København’s Buckets
A movement in evolution, in turmoil, in rapid growth: in Copenhagen (and across Denmark) basketball is taking on an increasingly important role, emerging from the obscurity to which it has always been relegated. These are the stories of Marius, Chanan, Ida, Sofie and Maria.
Words by Giacomo Mozzo
Avant-garde design and minimalist architecture, smørrebrød and wienerbrød at the table, shared happiness and relaxation. Denmark is a cryptic country, perched up there, at Europe’s peak, between Scandinavian harshness and polar climate. Denmark is a happy country, a virtuous model of state welfare and integration, of sustainable modernity. Denmark is, above all, the cradle of statuesque bodies, gentle giants polished by Nordic winds and Kierkegaardian existentialism: giants who, from an early age, inevitably began to play football and handball, the two national sports by definition. European champions in the fairytale edition of 1992, the rød-hvide of football pale at the presence of their cousins of handball, multiple Olympic, World and European winners, both at male and female level: two movements, these, that tyrannize and hegemonize feet and hands all over the country, two movements that throughout the twentieth century left little more than crumbs to the marginal basketball community.
Around Copenhagen, basketball has always played a role of sparring partner, a distant unlucky relative, a friend not to be invited to the great playful ball; a sporting form long not much considered, very little competitive, represented by evanescent national selections, which have never achieved significant results. For some time now, however, between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea something has been moving, is changing, is evolving even under the basket.
In an unexpected place, known until a few decades ago only for being the birthplace of Lars Hansen (who later grew up in Canada and glimpsed in the NBA at the end of the 70s), there is now a movement in turmoil, composite, multi-faceted. A movement that embraces streetball and playground, 5vs5 and 3x3, the canonical and the atypical. A work in progress movement.
At the club level, Aarhus-based Bakken Bears is establishing itself as a permanent presence in continental competitions. It is the most successful club in Denmark and in recent seasons has participated, without making fools of themselves, in the FIBA Europe Cup and the FIBA Champions League. The canon, one would say. But it is in the atypicality of the streets, the capital playgrounds, the schools, where basketball is really emerging and gaining strength. This is happening thanks to the commitment, passion and qualities of new inspired generations, of men and women irremediably moved by the intuition of James Naismith.
Marius Hansen plays the role of pioneer, the chief explorer of this new frontier. He is the founder of a movement called 'Streetball København', a community that aims to create fields, tournaments and moments of aggregation around urban basketball and beyond. Marius is the perfect example of a gentle but rebellious giant, a perfect handball center that refused an imposed destiny, ending up fighting in the painting: “Streetball København wants to improve the city playgrounds and spread basketball culture in a capillary way. Our mission is to offer spaces and events, to develop interest in basketball. We have organized around 25 tournaments in the last two and a half years, in 4 different locations, and everything is growing very fast. We have also created a platform for crowdfunding and membership, now we have approximately 440 members". Marius embodies the figure of the spiritual leader of the basketball movement in the capital, a tireless leader, capable in recent years of creating a dense organizational and social network, a Christiania governed by the hoop: "We continue to work to spread a specific basketball philosophy, and to extend the movement to other cities in Denmark as well. Streetball is ideal for small Danish communities: after all, 3-4 players per side are enough. This makes things easier, especially in a country like ours, where basketball can still be defined a 'small sport'. One should keep in mind that in the last 7-8 years a general interest has also developed in schools and at the level of basic activities, with more and more 'mini-clubs' emerging. Thanks to this process, the movement has grown by about 30-40%”.
Streetball København is a space for inclusive, sharing, dissemination and awareness: "We are working with the Danish Women’s League (Dameligaen) to create a more competitive league, given that at the moment it includes 5 teams only. We also want to help the League create an official 3x3 branch as well. The women's national team is achieving brilliant results, as is the 3x3 one, so it is natural that more and more girls are tempted to start playing basketball”. Marius's gaze does not dwell on the present, it does not stop on the simple basketball reasoning and on the short-term result. Institutions and sports policy play a fundamental role in this march towards excellence, in this strenuous progress-built basket after basket, playground after playground ... And he is fully aware of this: "We collaborate profitably with the Municipality of Copenhagen, with which we are developing more and more projects. Furthermore, in Frederiksberg, there is an organization called Urban13, which aims to promote social and cultural initiatives, as well as sports and recreational activities. In 2018 we have built playgrounds with them. The next step must be to organize more and more indoor tournaments, aiming to increase the number of spaces available throughout the year: you know, from September onwards the climate in Denmark is not the most favorable for outdoor activities...".
Chanan Safir Colman is a Danish player with Israeli citizenship. He spent most of his professional career in Israel before returning to his native country. Chanan, a permanent member of the roster of the Danish national team, is a real legend for his compatriots, a prophet who has returned home to spread a word that was little known. In the capital he collaborates with Marius, carrying out the Streetball København project and, at the same time, annually organizes his own Camp for children, Camp Colman. The Camp takes place every summer and is enjoying a growing success: "I started spontaneously training the boys, I did it every time I went home in the summer and in a short time the idea of a more structured Camp arose. We now have approximately 120 participants between the ages of 12 and 16: we focus on their development and constant improvement. Our coaches are always at their disposal, even during the regular season, to provide advice not only related to basketball on the court".
Coaches and mentors, as in the best basketball tradition. Coach and mentor is also Chanan, moved by deep ideals and the desire to generate interest and spread human and cultural knowledge, as well as basketball culture: "The long-term goal is to create an infrastructure that is active throughout the year, where children can go to continue their development. We want to always be there for them and perform complementary work to that of their coaches during the season. Also, we want to help them go beyond basketball: last summer, for example, we focused on issues such as politics and various social aspects”. Chanan is the bridge between the old Danish basketball, closed within its own borders, forced to survive in its own, secret, microcosm, and the new national scene. A scene in constant growth and buzz, increasingly overlooking important continental competitions: “The best clubs in the league, such as the Bakken Bears, are increasingly recognized in Europe. The general level is rising, perhaps because more and more kids have started playing. I am very confident for the future; I believe that Danish players will be increasingly sought after abroad and that our leagues will be more and more competitive. "
The women's movement is certainly increasingly competitive, paradoxically forced to face a scarcity of funds and resources in what appears to be its apical moment. Ida Tryggedsson Preetzmann, Sofie Tryggedsson Preetzmann and Maria Steen Jespersen are three of the four members of the Danish 3x3 basketball team capable of reaching the final phase of the European Championships two years ago: all three share an identical basketball parable, through American colleges. This type of academic-sports migration, on the other hand, is increasingly a common practice among Danish girls. First in the NCAA, then in the European professional championships, Ida, Sofie and Maria have developed awareness on the responsibilities and importance of their role for the young compatriots, becoming recognizable forerunners for this now widely routed flow.
A serial form of basketball education, however, did not allow the Scandinavian country to raise the level of the female scene: a panorama still too little considered by federal leaders and potential sponsors. Ida, the only one playing at home, in Herlev, confided to us. "It's strange to say, but even if the game in Denmark is growing, the level of the women's championship has dropped, and I think this is related to the fact that the players are not paid to play. The lack of professionalism damages those who would like to pursue their career here: it is something impossible to sustain in the long run. Our Federation has too often concentrated all its efforts only on the men's national team, a short-sighted choice in my opinion. Despite this trend, we are doing good things and are still confident for the future. We have to be patient.”
Her sister Sofie shares her same views on the low level of Danish women's basketball. Her criticism, however, is softer, maybe the result of a long-lasting distance from home: “Fortunately, many people are working hard to change perspectives. We must be grateful to all of them. It is true, the resources are often destined exclusively to the male selection: for this reason, we were forced to start a crowdfunding in order to compete in the qualifiers for the 3x3 European Championships. But the response was extraordinary, the support received gave us a great boost for the future”. Sofie, currently a player of the Baloncesto Alcobendas Club, recognizes that she has a less active role in the diffusion of basketball in her country than her friends-colleagues. Her national teammate Maria, for example, despite her shared status as a professional abroad (in Spain as well, at the Léganes), decided to plant a seed in Denmark, founding the MJ Basketball Camp: "I have a great desire to transmit my passion to younger generations. I would also love to be a source of inspiration for boys and girls approaching the game, I hope they can think "wow, one day I want to play for the national team too!". I believe that a fundamental role in the development of the movement is played by camps like those organized by me and Chanan, and by the rise of street basketball."
Marie is much more positive about the Danish women's basketball scenario: “Our 3x3 team has made giant steps. We had never played there before, we went to the qualifiers for the European Championships and we passed them: an extraordinary result, one no one would ever have expected. It is a sign that the movement is growing and I am very happy, we are beginning to have a real role in the European context”. The general criticalities, of course, are also touched upon with great rationality by the testimony of this civil engineer graduated from the University of South Florida: "Of course, we should have the same resources and the same structures as in other countries, but we are here, we are also professionals, we play in various tournaments, we show ourselves, and I consider this a good starting point. I am proud to be part of this movement. We must continue to fight, to generate enthusiasm in the new generations and we must continue to send girls to American colleges. Things can only improve further".
Improve further. A mantra, a goal, an individual desire as well as a collective. Marius, Chanan, Ida, Sofie and Maria. Different voices and stories, Nordic basketball souls with a well-defined mission: to develop the Danish basketball movement. Men and women who inspire generations, who open new frontiers. Pioneers and explorers who innovate and accelerate processes, who share knowledge and generate enthusiasm. A contemporary story, written at this very moment. A story written in the name of basketball.
Credits: Kasper Nyman and Matthias Storgaard Rasmussen (photography)
