Basketball: Olympic qualification: German basketball players want to go to the Olympics in a hurry

Renewal. There are only 44 seconds left to play. The German basketball players are trying to fight back against the Czech Republic for the second time, but they are still four points behind. Until Svenja Brunckhorst tries to throw a three-point shot. Their first three attempts in this placement game at the European Championships in Slovenia all went wrong. This time she is also fouled. But the ball goes through the ring. Three-pointer plus bonus free throw, which she also hits. Compensation. With one second to go, the team even takes the lead and cries with happiness together after the final siren. Brunckhorst, the captain of the German Basketball Association (DBB), also cannot believe this moment in June 2023. Because suddenly participating in the Olympics is possible.

Almost eight months later the time has come. Brunckhorst and Co. will compete in Belém against Serbia, Australia and hosts Brazil to get one of the last three tickets to the games in Paris. Never before have German basketball players made it this far. »I don’t think about the threesome that often anymore. But the topic kept coming up when we talked about Olympic qualification. That was a very important moment in getting this far. It was one of the most important throws of my career,” says the playmaker in the nd interview, secretly hoping that an even more important one will be added in the next four days.

Participation in the Olympics in Paris would be the highlight of a miraculous journey that is actually far too fast for the development of sports. A year ago the German team didn’t even have a coach. The Canadian Lisa Thomaidis was quickly signed up for the European Championships and had to rely on her assistants for the nomination because she didn’t really know the German players yet. Nevertheless, with sixth place, the best European Championship result in decades was achieved and the ticket to Olympic qualification in Brazil was secured.

It was a testament to Thomaidis’ abilities on the sidelines, but also to the great talent that lies within the German national team. This was increased again at two international matches in November, as the Sabally sisters Satou and Nyara, who play in the US professional league WNBA, also joined them. The Czechs, who were still on equal footing at the European Championships, were suddenly outplayed 85:41. But then, in the middle of the hype, came the shock. The record crowd of 3,000 fans in Hamburg watched as the Italians dominated Germany 70:53. The DBB selection was obviously not as advanced as hoped.

“We are still in our baby shoes,” reminds Thomaidis. The European Championship was a big step. »But you have to be honest. We skipped some steps. Other countries work four or even eight years to get a team to Olympic qualification. We had a summer and a week in November. That’s why we lack the experience.” Actually, the breakthrough was only supposed to come at the 2026 World Cup in our own country; the Olympics were not on the DBB’s schedule until 2028, which now wants to give more support to women after the men’s World Cup title. And so her team is clearly an outsider in Belém, says Thomaidis, who was given a three-year contract after the surprise success at the European Championships. After all, you are only 25th in the world rankings. Australia (3), Brazil (8) and Serbia (10) are all in the top ten. “But we are an outsider with a great opportunity,” says Thomaidis.

The experience gap cannot be closed so quickly. Nevertheless, everything was done to make them smaller. »As a team, we quickly made a commitment that we would meet virtually again and again. “At first every two weeks, since Christmas every week,” says the 51-year-old, describing the ritual of the regular Zoom meetings, in which the memory of Brunckhorst’s threesome in Ljubljana popped up every now and then. “But above all, we have defined our identity, our values, our playing culture,” reports the captain. Team building via Zoom call. Because there is no time for that in Brazil. »We have definitely grown together.«

The trainer also demonstrated various game systems virtually. That was still missing in November. Also understanding what favorite throwing positions each teammate has. »I hope this works. But you only know what the implementation looks like in the game. But I believe that we are a different team on and off the field than we were in November,” says Brunckhorst.

Without the clap against Italy, this sense of urgency would probably not have arisen. “This defeat was a gift for us,” says the national coach. »She showed us that we can’t just show up and our talent takes care of everything. In basketball, whoever has a solid team game, distributes the ball well, moves without it and defends together wins. If we had won both games in November, we would have lacked the understanding that we had to stick together. You learn so much from defeats, so that was really important for us.

Only Emily Bessoir is now missing from the qualifying squad due to injury. Otherwise, Thomaidis has all the players he wants. 20-year-old Lina Sontag, who celebrated her breakthrough at the European Championships, also received clearance from her US college in Los Angeles in the middle of the season. There is no shortage of talent and a healthy mix of young and experienced players. Just time. Five days, that’s all there was for training before the first duel against the Serbians this Thursday (9 p.m., free in the live stream on magentasport.de). The opponents arrived later, which is why the DBB team is hoping for an advantage. Ultimately, the Germans had more time to adapt to Brazil’s jet lag, high temperatures and humid rainy season climate.

And if that isn’t enough, the newly developed cohesion will have to fix it. “To get to Paris, we need an outstanding team spirit,” emphasizes the experienced Thomaidis, who has already led her home country Canada to the Olympics three times. “And we need the attitude that we can’t lose anything, because such teams can be very dangerous.”