Calvin Haynes can’t remember the last time he had an offseason. 

It certainly hasn’t been this summer by any means. There’s just too much at stake.

After graduating from Oregon State in the Spring, Haynes shifted his focus from Corvallis to playing professionally overseas, an adventure married with a bit of the unknown as Haynes waits to see where his first pro contract will take him.

“I don't consider this break an offseason,” Haynes told Beyond the Beat.

“Right now it's a chance for me to improve on my weaknesses and focus as a professional basketball player.”

This story on Kevin Duckworth originally ran on Beyond the Beat on August 29, 2008. It's now been three years since his passing on August 25, 2008, and is only fitting that today Duckworth is once again remembered.

The recent passing of Kevin Duckworth touched countless people who never had the chance to say goodbye.

Now they’ll have that chance.

On Saturday morning at Memorial Coliseum in Portland, family, fans and the Trail Blazers organization alike will turn out in droves to pay their final respects. For some though, Duckworth – known simply as Duck to those who followed his career with Portland in the early 90’s – was more than just another basketball player.

He was a teammate -- a brother in the camaraderie sense of the word, a friend beyond the meaning of the word. Yet for Alaa Abdelnaby, Duckworth will forever be remembered as “BIG SEXY”.

“Kevin was the first person who called me when I arrived in Portland – we had the same agent,” Abdelnaby, who played with the Blazers from 1990-92, told Beyond the Beat.

You can say this about the kid -- he sure has a nice following from the Turkish fan base.

About a-half-hour before tip-off at SuperCup at Stechert Arena in Bamberg, Germany, five guys sang and danced as their Turkey National Team took the floor. Each wore the same white silk-screen tee shirt with Enes Kanter dressed as WWE wrestler, the Undertaker on the front.

The wording underneath the picture in black bold lettering: “UnderKanter”.

Kanter’s signature adorned each shirt in black marker.

But not everyone around Kanter’s native country and even national team is so sure the rookie for the Utah Jazz and third overall pick in June’s NBA Draft is ready to leave his mark on the NBA. Certainly not right now at 19-years old and surely without major game play over the past two years after a failed college career at Kentucky.

“All the coaching staff and people around basketball think that it is too early for him to go there (to the NBA),” said Nihat Izic, an assistant head coach of the Turkey National Team told Beyond the Beat.

When Brose Baskets Bamberg opens training camp in two weeks they’ll have a familiar face back on the floor – Brian Roberts.

After constant negotiations over the last month, Brose is set to announce they’ve re-signed the point guard who was critical to their back-to-back title run in the Beko BBL.

“Things definitely took a turn recently,” Brose's Scouting Director Brendan Rooney told Beyond the Beat.

“Chris (Fleming) is more comfortable with having Brian come back compared to the other options we had. Plus, he's just a better player than the other guys, too. And we think he has another level to reach.”

Drive north on the motorway toward Bamberg, Germany and right outside the city limits you'll notice a sign welcoming you to "Freak City", a nod to the rawkus fans at Stechert Arena that fittingly helped Brose Baskets Bamberg go undefeated at home during the regular season and throughout the playoffs.

The result - a second straight title for Bamberg in the Beko BBL.

Yet in a business where there really is no offseason, the mission for Bamberg's braintrust isn't so much about basking in basketball glory during the summer as it is about revamping their roster for another title run.

Easier said than done. As Brose Basket's Scouting Director Brendan Rooney knows all too well, it's been another hectic offseason of players coming and going and constantly trying fit a unique puzzle together.

Now in his fourth year with the team after stints with Bremerhaven (Germany) and Galil Gilboa (Israel), Rooney just hopes these pieces fit together.

"We prepare every season like we will lose guys," Rooney told Beyond the Beat, as the team declined to renew the contracts of point guard Brian Roberts and BBL Finals MVP Kyle Hines.

"That's just the way it works in Europe most of the time, unless we have them on a 2-3 year deal. Before the season begins we always meet and discuss which spots we need to focus on when scouting throughout the year. This year I spent a lot of time watching combo guards in case Brian (Roberts) left."