Emmet Ryan is a basketball mind from Emerald island – Ireland. He writes that European North Basketball league can play an important role in the growth of the game.
A home for those that need one
There’s no lack of ambition in basketball across Europe. What that means at various levels however is another matter entirely. Look at the clubs in this year’s ENBL Final Four. There’s Inter Bratislava, currently second in the Slovak league. They are joined by Newcastle Eagles, fourth in Super League Basketball, CSO Voluntari, who hold the same spot in Romania, and Dziki Warsaw, who are ninth in Poland.
All of them, to varying degrees, contend in their domestic leagues but they are not favourites. They each hold ambition and want to give their fans something creative to hold onto. The mix of clubs within the competition may seem novel but they are peers seeking more quality games.
The reactions from Dziki Warsaw fans watching back home as their side clinched a place in the Final Four was enrapturing. It was akin to what you’d expect from bigger clubs in bigger competitions. Here, on a European stage if not the biggest of them, they were succeeding.
You can read full article at Emmet`s website "Ball in Europe" (free of charge)
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