The Niners Chemnitz surprised many a basketball expert in the 2021/22 season and mostly conjured up strong performances on the floor. That’s why you don’t have mountain air in Chemnitz. On the contrary: The Niners approach the start of the season at the weekend against Göttingen with humility. The team check from “Sport im Osten” shows how the team is doing.
The recent sporting past of the Niners Chemnitz was extremely successful. The Saxons are looking forward to their third Bundesliga season in a row, but also with humility. The goal is above all to have nothing to do with relegation. In the table, however, it can also go as high as last year when you finished sixth. The sporting father of success is coach Rodrigo Pastore, who this year again has the task of forming a powerful team from many new individual players. The Niners don’t have much time to get used to, because not only the Bundesliga is waiting for the Chemnitz team, but also participation in the FIBA Europe Cup.
The double burden is nice for the fans because there are games against attractive international opponents. The squad also has some newcomers with star potential. That lets you get over the big bloodletting of the spectacle squad from last season a little.
2021/22 season – Niners basketball that inspires
The Niners Chemnitz can look back on an impressive second Bundesliga season. The Saxons ended the season after 22 wins and 12 defeats in sixth place, which meant a safe place in the playoffs. In the playoffs the Niners were eliminated by FC Bayern in the quarterfinals. Rodrigo Pastore’s team celebrated their greatest success so far in the BBL Cup and advanced to the semi-finals after beating FC Bayern 85-80. There it was though Final against Alba Berlin.
The team inspired beyond the city limits of Chemnitz with their attractive style of play. Rodrigo Pastore’s players always ran the ball well on offense and underpinned the often lasting impression with an extremely athletic style of play. “The Niners are just fun,” was a common assessment of the Pastore squad. Also notable, the Niners had the second-best defense.
Squad – Is the upheaval too big?
After the strong 2021/22 season, the squad aroused desires and lost a lot of quality in the summer as a result. For example, the important forward Jan Niklas Wimberg switched to Bayern Munich and also a crowd pleaser Isiaha Mike, who repeatedly got the fans out of their seats with spectacular actions, no longer goes hunting for baskets in Chemnitz. Other notable departures include: Darion Atkins, Trent Lockett, ErikWashington and Franz Massenat, all of whom provided crucial minutes for the Niners last season. as an important support Mindaugas Susinskas remained – the technically experienced power forward, who also hits almost 50 percent of his three-point attempts.
The hope is that Coach Pastore will be able to bring a similar level of performance potential to the floor as last season with some interesting newcomers. First and foremost is the new combo guard Matt Mooney, who has five NBA appearances for the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks in his CV. The 27-year-old can take over a game and make a huge impression with his scoring and good passing. Mooney is a real leader and will do the Chemnitz game good with his high basketball IQ. Another key player should Shon Miller will. With his rebound strength and a knack for blocking shots, he is not only a solid defender, but also has a lot to offer offensively with his good shot from the zone and from beyond the three-pointer line.
As a general purpose defensive weapon Ah, Uguak is being considered, who is considered an outstanding defender with a height of 2.01 meters, enormous athleticism and a lot of assertiveness. Point Guard Arnas Velicka will direct the game of the Niners. The 22-year-old still lacks some experience, but in terms of ability he is already a complete player who will provide many important minutes as a playmaker. At his side is the crowd favorite Nelson Weideman. The original Chemnitz native will lead as captain in the future Jonah Richter the Niners onto the floor. The 25-year-old center follows the previous identification figure Malte Ziegenhagenwho ended his active career after six years in Chemnitz.
Coach Rodrigo Pastore – Continuity on the touchline
Coach Rodrigo Pastore has been in charge of the Niners since 2015. Right away he developed the team into a top team in the ProA and, for example, set a league record in the 2019/20 season with 22 wins in a row. The rise was successful in 2020 when Chemnitz was in first place in the Corona-shortened season. The start of the Bundesliga was anything but rosy. The first six games were lost, and the Niners fans had to wait until December 18, 2020 for their first win in Chemnitz Bundesliga history. From then on, the path under Pastore knew only one direction: upwards. Last season, the 50-year-old reached the quarter-finals of the Bundesliga and the semi-finals of the BBL Cup. The playing style of the gifted coach: strong team defense and pick’n’roll-heavy offensive. The new season will show whether this also bears fruit internationally.
Expectations for the 2022/23 season
The Niners see themselves well prepared for their third Bundesliga season. Although there has been an enormous upheaval in the team, those responsible believe that they have once again formed a powerful squad. Managing director Steffen Herhold formulates the goal for the season in BIG magazine as follows: Chemnitz would be happy to get back into the playoffs and the top four of the cup, but “we’d be happy if we had a stable season and will have nothing to do with relegation.” In Chemnitz, the season is not naïve and the success of the previous year is a possibly illusory goal. Rather, it is about establishing yourself at a certain level, Herhold continues.
What will also be new: The Niners will be despite the damper in the Champions League qualification play internationally. Namely in the FIBA Europe Cup. The effects of the double burden will be decisive in how Chemnitz finds its way in the season. The team still has to develop the right rhythm and internalize Pastore’s pass-intensive game system.
The Niners will not get into trouble in the league, the squad is too well staffed for that. It is much more likely that the team will develop into a well-functioning unit over the course of the season and end up making the playoffs again with the well-known hype factor. A look at the 2023/24 season is already exciting, because a significant part of the team has contracts until 2024. If the players get together this season, the well-rehearsed team can really cause a sensation the following year.
