KELTERN (EuroCup Women 2017) – It will be a proud moment when German side RUTRONIK Stars Keltern take their first footsteps in EuroCup Women next month and perhaps they can make people sit up and take notice.

They are likely to be encouraged by the draw they were handed in the EuroCup Women 2017 Qualifiers, when they were pitched against Valosun KP Brno. They will rightly feel it could have been a lot worse.

Their task is to navigate this first hurdle and if they manage to do so, they will help to put women’s basketball in Germany more firmly onto the wider European map. That has previously been the near sole responsibility of long-standing entrants and powerhouse TSV 1880 Wasserburg, but the introduction of Keltern and another rookie in Eisvogel USC Freiburg gives Germany the chance to shine.

Last weekend they were very competitive in a pre-season match-up against French side Cavigal Nice Basket 06 who will play in the Regular Season – eventually falling by nine points in a helpful gauge against their longer term ambitions.

Leading the way for the newcomers will be Germany national team player, Stephanie Wagner who has been part of that trailblazing TSV 1880 Wasserburg side and brings priceless know-how to the table.

However, the team has been left rocked by a serious injury to the popular Stina Barnert. Her absence is a blow as they prepare to turn one of the biggest pages in their history, since they would have benefitted enormously from her experience drawn from the German national side - as well as Saarloius Royals and Wasserburg in the competition.

Belgian guard Emmanuelle Mayombo also offers wide EuroCup Women experience from various clubs in her homeland including Lotto Young Cats, Wallonia Basket and Namur who she played with last season.

Serbian duo Maja Vucurovic and Marina Markovic will also be very influential as they showed against Nice.

The former has played in EuroLeague Women with Wisla Can-Pack and Markovic has pushed hard in Serbia squads for a place with the national team – also stepping out in top leagues such as France and Spain in recent seasons.

A significant scoring touch should also come from Jasmine Thomas, a Michigan State graduate who was prolific in German basketball last season with Osnabruck Panthers.

FIBA