Coach Josh King and MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg Focus on Playoffs After Champions League Exit

Coach Josh King and the team are looking forward. Photo: Press photo Baumann/Hansjürgen Britsch

Ludwigsburg’s basketball players can now concentrate on the league and the play-offs – and also have a new source of hope.

Every medal has two sides – and the elimination from the Basketball Champions League for the MHP giants Ludwigsburg at least has the advantage that they can now focus on the tasks in the Bundesliga, which will be difficult enough. There are still seven main round games left on the program, four of which were away from home. And of the three home games, two are against the top teams Bayern Munich and Niners Chemnitz. And the third home game this Saturday (8 p.m.) against MLP Academics Heidelberg should not be underestimated. After all, they have won four of the last five matches in the relegation battle, most recently on Monday in Hamburg. There is also an old acquaintance, 2.03 meter man Elijah Childs, who is likely to be particularly motivated after his not entirely voluntary move.

It’s a good thing that the giants now have homecoming Ariel Hukporti available in the center position for the rest of the season, who scored seven points and ten rebounds in the 72:85 defeat of UCAM Murcia in the Champions League on Tuesday evening knew how to please straight away. And that despite the fact that he had only been able to train with the team for one day since his arrival on Saturday. “He will definitely help us, especially if he knows how we want to play,” says coach Josh King, whose days with the Giants seem numbered, even if chairman Alexander Reil says of John Patrick’s return: “There is Nothing has been signed yet, the doors are still open.”

Regardless of this, the eighth-place team from Ludwigburg is now aiming for a good position in the play-offs. For direct entry, sixth place is required for the first time, the teams from seventh to tenth then play for two free places. Whether it will ultimately be for again The Champions League will be enough is questionable. Because with the teams from Chemnitz and Würzburg, two teams with ambitions for the competition are clearly ahead of the giants in the league. It remains to be seen whether there will be a third starting place again (Telekom Baskets Bonn and Rasta Vechta are also still in the running).

Even if only a little more than 2,000 spectators came to the MHP Arena on Tuesday evening, with a total of more than 25,000 visitors in the Champions League, the bottom line is that spectator revenue will be around 350,000 euros (gross). At least a small consolation for missing the Final Four, where the winner will receive a total of around one million euros.

2024-04-10 08:56:44
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