Olympic Team Porfile: Germany
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Germany is back at the Olympic Games for the first time since Barcelona 1992 and as optimistic as ever. The German men's basketball team will play at its fifth Olympics since it first took part in 1936, when Berlin was the host city. Last time around in Barcelona, Detlef Schrempf was the German basketball superstar, just like Dirk Nowitzki is today. Nowitzki, a former NBA MVP, is the heart and soul of the German national team. He is an unstoppable power forward with a unique combination of size, speed, ball-handling and deep shooting range. His partner in the paint is center Chris Kaman, who acquired German citizenship just in time for the 2008 Pre-Olympic Qualifying Tournament. Germany was the last team to qualify for the Olympic games with a historic 96-82 win over Puerto Rico in the make-or-break game. Nowitzki, Kaman and reigning ULEB Cup champion Jan Jagla will be backed by a solid core of players with Euroleague experience including Sven Schultze, Patrick Femerling, Demond Greene, Steffen Hamann and Robert Garrett. Germany knows that with an inspired Nowitzki and the right game plan, it can beat anyone, anywhere.
# | Name | Pos. | H. | 4 | Tim Ohlbrecht | F | 210 | 5 | Philip Zwiener | F | 201 | 6 | Sven Schultze | F | 208 | 7 | Robert Garrett | G | 193 | 8 | Konrad Wysocki | F | 202 | 9 | Steffen Hamann | G | 186 | 10 | Demond Greene | G | 186 | 11 | Pascal Roller | G | 180 | 12 | Chris Kaman | C | 213 | 13 | Patrick Femerling | C | 215 | 14 | Dirk Nowitzki | F | 213 | 15 | Jan-Hendrick Jagla | C | 212 | | Head Coach: Dirk Bauermann |
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Head coach Dirk Bauermann has adjusted all its systems to get Nowitzki as involved as possible. He has a perfect teammate in Kaman, an outstanding center with power, strength and a nice set of post moves. With Kaman and Jagla helping him, Nowitzki cannot be double-teamed as often as in the past, which only makes Team Germany more dangerous. Experience will not be an issue for Femerling, who has already played more than 200 games with his national team. Young Tim Ohlbrecht and three-point threat Sven Schultze complete a solid frontcourt with virtually no weaknesses. Germany, however, needs a solid contribution from its backcourt to avoid becoming a predictable team. Greene has been a key player at both wing spots due to his explosiveness and fighting spirit, just like Garrett, who comes off the bench to help in many ways.
Starting point guard Hamann is at the prime of his career and coach Bauermann often uses twin point guards with Hamann and Pascal Roller, a solid choice in crunch time thanks to his determination and free-throw percentage. Konrad Wysocki is a good defender that comes off the bench to provide intensity, while Philip Zwiener is a talented forward who will see valuable playing time along the way. With that package, expect Germany to be nothing but one of the most dangerous teams at Beijing 2008.
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Euroleague.net
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