Kim Pierre-Louis showed soon after the start of the second half that she felt at home on the Nordlinger floor. Pierre-Louis, the Bundesliga women’s basketball team power forward and last-minute transfer from Nördlingen, freed himself at the edge of the zone just in time to receive a pass from teammate Sami Hill, with two dribbles on the side of the defense. Took advantage and later converted. A curvy turn. The fact that the Canadian newcomer and his compatriot Hill had a conversation sounded so harmonious that the two have actually played together before: in 2018, also in the Nordlingen jersey.
Then, after two seasons in Bavaria, Pierre-Louis said goodbye to the then German champions at Keltern. After a commitment in France and an assignment for the Indonesian national team – including a short-lived naturalization – he is now, almost four years later, back in Nördlingen. And with 14 points and six rebounds in the first game against Wasserberg, he showed he had no problem meeting the expectations placed on him.
Kim Pierre-Louis, 28, and 1.83m tall, is about to strengthen the team where it’s needed most: at the bottom of the basket. In January, Meg Wilson was finally injured in the position, having recently celebrated her return from a long injury break. Nordlingerinen’s objective of making it to the eight best teams in the league and thus reaching the playoffs suddenly seemed out of reach. Because there was no strong passing station in the zone, but also because of rebound skills, which are not considered Angels’ strengths.
“We were in a real emergency,” insists Kurt Wittman. Wittmann was the Bundesliga club’s sporting director until 2021 and still had a good relationship with Pierre-Louis; He also now arranged a deal with Canada. The fact that the early game of accession went to the Angels makes him positive: over the phone he speaks of the qualities that Pierre-Louis brings: “Kim is a great player not only in sports, but He enriches the team personally as well. He gets the rebounds, can score, takes responsibility.” Your commitment, shortly before the end of the transfer window in January, was “a big blow of fate”. With which there was also a concession from the player: “Kim is playing in pay classes today that we are far from here. But we found a solution for the rest of the season that everyone is very happy with.” After all, helping the club was also “a matter close to his heart,” Wittman says.
Pierre-Louis played his last match for the Indonesian national team in November and still lacks some stamina
Kim Pierre-Louis also underlines this: “I have only good memories of my time at Nördlingen. The call from Germany made me very happy,” she says days after her first appointment in the New Angels jersey. After the first call the necessary formalities were completed, and the very next day Pierre-Louis was on a flight from Canada to Germany. “As a player you know offers from clubs can often come at this stage. You’re ready. I was ready. Only my family wasn’t there. My mother would have loved to have me in Ottawa for a while.” laughs
After playing his last game for Indonesia in late November and spending the Christmas holidays with his family in Canada, the proposal in January was perfect for him: “It’s hard to maintain personal fitness during long breaks in sport.” She was able to work on her skills under the basket in individual training sessions. “Of course you sprint there too. But playing on the big field is a completely different thing. I had to get used to it again.”
The lack of stamina was also noticeable in the game against Wesersberg, she admits. “The game was fine, but it could have been better. Right now I want to do a lot of work. I have to get into the team, learn the system, improve my defense and finish.” But: “The atmosphere in the hall was very nice, very energetic and positive. It brought back memories, maybe a shiver or two went down my spine.” And even if he’s not quite satisfied with his performance: the return to Nördlingen has been very easy for him so far. “Sami Hill in particular has made it incredibly easy for me to find my way into training. It’s a great honor to have him as a teammate.” She also gets along well with her new coach, Eztoni Imreh. “He’s a great coach who is very clear about what he expects of you. The training is very fast, very intense.”
Lots of words of praise for the new, old club that is going to help Pierre-Louis make the playoffs. The Angels are currently ninth on the table, behind their direct competitors from Saarlouis – tied on points, but with a worse basket margin. The hosts won the first leg 101:60 in the Saarland, with the second leg on Sunday. This Wednesday will see a replay against Pierre-Louis’s former hometown Caltern. The Baden-Württemberg team is also third in the table. She isn’t particularly excited about it, but is filled with anticipation: “I’m here to do my best. To get the rebound and make it especially difficult for my opponents on the field. It’s mine.” There’s work. And of course I want to win, I can’t help it.”
