The men’s and women’s national basketball teams are hoping for a good result at the Olympics.
Photo: imago/camera4+
After the final siren, it was all about photos. National team captain Dennis Schröder and WNBA star Nyara Sabally posed with a few young fans in the middle of the floor. Winger Lina Sontag and a little later the Wagner brothers Moritz and Franz were photographed in front of the German fan block. And then of course there was the obligatory group photo of both teams in the Berlin Uber Arena. After all, it was the first double game day for the German basketball players in many years.
“It was an incredible evening for women’s basketball in Germany,” said national coach Lisa Thomaidis at the press conference after her team’s game against Nigeria. The Canadian was impressed and thanked her for the great atmosphere in the arena. She said that a German women’s team had never played a test match in front of a crowd of 10,000 fans. The game in Berlin was also a special moment for national player Luisa Geiselsöder: “It means a lot to us. Since the preparation began, we’ve been talking about Berlin, about the fact that women’s basketball is finally gaining momentum, that we can make a statement.
A new one is steering the German game
In the end it was a 77:63 victory against the basketball players from Nigeria, who will also take part in the Olympics. Especially at the beginning of the test match, it was clear that the German women had great expectations. After a nervous opening phase, they were behind 11:18 midway through the first quarter.
But above all, development player Alexis Peterson stabilized the German team. The 28-year-old native of the USA was the linchpin of the German game, even though she only recently had a German passport. The Nigerians found no answer defensively against their move to the basket. The DBB women had already turned the game around at halftime. After a strong run in the second quarter, the score was 40:31.
In the second half, Nigeria couldn’t be shaken off for a long time and even came within one point at the end of the third quarter before Peterson and her club colleague Geiselsöder – both of whom last played for Basket Landes in France – took a comfortable lead again in the fourth quarter cared for. Peterson finished the game as Germany’s top scorer with 22 points and also convinced national coach Thomaidis: »Alexis was fantastic. She has only been with us for three and a half weeks. She is a team player who suits us perfectly.«
WNBA stars are still missing
The German basketball team will undergo fundamental changes before the first Olympic game against Belgium on July 29th. Satou and Nyara Sabally as well as Leonie Fiebich, the three star players from the US professional league WNBA, still have to be integrated into the team. While Sabally’s younger sister Nyara and Leonie Fiebich were at least on the bench in Berlin on Friday, Satou Sabally was still completely absent due to an infection.
The fact that it was still enough for a clear victory against the Olympians from Nigeria ensured a good mood among the DBB women and the fans, who were also able to look forward to a clear success for the men after the women’s victory.
In the second game of the evening, the world champion quickly made things clear against the overwhelmed Japanese, who were also significantly inferior in terms of height. After the first quarter, the German basketball players were already leading by eleven points, and at halftime it was 56:31 for Germany after a 17-0 run. The outstanding player was Franz Wagner. The Orlando Magic winger scored a total of 27 points in his hometown of Berlin, the top score in the DBB team.
After the German lead grew to 81:45 in the third quarter, both teams gave their reserve players a few more minutes in the final period of the game. This gave the fans in Berlin plenty of opportunity to celebrate Alba legend Johannes Thiemann. The 30-year-old announced his departure from the capital just last week. Next season, Thiemann will play for the Gunma Crane Thunders in the Japanese league.
Knockout round as a goal
When shortly before the end of the game, after a few attempts, a La Ola wave rolled through the arena, the successful conclusion to the double game day for the German basketball players was actually perfect. Only national coach Gordon Herbert was visibly dissatisfied at the press conference after his team’s 104:83 victory: “We allowed 52 points in the second half. I think that says it all.” Herbert was sure that the defensively unfocused performance in the second half would also help his team. We now know that we shouldn’t give the Japanese, who are the DBB men’s group opponents at the Olympics, any self-confidence.
Despite the national coach’s critical words, the German men were also able to celebrate their successful performance in Berlin. After the group photo of the teams, Franz and Moritz Wagner, along with Luisa Geiselsöder and Lina Sontag and the German fan block, chanted “Paris, Paris, we’re going to Paris.” That is the declared goal of the two German basketball teams. Because only the knockout round after the group phase will be held at the Olympic basketball tournament in the French capital.