The new national basketball coach Alex Mumbru started his term in office with a defeat. World champion Germany lost 72:73 (37:37) with the Spaniard on the sidelines in the ultimately dramatic European Championship qualification in Sweden. In Stockholm, the German selection had to do without all the NBA professionals around Dennis Schröder and Franz Wagner as well as the players from the Euroleague, as they were also required in their club teams. The best throwers for the narrowly beaten favorite were the outstanding David Krämer (43 points) and newcomer Dylan Osetkowski (17).
The 27-year-old Krämer from the Spanish club CB 1939 Canarias achieved the second best offensive performance in the history of the German national team. Only Dirk Nowitzki has been more successful with 47 points. Despite Krämer’s strong performance, the German team slipped to last place in qualifying group D behind Montenegro, Sweden and Bulgaria.
The second leg is scheduled for Monday in Heidelberg. The best three teams in the group of four will qualify for the 2025 European Championships in Finland, Poland, Cyprus and Latvia. Mumbru has succeeded successful coach Gordon Herbert, who moved to German champions Bayern Munich.
