Dragonz flying high: Can they surprise Gmunden in the semi-finals?

Dragonz flying high: Can they surprise Gmunden in the semi-finals?

The COLDAMARIS BBC Nord Dragonz reached a historic milestone on March 21st: with an 80:70 away win against the CITIES Panthers Fürstenfeld, they secured a place in the playoffs for the first time. This important event underlines the club's rise in Austrian basketball.

The club continued its upward trajectory in the playoffs. On April 24th, in the fourth game of the quarterfinal series against the Raiffeisen Flyers Wels, Emilio Banic managed to achieve the decisive victory with a “buzzer beater” to make it 79:76. This success meant a 3-1 victory in the series and ended with a triple overtime classic in which the Dragonz also emerged victorious.

Outlook for the semifinals

From May 1st the Dragonz will continue in the semi-finals against the Raiffeisen Swans Gmunden. Chairman Roland Knor, who commented on the club's financial situation in an interview, explained that the budget corresponded to that of a newcomer to the league. Nevertheless, he expressed his thanks to supporters such as the city, state, ASVÖ and main sponsor Sigmapharm.

The club has ambitious plans for the future. Knor announced that he would appoint an additional full-time coach for the youth sector. In order to ensure sustainable success, the club also needs additional sponsors. Knor takes personal responsibility for acquiring new supporters and emphasizes the importance of strategic collaborations.

members and offspring

The club currently has 250 members and offers 13 youth teams. These members will be watching the games in the semi-finals from next week and are full of energy to challenge the Gmunden. The development of the club gives hope for an exciting future.

At the same time, the easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) is showing positive economic development. According to the current league report for the 2023/2024 season, the clubs achieved a record turnover of 148.1 million euros, which corresponds to an increase of 16.2% compared to the previous season. Sponsorship was the most important source of income, with 92.3 million euros and an increase of 9.5%.

The viewer numbers also speak for the boom in basketball in Germany: almost 1.6 million spectators attended the league and cup games, which represents an increase of 9.1%. Additionally, cumulative TV reach increased to 244 million viewers, an increase of 31%.

The easyCredit BBL, the umbrella organization of the highest German basketball league, not only organizes the German championship and the BBL Cup, but also manages the operational business, including licensing and player transfers. The positive numbers provide a promising context for the future challenges that the Dragonz also face.