Despite all the discussions about the late arrival of Dennis Schröder and the controversial nomination of Joshiko Saibou, the German basketball players are already in good early shape in the Olympic summer.
One and a half weeks before the start of the qualifying tournament in Split, Croatia, national coach Henrik Rödl's team gained self-confidence at the Supercup in Hamburg with two clear victories against the Czech Republic and Tunisia and, despite the lack of numerous top performers, showed many good approaches.
"We want to lay the foundation for everything else here and we have been doing really well so far," said Rödl after the clear 102: 75 against the Tunisians trained by former national coach Dirk Bauermann on Saturday evening.
Captain Robin Benzing was also full of praise for the team before the final game against the two-time victorious Italians on this Sunday evening, which in Hamburg, in addition to Schröder, also do without the master trio Niels Giffey, Maodo Lo and Johannes Thiemann from Alba Berlin had to.
“It's been super positive so far.
We're all there for each other, fight together and everyone for everyone, that's a lot of fun, ”said the veteran.
“That's how it has to be in the national team,” said the Spanish legionnaire.
Two years after the disappointing World Cup in China, Rödl is keen to form a close community.
A project that did not succeed in 2019, which caused a lot of criticism.
“Defense comes first.
Communication is crucial for this, and I've been very satisfied with that so far, ”said the coach.
At least in terms of sport, Saibou also fitted into the team very well.
The 31-year-old from the French club Champagne Basket Reims was the best German thrower against both the Czech Republic (20 points) and Tunisia (22).
Nevertheless, his nomination is still viewed very critically because he took part in two demonstrations against the state measures to contain the corona pandemic in Berlin last year.
Saibou said in a video published by the association on Wednesday that he regretted the effects of his participation.
A complete distancing from conspiracy theories has so far failed to materialize.
The personnel therefore remains problematic.
Schröder will join the team on Monday
Another challenge for Rödl is the installation of Schröder, who is due to join the team in Heidelberg on Monday.
The dress rehearsal against Senegal will take place there on Thursday.
In Hamburg, the DBB selection convinced with great unity and a lot of variability in the offensive.
This also applies to Schröder, who two years ago tried a lot on his own in China.
Rödl is approaching the project with optimism.
"We will also integrate the four new players from Monday and then bring the team together again," said the national coach.
The qualification in Split starts on June 29th. In the preliminary round, Germany will face Russia and Mexico. Only the winner of the tournament in Split qualifies for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.