The first ever women’s edition of the Alpe Adria Cup can get underway and we take a look at the groups. In the group B, ŽKD Maribor is the organizer of the first tournament, and Slávia Banská Bystrica, BK Duchess Klosterneuburg and KAŽL Split will also be in Slovenia. Read more about the teams and find links to live streams and stats in the article.
Home team Maribor has played in the Adriatic League in the past and plans to attack the top positions in Slovenia. In this respect, the Alpe Adria Cup will be a great start for them in the 2023/2024 season. “First of all, I would like to say that we are very happy to be part of the AAC competition this year. At the first tournament, we will play against very strong Slavia Banska Bystrica and Austrian champions Duchess Klosterneuburg. We expect two very hard games and will definitely give our best on the court. Good luck to all, and I believe we will see great matches in Maribor,“ told more before the start Maribor coach Alen Ploj.
Similarly, to Group A, Group B also includes an ambitious club from Slovakia and Eurocup participant – Slávia Banská Bystrica. The vice-champion of Nike EXZ and finalist of the Slovak Cup has strengthened considerably over the summer and wants to finish as high as possible in all competitions. “It will be such a classic Croatian-Slovenian basketball, fast and simple. We have to get used to it. We have seen some statistics from the games, but the reality is sometimes different. I believe we had a good preparation to go into it successfully. We always have to go into the competition with the highest ambitions, and it won’t be any different now,” said Banská Bystrica coach Zuzana Žirková.
Croatia’s KAŽL Split can also be counted among the interesting clubs in the first women’s edition of the Alpe Adria Cup. This team won the winter edition of this competition, attracting an American and a Brazilian to the team. „It is a little bit too early because we gathered the team late. So, at this moment, we don’t know what to expect. We will try to give our best in the matches and show what we have practiced. We respect the opponents and are hoping for good games. Also, we are looking forward to the new competition and wish that the Alpe Adria Cup season will be a new experience for us as well as for the other teams,“ thinks the Split coach Anita Rade.
The current Austrian champion, BK Duchess Klosterneuburg, completes the interesting line-up of Group B. With their experience, they plan to fight for a place in the Final Four. „BK Raiffeisen Duchess Klosterneuburg is expecting to compete with very high level women’s basketball teams within the Alpe Adria Cup. This will be the first time in many years that our club has attended an official international tournament. Although we have been dominating our local league and have won every national competition during the past three years, we are very aware that the level of women’s basketball is much higher in Slovenia, Croatia and Slovakia than in Austria. Regarding results, we simply hope to be valuable opponents for our partners from top basketball nations. We are looking forward to learning and gaining experience,“ declared the Klosterneuburg coach Franz Zderadicka.
Schedule of the first tournament of the Alpe Adria Cup Group B (Maribor, Slovenia):
Saturday 23 September
16.00 h: KAŽL Split – BK Duchess Klosterneuburg
18.30 h: ŽKD Maribor – Slávia Banská Bystrica
Sunday 24 September
13.30 h: Slávia Banská Bystrica – KAŽL Split
16.00 h: BK Duchess Klosterneuburg – ŽKD Maribor
Photo: Lukáš Droppan
