In the midst of upheaval, Alba Berlin has had a difficult to bad season so far. Those responsible preach patience and promise foresight. But what does it take in the short term for a more successful season finale? By Jakob Lobach
When his teammates leisurely strolled into Alba Berlin’s training center shortly after 10 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Jonas Mattisseck was already there. Assisted by Alba’s individual coach, the 24-year-old basketball professional worked on his jump shot on the light brown parquet. Catch the ball, dribble to the right, throw. Then do the same to the left. It was important to keep your wrist relaxed and stay in rhythm. Shortly afterwards, Alba’s players turned their focus to AS Monaco.
As the current fourth-placed team in the Euroleague, the Monegasques will be playing on Thursday (8 p.m.). White Berlin. For Jonas Mattisseck and his team, the game marks the beginning of a six-game, relatively unimportant final spurt on the European stage. In the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), however, Alba is facing the hot phase of the season – almost exactly two months before the start of the playoffs. It’s an exciting contrast, currently characterized by one question: What else is in it for Alba this season? Or to put it another way: How can the Berliners bring what has been a difficult or poor season to a successful end?
Alba wins seconds before the end
Disillusionment in the Euroleague
To start with, a rather sobering realization when it comes to the Euroleague: Five Alba victories are currently compared to 23 defeats there. The remaining six games for Jonas Mattisseck and Co. will be a duel with ASVEL Villeurbanne for the penultimate place in the table. “Although we knew it would be difficult, we fell short of our own expectations in the Euroleague. We can’t be satisfied,” says Mattisseck, who is now sitting on a wooden bench in the Alba training center.
In addition, Alba’s remaining program is characterized by big opponents and is made even more difficult by acute injury concerns. If Alba manages to be consistently competitive against teams like Real Madrid or Panathinaikos Athens, perhaps even winning a few more victories, a lot would be gained.
Defense as a sporting key in the league
In the Bundesliga, the question of Alba’s competitiveness does not arise. Third place in the table and 15 wins with five defeats is Alba’s balance after almost two thirds of the season played. But because several of the victories in question were achieved primarily through great fight, this season the question arises for the first time in a long time whether Alba has a realistic chance of winning the title? At least part of the answer lies with Berlin’s defense.
While in the Euroleague it is Alba’s offense that sometimes has massive problems, in the Bundesliga it is the other way around: Alba scores the most points on average and has one of the best offenses in the league behind FC Bayern. The defense, on the other hand – which has always been Alba’s showpiece in recent years – has clearly lost its shine. On average, she conceded almost ten more points per game this season than in the 2021/22 championship season. Also because it allows its opponents more free shots and higher shooting rates, especially under the basket. “Better defense, especially in pick & roll, could take our game to a new level,” says Jonas Mattisseck.
One of Alba’s key defensive players: Guard Jonas Mattisseck | Image: IMAGO/camera4+
A solution for the construction site under the basket?
One of many reasons for Alba’s defensive downgrade is the pre-summer departure of Ben Lammers. The center was Alba’s anchor under the basket for a long time, rotated there intelligently and regularly demonstrated perfect timing when blocking opposing shots. The fact that Alba did not sign a replacement for Lammers last summer and instead promoted Khalifa Koumadje to number one center has so far turned out to be a major mistake both defensively and offensively.
Alba’s sports director Himar Ojeda also does not deny that Alba’s squad has its biggest weakness under the basket. But how can it be fixed? “I have a few ideas and plans in my head,” says Ojeda. The Spaniard explicitly does not rule out a follow-up commitment for the end of the season with a possible follow-up commitment: “If something comes up, we are open to it.” A new or regained quality under the basket could give Alba’s game a new dimension.
Alba women conquer the top of the table at the end of the main round
The question about the coach question
In addition to Khalifa Koumadje, Alba’s coach Israel Gonzalez has also had to listen to increased criticism recently. In his third season as head coach, the 49-year-old caused astonishment with a number of changes and decisions, and not just in the cup semi-final exit against Ulm. Sometimes Gonzalez seems a bit at a loss on his sidelines and he has also been regularly changing the distribution of roles within his team.
Himar Ojeda moderates what sometimes causes frustration and incomprehension among some of Alba’s players – that’s what it seems and sounds like. “In no way,” he answered the question about a coaching discussion at Alba. “We are developing a talented coach here, just like we develop talented players,” says Ojeda, “we can be super happy with Israel and still question certain decisions.” It’s basically a must-watch on the way to a more successful season finale.
Wait and train
There is also the hope of improvement through less stress, more time and more training after the end of the Euroleague season. “As critically as you have to view this season, you can still pick out a few things that we can build on at the end of the season,” says Jonas Mattisseck, pointing, among other things, to a new intensity and mentality in Alba’s recent performances. He answers the question about the definition of a successful end to the season diplomatically: “We want to play the best basketball we can at the end of the season. Whether we fail in the semi-finals against a strong team or make it to the final and win 3-0, that will be the case to show yourself.” At the moment, at least scenario number two seems quite unlikely.
Broadcast: rbb24 Inforadio, March 13, 2024, 9:15 a.m
2024-03-12 20:41:06
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