The men’s Ireland basketball team takes on Switzerland in 2027 FIBA World Cup qualification on Sunday. Former pro and current Swiss-based coach Derrick Lang spoke to BiE on what to expect
Switzerland has become Derrick Lang’s home, after a pro basketball career that brought him there and has him coaching in the country now. Lang was kind enough to tell us what the men’s Ireland basketball team should look out for when Switzerland come to Dublin this Sunday.
The key players
Derrick Lang has seen a lot of basketball in his time and has picked out four players on the Swiss roster to watch out for on Sunday in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier.
Natan Jurkovitz – “He is a walking double double. He is one of the most important pieces of the team with great experience. He takes pride in defence. Can play and guard multiple positions 2-5 . His game play will have a big impact on the team’s overall performance.”
Selim Fofana – “Great point guard that can score. Has the ability to catch on fire. His decision of making the right plays and reading what advantages the team can have will make the difference.”
Yoan Granvorka – “Young two way player that can do it all. Defends, super athletic, and fits in the schemes of a team. If given the opportunity can be very effective. I believe this will be a breakout for him to show himself on the national stage.”
Boris Mbala – “A seasoned vet. Another great two way player. His leadership and play will have a big impact on the team’s performance.”
There are areas where Lang said there are some concerns. “As a team we are missing rim protection so strategically in size our defence will have to be on point to create an advantage. Michel Ofik -Nzege will be great inside and hold his own defensively but we will need more.”
Lang said it’s also worth noting that Anthony Polite won’t be in the squad. He’s a great combo guard. I’ve also seen plenty of him in the Basketball Champions League this year where he has been very impressive.
The state of the squad
While Polite is going to be a notable loss, Lang is quite impressed by the development of this Swiss side on the whole.
“The strength is that we have a lot of two-way players. That can actually defend at a high level and take pride in that. All of our players are capable of creating off the dribble and scoring from distance with consistency,” he said.
Some serious names in basketball have emerged from Switzerland over the years, These include both Thabo Sefolosha (now retired) and Clint Capela, both of whom have developed extensive NBA careers.
In his role as head of both the Swiss Prep Sports academy and running an EYBL team through Dlang Training, there are few people better placed to gauge the basketball talent in Switzerland right now than Derrick Lang.
“We have a lot of young talent here in Switzerland and more coming along the way but that’s more in the form of positions 2-4 . I do believe within the 5 years we will have another Swiss player gracing the big stage of the NBA for our country.”
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The basketball culture
Much like Ireland, basketball has to fight to get eyeballs in Switzerland but Lang is pleased with the development he has seen.
“Basketball is continuing to grow here in the country. Fans are interested in how our National teams are formed and definitely show more interest to watch the games,” he said.
“Swiss culture becomes very routine when it comes to late games during the week. It’s hard to get in person support from fans who would love to be there and support. But they have to get up early to start their working day and school.”
On the whole, while mixing traditional Swiss culture with basketball culture may be a challenge, Lang is pleased with how it’s working out.
“The culture is growing rapidly. The right development programs and collaborations must be supported to help create a more competitive mindset of progression,”
“Without inclusion and added support from governing bodies, our youth basketball academy programs that are working hard to create different challenges, perspectives, and unique pathways do not reach their full potential. So we become stagnant in reaching a larger pool of talent. The more competition we have, the bigger the talent pool.”
A huge thanks to Derrick Lang for all of his help in this look ahead to Sunday’s 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier. Please check out his programs at the links above.
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The post Derrick Lang: What Ireland basketball can expect from Switzerland appeared first on BallinEurope.
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