New York (dpa) – When Dennis Schröder thinks about his first encounter with Leonie Fiebich, the world champion captain of the German national basketball team has to smile. «She is very big. I once stood next to her and she felt like she was a head taller. “That impressed me,” said the 31-year-old NBA professional from the Brooklyn Nets to the German Press Agency about the national player, who can become a decisive factor for her team in the upcoming WNBA finals.
The New York Liberty have reached the finals six times, but the Nets’ sister team has never had anything to celebrate at the end. So far they have never had the 1.92 meter tall Fiebich with them.
X-Faktor Fiebich
The stars of the squad are Breanna Stewart and Sabrina Ionescu, both US national players, Olympic champions and the outstanding basketball players in a strong team. But new signing Fiebich is the X factor this season and the difference from last season, when there was one defeat too many against the Las Vegas Aces in the final series.
“The way she throws is something you always need on every team. She’s just a smart player. Defensively also very smart, she goes for steals, she helps a good team,” explained Schröder.
This year the Liberty beat the Aces on the way to the final, and at the second game in Brooklyn the Olympic flag bearer was in the hall and cheered – just as he did for the start of the final series against Minnesota Lynx plans, who prevailed against the Connecticut Sun in the decisive fifth game that night.
Dennis Schröder as a noble fan
«Very cool atmosphere. I will be at the start again on Thursday, the game will definitely be cool,” said Schröder. In Germany the game starts at 2 a.m. on Friday morning.
Stewart averages 20.4 points, Ionescu 18.2 – the 6.7 points that Fiebich contributes on average seem modest. The value of the 24-year-old from Landsberg am Lech is difficult to measure in numbers. In principle she can defend any kind of opponent. Thanks to her long arms, she has an enormous wingspan and is quick on her feet. In addition, she has good throws from a distance.
Fiebich is a rookie in the WNBA, but as a professional she has already received the award as most valuable player twice in the Spanish league and has a correspondingly calm demeanor. “She’s not a newcomer to me, she’s been playing as a pro in Europe for so long,” said Nyara Sabally about her teammate both with the national team and in New York. “It’s cool to see that she was able to take on such a big role for us so quickly.”
Satou Sabally’s younger sister is already in her second season for New York and made it much easier for Fiebich to get started in the new environment. “I could really ask her the stupidest questions,” Fiebich said recently.
Title in the first year?
Fiebich’s achievements have already been officially recognized; she is on the WNBA’s All-Rookie team as one of the five best newcomers in the league – just like Caitlin Clark, who has caused enormous hype in recent months and made women’s basketball unknown popularity led.
So if the Liberty now try to win their first title in a maximum of five games with Fiebich as their regular starter, millions of new fans will be watching – and seats like Dennis Schröder’s in the hall will be particularly sought after. “I will definitely support her and they will definitely get the chip with her – because they always had their problems before -,” predicted the world champion. It would be the culmination of a special first WNBA season for Leonie Fiebich.
