At only 20 years of age, Catherine Mreches has become a key player in the women’s Total League. She averages 10 points and 4 assists (which leads the league in the JICL-category). T71 has started the season with 3 wins and 1 loss
How was it like to find the rhythm back in practice after the long break?
Once it became clear that the season would restart, we received a practice schedule and started practicing immediately. The focus was on ball handling and shooting early on, these are the 2 essential things that we could not do over the last weeks and months. Individually, it was possible to work out and stay in shape, but the feeling for the game was very hard to simulate, you really had to be creative to really work on basketball things at home.
How would you describe the atmosphere and joy in your team that you will soon be back on the court?
We were all waiting for the message that we can return to the gym. We were so happy and relieved to finally compete on the court again. It was very important to start practicing early so that we are able to focus on the first games, also mentally after this special off-time. Basketball is also a very important meeting point with friends, we are glad that we can see each other at practice at the moment. Coming together and practicing as a group has been very encouraging mentally. Now we have to use every second in the gym to work on our game, we are privileged to have this opportunity.
What are the goals for T71 this season in a league that is extremely balanced?
It is difficult to announce a goal at this moment. First of all, we want to start and finish the season so we will look at it game by game. A big goal is always to make it to the Final Four but I am not a big fan of setting a long term goal, I prefer to set multiple short term goals, especially in the current situation. The league is so balanced that you can win or lose every game, this makes it special for everybody and we really have to take the season game by game and try to enter every game with the goal to win it.
What are the strengths of T71 and in what areas does your team need to improve to become better?
Our team is very young in general but we have Michèle Orban and Nadia Mossong to help us out in certain situations. One of our biggest strengths is our energy level, we play very hard at any moment and fight during 40 minutes. Furthermore, the atmosphere in our team is excellent, we help each other and that is very important in order to be a better team. Since we are young team, we are working on our consistency and our young player need to learn how to handle more difficult situations when things are not going your way which happens a lot in a basketball game.
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”
Interview with Billie Schulté: „Most teams play on the same level”
Picture: Robert Straus
