Tight decision: With a win on the last day of the game, Mitteldeutsche BC secured relegation in the basketball Bundesliga
Source: pa/Eibner press photo/Eckehard Schulz
The Central German BC saved itself on the home stretch in another Bundesliga year. But instead of boundless joy, the manager of the club puts his finger in the wound. There are also divided opinions in the club about the saving change of coach.
Kkeen dreams of the play-offs, acute fear of relegation, relegation on the last groove. The turbulent season of the Syntainics MBC ended with the hoped-for party, but after the 18th season in the basketball league was secured, Martin Geissler was not sparing with self-criticism. “We had failed to prepare for the relegation battle. Nobody expected it to be that tight again,” said the MBC manager of the German Press Agency and gave an insight that you rarely get in the industry: “We only have the license application for the second division asked a few days ago.” Hard to imagine if MBC had lost their last game of the season against Crailsheim (79:69).
Players and those responsible were apparently blinded by the strong start to the season. After 20 games, MBC already had nine wins under their belt, and the chance of making the playoffs was very realistic. Then you narrowly lost to Bamberg – and with it the thread. “The team had lost hope of eighth place,” said Geissler. What followed was a rapid descent. The club has only won two of the last twelve games of the season. In the end, MBC saved itself by beating Crailsheim. When you were temporarily behind there on Sunday, you were already a virtual second division team.
But in the end, the measures taken by the club management proved to be the right ones. One of them was the replacement of coach Igor Jovovic, which was anything but foreseeable. “Originally we wanted to extend the contract with Igor Jovovic. But we had to try everything to hold the class,” said Geissler. So Ingo Freyer came, got the needed two wins and saved the club.
Freyer not a savior after all?
Though opinions differ on that. “I wouldn’t say that Ingo saved us. We players did it ourselves,” said Kostja Mushidi on “Magentasport”. “I think we would have managed to stay up with Jovovic.” A clear dig at the coach. Apparently, management didn’t have that belief. How and whether Freyer will continue is also open. Of course he was the first point of contact, assured Geissler. The question now is whether the club can offer the coach what he wants. “We’ll need some time for that,” said Geissler.
The fact is that the squad will change a lot. Although some top performers were retained before this season compared to previous years, this concept will probably change. The fact that the team got into the relegation battle at all has a lot to do with their mentality. “We were just too relaxed and thought it would work out,” said Geissler. “As MBC, we have to learn that we can never sit back.”
Only John Bryant, now 35 years old, has a contract. Tremmel Darden will probably really end his career at the age of 41. And Mushidi, like top scorer Kris Clyburn, is likely to be unstoppable. Geissler and Co. would do well to focus as much as possible on the attitude and mentality of the newcomers. Because even if you play “excellently more than 80 percent of the season”, as in the current case, you can still end up in the relegation zone in the BBL. This lesson should have been learned at the MBC.
2023-05-09 15:18:17
#Basketball #unsparing #selfcriticism #MBC #managing #director
