MIES (Switzerland) - In 2019, Germany played a horrible tournament at the FIBA Basketball World Cup, failing to reach the Second Round, finishing in 18th spot with a 3-2 record. Instead of panicking and going downhill, they found a way to respond, and started their best run, ever.
Already in 2021, they made the Olympics, reaching the Quarter-Finals in Japan, their first run at this event since 2008. In 2022, they hosted the FIBA EuroBasket and went on to win bronze.
In 2023, they were unstoppable, collecting a perfect 8-0 record to win their first FIBA Basketball World Cup. From a defeated and a deflated team five years ago, they arrive in France as the team to beat in 2024.
They are placed in Group B, alongside the hosts France, Japan and Brazil.
The Roster
Sir Alfred Ernest Ramsey was born in 1920. For the majority of his life, he claimed he was born in 1922, thinking this would help his chances in life, if the clubs considered him younger than he really was, and this was also his way of compensating the years lost because of the World War II.
He loved playing golf, he loved watching Western movies, and occasionally wrote newspaper columns. However, the biggest reason why you should know his name is the fact that he was the only coach to win a major tournament with England, leading them to the top of the FIFA World Cup in 1966.
What does a soccer coach have to do with the German basketball team? It turns out Sir Ramsey was actually the coach who coined the phrase "never change a winning team," which are words to live by for coach Gordon Herbert some 58 years later.
The Canadian-born playcaller is bringing back ten of his players who won the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Manila last summer. The only two new faces are Oscar da Silva and Nick Weiler-Babb, who is making a comeback after winning bronze at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022.
The core is there, with a perfect balance of height, strength and individual talent. Dennis Schroder is the engine of the team, while Maodo Lo can also take care of point guard duties and even win a game or two if his shots are falling.
Andreas Obst is one of the finest shooters in European basketball, Niels Giffey and Nick Weiler-Babb add more size and power to the wings, while Franz Wagner and Isaac Bonga present matchup nightmares for all opponents.
Under the rims, you know you're going to have a tough job scoring because Germany always pair up two bigs. Either you're getting schooled by the two Johanneses, Thiemann and Voigtmann, or you need to match the energy of Daniel Theis and Moritz Wagner.
A perfectly built team for this brand of basketball, Germany are ready to prove they are worthy of a medal in Paris. They never came close to winning one at the Olympics, seventh place in Barcelona 1992 being their best finish.
The Question
What if complacency shows up in 2024? Having the same players back for one more run sounds great, especially after back-to-back medals in 2022 and 2023, but these guys now must fight to keep the same hunger they had when this tide started rising.
Also, how will they react now that there's no element of surprise? Nobody will underestimate Germany nowadays, everybody knows this is not the same team as in 2019, making the job a bit more difficult for coach Herbert, Schroder and others to come up with new ways of winning games.
The Hope
They are in Group B with France, Japan and Brazil. Their last game against France at a major event? A 76-63 win at FIBA EuroBasket 2022.
Their last game against Japan? An 81-63 win at FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023.
Their last game against Brazil? A 75-64 win in the Final of the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in 2021.
All three were important wins, and all propelled them to major success. They just need to hit "copy" on those games and "paste" them to 2024.
The Fear
Their Olympic track record has been far from perfect. This would be their seventh appearance, over the previous six they are just 11-27, including 2-7 in their last two rides in 2008 and 2020.
Another Olympic slump would be heartbreaking for their fans, especially now that they are so used to winning medals.
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