Congratulations again. You can choose whether to go to the championship or to make your contribution to the World Cup for the German national team.
The contribution is certainly marginal. That’s why I’d rather accept the congratulations on the German championship.
After all, you sent the players from Alba Berlin and Bayern Munich on vacation in May. Thanks to Ulm, the national players had a break before the World Cup.
Ironic as it is, that may have played a role. We are also very proud that we used to have three of the German national players in our ranks…
Thorsten Leibenath: “We have always done well by not formulating goals too briskly” : Image: picture alliance / DeFodi Images
Andi Obst, Daniel Theis and David Krämer.
You have taken some impressive steps with us, which may have something to do with your success. Let’s be honest: Overall, our share is marginal. Our championship therefore plays a greater role for us. It’s very nice that we are the champions in the country of the world champions. I often mention that.
What’s more, the development players from Spain and Brazil in their team have reached the level at which they led their teams at the World Cup.
While watching a bit of basketball on vacation, I was very pleased with the performance of our current players like Juan Núñez, our previous players like Bruno Caboclo and Yago dos Santos and our upcoming players like Georginho and LJ Figueroa.
You had to replace many professionals again. Is losing like dos Santos, Caboclo, Brandon Paul and Josh Hawley the price of winning the title? And had you taken it into account?
That is the price we want to pay every year. Having to sounds too negative. We make a promise to the players that if they come to us, they will develop so much that we can’t keep them. That’s why they’re willing to take a financial hit for a season or two. With the German championship it was a special situation. I said in February that we would see the majority of the team again next year. When we were champions, it was clear: This statement cannot be maintained. At least exit options were included in the contracts, which compensated us for the loss a little bit. We generated transfer fees with the departures of do Santos, Caboclo and Hawley.
They were able to keep Núñez, Thomas Klepeisz and their coach Anton Gavel…
This is often overlooked: we retained nine players from last year’s squad, including some with dual licenses, and both coaches, Anton Gavel and Tyron McCoy. Overall, this represents continuity. The German tribe has remained completely around Christians, Klepeisz, Herkenhoff and Bretzel.
How did you avoid being completely dismantled like your final opponent Bonn, where the coaching staff and practically the entire team left?
World champion Andi Obst (pictured), like Daniel Theis and David Krämer, played in Ulm earlier: Image: dpa
Something like this doesn’t usually happen in Bonn. I have the impression that they said: Let’s start everything over again. It is always difficult to associate players from a successful team with a new coach. The players are used to success and compare the new coach extremely strongly with the old one. From my own experience, I would say in such a case: Let’s do a complete replacement. When you see how Bonn is now with the new coach. . .
Roel Moors instead of Tuomas Iisalo.
. . . As Bonn plays with him, I am optimistic and would dare to predict that they will be very successful again.
They start the new season against Chemnitz on Wednesday with professionals from Brazil and the Dominican Republic, with players who have never played a second in Europe, some of whom are 17, 18 and 19 years old. Is this the risk you are taking in order to be able to act on an equal footing with the financially strong clubs that rely on established players?
