ALBA on Easter Sunday for the 80th edition of the Bundesliga classic in Bonn – ALBA Berlin

Photo: Camera4

Israel Gonzalez (ALBA Associate Headcoach): “The team has changed a lot since our first two duels with Bonn. In addition to a new coach, three new players have also been brought in, while others have left the club. We will again have very little time to prepare and have to manage to bring the necessary energy and concentration to the court despite the many games and trips. “

Johannes Thiemann (ALBA-Forward): “The Bonn team are still playing for the playoffs and will be accordingly highly motivated. You will enter the game with a lot of energy, we have to adjust to that and have the answers ready. We have already played against them twice and we know that Bonn are a good team. So we have to be very focused in this game. “

Bonn and Berlin meet for the third time this season

The “capital city classic” between Berlin and Bonn was founded in the nineties, when ALBA celebrated its first championship title in 1997 in the final against Bonn, which at that time had marched sensationally through to the final as a newcomer. In 1999 (final), 2000 (semi-final) and 2001 (final), the teams from the old and the new capital (Berlin replaced Bonn as the capital after reunification) in front of a large backdrop were thrilling play-off series.

This season, Telekom Baskets and ALBA are playing against each other for the third time, after Coach Aito’s team won the cup on November 10th in Bonn with 90:82 and also twelve days later in the Bundesliga first leg in Berlin with 97:74 triumphed. The most conspicuous Bonners in both games were US point guard Josh Hagins and the Lithuanian three-man specialist Deividas Gailius, who are now both no longer part of the team.

Under the US American William Voigt, who returned to Bonn as head coach at the beginning of February, who replaced the hapless Igor Jovovic, the Bonn team changed their team in many positions. The new playmaker is Alex Hamilton (the US guard came from Galatasaray Istanbul), the young US forward Jalen Hudson came from the G-League, and the German-American Isaiah Philmore returned to Bonn on the large wing position.

Different styles of play

All of the newcomers are strong one-on-one players and as such play a major role in the fact that the Bonn play system differs significantly from the Berlin play style. While ALBA distributed the ball more extensively than any other team in the easyCredit BBL with an average of 22.3 assists, the Bonn team was at the bottom of the assist statistics with only 15.2 assists per game.

The experienced US guard Chris Babb radiates the greatest danger from the basket. US point guard Alex Hamilton also likes to close himself, be it from a distance or with a strong pull to the basket, while TJ DiLeo also acts more as a smart ball distributor in his fifth season in Bonn. The power forwards Strahinja Micovic and Isaiah Philmore also shine with high odds of three, while the centers Leon Kratzer and James Thompson concentrate on their jobs in the zone.

Telekom Baskets Bonn (Ø Stats easyCredit BBL 2020/21)