Wie ist die Stimmung im Team? Seid Ihr fit für die neue Saison?

I think the mood of the team is very good at the moment even though we have put them through a really tough and intensive preseason. I really have to give the players respect because they have worked very hard for 7 weeks and not one time have I heard someone complaining. Thats always a good sign.  

 

Du hattest die Idee den mittlerweile etablierten Team-Zweitnamen “Hightowers” mit dem Slogan “On The Run” zu ergänzen. Was war Deine Intention dabei?

Since this is a completely new team and playing style, I thought it made sense to change also the slogan. We of course needed to distance ourselves from the One Team slogan becasuse that was a part of the old coaches philosophy and it really only was true with the team that moved up a few years ago. I think everyone could see that last year that slogan just didnt fit. Of course I tried to think of something fresh to fit THIS team and since we will be a team that plays a more exciting and uptempo style of basketball, I think On The Run fits. Maybe I should have added ON THE RUN TO MORE VICTORIES haha, but that would have been too long.

 

Wie schätzt Du derzeit die Qualität der Liga ein?

I have done a lot of work along with my assistant Lars Masell in order to scout and find information about the strength of the teams in the league. I saw a few games from the Pro A last season and I believe this season will be much better than an already strong league from last year. For us it is a totally new league that we will not underestimate. I think no one can overlook another team from top to bottom, but I hope a few teams underestimate us ;-)

 

Jena konnte in der Vorsaison die beiden potenziellen Aufstiegskandidaten MBC Weißenfels und BBC Bayreuth bezwingen. Lässt sich daraus ableiten, dass Jena in dieser Saison ebenfalls ein ernstzunehmender Aufstiegskandidat ist? Ist Wiederaufstieg ein primäres Ziel von Dir, vom Team, vom Management?

Not so fast....for us those victories were only good for our selfconfidence. For the players to see what this ROOKIE coach would like to do works and for the coaches to see that the players we selected can actually play. Those games meant nothing more. Of course it is nice to say that we beat all 4 Pro A teams we played in the preseason, but I know that just like we tried a lot of things out during the preseason, the other teams did as well. I am sure every team will be different as soon as the season really starts, just like we will be. I think it would be incredibly naive to start talking about moving back up to the BBL now. For this season our goal is only to come under the top 6 teams. Anything more is great and will be a positive sign that we are going in the right direction.

 

Wie groß ist der Unterschied in der ersten Saisonpause als Trainer zu denen als Spieler?

It cannot be compared. No one knows how much work coaches really do during the summer. I of course had a lot of work to do in the past summer since it was my first time doing EVERYTHING. Not only to look for new players, but to hire a new assistant coach,talk to agents, watch DVD ́s of players, prepare a schedule, read books, plan the preseason ect. The hardest thing to do and the most time consuming was to really think about what kind of philosophy I would have as a coach and then create a playbook that matches what I imagined in my head. Lars and I worked daily for months on everything. Everything that we created was only theory until the players got here and we started seeing what worked and what didnt. Some things worked, and some didnt, but I think any coach should be flexible and change things according to his team and not the other way around.

 

Was sind die wichtigsten Eckpfeiler Deiner Spielphilosophie?

I would like to have a team that can balance speed and control. That is a difficult thing to do. I do NOT want to be predictable. I would also like to give the freedom to PLAY without feeling that they can only do what I tell them. I believe that coaches take themselves too seriously at times. Players win games and coaches lose them. I really believe that. Players of course need guidelines to follow, but they are the ones playing and should be allowed to play to their own personal strengths and to trust that their teammates will do the same to make the team better. I wont play one second, so it doesnt make sense for me to try and control my players every move.

 

Worauf lag der Fokus bei der Zusammenstellung der Mannschaft?

The first thing of course that I looked at was if I could imagine if that player could fit into my philosophy. Usually I know right away if a player can play on this level after watching him a few minutes, but to figure out if he would fit in our team concept is harder to decide. Once I determined that the player was worth another look, I then had to investigate his personality and qualities as a PERSON. After talking with people that know him, if I thought he could fit not only my team concept but also deal with living in Jena and being a respectable person, then I would talk with the player personally. If I got a good vibe from him, only then would I go further and see if he would fit our budget.

 

Was sind, Deiner Einschätzung nach, die Schlüsselkomponenten für eine erfolgreiche Saison?

 

Björn hat eher die Defensive bevozugt, Du willst eher offensiv und schnell spielen, wie kommen die Rudimente der verganenen Saison mit der völligen Neufokusierung zurecht?

I think everyone that was here last season is fine with the new situation. Especially in the beginning it takes some time to get used to, but every season is a new challenge in one way or another. Ali and Gregor have adjusted fine because they are not only experienced, but are intelligent players. For the new players, it is a combination of gettting adjusted to a new city, coach and system but this is why they became professionals and they must learn to adapt in order to succeed in their careers. I think everyone has done an excellent job until now. They all will continue to grow as a team now that the season is really starting.

 

Herzlichen Dank für das Gespräch und viel Erfolg bei den anstehenden Spielen.