AND ONE!

Weekly roundup for our English-speaking fans by David Hein.

Week 4 - October 15th 2013

 

Focus on Euroleague after disappointment vs Artland

The 2013-14 Turkish Airlines Euroleague season is finally upon us as Brose Baskets Bamberg tip off their Group B action on October 16 at home against Strasbourg. Chris Fleming’s team will look to put behind them a disappointing performance in a road loss against Artland Dragons which had followed a solid win at home over WALTER Tigers Tübingen.

Brose Baskets Bamberg embark on their sixth Euroleague season and open the campaign at home with a hugely-important showdown at home against the French league finalists Strasbourg.

“Everyone knows that this is a crucial game for us. But it’s not going to just happen by walking out there in Brose Arena and just playing,” said captain Casey Jacobsen at the pre-game press conference.

“The one thing I do know, I’ve played for Coach Fleming long enough to know that he’s going to do everything he can to prepare our team mentally and physically for a battle on Wednesday.”

Jacobsen also talked about what it’s like playing in the Euroleague.

“It’s one of the best basketball leagues in the whole world. It’s special as a competitor to measure yourself against some of the best. And you never know how good you are until you play against someone who is just as good or better. That’s what makes it so special for us. We want to continue to improve the standing of this club.”

When asked about the team’s goals, the captain added: “(The Top 16) is unquestionably one of the goals. I would like to go even higher. We want to continue to improve every year. We don’t want to stay the same. So we have a lot of work to do this year to improve from last year’s Top 16.”

General Manager Wolfgang Heyder believes the team will be ready to play in the Euroleague opener.

“We have a couple of new players and they have to grow together as a team and roles have to be figured out. It will take some time but I think the intensity will definitely be there against Strasbourg,” said Heyder.

In order to beat Strasbourg, Bamberg will have to improve from their showing from Saturday, October 12 when they lost 71-68 at Artland Dragons. It was a performance which did not sit well with leaders of the club.

“I expected a much better performance after the game against Tübingen. Apparently we are not yet capable of playing on the road at the level we have to play. The way we played in the second half is absolutely disappointing as well as how we rebounded. We need to have that urgency,” said Coach Fleming after the defeat, which dropped Bamberg to 2-2 for ninth place early on.

“I’m pretty aggravated. I don’t know if the team has realized that the pre-season is over. We’re still in pre-season mode. It seems to me like some of the guys took a tourist trip to Artland,” said Heyder.

“We need to pull together as a team, and very quickly and play with the necessary attitude. Otherwise we’re going to be in for a rude awakening – also in the Euroleague. … It cannot be our ambition to beat MBC and Tübingen. We have higher ambitions. And I don’t think the team has figured out what it’s all about.”

The game at Artland was tight early on as Bamberg trailed just 14-13 until a first run for Artland to go up 19-13. But Brose closed to within 23-19 after one quarter.

Fleming’s team appeared to find their rhythm in the second quarter, reclaiming the lead at 26-25. Still, turnovers kept Brose from expanding the advantage much further. After a number of lead changes, Bamberg led 39-35 at the break.

The third quarter saw the game go back and forth again and Bamberg were down 54-53 after 30 minutes. Brose struggled out of the games in the final period with Dragons going on an 11-2 run to open a 65-55 lead.

The champs pulled to within 65-61 with 1:29 remaining but couldn’t secure a defensive rebound as Anthony King twice cleaned up the offensive glass and hit a free throw to make it 66-61. Artland made four of four free throws down the stretch to push back ahead 70-61 with 32 seconds left to finish off the game – which ended in a 71-68 loss.

Maik Zirbes led Bamberg with 13 points while Zack Wright had 12 points, four rebounds and four assists and both Casey Jacobsen and Anton Gavel had 10 points.

In the third game of the season at home against Tübingen on October 9, Bamberg struggled out of the gates with a 9-2 deficit early on. But a 13-0 run gave Brose the lead and after one quarter a 17-16 advantage. The game was decided in the second and third quarters as Bamberg took the second frame 33-19 and the third quarter 23-14 for a 73-49 cushion going into the final quarter. Bamberg did not let up, giving up just 13 points to finish off the game with an 85-62 victory.

Jamar Smith had his best game in a Brose uniform with 22 points and five assists while Zack Wright added 15 points.

“It was a step forward. I am satisfied. We were especially good on defense,” said Fleming, who watched his team hold Tübingen to 39 percent from the field while collecting 11 steals and six blocked shots.

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