Both EWE Baskets and Heidelberger have to win in order to achieve their goals. The Oldenburgers want to make it to the play-ins, the Academics are fighting to stay in the league – nobody can actually afford a defeat.
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Oldenburg – successor against predecessor, fight for the play-ins against fight against relegation, negative run against winning streak and defense against offense: The Bundesliga duel between the EWE Baskets Oldenburg and the Academics Heidelberg this Saturday (6.30 p.m., large arena). a basketball duel full of facets.
EX-COACH RETURNS Mladen Drijencic takes over a coaching position at Baskets Oldenburg
The trainer duel
When the Baskets got into trouble in the 2021/22 season and the club parted ways with Mladen Drijencic after seven years, Ingo Freyer took over the helm in Oldenburg – the experiment with assistant coach Alen Abaz as Drijencic’s successor ended after three defeats in a row ended quickly. Freyer confidently saved the 2009 champions and 2015 cup winners from relegation. However, it wasn’t enough for a longer commitment to the Hunte. When choosing between Freyer and Pedro Calles, the decision was made in favor of the Spaniard in the summer of 2022. Freyer, also the former coach of Phoenix Hagen and the Gießen 46ers, lived up to his name as a “firefighter” in the Bundesliga. In 2023 he also saved MBC Weißenfels from relegation – the collaboration there also ended after the season. Since the beginning of 2024, Heidelberg has also been relying on the Freyer effect when it comes to relegation battles.
HEIDELBERG WINS, BRAUNSCHWEIG LOSES Baskets Oldenburg are looking at this Bundesliga duo
The starting point
While Baden-Württemberg is in a relegation battle
and want to stay in the league, reaching the play-ins (places seven to ten) is on the to-do list for the Baskets. A success over Heidelberg around ex-coach Freyer and the two former players Bennet Hundt and Marcel Keßen would therefore be extremely important for the Oldenburgers in the fight for these ranks – the Baskets can’t afford to slip up anymore. However, this also applies to the “academics” from Heidelberg.
BASKETBALL BUNDESLIGA Successful coach Harrelson is leaving Vechta at the end of the season
The past games
The trend of the past games speaks for the guests. Heidelberg recently celebrated two wins in a row – against the German runner-up Baskets Bonn (92:87) and the Rostock Seawolves (88:86) led by former Oldenburg youth coach Christian Held. “The last two wins saved us from being eliminated from the BBL. It’s good that we still have relegation in our own hands,” said Heidelberg club boss Matthias Lautenschläger. The Calles protégés, however, suffered two heavy defeats against Alba Berlin (67:85) and the Würzburg Baskets (76:96). “We have had to work on the basics in the last two weeks. In the two previous games we didn’t play our basketball and as a result we suffered defeats,” explained Calles before the home game. Self-confidence is currently more on Heidelberg’s side – the Oldenburg coach also knows this: “Heidelberg is a dangerous team, has won two wins in a row and will therefore play with self-confidence.”
TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE NEXT GAME What the Baskets Oldenburg want to work on during their break
Mathias Freese Niklas Benter
Oldenburg
The style of play
Freyer has remained true to the philosophy with which he saved Oldenburg and Weißenfels from relegation: Run and gun. The coach relies on fast attacking play with lots of shots, which should usually take place within seven seconds. Of course, this can also lead to a lot of missed throws. To do this, he relies on high pressure on defense in order to win the ball quickly. However, this costs grain and opens up space if the opponent moves the ball quickly and cleverly. Calles also relies on hard defensive work to disrupt the opponent’s build-up system. However, the Baskets did not always achieve this goal consistently this season. On offense, however, a lot of the work goes through guards DeWayne Russell and Geno Crandall. They also have the ball in their hands for longer and do a lot of dribbling. However, the game can sometimes become static and an attack can take a long time. In the duel between Calles and Freyer, two styles collide head-on – the question is: who will prevail?
2024-03-22 15:50:13
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