Schilling, who is currently in Chicago (his mother's center of life), said, "I'm really looking forward to this new challenge. I can't wait to be able to develop at the new level of a EuroLeague club. I also want to play for titles in the BBL now and help the team with a lot of commitment."

Schilling's father - who himself played nine years as an athlete in the Handball Bundesliga - used to work in Munich, so the state capital is Gavin's birthplace. A short time later, however, the family moved to Strasbourg, France. From 2003, the son lived with his mother in Chicago, initially with a soft spot for American football. A vacation home in Bavaria in the summer of 2010 then finally brought him to basketball via a summer camp: Schilling transferred to the basketball boarding school Urspring, where he won the 2016 German U16 championship in the JBBL, scoring 32 points in the final against Alba Berlin.

At 17, the athletic center moved to the States, playing at Findlay Prep in Nevada from 2012, in one of the most prestigious high school programs. After his college career in the NCAA, the brawny defender made his professional debut at Ulm. He realized his potential for the first time recognizably at Braunschweig last season, where Schilling appeared in all 34 games and totaled just under 23 minutes of action. He says, "I'm very grateful to Braunschweig for giving me playing time and allowing me to show myself."

GAVIN SCHILLING (*10 November 1995, Munich)

Power Forward - 6ft7 - 235 lbs

2013 - 2018: Michigan State University (NCAA))

2018 -2020: Ratiopharm Ulm

2020 - 2021: Basketball Lions Braunschweig