Originally, the Gladiators Trier and the MLP Academics Heidelberg should have played the first meeting of the new season on Friday, October 16. However, nothing came of this, as the Heidelberg team had previously played a last test match against league rivals Kirchheim Knights, and because two knights subsequently tested positive for the corona virus, a precautionary quarantine was ordered for the Academics. Attempt number two, to compete in Trier, was now planned for this Friday, but again no basketball was moved in the Trier arena, as the gladiators have only been back from the forced break since Tuesday after four positive results and an understanding has been reached with the Heidelberg team. to postpone the game again. Try number three? Appointment open.
“Apparently, in contrast to some others, it was clear to me from the start that this would be a very choppy season,” says Dominik Meyer, the managing director of Uni Baskets. Whereby “jerky” when looking at the current game day is a capital understatement. While the Uni Baskets meet the Rostock Seawolves on Saturday (7.30 p.m., Sports Center Maspernplatz), three more games will be canceled – apart from the catch-up game mentioned. Nuremberg (ten players infected), Hagen (head coach, assistant coach and six players infected) and the league leaders Bremerhaven (two players infected) have said goodbye to a 14-day quarantine. For Heidelberg this means: Instead of the expected double game day (Friday Trier, Sunday Hagen), the weekend is suddenly free of games. Or not? Since Jena’s performance in Nuremberg, which was scheduled for Sunday, was also canceled, both parties would have time to face each other in Heidelberg on November 15, instead of April 3. The league immediately gave the green light for the idea. In days like these, almost nothing should be impossible.
Of course, the numerous rejections have the consequence that the table picture becomes more confusing week by week. Meanwhile, at Uni Baskets, which are one of five teams with five games already played, everything has gone smoothly according to the circumstances, there can be no question of that in Trier (1 game) and Hagen (2). The distortion of competition is becoming more and more apparent. “We don’t have to discuss the sporting competition at the moment. Of course that’s not fair. We were all hoping that the number of infections would not increase as they are now, but now it is and we have to try to deal with it. Ending the season is not an alternative, ”says Meyer.
There was no majority among the 15 clubs for mandatory, regular corona tests before the season. For reasons of cost, as it is said, too many clubs were against it. The Uni Baskets were not and remain true to their highly sensitive handling of the problem. Led by Prof. Dr. Dr. Claus Reinsberger, assistant trainer of the second division team, but above all head of the Sports Medicine Institute at the University of Paderborn, all those involved have adhered to the measures in an exemplary manner, as Meyer emphasizes. Above all, he has great respect for the players: “The highest risk of infection – that’s what the experts from the Robert Koch Institute say – is in the private sphere. We cannot control it. We have to rely entirely on the self-discipline of our players and that seems to be very pronounced. Kudos to the guys that nothing has happened to us. ”
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