The German national team will face a child prodigy at the end of the preliminary round at the Olympics. But first there is another task that the DBB team has to deal with
The German basketball players watched Victor Wembanyama’s spectacular opening show on TV. In the minds of Dennis Schröder and Co., however, the 20-year-old exceptional French player with the giant arms does not yet play a major role. After all, the game against Brazil this Tuesday (9 p.m.) is still on the agenda before the clash with the hosts in Lille.
“That’s our focus. We’ll deal with France afterwards,” said national coach Gordon Herbert. “Game by game – we had good experiences with that at the World Cup,” said the Canadian, who sensationally led Germany to the title in Manila last year.
Germany book their quarter-final ticket if they beat Brazil
After their easy 97:77 win over Japan to open the tournament, the German team can secure their quarter-final ticket and thus a trip to Paris with another victory against Brazil. “That’s our goal. We want to go to the real Olympic village in Paris,” said young star Franz Wagner.
“We’re here to win a medal. We don’t need any extra motivation. But if that were the case, then it would be the Olympic Village.” The German basketball players are currently housed in a small village with all the other teams in Lille
Herbert expects a stronger opponent than Japan
Herbert expects the Brazilians to put up more of a fight than the Japanese. “It will be a completely different game, much more robust,” said Herbert. “We have to be prepared for that,” said the national coach about the South Americans, who lost 66:78 to France in the opener.
Wembanyama shone with 19 points and nine rebounds. The 2.22-metre basketball player wowed the crowd at the Stade Pierre Mauroy with numerous spectacular dunks and blocks.
