Hey Dirk. After reaching the Top 16, do you want to get any new players either for the Euroleague of German League season ahead? Good luck, and I hope we win the national title again.
Paul Schreiber, Germany
"No, we don't. First of all, we feel that with the players and team we have, we don't think we need an addition to reach our goals. We're doing just fine with who we have, plus our budget would not allow any additional signing."
Hello Mr. Bauermann. I am Stefan, 18, from Bamberg, and I have to ask this question: Will you stay always in Bamberg? I hope so because you are a super coach with a lot of charisma, in my opinion. Please stay after 2008!
Stefan - Bamberg, Germany
"Thank you, Stefan. I love Bamberg and I love our fans. It's a business, and you never know what opportunities might occur, but at this point in time, I most definitely plan on staying here."
Hi, Coach, and congratulations on making the Top 16. When did you start thinking about being a coach and who is your role model as a coach?
Klemen K. - Ljubljana, Slovenia
"I started thinking about being a coach when I was about 28. I knew by then that my plying career wasn't going much further, because I had some injuries that held me back. At that point in time, I mostly thought of becoming a coach because of my attachment to the game. And I felt I could be a good coach. I felt I had the ability to motivate. As a player, that is one thing I did, got everybody to play hard and stick together. If you want to be leader as a player, that's what you do, get your teammates to play hard and play together. And that's what you do as a coach, too. When I was at Fresno State University, a coach named Ron Adams had a huge influence on my career, taught me a lot. Another guy I admired a lot and learned a lot from was Ed Gregory, who was head coach at Fresno, then became a scout, assistant and even a head coach for some games with Golden State of the NBA. Those two guys had a big influence and impact on my career."
Dear Dirk, Do you think the current success of German national team will be more helpful in attracting youngsters than the "failed opportunity" after the EuroBasket gold in 1993? Do we need to hope that the German football team fails in the World Cup this summer in order to see more interest in German basketball?
Giedrius - Lithuania
"No. As a sports fan, I would love to see the German football team succeed. In basketball, we have to do what we need to do. You make a good comment. It's crucial to attract more young players to the game of basketball in Germany. I think we have to use role models like Dirk Nowitzki and Detlef Schrempf to get kids to play basketball. And hopefully, the federation in the next few months will take the right steps in that direction. The eight- to 12-year-olds are the future of our sport and we have to do a much better job attracting them. I think we started way too late with the recruiting process and have to do a much better job."
Hello, Mr. Bauermann. I have followed your career and it seems that most of your teams have something in common: power forwards who can shoot like Jason Sasser or Uvis Helmanis, as well as small forwards who can rebound a lot, like Henning Harnisch and now Koko Archibong. Is that by design or just coincidence?
Jose Manuel - Spain
"I think every coach has a philosophy and a system for the most part. I consider myself a system coach who tries to have a large degree of flexibility in terms of our personnel and how we use guys. I do think that rebounding from the small forward position is huge. And if you have a real good inside guy, like we do with Chris Ensminger, it also helps if you can stretch the defense out. If you have a four who can step out and shoot, that obviously creates space inside for the big man, so we like fours who can hit that shot."
Hello. What has it been like having veteran point guard Derrick "The General" Phelps on your GHP Bamberg team this season?
Bob Joseph - North Carolina, USA
"He's been a great addition. He leads by example. He's a true professional who comes to work every day, plays hurt. With his experience and his court savvy, Derrick has made us a much better basketball team. He's also the perfect combination with Stefan Hamman, our up-and-coming German point guard, who has energy and athletic skills, always plays hard, but sometimes plays out of control. So they are a perfect combo at that position for us. And of course, without Derrick, we wouldn't be in the Top 16. He made the crucial shots on the last possession twice for us, in Slovenia and in France, to win games. If he doesn't make them, we wouldn't be where we are."
Good day, Mr. Dirk Bauermann. Which team is the strongest in your group, in your opinion?
Tomas - Lithuania
"I think it's kind of a toss-up between Tau, Climamio, Benetton and Zalgiris. But at the end of day, if I have to say one, I think Tau is top-to-bottom the best team. I consider them one of the top four teams in the Euroleague, for sure. They play so hard and consistent. The effort is always there. They have a team identity no matter who is on the bench. They just do what it takes."
Coach Bauermann, Do you anticipate an improvement in your team's performance in the games ahead in the Top 16? What strengths or advantages does your team bring into the next round?
Scott Miller - Boise, Idaho, USA
"I think we've grown tremendously in these last couple of months. Even though a coach tries tell the players what they are up against, we were somewhat intimidated early on by the physicality of these teams, how hard and intelligent they play, which is something we are always trying to do. It was a learning experience and through it I think we've grown tremendously in a couple of months. Now, I'm just looking forward to the Top 16 games, to see where we are at against the truly best teams in Europe. Our strengths are our chemistry, our defense and the fact that everybody comes to play hard and together. We're a basketball team. Our guys try to win and try to make each other better, making the play for a teammate rather than for themselves. That's probably our strongest suit."
Dear Mr. Bauermann, I am an Italian basketball fan. First I would like to congratulate you on your latest successes, with the national team and in the Euroleague. My question is about the national team. Dirk Nowitzki is already 29. Do you think that the German generation of players coming behind him will be able to help the national team achieve the same success? I wish you success in the Top16. Yours sincerely,
Nicola Merchiori, Italy
"First of all, that generation has been extremely successful. No matter how good the next generation is, it will be very difficult to match this one. At this point, you'd have to say that without Dirk, Ademola Okulaja and Patrick Femerling, who have basically carried the team for the last six or eight years, it's going to be difficult. We have good up-and-coming talents, but European basketball has gotten so unbelievably strong that we'll probably have to take a step back for a couple of years before we can start challenging top teams again. Without those three, especially without Dirk, it's going to be hard. After they retire, we'll have difficulties staying in the top eight in Europe. It's not impossible, but it takes a lot of hard work and we'd have to find a diamond in the rough here and there, but to medal without them will be very, very difficult."
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