The OPEL SKYLINERS have began a small losing streak and it s time to get back into the winning rhythm. Frankfurt will travel to Wuppertal and face the tough Union Baskets Schwelm on Saturday. Schwelm entered the BBL this season, but has had problems against the BBL teams. Schwelm has been stuck in the BBL basement in last place. This seems to be a contest that should be no problem for the defending champion OPEL SKYLINERS. "Schwelm is no cakewalk. They are a scrapy team and we can´t take them lightly. They have a new American player and they are a lot better than the first time we played them", said a cautious assistant coach Simon Cote.
Schwelm may be in last place, but they seem not to be scared of anyone, especially in their own arena. Some weeks ago, they almost upset ALBA Berlin. Berlin was able to escape embarrassment by winning in overtime. The 2004-2005 season has shown a very even balanced parity among teams in the BBL. Frankfurt will need to not only compete against Schwelm but also against their sixth man. "We will need to be very prepared because not only is Schwelm tough to play, but they have very tough fans", said Alex King about their upcoming opponent.
Schwelm is also riding on a losing streak, having lost their last three games. They don´ t really take advantage of their home court either, having won only three out of ten games. Schwelm has a very international squad, having players from the United States, Lithuania, Croatia, Bahamas and the Ukraine. The team is led by Lithuanin forward Vilius Gabsys who is averaging 16.1 points per game. The OPEL SKYLINERS will need to come up with a plan to control the boards. Schwelm`s big man Ryan Bond is 2,07 meters and is averaging 15.0 points per game. Frankfurt has the height advantage and will need to improve on their rebounding, which was a bit lackluster against Gießen. Frankfurt has five days to regroup and know what it will take to win. "We will have the same mind set as in any other game. We need to be more focused executing offensively as well as defensively and not think about the next game", said a confident Chris Williams.
The injuries of some of the OPEL SKYLINERS are still a problem, but the players are recuperating. Against Gießen Jukka Matinen was on the bench. He could see action against Schwelm if coach Didin chooses to use him. Coach Didin will make the necessary adjustments, so Frankfurt can be in the best position to defeat a hungry Schwelm club. History has often shown that after a loss, the OPEL SKYLINERS have returned on fire and won the next game. Frankfurt hopes that will be the case on Saturday. The first time, Frankfurt played Schwelm this season, it was after a tough Euroleague loss against Treviso. After this loss, they defeated Schwelm 95-77 in the Ballsporthalle. OPEL SKYLINERS captain Pascal Roller is a symbol of never-ending optimism. Even after a tough loss against Gießen, he is always looking into a positive future. "This was a tough loss, but I hope this will make us stronger for the next games."
Coach Didin has had much success as a coach before he came to Frankfurt. "You simply need to believe you can win every game." This positive attitude has been successful for Didin with many other clubs and no one should doubt that he won`t be successful with the OPEL SKYLINERS. Now the OPEL SKYLINERS can make it all reality with a victory against Schwelm on Saturday.
Miles Schmidt-Scheuber reporting for the OPEL SKYLINERS
