Hamburg. Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann and Will Christmas impressed for the basketball players against Ludwigsburg. Even beyond the season?
Had 58 seconds left Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann the great opportunity to refine his strong game. In the previous 39 minutes, the 34-year-old center had played a major role in ensuring that with eight points and eleven rebounds to date Veolia Towers Hamburg the game against them MHP giants Ludwigsburg won with 89:84 (17:22, 31:24, 17:13, 24:25). An important win against a direct competitor in the fight for the play-ins.
Wohlfarth-Bottermann was now at the free throw line with the score at 86:79 and with two goals he could not only have ensured a more relaxed final minute, but could also have pushed his personal points statistics into the double-digit range. Together with the eleven rebounds, he would have achieved a double-double, i.e. double-digit values in two of the five important statistics. The first throw found its target, but the second attempt lacked accuracy. And so the third place in the European Championship in 2022 stayed at nine points until the final siren.
Wohlfarth-Bottermann impressed for Veolia Towers Hamburg in their win against Ludwigsburg
The 3,025 spectators in the Wilhelmsburger Inselpark Arena still honored his performance with loud shouts of “MVP”. The most valuable player in US sports is called MVP (most valuable player). “I heard that for the first time in my career. “It’s certainly an appreciation for the fact that I put myself into the game here today,” he said after the game. “I have always seen myself as a good defensive player. We’ll have to wait and see whether I’ll be voted MVP of the season.” In terms of rebounds, he almost set a new record in his Bundesliga career. He set this up with twelve rebounds on March 13, 2019 in the Skyliners Frankfurt jersey against Jena.
Given his success, he was able to easily overlook that: “The victory was very important. We stumbled in the last few games, especially against Heidelberg,” he said after the game, which was characterized by many intense duels. The Towers lost at home to relegation candidate Heidelberg 79:83. “I’m glad we showed a reaction. We have a clear goal: to somehow get a play-off place.” Towers head coach Benka Barloschky was also happy with his protégé: “Jonas is a winner. He has been that way his entire career. With his defensive presence on the pitch, his physicality, his commitment, he is a very, very important part of this team.”
Basketball talent Hukporti fails due to Towers veteran
After the game, Wohlfarth-Bottermann stood for a long time with his opponent Ariel Hukporti, who is twelve years his junior, on the parquet of the now almost empty Inselpark Arena. Only a few Towers employees had made themselves comfortable in the stands to watch HSV’s less successful game against Holstein Kiel on the hall’s video wall after their team’s victory.
The 22-year-old Hukporti, with whom Wohlfarth-Bottermann played together in Ludwigsburg in 2020, posed major problems for Hamburg with his physicality, especially in the opening minutes of the game. “He hurt us incredibly badly at the beginning,” Barloschky also had to say after the game. Hukporti’s opponent Aleksander Dziewa, who had a strong performance in the previous game against Alba Berlin with 22 points, saw no land against the 2.13 meter tall, 114 kilogram center and was consequently substituted after just over four minutes. With a total of just one point and rebound, the Pole also had a more than needed day on Saturday.
Hamburg’s Wohlfarth-Bottermann on Hukporti: “He will overtake me”
Wohlfarth-Bottermann came into play for him and got a much better grip on his former teammate: “He has become a bit stronger. His talents are undisputed, he is certainly an NBA talent in terms of his game,” he praised Hukporti, who has only been playing in Ludwigsburg again since the beginning of April after almost three years in Australia. But only until summer. Then the native of Stralsund and former junior national player is registered for the draft, the NBA’s talent screening. Maybe his former teammate’s prophecy will come true.
“In the future he will overtake me. But that’s okay,” Wohlfarth-Bottermann said with a laugh after many tough duels against Hukporti on Saturday evening. “It’s nice that he’s now come back to Ludwigsburg. I’m always happy to meet people again at the end of my career and have the chance to clarify the situation again.”
Basketball: What future do Wohlfarth-Bottermann and Christmas have at the Towers?
The Hamburger will no longer be enough for the NBA draft, but it is uncertain whether he will stay in Hamburg beyond the summer. According to Abendblatt information, the veteran would prefer to sign at one location for two years. Ending her career is still an option; her friend Elisa would have a say in the matter of moving abroad.
Furthermore, another match winner from the Ludwigsburg game is unlikely to be sustainable. Winger Will Christmas excelled against the Swabians with 28 points. He had recently changed consultants and joined a larger European agency. Christmas can use the remaining season for showmanship.
The next opportunity to do so is on Sunday (5 p.m.), when Hamburg’s next important away game in the fight for the play-ins is against table neighbors EWE Baskets Oldenburg. “It will definitely be very difficult. Same situation, very physical team. The good thing is that we now have a week to prepare for the game,” says Wohlfarth-Bottermann. And to get back to top performance.
2024-04-22 02:30:00
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