Germany coach Herbert reveals the efforts behind FIBA ​​World Cup success – Dainik Savera Times

Manila: Germany head coach Gordon Herbert said the national team’s efforts to maintain continuity paid off as Germany reached its first World Cup final. Germany emerged as the surprise winner in Friday’s semi-final, where they defeated favorites the United States 113-111 and reached the FIBA ​​World Cup final for the first time.

Germany had been in a low point since former NBA champion and Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki retired from the national team in 2016. They missed the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, followed by a World Cup setback three years later when they finished 18th. However, before winning a bronze medal at EuroBasket last year, they rose up as they reached the last eight at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games. Their momentum in the ongoing 2023 World Cup is more evident as they have already secured a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

“Our expectations in this World Cup are two things, first we want to qualify for the Olympics, and the second goal is to stand on the podium to win a medal,” Herbert told Xinhua before the semi-finals. Herbert, who took charge of Germany two years ago, revealed the secrets behind his success: ‘I just started two years ago, and our first big competition was the EuroBasket. When I arrived, I wanted three commitments from my players, EuroBasket, the World Cup and the Olympics.’

He revealed, ‘I felt with any national team you have to have some continuity, you have to build a base, because you only have a short time in the summer. We built a foundation last summer, and I think right now we’re showing the benefits of what we did last summer.’ As a world-beating manager, Herbert thought the narrowing gap between the US and Europe was a good thing for world basketball.

‘I think European basketball has progressed a lot in the last 20 years,’ the Canadian said. I would even go so far as to say that the three best players in the world or in the NBA are Europeans. Yes, the gap is definitely close, which is great for basketball. As this World Cup was approaching, I thought that one of the 10 or 12 teams could be in the last four.

He said, ‘When it comes to leagues, I think after the NBA, the EuroLeague is the next best league in the world because every game is competitive and it gets a lot of fan support. ‘Then you have the Eurocup and the Champions League, they are the top three leagues in Europe, where the quality of basketball is excellent in my opinion.’

German basketball is waiting for its next superstar after Nowitzki, and for Herbert, Franz Wagner has the potential to become the next trump card as the Orlando Magic player has become stronger in recent years. ‘I think Franz is going to be the next German star,’ Herbert explained. Franz is a little different than Dirk in that he is not a power forward. He’s a shooting guard or small forward, but the kid has a great future. He said, ‘For me, Franz is already one of the best players in FIBA ​​basketball, as well as an outstanding young man.’