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Braunschweig (dpa / lni) - There are around 9200 kilometers between Braunschweig and Los Angeles.
But despite this huge distance, NBA star Dennis Schröder tries to get very close to the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
"I try to follow all the games and definitely always check the box score," said the native of Braunschweig about the club's encounters, of which he has been the sole shareholder since this season.
This Tuesday (7 p.m. / Magentasport) the 27-year-old point guard will again watch from a distance how the Lower Saxony beat Bayern Munich.
The star ensemble from Munich comes as a title contender and shines at the highest European level in the Euroleague.
As the first German team, Bayern are about to qualify for the playoffs in the premier class.
The Löwen team, on the other hand, is stuck in the middle of the table in the Bundesliga and got rid of the worst relegation worries with the narrow win at MBC at the weekend.
Which is already a success in this complicated season, in which the team was thrown back by two compulsory Corona breaks.
In addition, national player Lukas Meisner recently injured his shoulder.
His failure is particularly bitter for the Lions because the 25-year-old, a native of Brunswick and a German talent, represents the new Brunswick ambitions with Schröder.
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What does the commitment of the NBA star mean for the Lower Saxony people who like to orient themselves upwards and want to compete with the top teams?
“First of all, securing the Bundesliga basketball at the location,” replies Managing Director Nils Mittmann very matter-of-factly.
"But that is also the most important thing," he emphasizes immediately.
Schröder's entry secures the lion in the economically tense situation of the Corona crisis no less than the existence.
The commitment of the biggest German basketball star since Dirk Nowitzki also attracts a lot of international attention and should also be recognizable in detail: At Schröder's request, a new logo was designed in the new club colors black and gold.
“At some point we have to tick it off and fill it with content,” says Managing Director Mittmann, who was also born in Braunschweig and played there for several years in the Bundesliga.
Teams like Alba Berlin or Bayern Munich could position themselves on the fact that they want to become champions.
For the other teams, on the other hand, it is difficult to strive for that credibly.
That is why Braunschweig is following the path that Dennis Schröder has shown from the club's youth department to the NBA: Up with talents from Germany or Europe.
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The approach of concentrating on the development of young players and giving them «training and platform» in Braunschweig is already visible.
In January, the Löwen reported that 63.8 percent of all playing minutes were accounted for by players with a German passport.
The Löwen were clearly ahead of Alba Berlin (54.3) and ratiopharm Ulm (53.2), both of which are known for their good work with young talent.
In addition to Meisner, Karim Jallow, Gavin Schilling and the only 18-year-old Luc van Sloten are convincing.
BBL expert Stefan Koch recently described the Braunschweig model as “the bravest project in the league”.
Bavaria's managing director Marko Pesic is also closely following what is happening in Braunschweig.
He cannot understand that there is also criticism of Schröder's commitment.
"It's a great thing for German basketball," said Pesic.
Schröder does not challenge this criticism anyway.
He is convinced of the way and has a dream.
"I would like to come back to Braunschweig when I was just under 35, play for the Löwen and win a championship."
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210308-99-736256 / 2
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Structure of the basketball lion Braunschweig
BBL table