Brose Baskets Bamberg general manager Wolfgang Heyder admitted the freshly-crown German basketball league and cup winners may be nearing their ceiling and that management will be focusing on excelling in Germany next season and even making concessions in regards to the Euroleague as they lack the money to seriously challenge internationally.

“We definitely believe that we need to put together a team that can play for the title in the league and the German Cup in our own gym. And under circumstances we will have to make concessions in regards to the Euroleague. We will definitely not have the necessary money to challenge with the really big teams,” Heyder told the Brose Baskets TV Magazine Insight

“We can comfortably deal with taking a step back under certain circumstances. That is not a problem.”

Heyder, who has been at the helm of Bamberg since 1999, made sure hopes of Brose fans for the 2010-11 season were kept at a realistic level.

“For me, it would be a great story if we can have a reasonable showing in the Euroleague, meaning winning the odd game here or there,” he said in the video interview.

“We can’t believe that we will be in the mix with the big teams. Talking about a treble (German BBL, German Cup and Euroleague title) is absolutely excessive and out of the question.”

Heyder has guided Bamberg to three BBL titles in 2005, 2007 and 2010. And the Jako Arena and Bamberg have become known as Freak City. But the GM said club is slowing reaching its ceiling.

“Somewhere is a ceiling. We have done a great job the last few years. We filled the arena with spectators and with VIPs. But there is not a lot more room to go up.”

Heyder admitted that club supporters may have to lower their continually increasing expectations in regards to success.

“We want to be successful next season but success cannot be repeated at will. You can’t have everything. There are others who want those same things,” said the 53-year-old, who played and coached basketball in Bamberg early in his career.

“I think we in Bamberg also have to be satisfied that we reach the (BBL) finals or the semi-finals. Winning the title every year would be boring. Of course we have that goal and will work hard to achieve that. Those who know us know how hard we work for that. That makes the satisfaction that much more when we accomplish it. But we have to see reality.”

Looking forward to next season, Bamberg have already lost small forward Beckham Wyrick as well as U20 German international guard Bastian Doreth though they locked up German guard Karsten Tadda for two more years.

And now the focus will be on keeping the core of the team together – Casey Jacobsen, Anton Gavel, John Goldsberry, Predrag Suput and Matt Worthington. But Heyder admitted it’s questionable if Bamberg can keep all of those players on board.

“Those are all players who were would very much like to keep with the club and who also are willing to stay and help us in the Euroleague. But we don’t have things figured out budget-wise. It would be over-exaggerated to say that we can certainly afford that. So we have to be careful,” he said.

“I am more of the opinion that we will have to part ways with one or more of them. It would be nice if we could figure out how not to do that. But we are only at the beginning as far as budgeting and marketing after the two titles.”

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