The women of Den Helder Suns open the new basketball season this afternoon with the battle for the Supercup against cup winner Grasshoppers. It is the first time in three seasons that the Supercup will be played again. Den Helder Suns coach Mario Bennes became national champion last season, but do not expect to be the favorite.
The team of coach Mario Bennes welcomed many new players last summer. Iris Vennema, Elske Heerschop and Melissa ‘t Jong all came to Den Helder. “The new players first have to get used to our playing style. In the coming period we will be in a kind of discovery phase and we will find out where we stand.”
Bennes refers to the departure of Kourtney Treffers, Janis Ndiba Boonstra and Zoë Slagter and Sarah Curran. “The only thing that counts for Den Helder are the prizes. If you look at who left, then fifty points have just walked out. I cannot and should not expect the new girls to immediately perform the same as those who left.”
The former basketball player thinks that Den Helder will have to settle for the role of underdog against Grasshoppers. “We’ve only had four training sessions. It won’t look that smooth yet. Grasshoppers have kept the selection reasonably together and are further than we are. I think they are the favorite on paper.”
Participate for the prizes
Should Den Helder run into a defeat, then according to Bennes, there is no man overboard. The success coach focuses on the longer term. “We want to develop every player of this team. In addition, we have to be a closer team at the end of the season. If both succeed, we have formed the basis for participating in the trophies in the longer term.”