By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Germany will kick off its 2019 FIBA World Cup run in Group 6 at Shenzhen facing France, Dominican Republic and Jordan. Interviewed by FIBA, Daniel Theis shared his take on the preparations and his National Team’s Group Stage opponents.
“We’ll work hard during training camp in order to be in the best shape for the beginning of the tournament” he pointed out and added: “It’s going to be very intense, so we will need to be at our best level and have the same solid chemistry that we’ve had in the last couple of competitions we took part in. We can have a great run in China, like many other teams, and we’ll want to show that German basketball is one of the most competitive.”
The Boston Celtics big went on describing himself on the court: “I’m a team player, so my priority, my mindset is to think about the team first. I like to help on both ends of the floor and I’ve been doing that with the National Team since I was first called to compete with the senior team a couple of years ago. I give all my energy for the team and I enjoy having that role in the National Team.”
Theis, 27, further explained: “That’s the way I play, and I try to impact the game and the team in a positive way all the time, defending, grabbing rebounds, scoring when I can, and being a great teammate,” and also took out: “Winning is all that matters to me. I like being with the guys in the National Team, and I always want to bring something positive both on and off the court.”
On France and the 2017 victory over Les Bleus: “Yes, we did beat them, but this game was in 2017, and we are in 2019” he noted and added: “The reality of one game is not always the reality of the next one; it’s the logic of sport. We all know that France has a very competitive group of players and have won many medals in the last couple of years, and we’ll want to beat them, too, this summer.”
“Their team has a lot of talented players, and having guys such as Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Evan Fournier is a great plus for their National Team” he also mentioned and went on: “They have a great tradition of basketball, and many players that compete in the highest leagues and teams in the world. It’s going to be a very intense game against them, and we’ll have to be ready for it.”
“France is a very good team, but Dominican Republic and Jordan are also competitive as they were able to qualify for this World Cup” he said commenting on the rest of the group and added: “It’s not going to be easy, and in a competition like this one, every team can win and make it to the next round. We’ll take it one game at a time, and try to go to the next round with a good record.”