- Mumbrú who?
As a player, Álex Mumbrú was part of the golden Spanish generation. Now, the former world and European champion is set to succeed the successful coach Gordon Herbert to further establish the German basketball team among the world's elite. According to matching media reports, the 45-year-old will be presented at a press conference in Berlin on Thursday. This is reported by the "Hamburger Abendblatt" and "Bild", as well as Spanish media. The association, which invited to a five-star hotel in Berlin-Charlottenburg on Tuesday, did not comment on the reports.
Mumbrú, who? The name might not be familiar to everyone, but the top of the German Basketball Association (DBB) seems convinced of the qualities of the Catalan coach, who has not yet made an international impact. Mumbrú knows how to be successful. As a player, the 2.02-meter tall Catalan won World and European Championships alongside Spanish basketball legend Pau Gasol, and won Olympic silver in 2008.
Can Mumbrú be as successful as Herbert?
However, Mumbrú has big shoes to fill. Under the Canadian Herbert (65), who will take over the German double winner FC Bayern München after the summer games, Dennis Schröder & Co. experienced an almost incredible rise with the World Championship title last year, European bronze in 2022, and fourth place at the Olympics in Paris.
Coaching experience with Spanish clubs
As a professional, Mumbrú was active exclusively in his home country and played for several years for Real Madrid, where he became Spanish champion. After his career ended in 2018, Mumbrú first coached Bilbao Basket, before moving to Euroleague club FC Valencia in 2022. His tenure there ended in April after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs in the European top league. Despite this, Mumbrú came into question for the DBB, as the association excludes a dual role as club and national coach.
Under Mumbrú, the German national team would now be prepared for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in the long term. Before that, the European Championship with the final round in Riga in the coming year and the World Championship in Qatar in 2027 are on the agenda. For the first time, the new national coach will be in the spotlight in November in the European Championship qualifiers, where he will likely have to do without many NBA players like Schröder and the Wagner brothers, as well as most EuroLeague players.
Mumbrú has to shape new squad
The successor to Herbert must first convince the players of his philosophy in many personal conversations and drive the change with an eye on the upcoming highlights. Who will play alongside captain Schröder in the coming years remains to be seen. Herbert had demanded a fixed commitment from the players for three years, which has now expired with the Olympics. It is possible that players like Daniel Theis (32) and Niels Giffey (33) will end their careers in the national team.
The core of the current team is around 30 years old and could still be part of the Olympics in Los Angeles. It is also possible that players like Franz Wagner (22) will take a break next summer to later rejoin the team. The DBB has enough players with great potential at its disposal. Maximilian Kleber (32) and Isaiah Hartenstein (26) from the NBA were not even part of the team under Herbert. There are also interesting players like Oscar (25) and Tristan da Silva (23), Justus Hollatz (23) or Kevin Yebo (28). The U18 European champions also offer a lot of talent for the future.
Mumbru's coaching career has not yet led him to international acclaim, but his impressive playing career includes winning Olympic silver in 2008 and participating in World and European Championships. As the new coach, Mumbru will be tasked with preparing the German national team for the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, followed by the European Championship and the World Championship.
