11 teams will compete in the 2022/23 LBBL season. National team head coach Mariusz Dziurdzia shares his thoughts about the upcoming season.
Which teams are the favorites?
T71 Dudelange is the defending champion and will enter the upcoming season as the favorite to repeat. The team has earned the role of the favorite with their dominant playing style last season. With their talented roster, their goal has to be to compete for the titles. Gréngewald has a very strong roster as well, they added Samantha Logic, a player that makes everyone on the floor better with her playing style. Furthermore, Dejza James is a strong and experienced player so that the team of coach Francois Manti should have the ambitions to be a top team this season. Sparta Bertrange has also made some interesting roster changes and their trio of Jovana Jaksic, Bridget Yoerger and Martha Burse, combined with their young and talented local players, could become a top team. Résidence Walfer is certainly another ambitious team. They have added depth to their roster which was very important, they were able to keep both professional players (Cahill/Anthony) which makes them another contender for the titles in the women’s LBBL. After this quartet, other teams might be able to play an interesting role: Amicale Steinsel, Musel Pikes, Contern or Esch can become strong teams. Like always, a lot will depend on the strength of their professional players.
What can you say about the level of play in the league?
The level of play has increased over the last years. Especially the games between the strongest teams were played on a high level with plenty of amazing games. We can see basketball how everybody wants to see it, teams play fast and well together, I think that the fans had a lot of fun watching these teams over the last seasons. Next to the professional players, a lot of local players had a big influence on the games which is another positive sign.
2 teams (T71, Gréngewald) are participating in the EuroCup, what are your thoughts about their participation?
I am very pleased, it was a great decision by both clubs. Obviously there is a big challenge for clubs to organize these games, also financially, but I am happy to see that Gréngewald and Dudelange are able to master these challenges. Gréngewald plays the qualification for a second straight year and I think that they have good chances of qualifying for the main round. Dudelange is playing Eurocup for the first time with this team, it was a logical choice after their dominant performances in the league. If you look at their group, I am confident that the team can win games and maybe qualify for the next round. If everybody stays healthy and they play well, advancing out of their group will be possible.
The women’s national team will play the 2023 FIBA EuroBasket qualifiers in windows in November and February.
First of all, I am happy that so many female players are joining teams abroad to combine basketball and studies or to play professionally. For our games in November, the players that play in Europe should be able to compete with the team. However, the players from the USA are probably not playing with the national team which is a big blow to our team. We are clearly not at our best if players like Anne Simon, Julija Vujakovic or Svenia Nurenberg are missing, they are irreplaceable. This also means that other players will get a chance to show their abilities, that is also why I will be observing some young players’ evolution in the LBBL closely over the next weeks.
The game mode for the upcoming season:
On the first game day, top teams Résidence and T71 will meet in Walferdange. Tip-off will be on September 24th with 4 games on Saturday evening, Etzella and Contern will meet on Sunday 25th.
Overview of the roster changes in the LBBL –> LBBL off-season changes
