27-year-old Billie Schulté has become a main player for Basket Esch. She is averaging 9.8 points this season (4 games), her team has a balanced record (2 wins, 2 losses).
Before the restart of the season in two weeks, Billie answered some questions in a short interview:
How was it like to find the rhythm back in practice after the long break?
Our coach (Vincent Gevrey) motivated us to stay in shape at home by doing exercises. Our players were all active at home so that everybody was more or less in shape at the the first practice. In addition, we practice twice a week with a special athletics coach in order to get into shape and mainly also to prevent injuries because it has been a long break for everybody. Our coach raised the intensity day by day and at this moment, I think that we are close to regaining our game shape and I am confident that we will be ready for the restart on February 13th.
How would you describe the atmosphere and joy in your team that you will soon be back on the court?
First of all, we were happy to see each other again on the court and practice together. This gave everybody the chance to focus on basketball for one and a half hours and forget about the general situation. We set goals before the season and we are very focused to reach these goals, that’s why we work hard in every practice.
What are the goals for Esch this season in a league that is extremely balanced?
The goal is to become better individually and as a team. One of the main goals is to give our young players more opportunities in the first team since we have a lot of young players entering the team this year. We have not set a certain place in the standings as a goal, the league is extremely balanced, everybody can beat everybody. If we finish under the best 4 teams, that would be a good result for us. After that, anything is possible and a bonus for us. Last but not least, the main goal for everybody is to stay healthy.
What are the strengths of Basket Esch and in what areas does your team need to improve to become better?
We are like a family. Except for our foreign players, nearly all of our players play here since they were kids. We spent our youth together and have a good relationship on and of the court. This also helps us connect on the court. Furthermore, all our players are ready to play on this level, we can count on every player to enter the game and do their job and help the team. Our biggest flaw has been consistency. In some games, we do nearly everything well and play a great game, but then the next game it is the exact opposite. As we are a very young team, this is something that will improve over time.
Other interviews before the restart:
39-year old Ana Petrova: „I am looking forward to the restart of the season as if it was my first”
Charlie Bidinger: „The restart is comparable to a pre-season start”
Lou Mathieu: „It was a big joy to play 5on5 again”
Dragana Zoric: „Focus is on conditioning, shooting and feeling the court again”
Picture: Robert Straus
