GER - Bauermann: 'Klingbiel had big heart for basketball'

BAMBERG (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - The German BBL season is nearing its play-offs. Thoughts in Deutschland are slowly shifting towards this summer and the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Men.

The 2005 EuroBasket silver medalists and 2002 FIBA World Championship bronze medal winners Germany have been drawn into Group B along with New Zealand and Cape Verde.

German national team boss Dirk Bauermann is already full in planning for July's tournament in Athens, even though his club side Brose Baskets Bamberg are fighting to repeat their BBL title.

Bauermann spoke to David Hein on behalf of FIBA.

FIBA: Dirk Bauermann, the German basketball world was rocked recently by the death of DBB General Secretary Peter Klingbiel at age 54. What were your thoughts on Mr. Klingbiel?

Bauermann: It's a big loss. I always liked him very much. He had a very humanistic side to him. He was a really, really good guy. He had no big ego but he had a big heart for basketball. To lose somebody like that especially at that age is really a tragedy.

FIBA: Your shooting guard at Bamberg and the national team Demond Greene is out from between six-to-10 weeks with a fatigue fracture of his left foot. Luckily the injury did not occur to his right foot, which he broke last season and missed five months. It seems Demond cannot catch a break. Do you expect this to hurt his chances at all to play for Germany this summer in Greece?

Bauermann: It's a tragedy to the player. It seems like every time he starts playing well, something happens. He had a great game against Paderborn, scoring 17 points and shutting down their leading scorer. Nobody knows how long this will take exactly. It's a tragedy for him and really bad for us. He is a big key to what we do defensively and offensively as well. But he is a quick healer. We know that from his injury last season.

FIBA: Speaking of injuries, I wanted to ask about Joe Herber, who recently signed a two-year contract extension with Alba Berlin. What's the latest status on his torn ACL?

Bauermann: I am confident that both Joe and Demond will play a big role in our attempts to qualify for the Olympics. I talked to Joe a couple weeks ago and he said he has a couple more weeks and then will be able to return to practice. And then he thinks he can play in a couple more weeks. Things are kind of crowded on the perimeter in Berlin. So hopefully he can get to play some and get back into some rhythm. But he and Demond will definitely be fine by July

FIBA: Let's stay on injuries. German forward Ademola Okulaja has been nicked up with minor concerns all season. Does that worry you at all? Last summer he came to Germany camp healthy. But he also did not play as much in Russia as he has this season in Bamberg.

Bauermann: Yeah it does worry me a little bit. He has had a lot of small things. But he has always sucked it up. He's a tough nut to crack. But the little things keep him out of practice, and long term that hurts a player's performance. It hurts his stamina and rhythm. And he's not getting any younger either. He's played a lot of basketball. But I'm confident he'll be fine for the play offs and am optimistic that he'll be healthy for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament and the Olympics. But he is 32 and those types of knee problems are always a risk. But he's been a real pro dealing with his injuries

FIBA: The news that center Chris Kaman of the Los Angeles Clippers had German great-grandparents made big news here in Germany. Is there anything new on the Kaman-front to report?

Bauermann: There's nothing new. I can tell you that we're pursuing it, but that's all I can say. It's difficult because it's such a long time ago with his great-grandparents. And there's not a whole lot of time. The qualifying tournament is right around the corner. I don't know. It's wide open.

FIBA: Shifting gears to the German BBL league. The 2006 champions and three-time Cup holders Köln 99ers apparently have been saved after being pronounced for dead financially by the BBL league office. What are your thoughts on keeping Köln around?

Bauermann: It's great if they can play the rest of the season and then hopefully solidify themselves for next season, too. As the German national team coach, I always respected the excellent work Köln did with their youth players. It looks like we will be losing Leverkusen. So it would be great if we don't lose Köln.

FIBA: Speaking of Leverkusen, your club Bamberg played and lost at Leverkusen on February 17. With all signs pointing to Leverkusen no longer playing in the city starting next season, that very well may have been your last game there as coach. After coaching there for 12 seasons and winning seven German league titles, how emotional was that game for you?

Bauermann: It's always emotional going back there. We have so much history and success with those seven titles. But 12 years is a long time too. It's an incredibly long time. So it's a very special place for me - a lot of memories. Knowing it could be my last game as a coach there made me sad. But we had a job to do and we didn't get it done. So I was upset because we lost and everything else was secondary. But it is and will stay a special place for me.

FIBA: The biannual U-18 Albert Schweitzer Tournament is coming up in late March in Mannheim. Taking a look at Germany's roster, I wanted to ask you about two players who it seems will be the main figures from that side - center Maik Zirbes from Trier and forward Erik Land from Breitengussbach.

Bauermann: Maik is an interesting player, still kind of raw. But he has a big body and plays really hard. Erik I know better since Bamberg work closely with Breitengussbach. Erik is a big talent in my estimation. Down the road he will be a 3/4 - even though he is playing more power forward and some center even though that's not his natural position. He has a good feel for the game, shoots well and goes inside pretty well. Those two are probably the backbone of that team and I hope they do well there.

FIBA