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Seawolves continue to focus on continuity: Most of the promotion squad should remain
Rostock. A month has passed since the Seawolves secured promotion to the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the ProA Championship. A month in which there were extensive celebrations, the players said goodbye on vacation and traveled around the world, and the coaching staff also found time to breathe deeply after an intense season.
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“Get a little distance from the hustle and bustle, see something different and calm down,” said head coach Christian Held. However, only after the elapsed playing time was analyzed. In addition to the search for general improvement potential, the focus was primarily on the question of which players from the promotion squad should also start in the BBL for the Seawolves.
Seawolves want to keep most of the team
At least internally this question has been answered. Now the players and their agents on the one hand and Seawolves manager Jens Hakanowitz on the other are asked to reconcile all interests. “We’re currently having a lot of talks, some of which are very good,” says Held. “However, the contracts have not yet been signed and therefore there is unfortunately nothing to report.”
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But one thing is certain: “We will probably see a large part of the team and many faces again,” said the coach. Shortly after the rise, Hakanowitz spoke of wanting to keep at least a core of the old team. “The plan to work continuously was already in place the season before last. This plan will be continued,” Held confirmed. This is primarily because the coaches see a lot of development potential in the players who joined the team last summer.
Hero: “Want to benefit from development”
“If you look at how the team was put together last year, there were a lot of players who were more or less rookies in Europe,” said Held. The 33-year-old is probably referring to Nijal Pearson and Jordan Roland, who played for Wolves in Finland and Iceland for a few months prior to the season. The two should have a good chance of staying in Rostock. Held put it more concretely: “For many, the first full year is about arriving in Europe and getting to know the game, which differs from the American one, with all its subtleties. In the second year, it will be more about benefiting from this development.”
If this duo stays, the squad will already take concrete form. With Tyler Nelson, the face of the rise, it’s been clear the Seawolves are keen to keep him. Chris Carter should also be high on the list of professionals who should stay in Rostock if possible. Especially since Carter is still aiming for German citizenship and would be even more valuable with the German colors on his chest. At least six Germans must belong to the twelve-match squad in the BBL. Three others are Sid-Marlon Theis, Till Gloger and Gabriel de Oliveira. “We would also like to take these three players to the BBL,” said Held, for whom it will be his first year as head coach in Germany’s elite league.
Preparation with training camp starts in mid-August
The coach made it clear that the German part of the team could not be recruited entirely from the previous season’s stock. Other US imports are also on the Rostocker’s shopping list. That’s why Held will fly to Las Vegas in the States at the beginning of July to scout at the NBA Summer League. “It’s always an event where you meet a lot of people and can exchange a lot – and of course you can also see a lot of players.”
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Ideally, the squad will be in place by mid-August. Then the players will arrive back in Rostock and start team training. The season starts on the first weekend in October. A training camp is planned for August so that the new team can find each other better. Details are not yet clear. The first test matches should also fall into this phase. At least one should then also be played in the Rostock Stadthalle to give the fans an opportunity to get to know the new team.
By Sebastian Lindner