Basketball champion Alba Berlin: The ripped off young bunnies

Jack Kayil didn’t want to let go of the silver-plated brass masterpiece. So after the extensive congratulations in the opponent’s hall, he dragged the championship trophy into the dressing room. It was urgent because the team had to get to the train. A small note on the differences between these two clubs: While the people of Munich like to fly by charter, the people of Berlin prefer Deutsche Bahn.

They arrived safely and on time, and the railway didn’t want to deny this “fairy tale”, as Alba boss Marco Baldi called it, a happy ending in order to then properly celebrate the “most unexpected of all titles so far”, as Baldi said. As great as Alba’s joy was, Bayern was in shock, as Berlin was almost hopelessly behind by 20 points at half-time.

But as in the fourth game, when Berlin also came from behind in the final stages, the team demonstrated their incredible resilience. When Berlin’s Malte Delow hit a three-pointer to make it 67:66, the first lead in what felt like an eternity, it was like a knockdown for the opponent. And the worse the Munich team hit, the more confidently the Berlin balls found their way into the target. Kayil in particular came up trumps, the Berlin playmaker collected all of his ten points in the final phase.

Perhaps the 20-year-old talent is the most understandable way to explain why this Berlin selection won the twelfth championship title in the Alba club’s history so unexpectedly and deservedly. Before the last quarter, Kayil had hit eight three-pointers, but he didn’t let himself get discouraged and was there at the crucial moment with astonishing nonchalance. The guests showed exactly what one would expect from the experienced, highly decorated Munich team. Delow, 25, who scored 14 points, or Jonas Mattisseck, 26, who, like top scorer Justin Bean, collected 18 points, acted like old hands.

In the previous season, Alba flew out of the quarter-finals 0-3. Coach Calles was said to be unable to win playoffs

“Today’s game was a reflection of the season,” Baldi rejoiced, “every setback made us grow even closer together.” And there were a few of them. The managing director recalled a “huge cut before this season”: Berlin started the season by withdrawing from the beloved Euroleague to the less attractive Champions League, which was “difficult to convey” not only to the fans. Some of the best had left the club to accept better offers.

The first season under the new coach Pedro Calles, who came in for Israel Gonzales two years ago after a prolonged lull, started badly. Berlin had to qualify for the championship finals via the play-ins in order to lose 3-0 to Ulm in the playoff quarter-finals. Calles was then given the “predicate” that he could not win knockout games.

The current season also got off to a mediocre start, but the Berliners increasingly came together better in terms of play, no matter what setbacks they had to overcome. Like the departure of Boogie Ellis, who – after strong performances and just ten weeks in Berlin – was bought away from Alba by the potent Euroleague representative Dubai. “These guys have an incredible mentality,” explained Baldi, visibly moved, “they play with so much heart and character.” Baldi also saw a reason for success in the special relationship between the key players and the club: “Players like Delow and Mattisseck have been in the club since they were six years old, they were practically raised on Alba milk.”

Despite the success, Alba will remain modest, says Baldi: “We won’t go into debt or try to scrape together money somehow. We will build our future the way we built the club and this team.” Jack Kayil can serve as proof of this: he will initially be leaving Berlin for the USA; he is attracted by the NBA draft and almost equally good income opportunities at college.