fromEast Tinç
shut down
Frankfurt Skyliners back in action after a long quarantine. Coach Ocampo: “It doesn’t matter if we play well or badly. We will not blame it on Covid.”
On Wednesday, coach Diego Ocampo gathered his team in the training hall for the first time in 17 days. There was no more team training at the Frankfurt Skyliners for 17 days due to numerous corona cases. Only a few players could train individually. And this Friday, the Hessians have to play the Niners Chemnitz (7 p.m.) again in the basketball Bundesliga. Against a team that is in full rhythm and, sixth in the table, is clearly on course for the playoffs. The Skyliners, on the other hand, as table 15. need to look further down. “It doesn’t matter if we play well or badly. We won’t blame it on Covid. That would only be an excuse,” says head coach Ocampo.
Honestly, the first step after the quarantine for so many players for the Skyliners can only be about finding a rhythm again. On Monday, January 10th, the first player had tested positive for Covid. In the days that followed, the numbers grew, so that in the end only four healthy players were left. The Skyliners had to postpone two games, and the game on January 9th had to be canceled by the opponent Oldenburg due to too many corona cases. “A lot of people are dealing with this situation right now. This is the world we live in and we have to adapt,” says Ocampo. The motto in the dressing room is: “Every problem is an opportunity for us to improve.”
He made individual units with the existing players. The actors who tested positive were unable to do anything for the first seven days because they had cold symptoms. So far, no one has shown any signs of long-term consequences. All players in the team vaccinated at least twice. Only Brooks DeBischopp will be out longer. Center broke his hand. The 23-year-old would not have been included in the squad for the Chemnitz game anyway, as 2.21-metre man Matt Haarms has returned to training after his ankle injury. “He’s fit and will play,” announces Ocampo. DeBischopp and Donovan Donaldson are the seventh and eighth foreigners in the Skyliners roster, with a maximum of six in the roster per game. Big Man Lorenz Brenneke will also not travel to Saxony due to groin problems. He will be out for a week or two.
worry about health
Diego Ocampo hopes his players will get through the coming weeks well. “I worry about the health of the players in the future,” says the Spaniard. Too many games in the coming weeks after such a long break could become a problem. In addition to the physical condition, it is also a mental challenge. “No player complains and they give their all in training,” says Ocampo. Against Chemnitz it will be about going into the game with clear ideas. “We will fight,” promises the coach. “I don’t know what the result will be. We just have to focus on how we want to play.”
