FIBA Basketball
GER - RheinEnergie's Grunheid earns chance to play for Germany
HAGEN (FIBA World Championship) - Guido Grunheid's steady performances for surprise Bundesliga champions RheinEnergie Koln have earned him a place Germany's 15-man preliminary squad for the FIBA World Championship in Japan. The 2.06m forward helped RheinEnergie reach the quarter-finals of the EuroCup and he also played a pivotal role in the domestic post-season as Koln upset Dirk Bauermann's Bamberg in the semi-finals en route to the title
:: WIN a trip to the FIBA World Championship Finals weekend ::
HAGEN (FIBA World Championship) - Guido Grunheid's steady performances for surprise Bundesliga champions RheinEnergie Koln have earned him a place Germany's 15-man preliminary squad for the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
The 2.06m forward helped RheinEnergie reach the quarter-finals of the EuroCup and he also played a pivotal role in the domestic post-season as Koln upset Dirk Bauermann's Bamberg in the semi-finals en route to the title.
Johannes Herber, the last cut from Germany's silver-medal winning EuroBasket squad last summer, has been named in the group. Herber has been playing college basketball in the United States with West Virginia,
Christopher McNaughton of Bucknell University has also been included. Lottomatica Roma's Marko Pesic and Stephen Arigbabu of Alba Berlin won silver with Germany last summer but have retired from the national side.
Pesic made his decision after the EuroBasket but Germany made no announcement, hoping he would reconsider but he has chosen not to. Another member of that team, Misan Nikagbatse, has elected to take a break and will not travel to Japan.
This summer will see the return of a vital player for Germany in Ademola Okulaja. A long-time national team star, Okulaja was unable to come back from injury and did not play at last year's EuroBasket.
Dallas Mavericks and Germany talisman Dirk Nowitzki is in the NBA Finals with Dallas and will not linked up with the national side until July 28 when team faces Canada in Hamburg.
The squad will eventually be trimmed to 12 for Japan.
Germany's preliminary squad for FIBA World Championship:
Mithat Demirel (Besiktas Istanbul), Patrick Femerling (Panathinaikos Athens), Robert Garrett (GHP Bamberg), Stefano Garris (German bank Skyliners), Demond Greene (ALBA Berlin), Guido Grünheid (RheinEnergy Cologne), Steffen Hamann (GHP Bamberg), Johannes Herber (West Virginia University), Jan-Hendrik Jagla (Drac Inca Majorca), Robert Maras (Agua Magica Palma/Majorca,) Christopher McNaughton (Bucknell University/USA) Ademola Okulaja (Khimki Moscow), Pascal Roller (Deutsche Bank Skyliners), Sven Schultze (Armani Jeans Milano) Denis Wucherer (BC Oostende/Belgium).
By PA Sport
source from Hanns-Peter Lutzig
HAGEN (FIBA World Championship) - Guido Grunheid's steady performances for surprise Bundesliga champions RheinEnergie Koln have earned him a place Germany's 15-man preliminary squad for the FIBA World Championship in Japan.
The 2.06m forward helped RheinEnergie reach the quarter-finals of the EuroCup and he also played a pivotal role in the domestic post-season as Koln upset Dirk Bauermann's Bamberg in the semi-finals en route to the title.
Johannes Herber, the last cut from Germany's silver-medal winning EuroBasket squad last summer, has been named in the group. Herber has been playing college basketball in the United States with West Virginia,
Christopher McNaughton of Bucknell University has also been included. Lottomatica Roma's Marko Pesic and Stephen Arigbabu of Alba Berlin won silver with Germany last summer but have retired from the national side.
Pesic made his decision after the EuroBasket but Germany made no announcement, hoping he would reconsider but he has chosen not to. Another member of that team, Misan Nikagbatse, has elected to take a break and will not travel to Japan.
This summer will see the return of a vital player for Germany in Ademola Okulaja. A long-time national team star, Okulaja was unable to come back from injury and did not play at last year's EuroBasket.
Dallas Mavericks and Germany talisman Dirk Nowitzki is in the NBA Finals with Dallas and will not linked up with the national side until July 28 when team faces Canada in Hamburg.
The squad will eventually be trimmed to 12 for Japan.
Germany's preliminary squad for FIBA World Championship:
Mithat Demirel (Besiktas Istanbul), Patrick Femerling (Panathinaikos Athens), Robert Garrett (GHP Bamberg), Stefano Garris (German bank Skyliners), Demond Greene (ALBA Berlin), Guido Grünheid (RheinEnergy Cologne), Steffen Hamann (GHP Bamberg), Johannes Herber (West Virginia University), Jan-Hendrik Jagla (Drac Inca Majorca), Robert Maras (Agua Magica Palma/Majorca,) Christopher McNaughton (Bucknell University/USA) Ademola Okulaja (Khimki Moscow), Pascal Roller (Deutsche Bank Skyliners), Sven Schultze (Armani Jeans Milano) Denis Wucherer (BC Oostende/Belgium).
By PA Sport
source from Hanns-Peter Lutzig