Scots Around the World: Elise Tweedie on life in Bamberg

Elise Tweedie (194-C-2001) is a 6' 4" centre from the southside of Glasgow. Her professional basketball journey began at Caledonia Pride, with whom she spent two seasons in the WBBL. After graduating from the University of Edinburgh, Elise joined Leicester Riders for the 2023-24 season. Despite her campaign being cut short by injury, she made her mark, earning Player's Player of the Year honours. She returned to the Riders for 2024-25 whilst completing her master's degree at Loughborough University. She was also named BUCS Sport Premier North Conference Most Improved Player. For 2025-26, Elise has made the move to Germany, signing with Bamberg Baskets in the 2.Bundesliga, marking her first professional stint abroad.

How are you and how's the season been going so far?

“I'm good, thank you. We've been back for a month now, so I would say we're pretty much in full rhythm again with training after Christmas. We're back into it and progressing.”

You're averaging just under nine points per game this season. What's the head coach looking for you from your and your role within Bamberg's offensive system?

“I think for me I'm very much, set hard screens, roll to the basket, clean up on the glass. If there's a mismatch inside, I definitely attack that. If I've got a strong post up, I'll also attack but, for me I'm in a different position this year than I've been before offensively because I've had a role before of coming off the bench and just playing good defense and getting a couple of rebounds, whereas now I'm looked towards for more offensive output as well. I'm just trying to navigate that as well, which is nice. And I'm definitely getting help with what shots to take.”

Looking at your shooting splits, 39% from the field and 33% from behind the arc. How would you describe your own offensive game and what areas have you been working on to develop as a scorer?

“I feel like I focus on trying to clean up the glass and just go straight back up with put backs. I think I can finish around the rim, but I'm also working on more of my mid-range game so that's also an option for me. I think offensively that also makes my job easier, running away from these big people that want to hit me under the post! So if I can get out in transition as well, that's also beneficial for me. So yeah, I would say just going up when I can and looking for mismatches. I've also been working on the confidence to try and get those numbers up because I feel like, some games I'll have 16 points, the next game I'll have two. So, I'm just trying to work on keeping it consistent, finding out what shots are best for me.”

You're also averaging 9.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game. How would you characterise your all rounds contribution beyond scoring, and what does the coaching staff ask of you defensively?

“For me personally, if I'm having a game where I feel like my shots aren't going in, I know I can still get a rebound. Regardless of what happens in the game, I'm still 6' 4”. So I know, okay, maybe it's not my day offensively, but I can still get on the glass, get some rebounds. I do really prioritise rebounds because I also think that's an effort thing. I know I can always control that. As well as passing, I do think being a facilitator is something I actually quite enjoy as and especially here, sometimes I'll get doubled in the post. So it's just making sure I make the right reads, finding shooters outside, finding cutters and things like that as well. So I think defensively, I'm definitely one of the biggest in the leagues and I need to not shy away from that and definitely use that to my advantage.”

Bamberg currently sits eighth in the south division of the 2.Bundesliga with a six and eight record through 14 games. The team has shown it can compete with some big wins. Also, there have been some heavy defeats. What have been the main challenges? What's separating the good performances from the difficult ones just now, and where has the coaching staff and squad been working together to focus on improving the team's consistency?

“I would say we are a very young team in the league, which is a bit of a double-edged sword because we have a lot of potential. At the same time, we don't have the most experience. So sometimes maybe in those close games that we ended up losing, where a little bit more experience could have helped us get over the finish line. As I said, the potential is there. We're working together to get that team chemistry. But we've also had quite a tough schedule, especially after Christmas. I think we play four out of the five top teams, including the upcoming game this weekend, which is also tough to come back especially after a break because we had good rhythm before we went home for Christmas. I don't know, your body chills out a little bit, so it's kind of hard to come back to fully the way you were before. So, there's been a couple of challenges there, I would say. I think for us, we definitely play best when everyone's doing what they're best at, no one's doing too much, everyone's in that role.”

At the start of the season, what were the team's goals for the 2.Bundesliga, and have any of those shifted now that you're at the halfway point of the season?

“We had some performance-based goals. We had some “keep your teammates accountable”, especially for recovery, attitude, that kind of thing. But more tangible goals were that we also wanted to win the rebound battle every game. I think we're top four for that; I feel like that maybe even higher for offensive rebounds. That was one of our goals. We also wanted to compete in the top three, which we're currently not there. I don't know if that's possible with the amount of games left and who our opponents are, but I think it's good to have those goals because they're difficult. It's not just going to be “we want to try our best, we want to have fun”, you can't really calculate that. Having goals that are a bit difficult to get to as well does push us and maybe that changes. It's not out of our heads, I would say.”

How does this league compare to your previous experiences, maybe in terms of the level of competition, the style of play, the physicality, and the tactical approach?

“I was in the WBBL (now SLB), but I had a different role there as well. When I played at Caledonia Pride, that was my first couple of years of even playing basketball. So for me, there was no expectation. It was just go in, go and learn, and get better. We were also a super young team there. So that was very developmental based. And then when I went to Leicester, my role mostly in the second year changed because we had some changes in the team, and I went from maybe the eighth man to starting, and sometimes playing 40 minutes a game. Even there, the style of play was different. I had a different role there, whereas now I'm definitely looked towards to score more. I've now noticed the difference in physicality and that's partly because of the league, but also that might just be because my role is a bit bigger. I've definitely gone against some really good players, really good guards, really good bigs. and I would say its definitely more physical. I think as well we get away with more. I feel like usually in SLB I would be fouling out and here I've not really fouled out yet. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing to be honest! But yeah, I would say that I really enjoy it in Bamberg.”

What's life been like for you in Bamberg off the court? How have you settled into the city and what do you do with your time away from basketball?

“The city is so nice. It's very cute. It's very German, which has been very nice because I don't know, for me, I feel like I spend a lot of my time going on walks with my headphones on, or then going to a cafe, reading, or journaling a little bit. And I think being in a place that's nice and I don't know, almost cozy vibes, is nice for that because I can chill out from basketball and have some time to myself, which I think is really important and I think Bamberg has been perfect for that. I live in a really good location as well. We're literally a 5-10 minute walk into the city. It's definitely made it easier living in a nice place.”

And looking ahead beyond the season, is Germany somewhere that you'd like to continue your career or are there any other destinations you're hoping to explore?

“I've definitely had a positive experience in Germany, so I would definitely be open to staying here. I think with basketball, especially women's basketball, things change really quickly. I didn't expect to be in Germany this year at all. I was actually expecting to stay back in Leicester, and that changed literally with one phone call and two days. So, I think it's hard to say exactly where I would want to be or where I could see myself, which I think is an exciting part of basketball and having basketball as a job. I've really enjoyed it in Germany so far and yeah, I would definitely be open and happy to come back.”

Source: Scottish Basketball Podcast