Sport
The city of Salzburg will be the stage for the Austrian national basketball team this week. NBA star Jakob Pöltl, who is wearing the ÖBV dress again after four years, will also be there. Ireland and Cyprus will be played on Thursday and Sunday.
When Pöltl throws up against the Irish in the Alpenstraße sports hall, it is almost exactly four years to the day since he last played for Austria. Captain Thomas Klepeisz is the only teammate from back then (the duel with Germany in Braunschweig on June 29, 2018 in the qualifier for the 2019 World Cup/note) that the local NBA pioneer met again in Salzburg. The San Antonio Spurs center can make his comeback for Austria because all insurance matters have been settled positively. “I always assumed it would work. Otherwise I would have been sad,” said Pöltl to the APA – Austria Press Agency. He was with the team “to win games”.
Coach: Pöltl “makes the difference”
Coach Korner expects a “boost” with the NBA Center. That applies to the interest of the fans in the last two games in group A of the pre-qualification in Salzburg as well as to the quality of the team. The 48-year-old Viennese was convinced that Pöltl would “make the difference”. His team beat Ireland and Cyprus away, which is “no guarantee of home wins”, but “we don’t want to put the role of favorites away”.
16-year-old youngest national team player
Among the 14 players called up, there is a quartet with Sebastian Käferle and Jonathan Knessl (both Oberwart Gunners), Timo Lanmüller (Tigers Tübingen/GER) and the 16-year-old and 2.02 meter tall Fynn Schott from BSL-promoted Fürstenfeld Panthers the possible national team debut. The latter could become the youngest national team player of all time. As expected, Austria has to do without Rasid Mahalbasic (last CB Breogan/ESP) and Luka Brajkovic (last Davidson College/USA), who were listed in a first squad a month ago, but also Enis Murati from champion BC Vienna, Daniel Friedrich ( Swans Gmunden) and Marvin Ogunsipe (last FC Bayern Munich/GER).
Coach has to take time off
Korner will not be released from his new club Hamburg Towers for the time being for the ÖBV team. Of course, he would “stay emotionally on board” and “be there in the background,” said the Viennese in connection with the involuntary break to the APA. It has been agreed with Hamburg to reassess the situation regarding its engagement in Austria in the summer of 2023. If the green light is given, “I’ll be back,” announced Korner. In the second round of the European Championship pre-qualification starting August 22nd, the former first assistant coach Christopher O’Shea (Klosterneuburg Dukes) will take over the position of head coach.
The games against Ireland on Thursday (8:20 p.m.) and Cyprus on Sunday (6:00 p.m.) will each be broadcast live on ORF Sport +.
