Pascal Roller was one of the most dazzling personalities at BBL.In an interview with SPOX he looks back on the EuroBasket and is impressed by Luka Doncic.He also voices his criticism of FIBA’s new schedule windows, talks about the new national coach Henrik Rödl and explains why it is so difficult to attract investors for basketball.
SPOX: Mr. Roller, in our last interview we praised the Spaniards for their green clover.The Iberians then lost to the Slovenians, who won the tournament.Has the team won the EuroBasket with the most modern basketball?
Pascal Roller: I’m having a bit of a hard time with the term’ modern’, but they’ve raised the run’ n’ gun to a new level and the players in the squad.There are certainly other countries that have played similarly with fast gameplay, a lot of liberties, a lot of one-on-one.The Baltic nations in particular have shown this again.But Slovenia has found the right mix.They also had the confidence, a tremendous physicality and a defence that was strongly geared to winning the ball.Then everything fit.
SPOX: Apart from Goran Dragic, the MVP, Luka Doncic was the main focus.Can you remember an 18-year-old man in Europe who has been operating at this level?
Roller: That was of course incredibly impressive, especially his enormous self-confidence.In my time in Italy I experienced young Danilo Gallinari and he was already very far away.But I think that Doncic can become a more complete player, but Gallo seemed more confident to me at this age.Doncic sometimes goes a little crazy because he wants too much.You could see that in the final.Nevertheless, it is much more stable than other talents, which is obvious.The potential is enormous and I am curious to see whether the curve of its development will continue to be so steep.
SPOX: The German team at EuroBasket has also shown potential.Chris Fleming is now history, Henrik Rödl was introduced as the new national coach.Can he or she continue the positive development and become a constant after four national coaches in five years?
Roller: The trainer is of course a very important component, but also the players.It all adds up.Looking back at the summer of 2015, I wonder why players no longer have the appeal or desire to play for the national team that we used to have.Of course, most of the cancellations were justified, but at that time we had a weighting per DBB.Knowing who the coach is and who you’re starting with might make the decision easier.Henrik Rödl is now a real personality of the German basketball national coach, who has also experienced everything as a player and trainer and has worked for years as a coach at the DBB.I think he’s got everything he needs to lead a team.I would therefore like to see a certain degree of consistency in this post.
SPOX: But it is questionable which DBB team will be playing in the qualifying tournament for the 2019 World Cup in November.Isn’t it annoying that we have so many players in the NBA, but they can’t all make it to the national team?
Roller: I’m also very critical.However, we also have to wait and see what happens.It would be unfavourable for the parties, FIBA, NBA, EuroLeague and the national associations not to be able to sit down at the same table.There are so many stakeholders in this matter, but no agreement.The fronts seem to be extremely tough if even the EuroLeague doesn’t want to turn off its players because their league is running.It is simply sad to be able to set things without even thinking about consequences and possible solutions.
SPOX: Do you have a solution ready?In fact, it’s almost only the summer, when players have to give up their holidays.
Roller: I wouldn’t say that.Simply presenting others with a fait accompli and not talking to other stakeholders is obviously a bad way.The FIBA has tried to play out its power and try to establish a balance of power, which does not exist at all.It may seem very far away, but perhaps the NBA can also be involved.The EuroLeague and the national leagues are, of course, the most likely interlocutors.But perhaps the NBA or EuroLeague will also be interrupted for a week, whether in mid-January or around the All-Star game.Then FIBA can use the time window and stand in the foreground itself.Nevertheless, it must be made clear that this looks disastrous from the point of view of an outsider.
SPOX: You yourself work for an auditing firm.At first glance, this has little to do with sport.
Roller: It is a clear, conscious step out of the sport.After five exciting years with a focus on sports marketing – whether as an agency or managing director of the Hamburg Towers – I wanted to broaden my horizons.Even if activities in the day-to-day business are predominant in classic corporate communications, there is still a link to sport: With the Stiftung Deutsche Sporthilfe (German Sports Aid Foundation) I am supporting a project in which we as PwC are partners.
SPOX: Don’t you miss your former sports life?
Roller: I notice that I’m still connected to the sport, but I miss basketball in a different way.I am quite satisfied, but the sport remains a part of me, be it that I consume it or stay in contact with people from the sector.But I have other priorities in my life right now.
SPOX: Do you still believe that one day you will return to basketball?It is said that there has been no shortage of offers.
Roller: I received a last concrete offer from a BBL club last summer, which was also very attractive, but came at a bad time for me.Of course, the family played a major role in this, but also the fact that I had only accepted a permanent position.It was certainly attractive and appealing, but I wanted to take a different direction.
Page 1: Roller over Doncic, player cancellations, the quarrel with FIBA and the new national coach
Page 2: Roller about the potential of basketball, traditional clubs and the comparison to handball