Dhe Fraport Skyliners squad is growing. And much faster than expected during the summer break. The Icelandic Jon Axel Gudmundsson, a build-up player, was the first new signing at the Frankfurt basketball Bundesliga club this week, followed on Friday by the American winger Rasheed Moore.
The announcement by managing director Gunnar Wöbke that “due to the economic consequences of the corona pandemic,” we want to act very carefully on the player market“, suddenly no longer existed. Apparently Gudmundsson and Moore did not make excessive demands financially, which would have been inappropriate in their case, since the Hesse were his first professional station for the Icelanders. His new teammate Moore comes from Schwenningen from the second division (Pro A), Frankfurt he uses to jump onto the Bundesliga stage. “We only give players contracts that we can currently fulfill economically,” said Wöbke when looking at the transfer activities in Frankfurt.
The Skyliners do not want to get rid of a fixed player size, on the contrary: The 2.12 meter Center Leon Kratzer should remain as a tower in battle. For him the Frankfurters are apparently ready to stretch their salary. The 23-year-old, who matured into a national team with the Skyliners in the previous season, is said to have a very good offer – mind you, in Frankfurt terms. Elsewhere, the long-established professional should have higher earning opportunities. Kratzer now has to decide: Is the economic protection in the foreground for him, or do the working times and his development opportunities enjoy priority for him?
Head coach Sebastian Gleim keeps big pieces on his previous lead under the basket. Leon has “benefited enormously from coming to Frankfurt,” he says. With an average operating time of almost 22 minutes, scratches in 19 main round games had 10.1 points per game and 7.7 rebounds. Until the corona-related termination of the main round, he had asserted himself as the third-best rebounder in the league, in the blocks he ranked tenth in the league. The final tournament in Munich in June missed scratches due to a persistent injury that he suffered during the Bundesliga break. Nevertheless, he was there in Munich to strengthen the team spirit.
For Gleim, scratches, which have a size 49 shoe, would be an “important cornerstone” of the new team. Accordingly, he rolls out the red carpet for him. “The team is also planned around Leon, because he is a very special type of player.” Because Kratzer previously enjoyed playing football, he now has good body coordination and fast feet for his size. His dynamics and bounce are among his strengths, but in free throws he has to be significantly more secure. One thing is certain: Should Kratzer, who could not be reached on Saturday for a statement, decide against the Skyliners, his successor will follow in great footsteps in Frankfurt. Only when Kratzer has made his choice will the Skyliners continue their planning in the large positions. How soon will be seen.
