3 years ago in Sept 2020, the world was wrapped up with Covid while the EPG Baskets were starting a new adventure in the Pro B. 3 years later, they are starting a new journey in the Pro A. How quickly things change in the basketball world. I can remember then my first time watching a game in the Karthause gym in 2020 with maybe 40 fans, mind you it was Covid with many restrictions and the Pro A at that time as far away as the Nile river. I remember hearing this man dressed in black screaming all through out the game about calls and plays. I had no idea at that moment that that was the heart and soul of the organization CEO Thomas Klein. I guess at that time the only one who would have predicted his club being in the Pro A 3 years later was him. “That was my plan. I also would of said a part of our roster then was already Mission Next Level. Our goal BBL is latest for the 2028-2029 season”, stressed Thomas Klein. The transformation and development of the club has been amazing in the last 3 years on and off the court. Many people were eyeing this and it wasn´t really a surprise that the EPG Baskets were able to reel in highly respected coach Patrick Elzie in 2022. Elzie successfully led the club to the Pro A and for the first time in his career came to a place where he had incredible conditions to work in. “There is a great infrastructure in Koblenz. You have a great arena, sponsors and the potential budget. With all the other clubs that I ever worked for, I had to come in and handle the ground work and set everything up. Here it is different”, warned Patrick Elzie .

If you carefully study how the rosters have changed each season, you easily see that it has gotten better every season. Patrick Elzie and Thomas Klein did an incredible job holding key players with captain Marvin Heckel (14/3/5), ex BBL player Dominique Johnson (11/4), sniper Leon Friderici (15/3/2), inside out weapon Moritz Huebner (7/2/1), top pro B big man Moses Poelking (11/6), energy guy Niclas Sperber (6/3) and promising big man Leo Saffer (5/4). Those are 6 talented and more than qualified players for the Pro A. You lose 2 key players with Alani Moore and Brian Butler and then you go into the summer and haul in 6 more players of the same calibur is in my eyes “Insane”, but that’s what you get from the duo of Klein and Elzie. These are 2 guys that love basketball and especially the EPG Baskets Koblenz. They picked up American Trey Hall who has a chip on his shoulder coming from NCAA 2 school Cameron after beginning in JUCO. He made a name for himself in Finland winning the title last season with Helsinki. “He has been the leader of all his teams from high school until now. He began at the bottom and fought his way to the top. He was the point guard last season for the title team. He is a great defender”, stated Patrick Elzie . Delante Jones who balled at Seattle (NCAA) is an incredible shooter that has proven Pro A experience. “He showed he could score in Schwenningen and even when he came mid season to Tuebingen still found his role. He can put ball in the hole, is a good defender and great teammate”, warned Patrick Elzie . They brought in the next great shooter with rookie AJ Plitzuweit who averaged 33,0ppg at Vermillion high school and shot better than 40% from the parking lot in 2 of 3 seasons at South Dakota (NCAA). “Key will be for him to get used to Euro ball. He is also a great defender. He will be fine”, warned Patrick Elzie . For me personally the best pick up was Lithuanian forward Rytis Pipiras. He showed in Wurzburg in the Pro B and in the Pro A with Schwenningen that his middle name could be Mr versatility. He was a bit off the radar the lest 2 seasons playing in Hungary and Belgium. “He is quiet, but very intense on the court. He is a total professional. He is a 3-4 guy and your typical Lithuanian player with that inside out game”, said Patrick Elzie . Maurice Pluskota could be the other top pick up of the season. He definitely has the most experience in Germany having played 6 Pro A seasons and 201 games and parts of 6 BBL seasons and 71 games. “He was the best center in the Pro A last season. If you ask me he could play in the BBL right now. Getting a player like that speaks for the EPG Baskets Koblenz”, stressed Patrick Elzie . The last signing was an interesting one with big man Gabriel De Oliveira. He played parts of 3 seasons in the BBL with Bonn and Rostock and 2 seasons in the Pro A with Rostock and Leverkusen. At age 25, he is a player that isn´t fully developed skill-wise. “He can really shoot the ball. He has improved a lot since Iserlohn. He has a great body and is still learning. He brings a lot of tools with quickness and athleticism”, added Patrick Elzie .

Patrick Elzie who sees other strong teams in the Pro A with Frankfurt, Trier, Bremerhaven and Nurnberg is one of those guys that isn´t a fan about giving the team´s playing style a certain name. Last season he described the play of the EPG Baskets Koblenz as a winning style. Nothing has changed this season. “We will play aggressive defense and produce offense. In the set play we will be smart, move the ball and play team basketball”, warned Patrick Elzie . Last season the team was deep and averaged 91 points on offense. It is scary to think what the club will be capable of this season. “We obviously have a very talented roster. We want to get everyone involved and satisfied with their role. If you look back in history, my teams have always been top 3 to top 5 in scoring. I like to play fast and get up shots. Nothing has changed. It is a matter of getting the ball to all the different players and to the right guys in certain points of the game. Everyone understands this and there are no selfish players. No one is worried about who will score”, warned Patrick Elzie . Last season the club took a lot of pride on the defensive end and that shouldn´t change this season. “I hope we remain strong on defense. As a player I was more of a defender and my teams have always reflected that. The new players are all athletic and aggressive defenders. Nobody is slow. You need good defenders in the Pro A. The Pro A is a tough league. That is why we will work diligently on defense each day”, stressed Patrick Elzie . An interesting aspect this season will be the how Elzie splits up the minutes especially with the big men. You have Pluskota, De Oliveira, Leo Saffer and Moses Poelking who would all start for other teams. “This team isn´t about the minutes, but winning. Every player will be ready no matter if he plays 20 or 2 minutes. The guys that deserve the minutes will get it. Having so many talented big men increases the competition level in practice”, expressed Patrick Elzie .

The ambitions of the EPG Baskets Koblenz are massive each season. The expectations have been huge each new season since 2020 and keeps rising. Usually when you reach a new level, the goal is to stay in the league. Thomas Klein wants the best for the EPG Baskets Koblenz and sees this team as a easyCredit BBL team one day. The goals still have to be realistic. “Nobody is looking us to be mediocre because of our success. When you have success, people want to see it again. Personally for me, I don´t feel pressure this season. Last season was different in that the pressure to get to the Pro A was higher because of not getting there the season before. Now we are in the Pro A. The next step is to consolidate the club. We have more people working in crucial areas to help get the organization ready for the BBL one day. I feel no pressure. Maybe when I was younger. As a coach you don´t go into a season just to stay in the league. Each team has that idea to win. Our goal is to stay in the league. Our second goal is to reach the playoffs. From there anything is possible”, commented Patrick Elzie . It will be interesting to see what Patrick Elzie can do with his enormous talent in the Pro A. The guy has been around the coaching block for 25 years and nothing rattles him anymore. Is there anything he learned last season that he can take into this season? “You never stop learning. I learned last season to stay cool. You always have ups and downs. I remember everyone being shaken when we lost to Schwelm. It happened again when we lost to Erfurt, everyone got nervous. You may begin bad, but it depends what the score is at the end. I just stick to the concept, work hard each day and get to the goal”, warned Patrick Elzie . So where will the journey end in 2024 with the EPG Baskets Koblenz. On paper, the talent is there to reach the easyCredit BBL. I see this team reaching the playoffs. The question will be, how good will the team chemistry be? The mix is great between the old and new players and in general good character guys. Another interesting question will be how long will Marvin Heckel be out and can Marcus Anderson replace him? Anderson played at top school Carelton and has Pro A experience with Paderborn and is another super defender and team orientated guy. He never has averaged 10,0 points in a season, but he doesn´t have to with Koblenz because they have enough scorers. The first 3 games are on the road and will be a big test for the team and how they do could be crucial for the rest of the season. It will be another interesting season. One thing is for sure. Every trip to the CGM arena is an incredible experience. It never gets dull no matter if your sitting next to Thomas Klein or not.