Basketball: Telekom Baskets Bonn face an uncertain future

As of 6:39 p.m| Reading time: 4 minutes

Dhe scene said a lot about the self-confidence of Telekom Baskets Bonn. Tyson Ward (25) ran alone towards the opponent’s basket in the top game against Alba Berlin. There were still 1:45 minutes to play, Alba had caught up and was only 71:77 behind. The game was on the brink. But instead of sinking a simple and safe layup, the American opted for a feat. He threw the ball against the board, teammate Javontae Hawkins (29) flew in from behind and hammered the rebound through the ring with an “off-the-glass alley-oop”. The Telekom Dome trembled.

“That was the most spectacular scene of the entire BBL season,” says Bonn President Wolfgang Wiedlich. “Even the Harlem Globetrotters miss four out of five tries on this one.”

Bonn not only plays spectacularly, but also successfully. The impressive record in the BBL: 29 wins and two losses. With the 84:77 against Alba, champions of the past three years, first place after the regular season is almost certain. The team will go into the playoffs with home advantage. Now even the miracle is possible – the first championship title in the club’s history. “We were runners-up five times. I don’t even dare to think about the really big thing,” says Wiedlich.

“Financially hopelessly inferior”

Bonn operates with a budget of 6.5 million euros. Alba Berlin has 14 million, Bayern Munich even 25 million available. “Financially we are hopelessly inferior to Bayern and Alba,” says Wiedlich. “But we make up for it with collective quality and passion.”

The outstanding man from Bonn is playmaker TJ Shorts (25). The Bonn game revolves around him, which is why coach Tuomas Iisalo (40) speaks of a “heliocentric system”. TJ Shorts – the sun in the Bonn game – distributes the balls, but also likes to pull to the basket himself and hit safely from a distance. He has 18.0 points and 7.6 assists per game. “He’s so fast and strong at dribbling that he can’t be stopped by any opponent in the BBL,” says ex-national player and Magenta TV expert Denis Wucherer (49).

“We can keep up with every team in the BBL and don’t have to hide from Alba and Bayern,” says Shorts. “I want to be champion.”

But Bonn isn’t just TJ Shorts. “In every game someone else becomes a surprise egg,” says Wiedlich. “Against Alba it was Tyson Ward, before that Sebastian Herrera.” In addition, center Leon Kratzer (26) is playing the best season of his career, veteran Karsten Tadda (34) is experiencing his third spring. “We have a good mix of throwers, athletes, big and small people,” says youngster Zach Ensminger (22).

Bonn faces an uncertain future

The fact that the Bonn players believe in the title is also shown by the fact that they have fixed individual championship bonuses in their contracts. Everyone would get between 10,000 and 20,000 euros.

The motto in Bonn is: Now or never! Because the sponsor Telekom, which pays three million euros a year, will significantly scale back its commitment next season and will drop out completely in the summer of 2024. Then the club name will also change. “It’s still completely open how things will continue,” says Wiedlich.

It is already clear that top performers will leave the club in the summer. “Since we also played well in the Champions League, half of Europe is now chasing our players,” says Wiedlich. Especially TJ Shorts, whose contract is ending, is in demand. The same goes for coach Tuomas Iisalo. The Finn played a large part in Bonn’s success. His contract also ends. He’s even been linked with Bayern Munich.

Whoever will leave Bonn – in one respect he will deteriorate: “Bonn has the loudest fans in the league,” says expert Wucherer. “It’s no coincidence that the team has won all their home games so far.” It’s hard to imagine what happens when the really big hit succeeds…

The item was developed for the sports competence center (WELT, SPORT IMAGE, BILD) written and first in SPORT BILD published.