Basketball League / Picture: APA / HERBERT PFARRHOFER
The bet-at-home Basketball Superliga (BSL) relies on a 100 percent vaccination rate against the corona virus. Only players, coaches and referees who have been vaccinated are allowed to participate. The regulation applies from November 1st. Clubs and leagues have agreed on this, said Johannes Wiesmann, General Manager of Basketball Austria, at a press conference in Vienna on Thursday.
The kick-off into the new game year takes place on the weekend with two derbies. BC Vienna will host the Vienna DC Timberwolves, defending champion Swans Gmunden will host the Flyers Wels on Lake Traunsee. He is hoping for a “season with fans from the first to the last matchday” and of course for an exciting championship, said Wiesmann. The spectators in the halls would have been absent for a year.
The number one title contender is BC Vienna, who not only signed the ÖBV international Enis Murati (“MVP” of the last BSL season), Bogic Vujosevic and Jozo Rados, but also four new legionnaires. “Our goal is the championship title,” announced General Manager Petar Stazic Strbac. Of course, Gmunden, Kapfenberg Bulls and Co. did not voluntarily give the trophy to the Viennese.
The BSL basic round will again run over 18 match days. Then the points are halved and the league is divided into the placement (top 6) and qualifying round (bottom 4). In the second championship phase, the ranking for the play-off, which eight clubs reach, is played out. Quarter and semi-finals as well as the series of finals will be decided in the “Best of five” format. The same applies to the duel between the ninth and the tenth, which is against relegation. If the champions of the 2nd Bundesliga fulfills the license requirements – which are eased for the first year according to Wiesmann – there is a direct promoter. If this is not the case, the league can award a “wild card”.
Four BSL teams are also involved internationally. From Wednesday next week Kapfenberg will play in the FIBA Europe Cup (Group A) against BBC Bayreuth, the club team of ÖBV team boss Raoul Korner. The Dukes Klosterneuburg, Wels and Vienna (previously in the 1st round of qualification for the FIBA Europe Cup) are competing in the Alpe Adria Cup, which is already running. The fifth team on the European stage was Gmunden. The Swans were in the 2nd round of qualifying for the FIBA Europe Cup.
Wiesmann noted positively that the BSL clubs are increasingly playing internationally. As a novelty at home he announced the freestyle of the “Talent of the Month” in the new season.
Sky will again broadcast up to 48 games live. According to Gerfried Pröll from the league's long-term TV partner, this includes both semi-finals and the final in the Basketball Austria Cup after the Supercup last Sunday. All other BSL games are produced by Synergy Sports and streamed live on skysportaustria.at for free. Last but not least, ORF Sport + shows 15 selected matches live, as it did last.
