By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
MANILA, Philippines – Gordon Herbert is a quiet man. He is also a happy and blissful man, after leading Germany to the top of the world by winning the FIBA World Cup.
The way he just sat down on the floor after the final demonstrates that his emotions simply couldn’t be contained.
And he has not even yet grasped the full picture: “No really hasn’t hit me yet, I am just so proud of these guys. It’s going to get me in a couple of days. All I know is that tomorrow is Monday and I am just so proud of these guys. After my kids being born, which is my family, this is number 2 in my life, being around these people”.
It’s a surreal moment for Herbert who got a unique message before the final: “I got up at 6.30, got to the practice, and then took a nap. I woke up from my nap and got a message from cancelor Olaf Scholz and that shows what this means to Germany. I was also a fan of cancelor Merkel. The best leaders in Germany, even in the world but it’s not that hard after having Donald Trump”.
Herbert’s comments include his wish for better beer in the Philippines and also for German open-air television to broadcast the national team games – “Our games should have been on the normal TV from the get-go, I hope from now on they understand how this team represents Germany” – and on a more serious note, he explained how this Germany team was built.
It all started in his first meeting with Dennis Schroder: “In 2021 September we talked with Dennis for three or four hours. I felt his heart, his commitment, his care and that’s where it all started. We played the first game of qualifications and we lost to Estonia and then, we went 10-2. We had Dennis, Isaac Bonga, and Johannes Voigtmann playing in June windows. Guys who didn’t have contracts came and committed, setting an example for everyone else. And now this is the result. It’s a surreal moment, it’s a tremendous team of players. We are a team first, we have individual talent but they guys cared for each other, challenged each other and we competed with each other”.
Despite their recent infamous timeout tension, Herbert really loves and respects his captain: “I think Dennis and I got a connection since September 2021, we developed that trust in the team and between us. The biggest thing I did was to make Dennis captain. He takes so much pride in being the captain of the German national team. And this is year two of our three-year plan… I think the biggest thing with this team is that we enjoyed being here, we enjoyed competing and I can’t say enough for Dennis Schroder and what he meant for German basketball. Dennis will tell you first that it’s a team-first thing. We would not be here without him and we wouldn’t be here without the team”.
And this love spreads even to the Serbian team, with Herbert calling coach Svetislav Pesic a friend: “I have known coach Pesic for quite a while, I consider him a friend, we had some little red wine and I have a lot of respect for what he has done with his group here”.