Challenges Ahead for German Basketball Players as They Prepare for 2025 European Championship Qualifiers

The German basketball players are challenged again for the first time since the World Cup final. However, eleven of the twelve world champions are not taking part in the qualifying game for the 2025 European Championship against Montenegro.02/22/2024 | 1:22 minutes

It has been 165 days since captain Dennis Schröder was presented with the World Cup trophy in Manila. Now it’s time for everyday life, qualifying games for the 2025 European Basketball Championship. Germany’s opponents in the group are Montenegro, Bulgaria and Sweden. Third place would be enough to qualify for the tournament. To put it mildly, this is doable. After all, Germany is world champion.

National coach has to make a lot of changes

But there should still be a little caution. Of the twelve players who were there for the triumph in Manila, only David Krämer is now on board. The player with the least playing time at the World Cup. Instead, Oscar da Silva, Louis Olinde and Johann Grünloh are now in the squad. Players who either narrowly missed the call recently (da Silva), are in the second row (Olinde), or represent the next generation as talents (Grünloh).

Four NBA players are currently employed in the United States. Six are under contract with Euroleague teams and are getting some much-needed rest. Justus Hollatz is injured and had to cancel at short notice. But this almost completely changed squad shouldn’t pose a problem, on the contrary. Coach Gordon Herbert can rely on these players; they enjoy coming to the national team and want to show that they too deserve a place in the squad. Of course with the hope of perhaps even being able to compete in the Olympic Games in the summer.

World champion as an outsider at the Olympics in Paris

Paris 2024 – that is the big goal of the German basketball players. But favorites are different. Of course, serial winner USA. They don’t want to let the semi-final defeat at the World Cup against Germany sit with them. In contrast to last year, the big stars (e.g. LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant) have already said that they would like to be there this time. And the gold medal would have an almost certain buyer.

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Hosts France will certainly appear completely different and will bring their “prodigy” Victor Wembanyama (2.24 meters tall) to the start. Serbia, with the most recently missing NBA most valuable player, Nikola Jokic, is also a bigger medal candidate than Germany. We’re not even talking about Canada, Spain or others here.

Nobody underestimates Germany anymore

But who would have seriously believed Germany would win the 2023 World Cup title? After European Championship bronze in 2022 and World Cup gold in 2023, a medal at the 2024 Olympics would now be the perfect rounding off of the three-year plan with which Gordon Herbert took over as national coach at the time.

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However, no one underestimates this German team anymore. It should be all the more successful to unite the best basketball players in the country in one team. A fine line. Because of course those who ensured the historic success last year also have to have a certain bonus. With Maxi Kleber and Isaiah Hartenstein, there are two other players who are important pillars for their teams in the NBA and whose performance means they belong in the national team.

The next generation is already ready

Only those involved and the national coach know whether the all-important team chemistry will be maintained. But it is clear that German basketball will not have to hide in the coming years. Franz Wagner (23), one of the upcoming NBA stars, is already a mainstay. A number of world champions still have a few good years ahead of them.

And then the next generation is ready. Like Johann Grünloh. He has a little problem at the moment. The 18-year-old from Vechta is preparing for high school, but has been given a week off school for the national team.

2024-02-22 10:10:03
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