No party on Lake Traunsee

New Year’s Eve: Gmunden coach as party crasher

The runners-up Basket Swans Gmunden can knock the leaders Flyers Wels off the top of the table with a win at UBSC Graz. There are no disciplinary worries about the turn of the year at Lake Traunsee: the US stars have a party crasher in coach Thomas Crab, who lives in the same house.

If the Gmunden basketball team were to record their seventh win in a row at league fourth-placed UBSC Graz today, they would also overtake Upper Austrian rivals Wels and even go into the Cup derby in the trade fair city on January 2 as league leaders. And they would be firmly in the top six and thus secure a place in the play-offs. "Our entire focus is on Graz, the derby is not yet an issue. A win against the Styrians will be difficult enough, as they have only lost to Wels at home so far and we have shown some weaknesses recently. But we are unbeaten for a long time and are already complaining at a high level," says Gmunden's financial director Harald Stelzer, who does not want to distribute the bear's fur before it is killed.

Bear not yet slain
While coach Sebastian Waser's team has no games this weekend and can take their time and prepare for the brotherly duel for almost a week, Gmunden only have a three-day break before the showdown in Wels. "A small disadvantage for us, but it keeps us in full rhythm," says Stelzer, who expects the possible lead in the table to give his Swans a further boost: "Going to Wels as leaders naturally gives you extra confidence."

Stelzer is not worried that the Gmunden stars will go overboard on New Year's Eve and be tired going into the derby.

Crab watches out
"They are professionals and know what's at stake. They'll all be in their beds by one o'clock in the morning at the latest. What's more, coach Thomas Crab has them firmly under control. He lives in Altmünster in the same house as our US legionnaires and is practically within sight of them. If anyone celebrates too much, our coach would notice immediately," laughs Stelzer, who is taking a break from basketball himself this time and spending a few days on a short vacation in Valencia, Spain, until after the derby: "I'm escaping the obligatory crackers at the turn of the year, fortunately firecrackers are not common in Spain," says Stelzer.