The DKB Diamonds took 2nd place in the Spring Split 2023 of the Strauss Prime League 2nd Division. They only had to admit defeat to Austrian Force in the final after 5 games. We spoke to coach Leon Huchel about the expectations before the split and the team’s development.
The interview with Leon Huchel
Hello Leon, you’ve had a long first split. If you had to describe the split with a headline, what would it look like?
Growth.
Before the split, you were considered a certain relegation candidate in all the rankings by so-called experts. How did you deal with this as a team?
We saw the low expectations as motivation. At the same time, we had a certain “underdog bonus” as a result and were underestimated.
You can see how we dealt with this in the end with our 2nd place. Prove them wrong!
What expectations did you have as a team going into the split?
We talked about expectations and goals early on and there was no talk of finishing in a specific place in the league. We focused on our growth and development as players and as individuals and saw sporting success more as a reward than a requirement.
In the end, you took 2nd place. How much work went into this success? What made you so special as a team?
In my opinion, the split was characterized by great challenges, especially as some of the players are also going to university or school. Balancing both and still training so hard is a huge amount of energy and requires a lot of commitment.
The players have invested every spare minute in their development and we have learned a lot. In future, we will be able to use this knowledge to work even more effectively and efficiently.
As a team, we were particularly impressed by our working atmosphere.
We have many strong personalities, but they have all put their egos aside and concentrated fully on our goals. Together, we pulled in the same direction.
We have undergone enormous development, while other teams have stagnated in their performance.
Your best memory of the split?
I will take many wonderful memories from the split with me. One thing that I will remember in particular, however, is from the support area and not so much something playful. Khaled will pass his Abitur in the summer and has made considerable progress towards this goal in this split, especially in German. The moment when he shared his academic success in German will stay with me for a long time.
How are you spending your time off now? Are you analyzing the past split with your team or is it time to clear your head and recharge your batteries? When do you start preparing for the upcoming split?
The players now have a few days off. For me, however, it’s straight back to preparing for the upcoming split. We have to conduct interviews, optimize structures and create a good basis for the players so that they can start in a well-organized training atmosphere after their time off.