Credit: FIBA
Credit FIBA

Gordon Herbert will lead the German national team in the EuroBasket 2022, which will partly be held in Cologne and Berlin. According to the German Basketball Association, the Canadian specialist agreed to a two-year term.

"We had excellent discussions, during which Gordon Herbert made a very good and highly motivated impression. His vast experience and very good knowledge of German and international basketball also contributed to the fact that the decision about the new national coach was an easy one for us. We look forward to working with Gordon Herbert," said the president of the basketball federation Ingo Weiss in a statement.

Federation's vice president Armin Andres, who is responsible for competitive sports, stressed the importance of young player development for Germany, that just finished 8th in the Tokyo Olympic Games. "I've known Gordon for a long time and coached against him myself. He has proven that he can develop players and take them to the next level, Danilo Barthel, Isaac Bonga and Johannes Voigtmann in Frankfurt are the best examples of this," said Andres.

"I am very honored to be able to coach the German national team. I am very happy about this opportunity. The association is run very professionally, and the infrastructure surrounding the national team is first-class," said the newly-appointed head coach. "And of course, we have a fantastic group of players. Some very strong players are over 30, a lot in their prime, and just as many young players pushing forward. After all, the EuroBasket next year is of course a great goal in Germany."

Herbert's official duties will start on October 1. His first game will be the World Cup Qualifier against Estonia on November 25, 2021. Herbert replaces Henrik Rodl, who coached Germany since 2017 but was let go after his contract expired on August 31.

The 62-year-old came to Germany for the first time as head coach in 2000 (DJK s.Oliver Wurzburg), and in 2001 he moved to the then Opel Skyliners Frankfurt for three years. After several years as head coach in Europe (Paris, Pau-Orthez, Saloniki, Honka) and as an assistant coach with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA (2008/2009), he returned to Germany in 2010 to the Deutsche Bank Skyliners Frankfurt before he spent the 2011/2012 season at ALBA Berlin. This was followed by his third term in Frankfurt (2013-2019).

Further stations in Herbert's coaching career included the Georgian national team (2005/2006) and the Canadian national team, which he took over in February 2018 to lead them through the World Cup qualification for the 2019 World Cup. Since the 2019 World Cup, Gordon Herbert has acted as an assistant coach in the Canadian national team under the head coach Nick Nurse.

As a player, Herbert took part in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and at the 1986 World Cup in Spain with the Canadian national team. In 1983 he won a gold medal at the Universiade in Edmonton, Canada. His playing career ended in 1994 when he became a coach.

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