Basketball: Germany goes into the European Championship qualification with seven world champions

If you can believe Isaac Bonga, everything will be easy: “We win the two games.” What world champion Germany would handle all imponderables on the way to the European Championship in September. On Thursday, the German national basketball team will only play in Montenegro (7 p.m. in Bamberg (5 p.m. , both games free of charge at Magentasport) in the last European Championship qualification game against the Bulgarians.

If you look at the table of qualification group D, you have to assume that the proposal of the German building player, who likes to carry his main hair over the parquet in the most colorful colors, but does not become a sure -fire success. Because after victories against Montenegro and Sweden as well as two defeats against Bulgaria and Sweden, the world champion has won only second in the group D. Montenegro as Primus three times, but the only bankruptcy in Ludwigsburg so far, with 61:85 against the Germans. Sweden is tied and Bulgaria is only one point worse than the selection of the German Basketball Federation (DBB) – so everything seems to be conceivable.

Alex Mumbru is aware of this, but beads of sweat drives the situation on his forehead: “Nothing is decided, we can leave or become first.” When the Spaniard says that, the reason for his serenity is thrown on the basket of a few balls: the new selection that is now available to him. In April, the 45-year-old Mumbru took over the office of world championship maker Gordon Herbert, his balance sheet has so far had a victory and a defeat in the same EM qualification against Sweden. However, there was no Euroleague break at the time of this time window, so his team consisted mainly of perspective players. In David Krämer and Johannes Thiemann there were only two world champions, all Euroleague players were prevented.

But now six heroes from Manila are practicing behind Mumbru, whose current selection has significantly more quality. The Euroleague pauses for two weeks, so except for the NBA players, all big names are on board. Like Bonga from Partisan Belgrade, which is currently wearing black on his head, the starting position appropriately assesses: anything but the qualification would be a disgrace for the bronze medalist of the past European Championship, especially since three of the four teams qualify.

World champion Johannes Voigtmann expects a “physical game”. The Center of FC Bayern currently has to digest the evil cup bankruptcy of Weißenfels, in which the master and trophy defender was thrown out of the competition by the host in the semi-finals. “It is quite good to see a few other faces now,” says Voigtmann, and you also look more on yourself than on the opponent. This is how a world champion speaks, colleague Johannes Thiemann sees it similarly. The center came from Japan, has the flight in the bones, but is still a little more rested, as he finds. The league in Japan is less strenuous than the Bundesliga and Euroleague in the package, he says, and he does not want to underestimate the pressure on himself and his colleagues despite all the quality in the squad: “We have built something in Germany, we want to continue that.”

World champion number seven is on board for the game against Bulgaria: NBA-Center Daniel Theis

For the world champions it is the first steps under the leadership of coach Mumbru, who was a world and European champion as a player. That is why Mumbru primarily wants to “work on the chemistry in the team”, develop together. At least that should not be too difficult for him, explains Justus Hollatz: “Basically it is the same boys, we all know each other, have been playing together for a long time.”

The big innovation is therefore next to the field: “We have to help Alex a little, he will help us, and if we find ourselves in the middle, we can go into a very successful future.” It is passed that Mumbru is similar to his predecessor: “The two of them are relatively identical in the type, both rather calmer, always have an open ear, are very reflected in themselves and can put themselves into the players well.” The only difference, said Hollatz, which he could see after the first training session: “Alex’s style of play may be a bit faster.”

In Mumbrus words: “We want to races and score before the opposing defense is ready.” A success against Montenegro could be enough if Sweden beats Bulgaria in the parallel game. And so that nothing can go wrong, there will be a final home game against the Bulgarian Daniel Theis. The center said goodbye to its last NBA intermediate stop Oklahoma and now plays for Monaco. Another from the world championship that will hardly need familiarization time: “He will help us,” says Mumbru, “I am happy that he is here.”