World champion coach Gordon Herbert reduced his squad by three players two days before the European Championship qualifier against Montenegro on Thursday (7:30 p.m./free on MagentaSport).
The German Basketball Federation (DBB) announced this on Tuesday evening. Those affected are Ivan Kharchenkov (17/Bayern Munich), Nicholas Tischler (23/Basketball Löwen Braunschweig) and Jacob Patrick (20/MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg).
“Our focus is now on the two upcoming games that we want to win,” said Herbert before the duel with Montenegro and the game on Sunday in Bulgaria (4 p.m./free on MagentaSport): “Qualification for the 2025 European Championship is currently a priority. We have a good mix of young, talented players and experienced players here.” The process is now “different than in the summer, as we have less time and still have to coordinate the squad.”
In David Krämer (27/Fundacion CB Granada) there is only one world champion in the squad for the first game since the World Cup triumph in Manila. Captain Dennis Schröder or the brothers Franz and Moritz Wagner do not receive any release during the NBA season, and the Canadian Herbert deliberately spares experienced players such as Andreas Obst (Bayern Munich) or Johannes Thiemann (Alba Berlin), who play with their clubs in the Bundesliga and EuroLeague are exposed to high loads.