Monday 29 November 2021
“Proud of my players”
DBB team makes the coach really happy
It is the first victory for Gordon Herbert as the German national coach for basketball players. After the embarrassment against Estonia, the team reports back in the World Cup qualifying with a win against Poland. Herbert is also powerless when it comes to the national team’s main problem.
After the first victory under the new national coach Gordon Herbert, the relief in the camp of the German basketball players was huge. Even without all the stars from the NBA and the professionals of the Euroleague teams from Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin won the selection of the German Basketball Federation in Poland with 72:69 (40:30) and thus reported back in qualifying for the 2023 World Cup .
“I’m very proud of my players. We played together as a real team today,” said Herbert after his debut success as the German national coach. After the embarrassing 66:69 against Estonia, the pressure on the 62-year-old Canadian and his team was already great. But the completely new team put together showed a clear increase in performance compared to Thursday and is now back on track. “Thursday was tough, but we gave a good answer today. The teamwork was much better,” said Herbert.
As with the defeat against Estonia, the German team initially had a hard time in the Globus Arena in Lublin. Especially offensively, the DBB team didn’t succeed very much at first. In return, the guests acted defensively but much better and more aggressively than against Estonia, when the opponent was able to score at will, especially from a distance.
After ten minutes Germany was three points ahead (16:13), but after that the Herbert selection was able to extend the lead. With nine points in a row, Germany set off in double digits for the first time (25:13) and now had the game under control. Poland shortened to seven points shortly before half-time, but then the Braunschweig shopkeeper gave a spectacular three-point lead for a ten-point lead at the break.
After the break, the Poles quickly shortened to five points and were on the verge of turning the game around. But led by Hamburg point guard Justus Hollatz and above all von Krämer, the inexperienced German team survived this critical phase and continued with a ten-point lead in the final quarter. The Poles never gave up there, but Germany won over time.
Planned visit to Dennis Schröder
Herbert, the successor to Henrik Rödl, now has plenty of time again to analyze the first two games under his direction and to sift through players. Should Corona allow, Herbert also wants to travel to the USA to visit the NBA stars around Dennis Schröder.
But if it continues with two games against the still unbeaten Israel in the World Cup qualification at the end of February 2022, Schröder and Co. will be missing again. From the current squad, the Hamburg point guard Justus Hollatz and David Krämer from the Basketball Löwen Braunschweig attracted attention. Krämer was the best thrower with 24 points. “After the Estonia game, we reunited as a group,” said the 24-year-old.
The 2023 World Cup will take place in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. 32 teams qualify for the final round, including twelve from Europe. The current qualification phase is about getting into the top three of a group of four. The results of the first group stage will also be carried over to the next stage.