Coming Friday, October 4th 2002 at 8 pm, the Frankfurt basketball team is starting into the new season with their first home game at the Ballsporthalle. Then, the long wait finally comes to an end for all our fans. Obviously, the OPEL SKYLINERS want to start into their new season with a win over Carl Brown and Co.
Then, the wait also has an end for the Frankfurt basketball fans. The s.Oliver BBL season 2002-2003 already starts on Thursday, October 3rd, with two games: Cologne vs. Hagen and Ludwigsburg vs. Oldenburg. The Frankfurt team will go into the new season with the youngest roster of their history. First oppenent of head coch Gordon Herbert?s team is the TBB Trier.
OPEL SKYLINERS hot about their season premiere
Nine new players are in the roster and all of them want to show their best side to the Frankfurt fans.
One example, former ALBA Berlin player, Stipo Papic: "I have always liked playing at the Frankfurt Ballsporthalle" says Papic. "I am looking forward to getting on the court for the OPEL SKYLINERS in front of this great audience."
Same is for Mario Kasun, Robert Garrett, Jukka Matinen, Malick Badiane and Alex King. Canadian, Andy Kwiatkowski, already knows what it feels like to play at the Ballsporthalle due to his guest performance last spring. Just as Pascal Roller, Kai Nurnberger, Robert Maras and Dominik Hennen. It is also going to be the debut for the new and only American in the team, Sherron Wilkerson.
The Frankfurt youngsters want to score
The games against two time cup winner Trier have always been something special for the OPEL SKYLINERS. Their last encounter was in the cup semi finals 2002 in Berlin. The Frankfurt team won 75:68. Not least due to the three pointers from Andy Kwiatkowski.
However, the s.Oliver BBL league games last year took another course, as the team from the Mosel went home from the court as winner as well in Frankfurt (95:101) as in Trier (117:92). "In our games against Trier there have usually been high scores" says Frankfurt bronze medallist Pascal Roller. "The respective wins have always been by a wide margin, sometimes in favor of Trier, sometimes in favor of us - the most important matches, however, went to us. For our team it doesn't matter who were are playing our first season game against. We are primarily focussing on our own play ? so it's actually not relevant who our first opponent is. Of course, we want to bring in the first two points on Friday."
TBB: New head coach, new team, new name
The guest team will come in with a different line-up than last year. The pros of the Trierer Basketball GmbH (TBB) are now coached by former player Bernard Thompson. From his time as active player, Thompson has Carl Brown and James Marsh, returned Marc Suhr and youngster Patrick Palzer in the roster. New with the TBB are among others the Icelandic talent Jon Stefansson and 2,20 meter giant Oliver Narr.
Tickets still available
Tickets for the game are still available at the box office at the Ballsporthalle. As in previous years, the fans will be offered a shuttle service going from the Hochst train station to the Ballsporthalle and back. Shuttle busses run from 6:30 pm. Also after the game, the shuttle service will be at your disposal for about one hour. Live information on the game will be prompted on the internet on our homepage via live score.
