Hamburg Basketball
“Playing in front of such a backdrop is very special”
As of: 07:20 a.m. | Reading time: 2 minutes
The history of the Hamburg Towers is inextricably linked to him: Marvin Willoughby. He thinks back on a lot of things from ten years ago
Source: picture alliance/Eibner-Pressefoto/Marcel von Fehrn
On Sunday the Hamburg Towers celebrate their tenth anniversary in professional basketball. The game against FC Bayern Munich is sold out – and brings the Hanseatic League a record number of spectators. More than 11,000 visitors are expected.
Germany has been the basketball world champion since September and the Hamburg Towers have had a professional team in the baskets for exactly ten years. This combination leads to a record crowd for the Towers’ Bundesliga duel against Bayern Munich: more than 11,000 fans are expected in the Barclays Arena at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday. NDR is broadcasting the sold-out game live on stream.
Towers coach Benka Barloschky hopes the event will give his team a boost in motivation. “Playing in front of such a backdrop is of course something very special. We already know from our home games in Wilhelmsburg what kind of energy can be transferred from the stands to the players.” A boost of energy would be very welcome against the top team from Munich – the cup winners are currently in second place in the table with 19 wins and only four defeats. The Towers, who lost 79:90 in the first leg, are only outsiders in ninth place. Especially since Bayern have three world champions on the ball alongside NBA legend Serge Ibaka (1,071 NBA appearances): Andy Obst, Isaac Bonga and Niels Giffey.
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Superstars or underdogs – the big anniversary game should also be an exclamation mark for the development of the Hamburg Towers. Emerging from youth and social work, the Towers professional department was only formed in spring 2014. The first game in the second league (ProA) was won in Giessen in the fall. Now, after ten years, founder and managing director Marvin Willoughby finds it difficult to pick out just a few highlights from the company’s history, even when asked. The promotion to the Bundesliga on April 30, 2019 will never be forgotten.
“I still remember that I had circulatory problems for the first time in my life during halftime of the decisive semi-final game in Chemnitz. I felt dizzy and had to throw cold water on my face,” says Willoughby. When the 78:72 victory was certain, “there was nothing but ecstasy.” The fact that the championship title was secured against the Nuremberg Falcons is also legendary. “The fact that Justus Hollatz, of all people, sank the decisive three-pointer a few seconds before the end – it was like something out of a cheesy Hollywood sports film,” said the 46-year-old.
Since the opponent on Sunday is Bayern Munich, Willoughby remembers the first Bundesliga game in the club’s history: The Towers lost to their opponent with 55:111 (17:58). The north-south duel has now taken place eight times: the outsiders from Hamburg won four times. A balance that gives courage.
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2024-03-23 06:20:49
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