Basketball Bundesliga club BG Göttingen has become more flexible and therefore stronger thanks to its two additional commitments. And: The fitness bolzerei of the past few days has been excellent, the violets are in top shape – these are the findings of BG head coach Roel Moors after the 90:69 home win against the strong representation of the Niners Chemnitz. As early as Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Fraport Skyliners from Frankfurt, who are fifteenth in the table, have the next opportunity to prove their new strength – however, one top performer is definitely out, the use of another is questionable, as Moors reveals.
Big Man and crowd favorite Harper Kamp is not there, the use of newcomer Harald Frey is on the brink. Both are suffering from injuries, which the Belgian head coach of the BG declined to comment on. On the other hand, it is clear that both players are urgently needed.
Moors: “Frey is an extra option for us”
“Frey is important to us and I hope he’ll be there,” Moors says of his new point guard, who also impressed against the Niners. “He’s an extra option for us, a driving force, also because he has different qualities than Brown. They’re not similar in their game, so it’s not a bad thing to have them play together.”
Kamp definitely can’t be there, and in that regard it’s good that BG have signed up Nate Grimes in the center position. His debut against Chemnitz was “difficult as expected” for him, “he’s actually not ready for the BBL and needs more time,” said Moors. However, if Kamp is now out, “it would be important for him to make huge strides” in his development. Motto: jump, and a net will catch you – “a good performance might help him,” says the BG head coach.
Even if both Veilchen pros dropped out, Göttingen is still well positioned, emphasizes Moors: “We have enough quality in the squad, and other teams also have their problems. We have to try to maintain our level and the main thing is that we can develop our game against Frankfurt.”
Against Chemnitz, that was first class, especially in the last quarter, when the BG pulled away with a 19-0 run and could not be caught. “We dealt with the switching (tactical change of opponent on defense, editor’s note) much better, did a lot of right things in the end and just played well. It was both quality and luck,” says Moors. And: “We’ve worked a lot on our condition over the past ten days, and that, together with small changes on the defensive, paid off in the last quarter.”
Now the BG meets a team that hasn’t played a game since the 56:72 home defeat against Alba Berlin on February 15th. The time was used, among other things, for a six-day training camp in Mallorca. “It’s always difficult to say whether such a break is an advantage or a disadvantage for the opponent,” says Moors – on the one hand, the Skyliners are fully rested and almost completely relaxed, on the other hand, the violets not only gained self-confidence in the win against Chemnitz, but after the international break, they have already taken the first step back into a matchday rhythm.
Moors assistant: “Frankfurt is better than the place in the table”
“Frankfurt is much better than where they are in the table,” explains Moors assistant Olivier Foucart, who in the same breath warns of the signings of Will Cherry and Jamel McClean. “They are very well organized defensively and get the sixth most rebounds of all teams,” emphasizes the Belgian assistant coach.
“Our focus is on our defense,” says Foucart. “We want to repeat the things that we did well against Chemnitz, especially in the second half: intensive defense, putting pressure on the ball, rebounding well, playing fast.” Should this work as well as in the last quarter against the Niners , it could turn out well for the BG again without Kamp and possibly Frey.
By Edward Warda
