Ludwigsburg. The MHP giants Ludwigsburg have been leaders of the basketball league for seven games. Coach John Patrick’s team has only lost one of their 13 games this season. Against FC Bayern Munich, the giants lost 70:93. Otherwise, no team has found a remedy against Ludwigsburg, including defending champion Alba Berlin. The club from the capital had to admit defeat with 71:78. Tonight at the Syntainics MBC in Weißenfels (6pm / magentasport.de) the giants are the clear favorites. But what makes the Ludwigsburg so strong? We asked around and spoke to those responsible for the previous opponents:
Roel Moors, coach of the BG Göttingen (score 100: 73 for Ludwigsburg): “Ludwigsburg has three very good creative players in Jordan Hulls, Barry Brown and Jaleen Smith who are difficult to stop. The team often plays with a relatively small line-up without a real center, which causes problems for the opponents. “
Chris O’Shea, Assistant Trainer at Telekom Baskets Bonn (86:82): “Our game was relatively early in the season, since then Ludwigsburg has probably improved a lot. I was impressed by their energy and the self-confidence of their young German players like Lukas Herzog and Jacob Patrick. I am excited to see how they compensate for the loss of Elias Harris. With his offensive skills he was a constant for his team in the zone and created a lot of danger there. “
Tuomas Iisalo, Trainer der Crailsheim Merlins (97:88): “One of the reasons for Ludwigsburg’s strength is that they can make more personnel changes than other teams in the preparation and early stages of the season in order to find players who fit into their system. The things that Ludwigsburg does well are not surprising to anyone. The secret is the exceptionally good effect of the team and that is always impressive. “
Marco Baldi, Managing Director of Alba Berlin (78:71): “Ludwigsburg’s standings are not surprising. After all, they are runner-up. Despite constantly new teams, Ludwigsburg has had a clear orientation for years, which helps. And if you don’t want to follow John Patrick, you won’t be there long. The game system is very difficult to play, so you can only congratulate the player selection. It is difficult for the opponents to simulate the intensity of the Ludwigsburg game in preparation. If you are mentally not fully there, it will be difficult. It also helps Ludwigsburg that they are not playing internationally this year. We recently had the misfortune to face the giants after a Euro League double game. If you have to go to Ludwigsburg after such a strain, it will be difficult because you need a lot of energy against the giants. “
Thomas Päch, coach of SC Rasta Vechta (85:73): “No matter where John Patrick goes, he does a great job and his teams always play well. He did an incredible job again this year. The MHP giants are an extremely cohesive team with clear structures that play very balanced and well offensive and defensive. You are always impressed by the intensity on the defensive. Actually, you can’t be surprised any more. But the people of Ludwigsburg always succeed because they do it so well. You rarely get to deal with this intensity, energy and activity that has characterized Ludwigsburg for years. And with Jaleen Smith they have the best player for me this year. “
Rodrigo Pastore, trainer of the Niners Chemnitz (91: 114): “The most important reason for the success, now and in the past few years, is, in my opinion, coach John Patrick. He’s doing a great job. What is remarkable is the ability of the Ludwigsburg team to play very aggressively in defense and to build up high pressure without committing many fouls. If the giants have any weaknesses at all, then they’ve been hiding them really well so far. I haven’t seen any yet. “
Pedro Calles, trainer at Hamburg Towers (86:65): “You put together a really good team in the summer and found the right players for your style of play. They were also able to keep a player like Jaleen Smith – who I think was not easy – in the summer. I was impressed with the persistence of their defensive systems with which they disrupted our offensive. I am also impressed by their litter rates, both from the outside and in the two-point area. “
Raoul Korner, Trainer medi Bayreuth (89:70): “A very good mix of experience and talent with a lot of individual quality makes Ludwigsburg strong, plus the enormous physique, athleticism and aggressiveness at both ends of the field. Above all, it was impressive that they were able to move up a gear against us at the end of the game due to their depth. That could be a weakness after Harris left inside. But I reckon that we will then strengthen ourselves accordingly. “
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