German national team player Franz Wagner spoke after the semifinal game at the FIBA World Cup against United States.
Wagner achieved a significant success with his team as they played an outstanding game to defeat the USA and set up a title showdown with Serbia. He scored 22 points and was the second-highest scorer.
“It’s a historic victory for Germany. We have one more left, and I’m very happy that we won. This is my second year; others have more experience. Last year’s EuroBasket helped us, the more time we spend together, the more it helps,” Franz Wagner said.
One of the questions after the victory over the Americans was how much their pre-tournament matchup helped Germany. In that game, Wagner and his teammates led for three quarters before a comeback in the fourth.
“That game confirmed what we felt before stepping on the court back then. The moment we bonded was last year. We thought we deserved more than bronze at the EuroBasket. From day one, we believe that we are special and that we can beat anyone.
This success can be an incentive for basketball to become more popular, for kids to love it more, and to improve the development of young players,” the German national team player stated.
Wagner will try to win gold on Sunday at 14:40 against Serbia.