GER – No Nowitzki in first Germany squad
HAGEN (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Germany didn’t name Dirk Nowitzki in the 16-man squad for the first national team training camp in Mallorca next month. Nowitzki, who missed German national team duty last summer at the EuroBasket, indicated he would play at the FIBA World Championship after Germany received a wild card to take part in ...
HAGEN (2010 FIBA World Championship) – Germany didn’t name Dirk Nowitzki in the 16-man squad for the first national team training camp in Mallorca next month.
Nowitzki, who missed German national team duty last summer at the EuroBasket, indicated he would play at the FIBA World Championship after Germany received a wild card to take part in the competition but has yet to confirm his presence in Turkey and the federation didn’t mention his name, or that of fellow NBA player Chris Kaman, in today’s announcement on their official website.
Germany coach Dirk Bauermann did a masterful job last summer at the EuroBasket by mixing in youth with veterans and while the team failed to reach the Quarter-Finals, they did show a lot of promise.
Two of the youngsters who impressed were Elias Harris, who excelled this season at Gonzaga as a freshman, and Lucca Steiger of Alba Berlin.
They are both included in the squad.
Tibor Pleisse, who just won the BEKO Basketball Bundesliga title with Bamberg, is another of the young guns in the group that will try to make the German side.
Veteran Patrick Femerling came out of international retirement to play for Germany last summer and is on standby.
Germany will compete in Group A at the FIBA World Championship against Argentina, Serbia, Australia, Angola and Jordan.
Germany squad: Steffen Hamann (ALBA Berlin), Demond Greene (Larissa), Heiko Schaffartzik (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig), Per Günther (ratiopharm Ulm), Lucca Staiger (ALBA Berlin), Philipp Schwethelm (Eisbären Bremerhaven), Chad Töpper (Albuquerque Thunderbirds, DLeague/USA), Konrad Wysocki (Turow Zgorzelec), Robin Benzing (ratiopharm Ulm), Elias Harris (Gonzaga University), Jan-Hendrik Jagla (Asseco Prokom Gdynia), Tim Ohlbrecht (Telekom Baskets Bonn), Yassin Idbihi (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig), Tibor Pleisse (Brose Baskets Bamberg), Christopher McNaughton (EWE Baskets Oldenburg) and Johannes Strasser (Telekom Baskets Bonn).
On standby: Patrick Femerling (Antalya BSB).
FIBA