By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Henrik Rodl was present in the two biggest moments of German basketball and he wants the streak to continue with the qualification to the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
As he explained to FIBA: “I was privileged to be a part of the next big German generation. With the first big generation that became European champion in 1993, I was the youngest player. In 2002, I was the oldest player. Due to an injury, that was also the end of my international career. That’s why I remember that tournament very fondly. It is a very special memory”.
And under the new competition system, being part of the FIBA World Cup is more important than ever: “The World Cup has been upgraded a lot by the new FIBA regulations with the EuroBasket only being played every four years now. In order to qualify for the Olympics, you have to qualify for the World Cup first and then reach a certain place, to reach the qualification or qualify directly. Thus, the World Cup is now more important than ever”.
Germany is tied with Greece with a 6-0 record in Group L of the European qualifiers, but Rodl does not consider the ticket to China already locked: “Greece is clearly the strongest. Estonia and Israel are both great teams, on the same level as us; and I feel we should be able to beat them on our home court. Estonia is a team that does not have big stars yet, but a team that knows how to play and is especially dangerous from outside. So we have to be very careful. Away games are always especially difficult. And in the second round windows, we always have our home game as the second game. We need to see how this feels. This first game of the second round in Tallinn I think is going to be a challenge”.
Photo credit: FIBA