Skyliners victory in Bonn! Doping case overshadows the triumph

Skyliners victory in Bonn! Doping case overshadows the triumph

On January 19, 2025, the Frankfurt Skyliners managed to celebrate an important victory in Bonn. With a final score of 77:70, the Skyliners secure their fourth win of the season. Malik Parsons stands out as the best thrower and scores 22 points. Despite difficulties, especially in view of a recent doping case, the team temporarily promoted this victory to the 12th place in the table. The lead to the end of the table, where Göttingen linger, is thus enlarged.

The BBL return round has given the Skyliners some challenges in the past few weeks, including a disappointing defeat against Würzburg and another against Braunschweig. However, these setbacks enabled the team to prepare intensive preparation for the upcoming game against Ratiopharm Ulm . In particular, the player Booker Coplin, who has recently been in the headlines through a positive doping test, contributed with an impressive performance in an exciting match before Christmas. A Buzzer-Beater from Coplin robbed Ulm the Christmas mood and directed the team in a positive direction.

doping case beats high waves

The Booker Coplin's doping case, however, causes a significant excitement in the Skyliners area. The 27-year-old player had given a positive urine sample on testosterone and was suspended by the National Anti Doping Agency (NADA) from the game and training company. The incident occurred during an unannounced control on November 27, 2022. Although the result of the B test is still pending, the Frankfurt public prosecutor has already started an investigation into suspected violation of the anti-doping law. Managing Director Thomas Sulzer was shocked and terminated the support of the club in clarifying the case.

Coplin, who was praised as a role model before the doping case was announced, to have knowingly doped. He explained that he has been taking a medically necessary medication since childhood and has now been clarified internally whether this was noted in his list of regular medication. Information on previous Coplin doping controls are not available, which the situation is also complicated.

The influence of Jordan Theodore

Another influence on team dynamics was the lack of Jordan Theodore, who had to pause injured. Despite the challenges, the Skyliners showed a strong team performance during the games, especially in the game against Ulm, where Theodore and Malik Parsons shaped the game with a total of 18 points. The team proved to be a resilient and was able to free itself from difficult situations in the close situation through free throws and clever game.

The coming time will be decisive for the Skyliners who continue to fight against relegation. The upcoming games against Ludwigsburg and Munich should offer valuable opportunities to further expand the distance to the relegation places and to regain self -confidence. Hessenchau notes that the team could give the team an urgently needed thrust, while they could give the difficult time around the doping survives.