The first division basketball players of the USC Eisvgel start the new season on Saturday against Dsseldorf.
The first division basketball players of USC Freiburg will start the new season next Saturday with a home game against Dsseldorf. The trainers Harald Janson and Victor Herbosa see their team well positioned. However, the tense personnel situation is a cause for concern. How do the kingfishers deal with it?
It is already a tricky situation for Harald Janson and Victor Herbosa, the two coaches of the first division basketball players at USC Freiburg: The throwing artists will start the new Bundesliga season next week with a home game against the Capitol Baskets from Dsseldorf. Preparation is at its most important stage. But at the sports center on Schwarzwaldstrasse they are currently having problems filling the hall with players.
Many failures even before the start of the season
“Actually,” says head coach Janson, “we have a squad of twelve players, but due to injuries and bureaucratic problems we were usually only seven or eight in the hall during the entire preparation.” His colleague Herbosa adds: “We are worried that we had so many failures before the season even started.”
In Lina Sontag, Martha Pietsch, Emily Kapitza, Hannah Little and Christa Reed, six players were out longer. The association is still waiting for the work permit from Serbia’s Andjelina Radic. Most of the injured have now returned to training. It remains to be seen whether they will get fit in time for next week’s kick-off. It should be a precision landing.
So there are definitely better ways to cope with a change. Because after last season, not only did the two coaches Hanna Ballhaus and Isabel Fernandez leave the club this spring, but also a handful of top performers. As is so often the case, the Breisgau women exchanged their foreign professionals. In addition, this time there was the departure of the two captains Lea Ouedraogo and Sara Kranzhfer.
There are six newcomers against these departures. Head coach Janson is currently particularly impressed by Shiori Yasuma – the first Japanese national player in a European league. “She has the potential to take on a leader role,” says Janson. The 1.61 meter tall construction player changes from Japanese champion Toyota Antelopes to Breisgau.
In the two national youth players Lina Sontag and Martha Pietsch, the Eisvgeln managed to bring two top German talents to Freiburg. The Serbian Andjelina Radic, who is still waiting for her work permit, will run under the basket. In addition, the Americans Christa Reed (wings) and Hannah Little (center) join the first division.
The biggest innovation, however, is the kingfishers’ trainer construct. Head coach is now Harald Janson, assisted by Victor Herbosa and Robert Leichter. The full-time trainer, which the association requires is easier. He will lead the morning and individual units. Herbosa shares the evening training with Janson. Martin Huber, who has been training the second team for a long time, acts as video coach. Ex-player Sabrina Mller takes on the role of athletic trainer.
Victor Herbosa came to Freiburg as an electrical engineer in 2013. Before that, he coached the male second division Santurtzi as an assistant coach near his Basque homeland, Bilbao. At the Eisvgeln he was already assistant coach in the Bundesliga team several times, but most recently coached the second team in the regional league. “He’s a workhorse and has great basketball skills,” says Janson of his colleague. Herbosa says of Janson: “I learn a lot from Harald, the cooperation works very well.”
Eisvgel have won all test matches
Perhaps it is the mixture that is giving the kingfishers confidence at the moment. Because despite the injury concerns, Herbosa and Janson say that their team is in a good mood. And despite the failures, the kingfishers all won their test matches. Janson also emphasizes that the Freiburg youth players have developed “really well”. It will be exciting to see how the Eisvgel will start the season next Saturday. 350 spectators are admitted to the home game against Dsseldorf (start: 7 p.m.). You will see a team that seems sewn on edge, but could bring a lot of quality to the floor.
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