Interview With Head Coach Daniel Brandão
Déi allermeeschten Experten am Lëtzebuerger Basket hunn déi Hiefenecher Ufanks der Saison als Favorit fir den Ofstig gesinn, nodeem eis Hären d’Championnat déi lescht Saison mat enger 9ter Plaz ofgeschloss haten. Awer d’Ekipp konnt si eppes bessere beléieren, well mir hunn dës Saison op der 5ter Plaz ofgeschloss, déi bescht Placéierung zanter 15 Joer. Wouduerch konnte mir eis denger Meenung no esou verbesseren?
Ech denken, datt do 3 Facteuren eng Roll spillen. Éischtens d’Plange vun der Saison an Zesummestellung vun der Equipe. Mir hu vill Zäit an Energie an d’Eraussiche vun de Profispiller investéiert. Sou hu mir Leit fonnt, déi eis Equipe optimal ergänzt hunn. Den zweete wichtege Punkt ass eis Konstanz. Mir hunn eis ëmmer op d’Léisunge konzentréiert an net op d’Problemer. Fir eis stoung d’Austausche vun de Profien dofir ni am Raum och net, wéi mir 3 Matcher hannertenee verluer haten. Mir wëssen, datt déi professionell Spiller eng wichteg Roll spillen, mee de Message un d’Equipe war ëmmer, datt mir u jidder eenzele gleewen an, datt jiddereen seng Responsabilitéit huet wat de Succès an awer och de Mësserfolleg vun der Equipe ugeet. De leschte Punkt ass d’Frëndschaft tëschent de Spiller an de gudde Charakter vun all Teammember. Et ass immense schwéier Erfolleg ze hunn, wann een net vu gudde Leit ëmginn ass. Ech si fest iwwerzeegt datt, wann een d’Startpotenzial vun dem Team mat deenen aneren Equippe vergläicht an da kuckt, wat mir schlussendlech erreeche konnten, datt mir déi beschten Equipe an der LBBL waren.
Wéi eng Ziler hat dir iech virun der Saison fir d’Championnat gesat?
Bei eis am Team hate mir 2 kloer Ziler virun An. Mir wollten 12 Matcher an der regulärer Saison gewannen a mir wollten an d’Halleffinall vun der Coupe kommen. Dat lescht Zil konnte mir leider net erreechen, well mir duerch de spéidere Coupegewënner eliminéiert gi sinn. Dat éischt Zil konnte mir awer erreechen a mir hunn et esou guer getoppt, well mir 13 Matcher an der LBBL gewonnen hunn. E liicht battere Bäigeschmaach ass bliwwen, well mir et net ënnert d’Top 4 gepackt haten, wat eis en Heemvirdeel an der Véierelsfinall vum Playoff ginn hätt – a wien weess, villäicht wär et da ganz anescht ausgaangen.
Mir sinn an der Véierelsfinall vum Playoff vun dem Basket Esch eliminéiert ginn a bekanntlech konnt de Lou just déi éischt 5 Minutte vun dëser Serie matspillen. Wéi frustréierend ass et fir dech a fir déi ganz Equipe fir ze wëssen, datt een net all Spiller zu Verfügung huet, wéi geet ee mat dëser Situatioun ëm a wéi hues du dat ganzt gemanagt?
Wann een sech op eng Ausscheedungsronn preparéiert déi ee gewanne well, an ee vun de beschte Spiller verletzt sech, da beonrouegt dat een, besonnesch wou mir en zimmlech klenge Kader hunn. Awer d’Aufgab vun eis als Coachen ass et, ënnerhalb vun der Equipe no Léisungen ze siche fir esou en Ausfall wéi de Lou ze kompenséieren. Verletzungen si besonnesch am Sport dat schlëmmst wat geschéie kann, awer mir musse wëssen, wéi mir dës Momenter als Chance notzen an net als Frustratioun. Wat eis bäi deenen 2 Matcher d’Genéck gebrach huet, war eis Trefferquote. Well vun der Spillqualitéit, déi mir gewisen hunn, ware mir mat deenen Escher op enger Aenhéicht. Schlussendlech hunn déi individuell Talenter vun de Kolleege vun Esch d’Differenz ausgemaach. Trotzdeem well ech ganz däitlech ausdrécken, wéi stolz ech op dat phänomenaalt Verhale vu menge Spiller an dësem ongläiche Kampf war.
Wéi e Moment war dës Saison ee ganz besonnesche fir dech?
D’Virsaison war fir mech e ganz wichtege Moment, well mir do de physeschen, technesch-takteschen a mentale Grondstee geluecht hunn. Sou konnte mir staark an d’Saison starten an hunn eis de Respekt vun eise Géigner erspillt. An deene 6 Wochen hu mir ganz seriö geschafft. Bemierkenswäert fir ee Club wéi eisen ass et, wann een sech virun An hält, datt mir den aktuelle Landesmeeschter, den T71, zweemol konnte klappen, genee sou wéi déi 2 Victoire géint Esch an der regulärer Saison, dëst besonnesch wou béid Clibb eis finanziell an och vun de Spiller wäit iwwerleeë sinn. Mir hunn déi ganz Saison haart dru geschafft, fir den Ofstand ze verkierzen, an et ass eis gelonge mat allen Equippen ze konkurréieren an dat mat der 2 beschter Defense vum Championnat.
Wéi e Message wëlls du eise Fans, an all deenen, déi den US Hiefenech dës Saison verfollegt hunn, mat op de Wee ginn?
Ech well iech all ee grousse Merci soen a soe wéi dankbar mir all fir déi bedéngungslos Ënnerstëtzung sinn. Ech weess, datt mir fir eis Zuschauer net ëmmer dee spektakuläerste Basket gespillt hunn, awer et war déi Spillweis, vun der mir iwwerzeegt waren, datt si, wa mir d’Eegenschafte vun eise Spiller berécksiichtegen, eis déi gréisste Chance géif bidde fir ze gewannen. A mir hu jo schlussendlech och méi Matcher gewonne wéi verluer. All eis Fans a Supporter sinn immense wichteg fir eis, well si maachen d’Stäerkt an d’Identitéit vum Veräin aus, an eis Zil ass et all Weekend erëm op d’neits, hinnen e flotte Basketsmoment ze bidden.
Elo wou d’Saison eriwwer ass, wat sinn deng Pläng fir d’Zukunft?
Am Moment sinn ech am gaangen, d’Vergaangenheet, d’Géigewaart an d’Zukunft vun der Equipe an déi Aarbecht, déi mir an de leschten 3 Saisone geleescht hunn ze analyséieren. Ech wäert mech ausrouen, menge Verflichtunge bäi der B- an der Jugendequipe wéi gewinnt seriö nogoen. An dann entscheeden ech iwwert meng Zukunft jee no de Méiglechkeeten an den Ambitiounen, déi sech mir an dem Veräin bidden.
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After finishing the championship in 9th place last season and to be considered by a large part of the luxembourgish basketball community as one of the favorites for relegation on this one, the team managed to finish this regular season in 5th, the Club’s best championship standings from the last 15 years. In your opinion, what was the reason for this improvement?
In my opinion, this classification is due to three important factors. First, the season planning and how the team was built. We invested a lot of time and energy in choosing the 2 professional players who proved to be excellent choices to complete our team. Secondly, our consistency. We always kept focus on the solution and not the problem. Switching professional players was never an option for us, even after 3 straight losses. We know the importance of the professional players, but the message that was always passed on to the team was that we believed in everyone and that everyone has responsibility in the team’s success and failure. And lastly, the friendship and character of our players. Without being surrounded by good people it’s very difficult to achieve success. I have no doubt that given the team’s initial potential when compared to the others and the results we achieved, we were the best team in LBBL during the season.
What were the goals set for the season before the start of the championship?
Within the group, we set two clear goals. To achieve 12 wins in the regular season and reach the Cup Semi-Finals, something that we were not able to achieve as we were knocked out by the team that end up winning the trophy. On LBBL, we were able to reach our goal and even improve it as we won 13 games. We were left with a bitter taste in the mouth for not finishing in a top 4 position that would have granted us home court advantage in the Quarter-Finals of the Playoffs, perhaps if that would have happened the outcome would have been different.
The team ends up knocked out in the Quarter-Finals of the Playoffs by Basket Esch, with Lou playing just in the first 5 minutes of that series. How frustrating was it for you and for the whole group, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to play these games with everyone available, to deal with this situation and how did you manage it?
When you prepare an elimination round to win and one of you best players gets hurt, not being able to play, in a roster with such a short rotation as ours, obviously makes you apprehensive. But our job as coaches is to find solutions withing the team to try to make up for the fact that we couldn’t count with Lou’s contribution. Unfortunately, injuries are the worst thing in sports, but we must know how to face these moments as opportunities and not as frustrations. What really differentiated us from Basket Esch during the two games was pretty much the shooting percentages because in terms of game quality that was shown on the court, we shown that we could compete with them on equal footing. In the end, the individual talent from Esch’s players made the difference in the series but I can’t help but express my huge pride in the phenomenal behavior shown by my players, in a fight that unfortunately was uneven.
Was there a moment that got stuck with you the most this season?
The pre-season marked me a lot, because I’m sure it was at that moment that we created the physical, technical-tactical and mental bases that allowed us to have a really strong start into the League and that made our opponents respect us from the beginning. We developed a very serious work during these 6 weeks. Obviously, for a club like ours, beating twice the current national champion, T71 Dudelange, was something remarkable, as well as the two wins over Basket Esch in the regular season, teams with a financial and human resources far superior to ours. We worked hard during the season to reduce those distances and managed to compete with all teams, finishing as the second best defense in the competition.
What message would you like to pass on to our supporters and everyone else who has been following US Heffingen this season?
A message of thanks and gratitude for the unconditional support. I know that we haven’t always played the most spectacular basketball from the spectator’s point of view, but we adopted a game model that we found that, given the characteristics of our players, would increase our chances of winning more games. And we won more times than we lost. Our fans and supporters are always very important to us, they are the strength and identity of the club and it is to give them moments of joy that we play every weekend.
Lastly, and now that the senior season is over, what are your plans for the future?
Right now, I am in the process of reflection and analyzing the past, present and future of the team and the work we developed during these past three seasons. Get some rest, fulfill my commitments with the senior B team and youth teams with quality, to then decide my future based on the opportunities and ambitions, mine and from the club.