Team Profile: Germany dream of first Olympic appearance

BELEM (Brazil) – Germany have a tall task as they head into the 2023 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Belem: earning a spot in the Olympic Games for the first time in history.

The road ahead looks rocky on paper, as they’re not only sharing the group with a rising Brazilian squad playing in front of their crowd, but also a pair of countries ranked in the Top 10 of the FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike, like Australia and Serbia.

It’s also the perfect opportunity for them to go on a Cinderella run, since it would give them great momentum going into the FIBA Women’s World Cup in 2026, where they will be the host nation.

 

 

The Roster

Head coach Lisa Thomaidis is expected to have her best players available, including forwards Satou Sabally and Nyara Sabally, shooting guard Leonie Fiebich and veteran point guard and team captain Svenja Brunckhorst.

Leonie Fiebich was Germany top-scorer at EuroBasket Women's 2023

Power forward Marie Guelich and center Luisa Geiselsoder will be called upon to patrol the painted area.

UCLA’s forward Emily Bessoir tore her ACL in early November while on National Team duty and won’t be available.

The Question

Is this team ready to take the next step? Germany notched some strong wins on their resume at the EuroBasket Women 2023, beating Slovenia, Slovakia and Great Britain but also a pair of ugly losses against Italy and Spain. In Brazil, Germany will need to play better against great teams. It was the team's first participation at EuroBasket Women's since 2011.

Finding consistency will be the key for a team that boasts a squad that is squarely on their basketball prime.

The Hope

With the momentum decidedly positive for the National Team, Germany witnessed the Men's National Team shock the world by winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup last summer, leading to a surge in basketball's popularity in the country. Now, can the Women's Team ride this wave of positivity, overcome their underdog status, and secure a spot in France?

The Fear

Arguably, Germany's primary weakness lies in the lack of experience at the global level. A 78-62 loss to Serbia at last year's EuroBasket, coupled with the consistent presence of Australia and Brazil in World Cups and Olympic Games, underscores the team's yet unproven ability to defeat world-class opponents. The format of this WOQT offers no room for error or a learning curve. Teams must be ready from the start.

Playing Serbia last summer at EuroBasket Women's is not a good memory for Germany

GERMANY IN THE LAST FIBA EVENTS

YEAR	EVENT	LOCATION	ACHIEVEMENT
2023	FIBA EuroBasket Women's	Ljubljana (SLO)	6th
2011	FIBA EuroBasket Women's	Lode (POL)	13th
2007	FIBA EuroBasket Women's	Chieti (ITA)	11th
2005	FIBA EuroBasket Women's	Ankara (TUR)	11th

The poll

FIBA