National basketball coach Gordon Herbert defended captain Dennis Schröder against all criticism on the day after his miserable World Cup quarter-finals.
“The great thing about Dennis is that he wants the ball and makes a decision. He’s only human. We wouldn’t be here without him,” said Herbert at the team hotel in Manila. In the 81:79 victory over Latvia, the 29-year-old playmaker only converted four of his 26 throws and still kept throwing in the tight final phase. Schröder himself spoke of “probably the worst game of his career”.
Herbert said he was asked after the game in the Mall of Asia Arena why he didn’t replace Schröder in the end. “He was outstanding in Japan, probably the most valuable player of all teams. Substituting the best player? No. You win with him or you lose with him,” said the 64-year-old.
Herbert didn’t think of an announcement to Schröder either. “He was throwing great up until this game. He missed four, five layups this time. He’s a tough kid. He’ll fight through it. That will make him stronger.” On Friday (2:40 p.m./Magentasport) the semi-finals against Olympic champions USA will take place.
Basketball World Cup: Dennis Schröder “is a beast”
TV expert Per Günther was also critical. “What do you do with him with playing time, what do you do on offense? How much do you intervene? And I think we would have needed a better balance,” said Günther at Magentasport. He signed immediately to continue giving Schröder the ball. “But in the last few minutes it was too much for me,” added Günther. Schröder did not hit “a barn door”.
Because Davis Bertans’ last three fell only on the ring, the Germans narrowly won. “It says everything about the team, how our team is built. Everyone supported me and played very well,” said a humble Schröder in the catacombs.
For teammate Moritz Wagner, Schröder’s used day was no longer a big issue. When asked how to deal with the captain, Wagner replied: “Build it up? He’s a beast. You don’t have to build it up. Something like that happens, he’s a person. Don’t forget: there’s a lot of attention to him. I’m not worried about Dennis.” In the five previous games of the World Cup, Schröder had shone with outstanding performances.