Berlin – The video lasted 41 seconds. After the announcement of the venues in Cologne – by Robin Benzing – and Berlin – by Niels Giffey – a few highlights of the past games of the national team could be seen. A block by Maxi Kleber, a dunking by Daniel Theis and other emotions and spectacular actions by the other national players. Exactly 365 days before the start of the European basketball championship, which has been postponed to 2022, at which Germany will be co-host of the preliminary round and sole host of the final round, the German Basketball Federation (DBB) presented an emotional appetizer with this little trailer, which encourages the desire for even to do this tournament.
DBB would like to set new impulses with a change of coach
The fact that no face of the national coach could be seen in this clip did not represent a slip-up, but was due to the fact that Henrik Rödl’s contract was not extended despite qualifying for the Olympic Games and reaching the quarter-finals in Tokyo. The association wanted to set new impulses so that participation in the Olympic Games was not a one-off high point for German basketball players.
Exactly this impulse is expected from Gordon Herbert, who was introduced on Monday as the new national coach and who presented himself very aggressively and not very defensively in his sporting orientation. Herbert wants to establish the German national team permanently in the European and also the world elite. “It’s about winning medals. At the European Championships, at the World Cup, at the Olympics. Regardless of the tournament, ”he said on Monday when he was introduced.
Herbert signed a two-year contract with the German Basketball Association with the option of a further year until 2024. Then the Olympic Games will take place in Paris – and Germany should definitely be there again. “That is of course the goal,” said the 62-year-old Canadian, who knows German basketball very well. After all, Herbert worked in Würzburg, Frankfurt and at Alba Berlin and therefore knows the Bundesliga inside out. “That is of course an advantage. I know all the coaches and most of the players, ”said Herbert, who most recently worked for the national team in his home country Canada.
In addition to his Bundesliga experience, the other positions in international basketball also spoke for Herbert. “He also knows Fiba basketball and the NBA very well,” said DBB Vice President Armin Andres. “It was important to us that we hire an experienced coach. We didn’t want to do any experiments, ”said DBB President Ingo Weiss. “Today is a good day for the DBB, for the German basketball players and for the opponents at the EM, who now know that they will be dealing with a top coach.”
The European Championship 2022 with a preliminary round in Cologne and the final round in Berlin is Herbert’s first big goal. Before that, there are still four time slots with games in the World Cup qualification on the program, but the focus is of course on the European Championship at home. After Germany was eliminated in the preliminary round in Berlin in 2015 despite the participation of superstar Dirk Nowitzki, things should go better next year. “We want to be on the podium,” Herbert stated the objective.
Gordon Herbert wants to have conversations with players
So that this really works, Herbert will immediately jump into work. “I want to get to know the structures and the people as soon as possible,” said the Canadian, who will move to Hagen, close to the association’s headquarters. In the coming weeks and months Herbert will then be about to visit the players in Germany, Europe and the USA. “I want to speak to everyone personally and tell them: It is an honor to represent your country.”
He will probably have to hold these talks with NBA professionals Daniel Theis, Maxi Kleber and Dennis Schröder, who for various reasons did not participate in this national team summer. The fact that he was so successful in reaching the Olympic Games speaks for the potential in German basketball. The biggest task of the new national coach will therefore be to find the right mix to put together a team that will also provide emotional images at the EM next year.