From Chemnitz to Jena: Lisa Hoppe joins a team that has grown close together

30.09.2026

Lisa Hoppe runs toward the opponent who’s trying to block her shot and drives past her toward the basket. In basketball, this is called “close-out defense,” and along with shooting, it’s exactly what Lisa herself describes as her greatest strength. For the 2026–27 season, the 18-year-old is bringing both skills from the ChemCats Chemnitz to the VIMODROM Baskets Jena. As a youth player, she is set to bolster the team in the 2nd DBBL South and also play for the partner club Paradise City Jena e.V. in the Oberliga.

Lisa was born in Stollberg, and her older brother introduced her to basketball. You can see what has come of their shared interest when you ask her about her greatest achievement: she cites qualifying for the German 3x3 Championship. Now she’s heading to Thuringia.

A Team with a History

She’s not starting from scratch there. Annika Schwarz, Annika Heck, Alicia Rosanke, Jenna Rosanke, Laura Thiele, Stella Nwaobi, and Inga Ruppe were already part of the second-division roster in the 2025–26 season, and some of them were there to witness the promotion to the 2nd DBBL firsthand. According to the club, Annika Schwarz played a decisive role in that achievement, while Laura Thiele helped the team win the Regional League championship in 2025 and secure promotion. Last season, this team finished the regular season in third place, with 17 wins and five losses, and wasn’t defeated until the quarterfinals—where they lost to Göttingen in the race for promotion to the 1st DBBL.

For Lisa, this means she doesn’t have to start from scratch. She can grow into a team where the players already know each other. Just how quickly that can happen was evident right from the season opener on September 26, 2026, in Freiburg: She was already on the court for 20 minutes in that game.

What She’s Set Out to Do

Lisa knows what she wants to work on. She wants to make her shooting more consistent, and she wants to improve in one-on-one defense. On top of that, she has a resolution that sounds less like a technical goal: not to give up, even when a game gets tough. Ultimately, this should lead to her taking on more responsibility for the team.

She has the character to make that happen. She describes herself as positive, creative, and calm. On the team, she’s called “Hoppe.” When she’s not on the court, she’s in the saddle or holding a camera, and when it comes to food, she loves pasta with different sauces best.

The VIMODROM Baskets Jena and Paradise City Jena e.V. are delighted to welcome Lisa Hoppe, a young player from Chemnitz. Welcome to Jena, Lisa.