Pic credit: FIBA

Niklas Pons (192-SG-1999) is a 26 year old 192cm guard that is playing his ninth season with TV Langen playing 112 games in his career there and this season averaged 12/3/5/1 and helped win the South West Regionalliga title. He also played 3 seasons with the Frankfurt Skyliners Juniors and was a member of the U-16 youth national team. He spoke to germanhoops.com about the success of German basketball.

Thanks Niklas for talking to eurobasket.com Germany is Euro Champion 2025. What kind of a feeling does this give you involved with German basketball?
I was very happy and I believe German basketball is on the right path.

Is it crazy to have predicted a Gold medal before the tournament started? If you had to guess how many German basketball fans out of 10 would have predicted the Gold before the tournament how many would it have been under your estimation?

3 out of 10 would have believed that Germany could win european Championship.

It was the 2 best teams in the tournament with Germany and Turkey at 8-0. Was this the top final compared to the 1993 final vs Russia and 2023 final vs Serbia?

Unfortunately, I wasn’t born yet back then and can’t remember it.

How did you experience the final. The game was a real dog fight with Turkey leading by as much as 11 points and being very strong. What got Germany the Gold medal after 40 minutes.

Germany ended up winning because, on the one hand, they have more depth, and on the other hand, everyone brought their strengths to the team.

There has always been talk about the intense mentality, great team character and togetherness of Germany the last years. How does one keep developing it and not losing it over time?

The hunger for medals/success drives the guys. Also, knowing that you can win even more with this special team.

There was a time in the 80s and 90s where you said in German football and after 90 minutes Germany always wins. I feel like there is this mentality now in German basketball. I was never fearing a los in the fourth quarter even when Turkey was up by 6 points.

The whole game I thought they had another gear left in the tank and would win in the end.

What was key down the stretch that Germany could win the game. How much of a factor was the deep bench of Germany?

The deep bench gives the German team so many more options in their play, making them very difficult to scout. On top of that, it helps when the guys coming off the bench provide important energy.

How valuable was Franz Wagner for this tournament. How is he a better player now than in 2023 despite 2 years of more experience?

He has improved in every category. What I especially like is his transition offense with his Euro step.

You played NBBL youth basketball with Isaac Bonga. He is world champion and Euro champion. Did you notice a sort of winner mentality in Frankfurt that was starting to develop there?

Isaac was always very ambitious and even as a young player already led the team.

Isaac Bonga continues to grow as a player since coming back from the NBA? Shouldn’t a tournament like this and especially how his game has developed the last 3 years give him another NBA opportunity?

I would be very happy if Isaac got a second chance in the NBA. In my opinion, he has shown that he can make life difficult for superstars with his defense. Offensively, he is a threat.

You either like or dislike Dennis Schroeder, but he came up big in the second half after being closed down well in the first half. How do explain his unbelievable ability to be able to turn around the lever and play like a winner when his team needs it most?

Dennis’ ability to take over in crucial moments is incredible and probably one of the best there will ever be.

I have never understood that despite showing the last years what an incredible leader he is for Germany, he gets overlooked by NBA teams and has been a journeyman? Do NBA bosses have the wrong perception of him?

I think the NBA executives have the wrong picture of him. Dennis gets better every year, and I’m sure he can lead a team – provided he is given the trust.

Dirk Nowitzki has been the GOAT of German basketball for more than 15 years. With the World and Euro won, Is Dennis Schroeder at Nowitzki’s level in terms of being in the same category as him?

For me, both are the GOATs of their era. You shouldn’t compare them since they are two different types of players.

One of the big winners was Alan Ibrahimagic went from assistant coach to Euro head coach winner. How valuable was his input? What do you believe could he still give a team that already had all the pieces of being a winning team?

Alan helped the guys in the sense that he gave them a lot of freedom and has known most of them for a very long time.

There were some nice plays in the final like Isaac Bonga’s dunk or Franz Wagner’s mega block. What was your favorite play of the final?

Every play was a highlight. You really have to watch the whole game.

This dynasty should go on. The future still looks good with a nucleus of the Wagner brothers, Tristan Da Silva, Andi Obst, Isaac Bonga and Isaiah Hartenstein plus the new wave of guys like Ivan Kharchenkov, Hannes Steinbach, Johan Grunloh, Christian Anderson and others. Does Germany have the mentality to keep it going with the new wave of players that you have seen the last years?

I believe Germany has a lot of potential, and that the successful generations will show the next ones how to win.

Often now adays the talk is young players aren’t as hungry as back in the day. In other words players today aren’t challenged enough with too many outside influences. What makes young German players different than young players from other countries in this generation?

I think that hunger is becoming rarer, since many kids nowadays have so many opportunities to get jobs. Basketball is no longer the one and only option.

Thanks Niklas for the chat.