For Germany’s basketball players, the preparation for the home European Championship is not going according to plan. The national coach has to delete two more players.
The German basketball players have one of the most talented teams in their history. How big the range of top players is can also be seen from the fact that one of the long-time leaders did not make it into the squad for the home European Championship (September 1 to September 18): Robin Benzing, captain of the Olympic team from Tokyo, was coached by national team Gordon Herbert dropped from the provisional squad.
The 63-year-old Canadian, who has traveled a lot in the basketball world as a coach, spoke in “Kicker” about one of the toughest decisions he has ever had to make. “I haven’t slept for a few days“, gave Herbert to. He would have”loved nothing more than to have Robin around and to start his career with the Euro basket ended in Germany“.
Hardship case Benzing – since 2009 every summer with the DBB team
The 33-year-old Benzing, who suffered a hip injury during preparation, had spent every summer with the national team since his debut in the DBB jersey in 2009. At the EM 2017 he even missed the birth of his daughter, instead he stayed with the team in Israel. Even with the unpopular international game windows during the season, captain Benzing was always ready, unlike the players from the NBA and the Euroleaguewho were either not exempted or canceled themselves for other reasons.
Herbert has to delete two more players
Benzing is likely to have been the hardest case in the pre-selection for the European Championship squad. However, the national coach will have to remove two more players from the provisional squad of 14.
Originally had Herbert before deciding on the final squad for the European Championship after the two friendlies in Belgium and the Netherlands last weekend. With the twelve players, who will then also contest the home tournament, in which the selection of the German Basketball Association (DBB) is aiming for a medal. Since taking office last year, the national coach has had little chance to work with the best players, most of whom are in the Bundesliga NBA and the Euroleague were bound. Herbert had therefore repeatedly emphasized in the run-up to the European Championship preparations how important it was to have the core of the team together as early as possible.
DBB team again not complete at the start of the preparation
In advance, the DBBCoach still issued the clear motto that all players must be on board at the start of the preparation. The experience at the 2019 World Cup may also have played a role, at the time leader Dennis Schröder arrived at the training camp a few days later than the rest of the team. So, as you could hear afterwards, the breeding ground was already prepared for a completely screwed up tournament, accompanied by atmospheric disturbances in the team.
Herbert wanted to avoid something similar this time from the outset, but then quickly saw his plans thwarted: on the one hand, due to the short-term absence of Moritz Wagner, one of the key players from the NBA, who was still there at the start of the training camp in Cologne, but then left due to an injury had to.
Shortly before naturalized Nick Weiler-Babb again completely missed the first part of the preparation because he was traveling to a family celebration in the USA. The national coach Weiler-Babb assigned an important role in the team, therefore again felt compelled to deviate from his route, but was pragmatic: “Sometimes you have to adapt to developments.“
Supercup should bring final EM squad
The final decisions about the final European Championship squad will therefore only be made at the Supercup in Hamburg, where the DBB team will meet the Czech Republic on Friday evening (19.08.2022, 8.30 p.m.) before it could then go into the finals against Italy or Serbia . There is a question mark in the squad behind it David Krämer, who was recently injured. The man from Braunschweig is an intrepid long-range shooter who can quickly overheat, but he has a lot of competition in his position: Niels Giffey and Andreas Obst, who are much more experienced internationally.
Of the other remaining players, Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann is probably the number one prank candidate. The future Hamburger, nicknamed “Wo-Bo” is an established, reliable center in the BBL. But especially with them “Big Men” the DBB team is already filled with international top players: Daniel Theis, who is there with Boston until the NBA Finals made it, Johannes Thiemann from Berlin, the most valuable player in the final series, or Johannes Voigtmann, who fled from CSKA Moscow after the Russian attack on Ukraine, will be active in Milan in the future.
Hollaatz only playmaker number three behind Schröder and Lo
Karim Jallow and Justus Hollatz are also unlikely to have secured their place in the EM squad. But Jallow stands because of his all roundqualities and, above all, his strength in defence. The 21-year-old director Hollatz, on the other hand, has made another leap forward in Spain, in Europe’s strongest league, but would only be number three in the position of playmaker behind the new captain Schröder and Maodo Lo.
Should Herbert decide to go into the tournament with only two regular ones, Hollatz would probably have to stay at home – especially with Weiler-Babb from Bayern also another Euroleague-Top players with playmaker qualities have been added. The national coach could face another sleepless weekend.