Freudenberg, Germany will use past as extra motivation

MUNICH (FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017) - Germany are back at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup for the first time since 1987. And Richard Freudenberg believes he and the team will be extremely motivated to make up for past issues.

Freudenberg was one of the leaders for Germany when they won the 2016 Albert Schweitzer Tournament. But the forward could not play at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 as it was moved from the summer to last December in Turkey.

"I couldn't watch all of the games, but I watched all I could. I was in contact with the guys. I wanted to be there so bad," said Freudenberg, who missed the tournament because he was in the United States playing for St. John's University during the middle of their season.

German basketball finds itself on a major upswing and this 1998-1999 generation is considered one of Germany’s best of all time. Despite having never finished on the podium and the only European U18 fourth place dated back to 1986, the Germans went to Turkey wanting to win the title - with a legitimate chance as well. But losses to Lithuania in the Semi-Finals and Italy in the Third-Place Game left the Germans off the podium.

The disappointment can clearly be seen on the faces of the German team after losing the Third-Place Game of the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016.

"I'm glad they got into a qualifying spot for the U19, but I am also also sad they didn’t end up on the podium, which they could have," Freudenberg said.

The 6ft 8in (2.04m) Freudenberg expects his German mates to come back motivated to bounce back and excel in Cairo, where Germany are drawn into Group B with Egypt, Lithuania and Puerto Rico. 

"All the guys who played in the U18 (Europe) went through the experience of losing a Semi-Final and not getting to the podium. They got the experience and know how much that hurts. We don’t want to have that again. That will help a lot and motivate us all."

Freudenberg himself says he’s ultra-motivated to play this summer. Not only was the Heidelberg native forced to miss the FIBA U18 European Championship but he also did not get much playing time at St. John’s.

"You can't imagine how motivated I am. I can't even describe it. It's unbelievable," said Freudenberg, who averaged 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes for the college team. "I wanted to play the U18 so bad but I couldn't because I was in the middle of the season. And now I just can’t wait to finally get back in the gym with those guys and represent my country again."

Freudenberg did not play in seven of St. John's last 18 games of the season and he decided to return to Germany starting next season, signing on a three-year deal with Fraport Skyliners Frankfurt, a team known for giving young players a chance to play if they have earned it.

"All the guys who played in the U18 (Europe) went through the experience of losing a Semi-Final and not getting to the podium. They got the experience and know how much that hurts. We don’t want to have that again. That will help a lot and motivate us all."Richard FreudenbergRichard Freudenberg

When asked about the goal for the Germans in Cairo, Freudenberg said: "Once we put down a goal for our team it’s really important that we actually achieve it. If you know you're good and know what you can do and achieve I think that puts you down a bit if you don't achieve it."

Freudenberg added that this tournament is not only for the generation in Cairo. It is also for the other talented players in Germany.

"I think the young players who are younger than us who are playing (FIBA) U16 (European Championship) will probably watch our games too. So it's also a point to show them that we can play with the whole world," he said.

FIBA