Dennis Schröder takes "Unhappy End" to his hat
The German basketballers narrowly missed out on their third medal in three years. Nevertheless, the tenure of outgoing coach Gordon Herbert was a massive success. German basketball now ranks among the strongest in the world, something that would have been unthinkable not long ago.
"Of course, everyone is disappointed," Dennis Schröder said without hesitation at the press conference after the 83:93 loss to Serbia in the bronze medal game at the Olympic Games in Paris. "First of all, we have to thank the coach for everything he has done for the German Basketball Federation and the national team. He has contributed something to the culture. The fun, the atmosphere in the locker room - he created that. He started that three years ago. In three years, we have won two medals. Of course, we wanted the third, but we have achieved something that no one has done before. We really appreciate that. At the moment, everyone is unhappy, but we have to look forward."
A German basketball national team has never come this far at the Olympic Games. The game against Serbia was the last one for Gordon Herbert as head coach. He will take over the FC Bayern. After the 65-year-old Canadian had clapped with his players and the opponents and left the parquet in the Paris Bercy Arena for the last time, he sat visibly dejected before the gathered reporters and summarized: "Everything in life comes to an end at some point. Of course, this is not the end we wanted. But these guys have given their heart and soul for three years. This was a real family. Congratulations to Serbia. Sorry, France, but this was the best team we faced at these Olympic Games."
The early tip-off at 11 am played much better into the hands of coach Svetislav Pesic's team. Unlike the 2023 World Cup final, in which the German team still triumphed, Pesic could now rely on three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and his regular point guard Vasilije Micic. Sharp-shooter Bogdan Bogdanovic was in top form, as he was last year.
Outclassed in the Bronze Medal Game
The trio from the North American professional league dominated from the start and put Serbia on the path to victory with a 30:21 first quarter. The Balkan team blocked the zone in defense and forced Germany into long-range attempts that rarely fell. The World Cup champions were eight points behind at halftime (38:46). A personal 7:0 run by Aleksa Avramovic in the third quarter then sealed the victory (45:64), and the DBB team could not recover.
Jokic recorded the fifth triple-double in Olympic history (19 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists), Micic scored 19 points, and Bogdanovic scored 16, making them the top scorers for Serbia, who won their second Olympic medal (after silver in 2016) and gave coach Pesic an early birthday present.
Franz (18 points) and Moritz Wagner (16) were the best scorers for Germany. Schröder scored 13 points and six assists but also had six turnovers: "I could have played a better game. That's on me. I should have brought more energy. Just be a better point guard, make sure everyone is in the right place, yeah... That game is on me."
There was certainly more in it. Perhaps not against Serbia, and maybe not in a final against the eventual Olympic champions USA. But overall, yes. Germany had squandered the chance of at least a silver medal against France in the semi-finals on Thursday, leaving it with previously unknown weaknesses. The 69:73 defeat stung, and it seemed to have broken the collective spirit of this previously untouchable team. "The semi-final, that really bit us in the ass," said Herbert in the end. "I told the players that we could have won it. But I think we shouldn't forget what we've achieved in the past three years. We've played brilliantly, given our all."
Germany's 13 consecutive victories at an international tournament, since winning bronze at EuroBasket 2022, had radically changed perceptions of German basketball. The fact that the two defeats at the end, against two of the world's best teams, were interpreted and discussed as so disappointing speaks volumes. Herbert had set a goal of winning three medals in three years when he took office after the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. What was then met with shock, skepticism, and even laughter by DBB officials and fans, has since become a new reality. This is Herbert's achievement, who has established the most successful era of German basketball through excellent leadership, clear communication in all areas, and the courage to dream big.
"We've shown that Germany is one of the best basketball nations in the world," says Schröder, whom Herbert appointed as captain in his first act - a masterstroke, as it turned out. "In the last three years, I've played a kind of basketball I've never experienced in my career before. These guys in the locker room, no ego, everyone's only thinking about winning. Just guys with strong character, high IQ, obviously talented basketball players. We've won two medals. Last year we won the World Cup. We wanted to achieve more this year, but sometimes you can't get everything you want in life."
Because the DBB, unlike all major basketball nations, categorically rejects a dual role, and Herbert will soon be taking over FC Bayern, a successor will need to be found. "Yes, I'm a little sad because it's over. It was an incredible journey over the past three years with fantastic guys, fantastic people. Every coach dreams of working with players like that." Whoever takes over the position will have a tough act to follow. "That's really hard to top," commented Schröder. "The coach has done fantastic work in the last three years and brought us together. I heard something was already in the works before the game, so we didn't have anything to say about that. I don't know. Tough question. They'll do the right thing. I hope we get someone like Gordie who can help us build on what we've achieved."
Is a major turnover coming next?
The next national team coach will take over a squad that will largely remain intact. Captain Schröder has already announced that he wants to continue playing, "until I'm 40. That's my goal. Hopefully, all my guys in the locker room will decide to come back and play. Because if I play until I'm 40, they can play until they're 37, 38 and make it something special." The oldest players in the squad are Niels Giffey (33), Daniel Theis (32), Johannes Voigtmann and Maodo Lo (both 31).
Simultaneously, a lot of talent is coming in, and great work has been done in recent years. The U-18 national team won the EuroBasket last week. Franz Wagner, who scored a total of 111 points, the second-highest in these games, is one of the world's best young players at 22. Justus Hollatz, who won the World Cup with this team, is just 23. Tristan Da Silva (also 23), the younger brother of national player Oscar Da Silva (25), will debut in the NBA next season with the Orlando Magic, alongside the Wagner brothers. Isaiah Hartenstein, who just signed a new $87 million contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder after his best professional season, is only 26.
Germany has established itself as one of the world's best teams under Herbert. The past three years should not be an exception, but the beginning of a sustained success story. Not only Schröder, who was selected alongside Jokic, Victor Wembanyama, LeBron James, and Steph Curry for the All-Olympics Teams 2024, believes that this is more than realistic: "The U18 team won the European Championship, Tristan da Silva has just joined the league, Hartenstein - we still have many young guys who can play. The future of German basketball looks bright."
Despite the disappointment of missing out on a third consecutive medal, Dennis Schröder acknowledged Gordon Herbert's significant contributions to the German Basketball Federation and the national team. "I'm not going to blame anyone," Schröder said, emphasizing the collective effort and the positive culture that Herbert had established.
In the aftermath of the bronze medal game loss, the focus shifted towards the future of German basketball. "I'm not going to think about retirement yet," Schröder stated, expressing his commitment to continuing his career and helping the team build on their successes under Herbert's leadership.
