Franz Wagner spoke about the ambitions of the German national team at the Olympic Games in an interview for Eurohoops.
The new successful era of the German national team began at the EuroBasket 2022.
,,We knew that from the year before. We let one slip against Spain in the semifinal, they ended up winning the championship, and that gave us some motivation. It was good for us to see we have a chance to win those games, and we learned a lot from that game.”
A year later, Germany managed to achieve an even greater success by winning the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup in Manila.
,,It always helps to play one more year together and have more experience together. We didn’t need a lot of time, which is a huge advantage because the summer is really short. We have a really talented roster and guys who like to play with each other.”
Franz Wagner praised the work of Gordon Herbert.
,,He’s doing a phenomenal job, not just X’s and Os wise, but also relating to players, finding a connection to each player individually.”
Germany heads to the Olympic Games as the winner of the gold medal at the FIBA World Cup, which brings a special pressure.
,,There’s always pressure. If there was no pressure, it wouldn’t be as much fun. More than anything, I’m excited to be a part of the Olympics. We earned our right to play there. That doesn’t happen all the time for our country in basketball, so I see it as a huge honor to be there. We just gotta see, but if we do our job, we are a dangerous team.”
The success of Germany at the FIBA World Cup has greatly contributed to the popularization of basketball in Germany.
,,It already gained momentum with a good European championship back at home. Winning the World Cup helped a lot with the momentum. A lot more kids are starting to play basketball, and hopefully, we continue that trend.”