Leonie Fiebich got 16 points and seven rebounds against Sweden.
Photo: Imago/Camera4+
At the beginning there was something on the ears. A very special birthday child was allowed to herald the European Championships of the German basketball players against Sweden on Thursday. On his 47th birthday, NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki honored the honor of pressing an extra red button shortly before the start of the game in order to let a ship’s fog horn boom through the sold-out Hamburg island park arena. The start signal for a successful first evening at the home preliminary round of the Eurobasket.
3414 spectators in the multi-purpose hall in the port district of Wilhelmsburg clapped, screamed and drummed the women’s selection of the German Basketball Association (DBB) at the perfect start to the tournament. “I’m totally happy that so many people came to cheer us on. They were loud and that pushes another extra, «said national player Leonie Fiebich after the ultimately sovereign 89:76 success against the Swedes.
A massive home advantage
Already in the first game it became clear how important the home advantage for the German basketball players during the European Championship group phase can be, in which a group of four plays in Hamburg, Bologna, BRNO and Piraeus. In the first quarter, the team of national coach Lisa Thomaidis used the energy from the ranks directly for a 16: 2 start. Sweden seemed overwhelmed by the force that the DBB team developed together with its own supporters. The comfortable double -digit lead was no longer available in the first half. With 44:27 we went into the cabin.
»We started great, when the audience wore us. Then we had a weaker phase, but the fans continued to support ourselves. It was great fun, ”said Frieda Bühner, who confirmed her strong performance from the preparation with 18 points and nine rebounds. Even when the Swedes shortened to 53:47 after half-time with a 12-0 run, the party mood in the hall only briefly stalled. Together they survived the shaky phase in the third quarter and pulled away in the fourth section.
Discussion about the hall size
After the opening victory, the wave of euphoria, on which Germany’s basketball players have been surfing again since the first Olympic participation and the gold medal of the 3×3 team, to start new journey again. It had previously been critically discussed whether it would have been possible for the Eurobasket to be possible for women. Before starting the tournament, national player Fiebich was surprised that the European Championship in Germany had been advertised so little. The size of the arena was also an issue: »We play in Hamburg in a rather small hall. I hear that many people still want tickets, but everyone is sold out. You might have been able to plan differently so that we could get a larger audience, ”said the 25-year-old of the“ Süddeutsche Zeitung ”.
It remains to be seen whether the DBB team would have managed to get significantly larger Hamburg Barclays Arena with 15,000 places, in which Bundesliga club Hamburg Towers also shows its highlight games. The German Association and the Fiba have chosen the smaller island park arena. The fact that real EM mood developed there without larger viewers was thanks to the German team and their followers, as well as the sacrificially fighting Swedes and their fans, who, despite the large deficit in the meantime, cheered on the entire playing time over Lautstar.
The team works despite the failures
In addition to the sparked euphoria, the opening victory for Germany also fulfilled a second sporty purpose. After the bumpy preparation, the team has a first yardstick, where you stand without the Sabally sisters and the injured captain Marie Gülich. The two available WNBA players Leonie Fiebich and Luisa Geiselsöder are the hoped-for supports of the team. Although the two 25-year-olds were only able to join the team last Sunday due to the ongoing season in the North American professional league, the DBB team showed a promising performance with them.
It is now a matter of building on this, because on Friday evening the preliminary duel is about the group victory against the Spaniards who won their first game against Great Britain with 85:70. Dirk Nowitzki as a lucky charm will also be in the hall again against Spain. Should a success against the favorites succeed, the small EM party in the south of Hamburg could really get going.
Note: Germany received a clear 60:79 defeat in the second group game against Spain. This makes the decision as to who is coming to the quarter -finals on Sunday. If the DBB women win their game against Great Britain, while Sweden loses against Spain or wins with a maximum of six points, the German basketball players would be qualified for the knockout round. If Sweden loses Sweden, Germany is also a defeat against the British with a maximum of ten points to progress.