When the EPG Baskets Koblenz closed out their home campaign against BBC Bayreuth with a 75:89 defeat inside the EPG Arena, the final score told only part of the story. True, a 12-to-0 run by the Franconians in the fourth quarter ultimately broke open a tight contest, turning what had been a gripping, back-and-forth battle into a double-digit deficit. But looking backward at the broader arc of the 2025–26 Barmer Zweite Basketball Bundesliga ProA season reveals a franchise in the middle of a delicate surgical procedure: trading the survivalist grit of previous relegation dogfights for a sustainable, offense-first identity.
For two consecutive seasons, Koblenz had scraped by, effectively muring themselves safe from the drop through sheer defensive exhaustion. That era ended in the summer when sport and marketing director Thomas Klein and head coach Stephan Dohrn orchestrated a complete cultural and tactical reset. Dohrn, fresh off guiding Dragons Rhöndorf to a ProB championship in 2024, brought an up-tempo, aggressive philosophy that immediately resonated with crowds. Instead of anchoring themselves near the bottom at sixteenth, the Baskets stabilized in tenth place, exchanging grim survival for entertaining, high-scoring basketball.
The Strategic Pivot: Offense, Attrition, and Roster Depth
Dohrn’s tactical gamble was evident from day one: build a roster weighted heavily toward offensive execution. Julian Larry, Devonte McCall, Aleksa Kovačević, and Decorian Jeffries shouldered the load, regularly turning games into high-possession track meets. Yet, a restructured identity comes with trade-offs. The shift toward perimeter dynamism and rapid transition sequences left the Baskets vulnerable on the glass—a weakness Bayreuth ruthlessly exploited by claiming a 41-33 rebounding advantage in the season finale.
Depth and health also dictated the ceiling of Dohrn’s rotation. In that final home outing against Bayreuth, Koblenz played without their health-compromised top scorer, Calvin Wishart. Rather than forcing the issue in a contest where playoff hopes had already slipped out of reach, Dohrn deferred to medical staff and opted to protect the player's long-term health. Calvin ist ein überragender Offensivspieler in dieser Liga. Er war jedoch die Woche über krank und nicht fit. Ich respektiere die Einschätzung der Ärzte, die Gesundheit des Spielers ist mir wichtiger,
Dohrn explained Patrick Pohlmann during the post-game press conference.
The Three-Year Blueprint and the Attendance Imperative
While fans like Jannis Sonnefeld harbored late-season dreams of sneaking into the eighth-place playoff spot—bolstered by a gritty March stretch that included a hard-fought battle against Paderborn—the front office is keeping its eyes fixed on a longer horizon. Klein has repeatedly emphasized a patient, methodical growth model rather than reckless spending. The publicly stated organizational benchmark is precise: by the 2028–29 campaign, the Baskets intend to establish themselves permanently among the top four teams in the ProA.
Achieving that lofty tier requires more than tactical evolution on the parquet; it demands a deeper financial and communal anchor. In July 2026, Klein issued a clear directive regarding the club's trajectory: building a perennial contender requires packing the stands consistently. With an average of roughly 1,600 supporters creating an electric atmosphere during fixtures like the Bayreuth showdown, the foundation is laid, but the threshold for regional engagement must rise to match the club's sporting ambitions.
As the Baskets transition into their summer preparations under Dohrn and Klein, the task is clear. The frantic, nervous energy of the relegation years has been replaced by a coherent tactical plan. Now, as the club maps out its path toward the 2028–29 top-four goal, the challenge is transforming a promising mid-table side into an irresistible local institution.
Sources
These sources formed the evidence pack for this article. Links open the original publisher; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
- Klaus Reimann original
- Patrick Pohlmann original
- Michael Richmann original
