Unprecedented work of young people : As Alba, the largest basketball club in Germany was

it Would have been Marco Baldi always been about talent for the professional basketball breed, would have met his work already in the year 2002. Germany played at the world Championships in Indianapolis. It was a phenomenal tournament for the young team. NBA-Profi Dirk Nowitzki led the German Team to the semi-finals, where it lost to the strong Argentinians. "It was a great tournament for us in Berlin," says Baldi. "Because, in addition to Nowitzki and Pascal Roller, all the other from Alba Berlin, and TuS Lichterfelde, the cooperates today with Alba."

This tournament is in Indianapolis, was therefore also an expression of the basketball boom that prevailed in Berlin in the nineties. The NBA has always been followed in Germany. In Berlin, the enthusiasm for the Sport was reflected in the tip at Alba. The Berlin had just taken over from Bayer Leverkusen as the best German basketball club. Basketball is the new thing in Germany. In any case, a Sport with a lot of potential. But it was still a sport that was in the middle of the width is infinitely far away from the football.

Alba Berlin of the German Bundesliga dominated the other pictures of view 1 of 27Foto: Matthias Koch/imago28.05.2018 14:20And 2001, the great goes on mostly party. Wendell Alexis to show it: It is the fifth title in a row.Back Next

Therefore, it was also in the interest of Alba Berlin Manager Marco Baldi, the foundations of the sport. "In 2006," says Baldi, "a paradigm shift in our Basketball philosophy: We wanted to miss our club in addition to the classic top-class sports also have a social orientation. We wanted to massively go into the wide.“

Alba regularly assists approximately 8000 children

And the fact Alba Berlin. With more than 2000 members, is now the biggest Basketball club in Germany has cooperated since then with nurseries, primary and secondary schools and today offers nearly 80 AGs. Alone 70 trainers are employed in this area at Alba Berlin. Overall, the Association cared for regularly to about 8000 children. The club is also height-adjustable baskets to allow even the Smallest, already having fun on the Basketball, organized a game of operation for significantly more than 100 schools, tens of youth and Amateur sports teams, as well as a wheelchair basketball division.

"let's go this way very consistently," says Baldi. "This brings challenges, but nevertheless, it fulfills us." What is the 56-Year-old with challenges assumes, of course, are the high cost of this social component. The three-million-Euro Alba for the area. In German Basketball, that's a damn high amount. With three million euros, the club could improve their squad significantly. Pretty sure this broad focus has cost the club in the past few years, a couple of title. "We have been criticized for that, too. But you have to be able to then endure,“ says Baldi. And if the man claims, "that this model is in the scale in the top Basketball sport unprecedented," then he's right.

as the professional basketball is a single of the shark, perhaps even more than the football. This is also due to the all-powerful North American professional League NBA. It is the powerful player in this multi-billion dollar business. "The NBA gathers the best players in the world and don't have to pay a training compensation", scolds Baldi. This means that The many millions, the Alba invests in the power sports industry for the youth training, under the current rules of the game are difficult to recoup.

Many of our own plants in the pros

The goal of every basketball professionals in the NBA. And if one of us gets as Moritz Wagner the Chance to play there at the side of Superstar LeBron James, then he uses it also and his training Association Alba. "Here's the world Basketball Association Fiba. But does not want to create yet with the NBA,“ says Baldi. In the process, the Manager, saw the NBA the own Branch. "Finally, with this System, hardly any incentives, your own players to train."

Alba is doing it anyway and has rarely benefited so much thereof as in the past few months, as the players get from their own offspring a lot of times to use in the pros. The list of young debutants, is a long one: Franz Wagner replaced in the last season at the age of 16 years, his brother Moritz as the recent Albanian players in the League. Jonas Mattisseck, 19, was called up ten days ago for the first Time in the national team. Also Bennet Hundt, 20, and Hendrik Drescher, 18, came under Alba's Spanish coach Aito Garcia Reneses at the pros. Tim Schneider, 21, has been one and a half years with the Team, and also in the case of Albanian-trained, but more established national team player Niels Giffey and Joshiko Saibou. If Alba is on this Sunday the commencement in Bamberg in the final of the German Basketball Cup, at least four, maybe even five players from the own youth in the squad. This is in German Basketball is probably also unprecedented.

duel of the generations: of Bamberg, Nikos Zisis (left) is more than twice as old as Alba's Franz Wagner.Photo: imago/Camera 4

"It's great when it works," says Baldi. "Then the young players can see our lighthouse, the professionals, and know that you can do it also." Probably the brightest lights goes out at the moment of Franz Wagner, also when the 17-Year-old still has no professional contract, and with a change to a US College toying. In 2008, he arrived at the age of seven years, to Alba and went through with his older brother, all of the Junior teams. "Last season I played mostly youth basketball and went in the morning to school," says Wagner, who has completed in the summer of his high school education successfully. "Because I didn't think of that because I'd been playing regularly in the Bundesliga."

"Aito is the perfect Trainer for Alba's style"

The more than two meters wide Schlaks with the boy's facial features are liable to have huge Talent and benefits in the case of Alba of the structures and the philosophy that will allow this potential to the full. "What makes Alba's youth, is that it is not the main thing, whether you win or lose. Clearly, it is also a goal, to win Championships, but that's not the most Important. Above all, the players continue to develop,“ says Wagner. This is not in all of the Clubs and often comes at the cost of basketball training. Because if a coach puts the greatest of his still-growing player under the basket, you win games in order, perhaps, or even Championships. As soon as the physical advantage is eventually gone, missing without a well-developed basic technical skills, but the means to play at the highest level of Basketball.

Alba is, therefore, up to a certain age and the holistic training in the center. The children and young people to live out their instinct to play, have fun and learn to make on the field decisions. "You don't have to be able to play with ten years ago, a System is perfect," says Wagner. "You have to know how you move, and understanding of the game develop." In the case of the professionals, systems, learned running paths, and the moves are of course inevitable, Reneses has, however, its own way of working. The Basketball teacher, has formed NBA Stars such as Pau Gasol, Ricky Rubio, or Kristaps Porzingis, gives the team a tactical framework, within its own decisions, and engages in the game from the side line, only very rarely correct. "Aito is the perfect Trainer for Alba's style," says Wagner.

2018 won Alba in three age classes of the German championship

of Course, there are also critical voices that say that it could be with the new glory in Alba quickly, if the brilliant professional and training coach Reneses will leave the club at some point. Baldi says, however, that the orientation and philosophy of the club to be leading the way and not individuals. "Even if Aito is a great coach and us with his charisma and his reputation is very helps."

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Before the final in Bamberg Alba Berlin air looks at the Cup after top

Julian Graeber

But even if it should no longer run in the Post-Aito-Era in the pros-sporty-so-good, Baldi have patience. Because of the success of that Paradigm shift is reflected in the results. In 2018, the Berliner became the first club in the German Championships in the three most important young age classes. In addition, Baldi and Alba still have the many Kids that play, thanks to the commitment of club Basketball. "The meaningfulness of our work is given in each case," says Baldi. And this is also – unfortunately – in top-level sport is quite unprecedented.