By George Efkarpidis / info@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – After a historically bad game for Dennis Schroder in the quarterfinals against Latvia, Germany’s young star Franz Wagner is certain that the captain will be ready to go in the semifinals against the USA (14.40 CET).
“The confidence level is super high”, said Wagner with a smile. “I know for Dennis, it’s super high, I think for the rest of the group as well. If you look at how he’s played throughout the tournament, there’s a good chance to say he’s going to have a great game next game. But whatever it is, we’re going to compete as a group together and have fun while doing it”.
After all, Wagner and Schroder were some of the few German players who appeared for an optional practice before the game, with the rest of the team resting.
“I really didn’t know how bad the injury was or when I could play again, so it was day by day”, explained Wagner for the injury he sustained during the tournament but didn’t prevent him from playing in the quarterfinals. “We tried to do as much rehab, icing, all that stuff as much as possible, and I think we did a really good job. And then the last week or so, I started working out on the court and was able to do a little bit more. I did a bunch of conditioning stuff, too, just so I can play again”.
Watch the upcoming World Cup on the official streaming service of FIBA! Join Courtside 1891 and never miss a second of the action!
And he will play in a historic semifinal, the first in a World Cup in Germany since 2002 when a young Dirk Nowitzki led the team. “I don’t remember, but I know what happened, I was one year old, I think”, said Wagner.
So the upcoming game against the USA has no small significance: “It means a lot. It means that we’ve come a long way, just German basketball in general, and I think it’s really cool for me and for the whole team to be a part of it. Hopefully, we can keep moving forward”.
His brother called him a “bad man” after deciding the game vs. Latvia. Does he feel like this?
“I felt good out there. Most of all, I just enjoy playing with the guys again. I really missed that the last 10 days or so, so I was really happy that I was able to help us win the game”.