Ludwigsburg. The MHP giants Ludwigsburg have had an exhausting but successful week behind them. On Monday against Brose Bamberg (88:81) and on Wednesday against the Gießen 46ers (96:87), the Bundesliga basketball players had to fight to the end. “I am very happy that we won these two difficult games. It was even my first ever win in Bamberg, ”said giant coach John Patrick in an interview with our newspaper before the game against Ratiopharm Ulm (6pm on Sunday). “Of course we have to improve, but at the beginning of the season I couldn’t have imagined that our small squad would finish first in the Champions League group and have a play-off spot.”
The Ludwigsburg are increasingly benefiting from James Woodard, who sets more and more accents and also relieves Jonah Radebaugh. After a protracted muscle injury in his arm, the Guard has only been operational since the beginning of December, but is getting better and better. What the 27-year-old can do, he showed in Bamberg, when he set a new career record with 28 points. “You can see that it has quality. But I don’t think it’s 100 percent yet. It just takes a couple of weeks to get fit and find the rhythm, ”says Patrick.
But Justin Simon was the man of the game against Giessen. The 25-year-old looked rather unlucky, especially in the first half. But in the final minutes, Simon turned up, scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds. “Ludwigsburg simply has the players who take responsibility,” said guest coach Pete Strobl with resignation.
With Ulm, however, the giants are now facing a different caliber. For Patrick the sparrows are among the best teams in the league. “Ulm is not far from Munich and Berlin. You are incredibly talented. There are four players in their starting line-up who could play in the NBA. ”Semaj Christon (Oklahoma City Thunder), Jaron Blossomgame (Cleveland Cavaliers), Cristiano Felício (Chicago Bulls) and Sindarius Thornwell (LAClippers, Orlando Magic) all have experience in the best league in the world. Patrick is certain that the four would currently have a few minutes in the NBA due to the coronavirus problems had they stayed in the USA.
“Ulm is clearly the favorite,” emphasizes Patrick. An exciting Swabian derby can still be expected. It is a shame that no spectators are allowed in the Ratiopharm Arena in Neu-Ulm (Bavaria). Usually 6000 frenetic fans turn the arena into an orange fortress.
The giants will go to the Danube as early as the New Year. There will be no team celebration on New Year’s Eve this year anyway, as a maximum of ten people will meet in Baden-Württemberg due to the corona restrictions. “It will be quiet here,” says Patrick. For today’s training, however, the coach wants to bring at least a few Berliners with him. The team certainly deserved it after this week.
