This is a major setback for the Towers. “Obviously that’s not good news. We would have loved to have continued working with him. He was our first choice. He’s leaving big footprints,” said Marvin Willoughby.
“We are disappointed. And he knows it too.”
— Marvin Willoughby
The head of sports showed understanding at the same time. “I can understand his desire to take the next step in his personal career after the strong years in the BBL, in which he regularly overperformed with his teams.”
Made two BBL Playoffs
Calles came to Hamburg from Rasta Vechta in 2020 and led the Towers to their play-off debut in his debut season. Also this season, the Hanseatic League made it to the quarter-finals in seventh place in the main round, where the opponents will be Baskets Bonn in the “Best of Five” mode from Friday.
“It was important for me to make things clear before the start of the play-offs. The decision to continue my personal path elsewhere shouldn’t hover over these play-offs,” said the Spaniard, who leaves with a crying eye. “The Hamburg Towers have developed faster than we imagined before I took office. I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved together.”
“The Hamburg Towers have not only made a name for themselves in Germany, but also on the European basketball map. I am sure that they will continue on this path without me.”
— Pedro Calles
Back to Spain?
Calles is probably drawn back to his homeland. The Spanish elite class is one of the strongest in Europe in terms of sport and economy. A commitment to one of their clubs would be the next step on the career ladder for the ambitious Calles.
Before that, however, the 38-year-old wants maximum success with the Towers. “The announcement is not a goodbye yet. Our job this year is not done yet. I want us to concentrate fully on the task against Bonn.”
“As a player, it doesn’t matter whether the coach is there next year or not.”
— National player Justus Hollatz
Willoughby has no doubts about the outgoing coach’s commitment: “We’ve been very successful in the last two years and we think we can add a cherry to the icing on the cake,” he said, looking ahead to the play-offs. He was “110 percent convinced that Pedro will invest even more in the coming weeks to turn the chapter with even greater success”.
Who follows Calles at the Towers?
While Calles and his team are fighting for a place in the semi-finals, the club boss now has to look for a coach. “It’s part of the business. We see that every year. It’s a business, especially in the summer,” Willoughby said. Names of possible successor candidates are already circulating in the media. In addition to Raoul Korner, who will leave the Bundesliga club Bayreuth after six years, Martin Schiller is also one of them.
The 40-year-old began his coaching career in Hamburg at TSG Bergedorf. Most recently, the Austrian looked after the Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas. After Schiller got the double in his first season, he was released in October last year after two opening bankruptcies in the EuroLeague.