Newsletter

Skyliners are attacking again with an ambitious coach

Dhe basketball coach Geert Hammink is spoiled for success by nature. In the past two seasons, the new head coach of the Fraport Skyliners has reached at least the semi-finals in six competitions with his Dutch employer ZZ Leiden.

The 52-year-old Dutchman was four times in the final, he won two finals with his team – most recently in mid-June in the newly founded BNXT League, in which Belgian and Dutch clubs play. “We won a lot,” he said on Friday at his presentation in Frankfurt. In 2021, for example, the Dutch championship.




With the Skyliners, his collection of titles shouldn’t grow that quickly. The club, which is not particularly financially strong anyway, only stayed in the Bundesliga with the help of a wild card for 700,000 euros. The opportunities to invest in the squad have not increased as a result. Nevertheless, the 2.10 meter long former center, who was under contract in Berlin, Cologne and Greece (Athens and Thessaloniki), has set high goals with the Hessians. “We want to play at the top as soon as possible,” he says. “I could have stayed in Leiden for an easy task.” Hammink still had a year’s contract there. Due to his services to the club, the Skyliners did not have to pay a transfer fee.

By his own admission, Hammink does not want to know exactly how high the Frankfurt budget will be for the next round. The certainty that the club wants to get the best out of it is enough for him. “I know that Frankfurt is professional,” says the coach. As an agency co-owner and player advisor, he has often had dealings with the Skyliners in the past. He knows the location well. Now, in a responsible position in Frankfurt, Hammink can help the Hessians set up a powerful team with modest resources.

When it comes to personnel selection, the German players have priority. “If we can get a good German player, his position is initially irrelevant,” said Hammink. National players Lukas Wank, Len Schoormann and Lorenz Brenneke are currently the most promising German players in the squad. If they see their future in Frankfurt, the new head coach gives them the prospect “that they will get their chance and develop”.

Under his guidance, the players should “work hard” and “have fun together” so that the team chemistry is right. “I’m not for training six hours a day. But if you train, then with high intensity,” he emphasized. His team should offer the audience in the ball sports hall fast and attractive basketball. Hammink, who has three children, has played under five head coaches – including Svetislav Pesic – all of whom are Hall of Famers. In Leiden, Hammink was the strong man. “I did a lot myself,” he says.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending