- Spanish Álex Mumbrú is the new basketball coach
Alex Mumbru is the successor to World Cup-winning coach Gordon Herbert as the German men's national basketball coach. The Spaniard, who is relatively unknown in Germany, is set to continue the team's success in the world's top tier. "We wanted a coach who is young, fits our team, is eager to work with the DBB, and wants to develop something," said German Basketball Federation (DBB) President Ingo Weiss at the presentation in Berlin.
This is Mumbru's first job as a national coach. "I'm excited to continue the great work done by the national team in recent years. I'm ready to take on this challenge," said the 45-year-old Spaniard.
Several media outlets had previously reported on Mumbru's impending appointment. Herbert, who led the German team to fourth place at the Olympics with captain Dennis Schröder, announced his departure early and will join German champions Bayern Munich. The German federation rules out a dual role as club and national coach compared to other nations.
Mumbru, a 45-year-old Catalan, was part of Spain's golden generation as a professional player. He won gold at the World and European Championships and silver at the 2008 Olympics. He most recently coached EuroLeague club FC Valencia. After missing the EuroLeague playoffs in the previous season, the 45-year-old was dismissed.
Mumbru will first be in the spotlight in November during the EuroBasket qualifiers, where he will likely have to do without NBA players like Dennis Schröder and the Wagner brothers, as well as most EuroLeague players. Herbert's legacy is significant. Under his leadership, the team won the World Cup last year, bronze at the European Championships in 2022, and finished fourth at the Olympics in Paris, marking its most successful period to date.
Despite the upcoming EuroBasket qualifiers in November, Mumbru acknowledged, "I'm not going to rely solely on the NBA players or EuroLeague players for our team's success." After facing challenges in his previous coaching role, Mumbru expressed, "I'm not shy about starting anew and proving myself once again as a coach."
