Victory against Hamburg Towers at Fan Day

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Oldenburg – The anticipation and euphoria for the upcoming Bundesliga season was palpable among the basketball fans of the EWE Baskets. 5,663 spectators flocked to the large arena in Oldenburg on Sunday afternoon for the “Fan Day” to take a closer look at the squad, which had been completely revamped in several positions, in their own “living room” for the first time. The 115:88 (66:45) victory against the Hamburg Towers in the last warm-up game before the start of the season naturally provided an extra portion of good cheer. “The team is very talented, they play good basketball.” Coach Pedro Calles and his staff have done a very good job. “There is a lot of potential in this team,” said club boss Hermann Schüller, delighted with the team’s performance – but also with the great fan response to the test game.

The new players

Justin Jaworski, Mathis Dossou-Yovo, Seth Hinrichs, Eli Brooks and Kyle Rode – these names have been on some fan jerseys. But Rode had to take part in the “Fan Day” – at least in the friendly match against Hamburg that followed. The 24-year-old American injured his shoulder in a collision during training and was not in the squad. The next few days will show how serious the injury is.

The failures

Winger Rode was not the only Oldenburg professional who did not play against the Towers. Center Norris Agbakoko was still suffering from a knee injury and was not in the squad. Guard Max DiLeo was rested, as he was in the test matches in Denmark, Hamburg and Rostock, as well as against Bonn. The French center Dossou-Yovo was in the squad, but did not play against Hamburg.

The guest player

Aleksandar Zecevic was able to help out again. The 27-year-old Serb has been training with the Oldenburg team for some time and has already played against Rostock and Bonn. The status of the center has not changed at the moment, according to the Baskets. Zecevic is only a guest player. It remains to be seen whether that will change in the near future. At least he was not there at the official team presentation – but he was there for the test against Hamburg.

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The game

Both teams played with great commitment from the start. In terms of speed and intensity, it is a competitive game. Baskets coach Calles was also quickly up to speed on the sidelines. The Oldenburg team had a six-point lead after the first quarter. Jaworski, who came from Heidelberg before the season, started off particularly well, scoring 17 points in the first ten minutes. Overall, the Oldenburg team made a mature impression in the first cup round against the Tigers Tübingen next Saturday (6:30 p.m.) a week before the start of the season. The hosts had pulled ahead to 66:45 by halftime. In the second period, the Oldenburg team slowed down a bit – but that didn’t change the clear lead. The victory also improved the Baskets’ sporting record at the fan festival. In the past two years, they suffered two defeats against Bonn and Vechta.