Despite two defeats in the preliminary round, the German basketball players are in the Olympic quarter-finals for the first time since 1992. In the knockout round, the team of national coach Henrik Rödl has to improve.
The first quarter-finals at the Olympics in 29 years should not be the end for Germany’s basketball players.
“I think we have a chance against any team. We just really have to play the very best game of the summer,” said national coach Henrik Rödl. Just a few weeks ago hardly anyone believed that the team would be there without their experienced NBA professionals Dennis Schröder, Maximilian Kleber or Daniel Theis can even make it to Tokyo. Now the selection of the German Basketball Federation will play in the round of the last eight on Tuesday. The opponent will be drawn after the preliminary round on Sunday and is a heavyweight: Either France, Spain and Slovenia.
“In general, this summer has advanced German basketball,” said Moritz Wagner after the 76:89 (40:44) against the too strong Australians. Germany finished after one win against Nigeria and two losses against the Boomers and Italy in preliminary group B third place. As one of the two best thirds in the group, it was enough to get into the knockout phase for the first time since the 1992 Summer Games Barcelona. The DBB team has only come this far for the third time. In 1984 there was the end of the quarter-finals against hosts USA, eight years later against the Commonwealth of Independent States – Rödl was still playing as a player at 76:83 in Spain.
Bumpy preliminary round
Can it be enough for the semi-finals in Japan for the first time? For that, the team would have to improve significantly and everything would have to fit. The preliminary round was bumpy, especially the experienced Australians clearly indicated the limits. “You know how many people are missing here,” said Rödl: “That’s why it’s a very special thing to get this far with this team.” The enormous potential gives hope for the next few years, because the association can fall back on more top players than ever before. The one straight into the NBA Franz Wagner (19) and Isaiah Hartenstein (23) from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who were drafted for the Orlando Magic, are two more who are now missing.
Unlike in the days of Dirk Nowitzki, there is no longer a superstar on whom everything depends. “We have shown great commitment on the field all summer. We always fight for each other,” said Andreas Obst, describing the greatest strength. It only works collectively. “We are a team. We want to win the games, we are not afraid of anyone,” said the 25-year-old Bayern professional. And Rödl also praised the team spirit: “They stick together extremely at a level that I have rarely seen in a team.”
With a victory at the qualifying tournament in Croatia, Obst and Co. only bought their Olympic ticket at very short notice at the beginning of July. A dream came true for all players, and it is with great pleasure that they are now sharing their completely new everyday life in Tokyo on social media. “What we can experience here is a huge honor, a privilege,” said Rödl, almost humbly: “I can feel in the team that they are incredibly happy to be here.” The jump into the quarter-finals was “of course the icing on the cake”, said Rödl, who absolutely wants to try “to create the really big sensation”.
Opponent becomes high profile
“It’s fun for us now. We’ll try everything, give everything and hopefully play a great game,” said Rödl. Realistically, all possible opponents are a size too big for the world number 17. Germany. Be it world champion Spain, the World Cup third France, who sensationally won against gold favorite USA at the beginning of the Olympic Games, or Slovenia with Luka Doncic, currently the best player in the world. And yet: The look into the future is promising, the games in the Saitama Super Arena are not only a great motivation for the current team.
“You can tell that we are receiving a lot of support from Germany, that basketball is getting a little push,” said winger Danilo Barthel: “We have shown as a team that basketball can be fun in Germany and that we have achieved something that it no longer has gave.” Because after 1992, Germany has only participated in the 2008 Olympics – and failed in the preliminary round.
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