This is only Year 2 of German basketball's three-year plan.
Just five days before the start of the FIBA World Cup, the German basketball team was in Abu Dhabi for International Basketball Week. Its opponent was the United States, which won, 99-91. Franz Wagner tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds in that game.
Fast forward to September 8 and Germany got its revenge, eliminating Team USA in the semifinals, 113-111.
"It confirmed what we felt before the game in Abu Dhabi," Wagner said during the postgame press conference.
"From the first day we got together this summer, we believed we were a special group. We can win against any team," he added.
This time, the Orlando Magic forward scored 22 points to go along with his 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal. Not bad for a guy who just returned to action last Wednesday after suffering an injury in Germany's opening game in this tournament.
"After that game in Abu Dhabi, yeah big time confidence," Andreas Obst told reporters after the game.
"Hey, right there, we gonna beat them, we gonna see them again, we're just waiting for the moment," he recounted.
So, when they knew that USA would be their opponent in the semifinals, the German players did not feel any dread. Neither did they feel intimidated.
"We didn't say, 'Oh s**t, it's USA.' We said, 'Yeah, it's life. It's cool. We know we can beat them.' The confidence was there from the beginning," noted Obst.
And Obst was huge with 24 points, 6 assists, and 1 steal. He was so good the crowd was chanting as he was shooting free throws, "MVP! MVP!"
With the huge win, Germany had advanced to its first FIBA World Cup final against Serbia in only the second all-European championship match in the 21st century after Spain vs Greece in 2006. Fun fact, that also happened in an Asian country, which was Japan.
This moment should come as no surprise. Coach Gordie Herbert put forth a three-year plan. So far, it has yielded a EuroBasket 2022 bronze medal, a FIBA World Cup final appearance, and a ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"It's growing and growing, its better and better. They achieve something good, getting better every year. We invest a lot in the youth, basketball grows, and now we can see it, and hope it continues like this," Obst said of Herbert's vision.
"Usually, people expect USA to be in the final. This is not the case," Maodo Lo told One Sports.
"International basketball is just thriving, its growing. It shows basketball is growing. It's becoming more global."
Indeed, it is. And Sunday's Germany versus Serbia final is proof of how truly global hoops has gotten over the years.
(MDB)