Chemnitz is the better team on paper, but this is a hard week for it to show that. The guard line is short, a lot of new faces are still finding their roles, and it has already travelled to Turkey for the Eurocup. Jena gets a sold-out home derby and a fresh import, and that is enough for me to back the home side.
Cobe Williams was disqualified in the overtime win over Hagen and is banned for three games. Yohan Choupas is out with a knee problem. Stefan Smith and Phlan Fleming are still good guards, but the depth behind them is thin, and the club has twelve new players to fold in. Its league games so far have all been close, two of them going to overtime, and the Eurocup opener in Bursa ended 69-82.
Jena has had a rough start, with losses at MBC and Trier, but the home opener against Vechta was a better picture. It won 79-71 with Terrence Edwards Jr. on 17, Ira Lee on 16 and Baker Jr. on 14, even with 19 turnovers. Captain Robin Christen is still out, but new signing Sacar Anim is available for the first time.
Last season these two split, Jena winning at home 85-72 and Chemnitz taking the return 76-73. Jena coach Steven Esterkamp talked about needing the crowd as a sixth man, as against Vechta. In a derby that sells out every year, that matters most when the visitor is on short rest with a patched-up backcourt.
