Ambitious U18 Germany relies on Albert Schweitzer Tournament winners

BERLIN (FIBA U18 European Championship 2016) - Germany have been asking themselves whether their current crop of U18 players is the best in the nation's history and it looks like this promising generation will gather in full strength to tackle the conclusive test, at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016 in Samsun, Turkey.

The head coach of the U18 Germany side, Harald Stein, announced on Tuesday a mighty 14-strong preliminary roster which includes 11 players whom he led to an historical accomplishment earlier this year. In April, his side claimed the gold medal in the famed Albert Schweitzer Tournament (AST), a feat the hosts had never previously achieved in the 28 editions of the event.

The MVP of AST 2016, Kostja Mushidi, does not feature on the 14-man preliminary squad but that does not mean the 1998-born shooting guard will not compete in Samsun. Mushidi has joined the U20 Germany team in preparations for the U20 European Championship and should join his age group when his involvement there concludes. In the event Mushidi makes the final U20 roster he will be able to join his U18 team-mates after 24 July, when the tournament in Helsinki concludes.

The three players who did not step out in the AST and are included on the 14-man list are Isaiah Hartenstein, Isaac Bonga and Moritz Trieb. Hartenstein, a 2.10m power forward who plays for Zalgiris Kaunas, is widely regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in European basketball. The big man missed out on the the AST due to injury but had featured for Germany at last summer's FIBA U18 European Championship and averaged a team-best 11.6 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, despite having just turned 17 years old two months prior to the tournament.