world-cup

Winning The Fiba Masters Open Was One Of Daniel Doerr´s Biggest Achievements In His Career Along With His Jersey Retirement

Pic credit: Armin Cicic

Daniel Doerr is a former German professional player that enjoyed a 15 + year career in Germany retiring in 2018. He played most of his career in Lich, but also played in Crailsheim and for the Giessen Pointers playing 380+ pro games. He recently took part at the Fiba Masters open and won the Gold medal. He spoke to germanhoops.com about his experience in Greece.

Thanks Daniel for talking to germanhoops.com. You recently took part at the Fiba Masters Open. You retired 8 years ago. Do you still keep in shape? In what kind of shape did you go into the tournament?

I still try to stay in shape. I work out 2-3 a week and never really stopped doing sports . In think my condition was pretty ok for my age

The tournament was in Greece. Did it feel like a little vacation at the time?

Sometimes it felt a little bit like vacation but we didn’t really had time off. We only had 2 off days out of 10. Most of the times we were practicing, doing yoga or lifting weights to keep our focus .

With guys 40 or over, how did Germany prepare for this tournament? How much can one prepare when guys are 40 or over?

We had a 3 day training camp in May to prepare a little bit , all guys play in over 40‘s league so they basically stay in shape the whole year . More than half of the players are from Bayern Munich who won the German Championship 3 years in a row. So they know each other pretty well which helps a lot.

The conditions were state of the art. Talk a little about how nice everything was? There was featuring wooden flooring, and air conditioning, Did it compare to first league conditions?

The conditions were pretty solid , I wouldn’t say first league standard but pretty good.

What was it like for you playing 3X3? Was this something you have done over the years?

I didn’t play3x3 in a lot of years

Talk a little about the competition. How good were the other countries in general and were there some notable players from back in the day?

Thr competition was really good. I was surprised . A lot of former First league players from Greece , Italy , Georgia etc. Georgia even had an former NBA player ( Tskisvhli) on their team .

Talk a little about your teammates. There were some known guys like Steffan Hamann, Dirk Madrich Moritz Wohlers Omari Knox and Daniel Lieneke. What was it like playing with them? Were you ever teammates with any of them?

Just a great group of guys , we really had great chemistry. I only knew Dirk Mädrich from the under 20 National team . And I played against Hamann , Wohlers and Lieneke in the Pro A.

Who was in best basketball and physical shape between Hamann, Madrich Lieneke and Wohlers?

I would say Hamann and Lieneke were in the best shape.

You never played in the BBL. What was it like being teammates with 2005 Euro Silver medalist Steffen Hamann? He still seems to be in good shape isn´t he?

Actually not true . When I played for Lich I a had a double license for the BBL team 46ers and played a couple of minutes in the 2003 BBL playdowns and in some cup games as well. But I never was a BBL player, I was a solid 2 league player . It was a great experience to play with a basketball legend like Steffen. He still got serious game .

How did you present your game? How content were you with your game?

I really struggled offensively and I was a little disappointed in the beginning. But then I started to focus more on rebounds and defense to help the team and give Moritz and Dirk some rest . The longer the tournament went on , the more I adapted the role of getting rebounds and playing defense . We had enough scorers anyway. I really enjoyed this role after a while because since I struggled offensively I think this was the best way to help the team

What was the biggest challenge for a guy your age in this tournament besides the in shape aspect?

The biggest challenge probably was that you had 5 games in 7-8 days with workouts in between. Even for a 25 year old , that’s not easy to handle for the body

Germany won the final against Italy 69-66. How exciting was this game? Was there any doubt that Germany wouldn´t win this game?

I knew Italy gonna be a tough matchup because besides us they were in the best shape . But I also knew if we play hard from the beginning, we were going to win it

Talk a little about the last play. Omari Knox made the last shot. How exciting was that play?

Omari last two plays were some of the craziest things I ever saw live on a basketball court . He was ice cold crazy, I went nuts on the bench

What was your own personal favorite play on the court during the whole tournament?

My favorite play definitely was when Omari stole the ball in the finals against italy with down by 3 points . Instead of making a wide open layup, he stopped on the 3 point line a swished the 3 with 50 seconds on the clock . That was Jordanesque

What does the Fiba Masters Open Gold Medal mean to you? Where do you rank it in your whole career?

The Gold medal is probably the biggest achievement in my career along with my jersey retirement . For me it is really really special

When you look back at this experience in 20 years, what will you remember most from it?

What I will remember the most is probably the special group of guys. So many different characters working for one goal . It really was a great time and we all enjoyed the time we spend together .It was special

Do you think like you will take part in more of these kind of tournaments down the road?

We will see, if my body feels good i’ll probably play in some more tournaments.

Who wins a 1-1 on the court in 2026, you or Daniel Lieneke?

One on one i’ll probably win because I’m the better low post player, which helps a lot in one on one games.

Thanks Daniel for the chat.

Marko Volf Leads Germany To Sparkling 82-60 Romp Over Belgium To Start The 2026 U-16 Euro

Pic credit: FIBA

Germany came into the 2026 U-16 European championships with a sort of a chip on their shoulder having finished last year in 9th place. In their first game, they had to face Belgium who had reached the final last year in the B group. Germany came into the game as the favorite being coached from German basketball legend Dirk Bauermann who had won numerous titles with the Bayer Giants Leverkusen in the 90´s and in the 2000´s won titles with Bamberg and the silver with the German national team and Dirk Nowitzki in 2005. Germany began the 2026 U-16 Euro on a positive note beating Belgium 82-60. “We were concentrated and began well. Bost most importantly always stuck together in tough situations and never let our heads hang and always believed on our strength. We defended well in crucial phases and made the extra pass on offense. A first game is never easy, but the guys had good solutions and got extra confidence for the next game”, stressed Skyliner JBBL coach Lukas Scherer. Germany stormed out to a rapid 7-3 lead as ratiopharm Ulm´s big talent Marko Volf (185-PG-2009) scored consecutive buckets in the paint. He is a player that likes to get hot quickly and didn´t waste any time. Germany added a trey from Skyliner Jaroslav Zinn who is the future of the organization. “I´m so proud of Jaroslaw and how he played today. He was nominated so late for the Euro and then to begin the game as the starting point guard isn´t easy. One has to really laud how relaxed and sure he was. Is primary task was to put a lot of pressure on the ball and to have responsibility on offense to control the game and to organize it. He did both well. He also was able to create well for his teammates and himself. He also proved that he had no fear to take responsibility at this level. It was a really strong Euro debut for him. He can be proud of himself and I´m sure his performance will give him more security and confidence for the next games”, commented Lukas Scherer. Zinn finished with 9 points in 15 minutes on 3/3 shooting. Belgium forward Gabriel De Coninck from Orange Academy who is familiar with the German players struck back with a clutch three pointer to trail only 7-6. However Germany kept up the pressure and went on a 7-0 run and led comfortably 17-11 after one quarter. In the run Germany continued to be aggressive attacking the rim as Volf scored and Elija Pohlack of Alba Berlin hit free throws while big man Jaron Braun of SG Junior Löwen Braunschweig made a lay in. Braun also has a brother Elijah who plays in Braunschweig as both are the sons of former German national player Oliver Braun. Germany had been aggressive and disciplined on the defensive end not allowing anything easy for Belgium and had the edge on the glass.

In the second quarter Germany had a soild start managing their lead well leading by as much as 9 points, but let up a little in the last minutes and only led 33-32 at the break. Hamburg Towers electric athletic beast Danny Egbe gave Germany some real energy scoring 6 consecutive points. He showed just how lethal he can be when unleashed as he scored a lay in, free throws and a thunderous dunk. His 3 level scoring is evident. Zinn and Volf also added buckets inside while 2026 JBBL (U-16) champion with Bonn Oliver Papez nailed a trey for the 29-20 advantage for Germany. Germany continued to defend well and were securing the defensive rebounds well. However Germany was unable to hold the momentum and allowed a 12-2 run to Belgium to close out the first half. Belguim´s run was led by Alexander Triki who scored twice inside including once off a turnover while Joah Ikoma Yaliko also scored off a steal. Belgium upped their intensity on the defensive end as Germany had to fight hard to get good shots. Jeremiah Tchekouyep also added a lay in as Belgium also turned on the aggressiveness on the offensive end. Germany shot 39% from the field and only 16% from outside and had 20 rebounds and 11 turnovers while Belgium shot 39% from the field and 25% from outside and had 16 rebounds and 11 turnovers. Germany´s big talent under the hoop Johan Meinberg wasn´t a force scoring, but did a great job filling the stat sheet and being that genuine rim protector.

In the third quarter Germany came out cooking as head coach Dirk Bauermann had them prepared with the right state of mind as they hit Belgium with a nasty 10-0 run to extend their lead to 43-32. Pohlack and Meinberg scored inside while Papez demonstrated his fierce range again from outside connecting from the parking lot while Marco Volf added 3 free throws. Belgium coughed up the ball twice in the run and also missed a few lay ups. Belgium recovered getting buckets from Mats Pepermans and free throws from Youssef Zagdoud, but Germany was always able to punch back as Danny Egbe fired 2 three´s keeping Germany ahead 49-35. Egbe shows that he has a very versatile scoring game unveiling his outside shot in this phase. Belgium actually cut Germany´s lead down to 6 points with Lowie Van de Vyver free throws, but Germany remained mentally strong closing out the third quarter with 4 Egbe free throws. He is a player that loves carrying his team and did so in this phase. Germany got added scoring insurance from Egbe teammate Lino Luca Schenk (Hamburg Towers) as Germany led 56-49 after 30 minutes. Germany shot 40% from the field and 27% from the three point line and had 26 rebounds and 14 turnovers while Belgium shot 42% from the field and 20% from the three point line and had 25 rebounds and 17 turnovers.

In the fourth quarter Germany kept Belgium within 10 points, but after a few minutes went on a lethal run to decide the game in their favor. Belgium got two quick lay in´s from Youssef Zagdoud, but it was Oliver Papez again who showed again why he is Mr reliable always coming up big with the massive three as Pascal Roller did back in the day with the Frankfurt Skyliners to lead 59-51. Germany then went on a 12-4 run to slam the door shut on Belgium leading 71-55. Team leader Marko Volf led the charge with 3 buckets in the paint as Belgium had no remedy how to slow down his drive while his team Justus Reintjez who had been quiet in the game scored 2 lay in´s while Lino Schenk also scored in the paint. The German guards were a force, but the German bigs seemed to always give good support in needed moments. Belgium had little energy left in crunch time as Reintjez scored another lay in while Zinn added a trey for good measure as Germany easily led 76-57 with 3,01 to play in the game. Role player Linus Ohr of the Harko Merlins Crailsheim also got into the scoring trend dropping a trey for Germany as did Lukas Schmidt (Porsche BBA, BSG Basket Ludwigsburg) as Germany had full command leading 82-60 with 33 seconds remaining. It was a great start for the German U-16 team in the 2026 Euro championships. “Our biggest strength today was that we always stayed together as a team and never stopped believing in ourselves. Even when Belgium played better and made the game tighter, we were always able to make the right decisions and we deserved to win the game. Also our better team defense in the second half was an important factor”, stated Lukas Scherer. Germany was led by Marko Volf who had 20 points while Danny Egbe added 16 points while Belgium was led by Youssef Zagdoud with 13 points and Joah Ikoma Yaliko added 10 points. Germany shot 48% from the field and 37% from outside and had 38 rebound and 19 turnovers while Belgium shot 38% from the field and 15% from outside and had 32 rebounds and 20 turnovers. Germany next battle Slovenia tomorrow.

Omari Knox’s Game Winner at The The 2026 Fiba Masters Open Stands As One Of The Best In His Career

pic credit: Armin Cicic

Omari Knox (185-SG-1986, college: Bloomfield) is a former American/German guard that enjoyed a 14 year professional season in Germany. He played most of his career for Mario Matic in Oberaching, but also played with the TSV Dachau Spurs, RheinStars Cologne, TuS Bad Aibling Fireballs (Germany-Regionalliga) and with the Ebbecke White Wings Hanau. He began his basketball career with New Utrecht High School and then played at Bloomfield College (NCAA2). He recently helped Germany win the Fiba Masters Open and spoke to germanhoops.com about the experience.

Thanks Omari for talking to germanhoops.com. You recently took part at the Fiba Masters Open. How did that come about?

Thank you, Miles for the interview. A few of the guys Steffen and Mo had asked me the last years to play for the ü35 Team but I was still active as a player. Now having freshly retired, I felt it was time to join the guys. I’m happy I was able to take part.

Wasn´t it for guys 40 and older? Technically you don’t turn 40 until November?

Yes they actually take the birth year 1986 and older.. I was the rookie in the team.

The tournament was in Greece. Did it feel like a little vacation at the time?

It absolutely felt like a vacation. Our apartment was literally up the street from the beach. We were in the water every day that we were there.

You had retired in 2025. Did you stay in shape the last year in any way?

It was nearly impossible to stay in game shape throughout the year because I have been so busy training my youth teams and doing organisational work for the club. At some point in the year, I joined FC Bayern Munich to practice and play a few games with the Bayernliga team to get back into shape. Still, I somehow was only able to practice about 10 times in the span of three months.

With guys over 40 or over, how did Germany prepare for this tournament? How much can one prepare when guys are 40 or over?

Coach Jens and Steffen did a great job of holding practices throughout the year once a week to keep guys in shape. As the German Championships got closer, we managed to practice a bit more and also get in a few test games. Jens also held yoga sessions before every practice which made a world of difference.

The conditions were state of the art. Talk a little about how nice everything was? There was featuring wooden flooring, and air conditioning, Did it compare to first league conditions?

The gyms were very nice inside. Most were very old but air-conditioned, with wooden floors and very comfortable to play in. In comparison to 1st league German team’s facility’s they were much smaller, but still very nice to play in.

Talk a little about the competition. How good were the other countries in general and were there some notable players from back in the day?

There were many good players who took part in the tournament. I could tell that several of them were very good in their prime. Several first and second league players in their own countries (Greece, Italy, Georgia. Before our final game we watched the over 60 Finals between Australia and Serbia. This was amazing to watch both countries still compete at such a high level, and see their sharp basketball I.Q. The most notable player that we faced (in the semi finals) was former NBA lottery pick Nikoloz Tskitishvili.

Talk a little about your teammates. There were some known guys like Steffan Hamann, Dirk Madrich Moritz Wohlers Daniel Dorr and Daniel Lieneke. What was it like playing with them? Weren´t you teammates once with Wohlers?

It was a lot of fun to play with those guys. So many years of experience all on one team. Everyone on the same page wanting to compete and win. Sacrificing their bodies, taking charges and going after rebounds. It was amazing to see. Everyone encouraged me to play my game and be me, whenever I was being too passive on the offensive end. They made it very easy to fit in. Mo and I played together in Oberhaching so the chemistry was already there for sure.

Who was in best basketball and physical shape between Hamann, Madrich and Wohlers?

I think Steffen and Dirk were both in pretty decent shape. Steffen often picked up full court on defense and took a ton of charges throughout the whole tournament. We played through Dirk for a lot of the tournament because most of the teams didn’t have anyone who could stop him. He also ran the floor well, set a lot of screens and had to defend probably the toughest matchup (Tskitishvili) of the tournament, in the semi finals. Mo was also in pretty decent shape and played a ton of minutes.

Had you had dealings with Steffen Hamann? Late in his career he played with FC Bayern Munich from 2010-2014 when you were playing for TSV Dachau. Had you ever been on a court with him back in the day?

I watched Steffen a lot in my early years here in Germany as he was the lead guy. I can’t remember ever being on the court with him.

When looking at your stats you were up and down but saved your best for the semi-final and final scoring 16 and 17 points. How content were you with your game?

In the group stage and also throughout most of the tournament I was being more of a facilitator and creating shots for the rest of the guys. They kept telling me to be more aggressive. I guess the difference in the semi finals and finals were that the competition level raised a bit and my scoring was then needed. I was happy to be able to fit nicely into a team who had previously won a silver medal in the European championship.

Germany won the final against Italy 69-66. How exciting was this game? Was there any doubt that Germany wouldn´t win this game?

The last game was very exciting for everyone I think. The fans in the gym, and everyone who watched on the stream definitely got a show. The game was back and forth the entire time. I honestly never really had the feeling that we would lose, even in the final minutes with it being so close.

Talk a little about the last play. You made the game winning shot. Where does that rank with your best game winners in your career?

The last play of the game definitely stands up there as one of the best in my career. Although it’s a shot I’ve made a ton of times in my career, for me to make it in such an important moment to win a gold medal was truly something special.

What was your personal favorite play on the court during the whole tournament?

My personal favourite play for the tournament would probably have to be the steal and the 3pt shot to tie the game, in the Final. I’ve gotten so many questions about that play, and what was going through my mind. For me, it was a now or never moment and I got clean look at the rim and was able to take advantage of it to tie the game.

What does the Fiba Masters Open Gold Medal and MVP award mean to you? Where do you rank it in your whole career?

This Gold medal and MVP award mean everything to me. It was an opportunity to represent the entire country in international competition. It ranks up there at the top of my career accolades and accomplishments.

When you look back at this experience in 20 years, what will you remember most from it?

I will of course remember the success of winning the gold medal, but mostly the fun we had as group. Beach parties, water aerobics, yoga, and dinners with Greek food and Ouzo.

Do you think like you will take part in more of these kind of tournaments down the road?

I hope that this was only the first. I look forward to playing a few more as long as my schedule and body allow it.

Who wins a 1-1 on the court in 2026, you or Steffen Hamann?

. Hahaha, if you asked me who would win between me and Lebron James I would still pick myself. I’d say I’d beat Steffen one in one.

Thanks Omari for the chat.