© Euroleague
The Bayern basketball team’s journey between worlds continues: On Thursday, the focus shifts back to Europe as Bayern hosts Virtus Bologna at the SAP Garden at 8 p.m. for its second EuroLeague home game of the season; this will mark a reunion for Munich’s national team players with national team coach Alex Mumbrú—the 47-year-old Spaniard took over as head coach of the 2001 EuroLeague champions this summer after leaving his position with the European champions. On Saturday (4 p.m.), Bayern will look to defend their perfect BBL record in Chemnitz.
National Team Coach Mumbrú is coaching the northern Italian team
But first, Bologna: This is a pivotal game for both teams, as they each have a 1-2 record after three games—a second win would help them close the gap on the top half of the standings. After losses to Fenerbahce (68:78) and in the Italian derby in Milan (85:87), Bologna pulled off a major upset last week with a 96:94 victory over defending champion Olympiacos. Last year’s Würzburg guard, Marcus Carr, hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to seal the win.
With his 22 points in that game, the Canadian raised his average to 14.7 (47% from three-point range); he is followed in scoring by center Aliou Diarra (13.7, 7.3 rpg), forward Derrick Alston (formerly of Rostock/12.3 ppg), and Wendel Moore (11.0). One of Virtus’s strengths is rebounding; with an average of 37 rebounds per game, they are among the best teams in this category—their 13 offensive rebounds rank fifth in the league.
Marcus Carr is Bologna's top scorer | © EuroLeague
“We have to stop their guards.”
Otherwise, Mumbrú—much like with the DBB national team—relies on pace and quick transitions, and the Bavarians know that too. “They’re a really fast offensive team,” playmaker Rokas Jokubaitis reported after the first video meeting. “We have to stop their guards and their fast-paced basketball. That’s the most important thing, because they’re good at transitioning. They beat Olympiacos at home last week, and after our loss to Partizan, we need to step up our game and take this very seriously.”
Head coach Anton Gavel once again has all 15 pros at his disposal after Miles Norris (dental surgery) and, once again, MarJon Beauchamp (infection) missed the decisive 113:60 BBL home win against Oldenburg. “We didn’t have a good week against Fenerbahçe, where we admittedly didn’t stand a chance, and then against Partizan at home. But the team bounced back in the Bundesliga,” says the head coach. “That makes the game against Bologna all the more important now—for our confidence and our continued development. We’re always happy to play at home in front of our fans; that will help us, along with the days of preparation.”