From now on, Niners Chemnitz will concentrate on the BBL start on October 4th against Heidelberg. TAG24 spoke to Captain Jonas Richter (25).
Chemnitz – They had two days off Niners after returning from Qualifying tournament from Skopje. From now on, the focus is on the BBL start on October 4th against Heidelberg. TAG24 spoke to Captain Jonas Richter (25).
Niner’s ace Jonas Richter (25, left) wants to go into the Bundesliga game against Heidelberg well regenerated on Tuesday. © IMAGO/Alexander Trienitz
TAG24: Three knockout games in five days – has Skopje’s tight schedule shaken out of your bones yet?
Richter: “I still feel the strain a little bit. But given our intensive style of play with pressure across the entire field, that’s completely normal.”
TAG24: At their premiere on the European stage, your team was close to entering the Champions League. What was missing against Tofas Bursa in the end?
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Richter: “In the first quarter, the Turks took us by surprise with their physique and their fast game. In the last few minutes it was perhaps also a question of strength. The disappointment after the 78:82 in the final was huge for all of us. Because we could have made it .”
TAG24: Doesn’t pride outweigh with some distance?
Richter: “We wanted to play the Champions League. All of our preparations this summer were geared towards that. The end still hurts. On the other hand: We’re only going into our third BBL season and can be proud of having come this far. The disappointment has to we’ll quickly shake off.”
TAG24: You played three times in Skopje in front of almost empty stands…
Richter: “The low response from the audience was a bit of a shame. It felt like the pre-season. We often thought: What would the atmosphere be like in the hall if we had played in Chemnitz.”
TAG24: From mid-October, the Niners will play in the Europe Cup. The burden is significantly greater than in previous years, isn’t it?
Richter: “Two or three games a week – that’s new territory for me too. I think the focus will then be on regeneration and less on the training sessions. I hope that the quality of our BBL games doesn’t suffer as a result.”
