28 Apr 2021
GRAZ (Austria) - Ahead of the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament taking place May 26-30, 2021, Germany's women head coach Matthias Weber has shortlisted six players to join the team.
Headlining the squad are the Sabally sisters. Satou Sabally, the older of the two, was included in the All-Euroleague Women 2nd team on her rookie season, while her sister Nyara is following in her footsteps as a current member of the Oregon Ducks.
"I am extremely happy to be nominated. 3x3 is an awesome discipline, so fast, so physical and you have to think the game completely different in comparison to basketball. I am even happier about the fact that we have the opportunity to qualify for the Olympics. I think, with this team, we have a pretty good chance to do so," said the 23-year-old Satou.
View this post on Instagram
The shortlisted roster is as follows:
Svenja Brunckhorst
Stefanie Grigoleit
Luana Rodefeld
Nyara Sabally
Satou Sabally
Theresa Simon
Germany have a tough road ahead to qualify for the Olympic competition. They begin their journey in Pool A along with the USA, France, Uruguay, and Indonesia. The two top teams earn a spot in the quarterfinals where they would advance to the knockout stage. The winners of the semi-finals and the third-place finisher will qualify for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
“We are craving for this opportunity. This is without a doubt the biggest thing ever that German 3x3-basketball has faced. We are completely dedicated to representing this beautiful game with everything that we have. Obviously, it will be a tough competition but we know what we are made of,” said coach Matthias Weber.
While the team as currently presented will need to be trimmed down to four spots, Weber has tough decisions ahead of him. Several members of the team come with 3x3 experience, including Satou Sabally and Svenja Brunckhorst who teamed up to finish 4th at the 2nd European Games 2019.
Brunckhorst, who has seen what is possible with German 3x3, has high hopes for the team and is ready for this chance to shine on the international stage.
"Every day we are working hard towards our big dream! Preparation so far has been very good and we have more pretty competitive games coming up. Obviously, I am really looking forward to the Sabally sisters joining us soon so that our team is complete. I am extremely happy to have this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
View this post on Instagram
Keep up with all of the important information for the FIBA 3x3 Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2021 schedule and check out some of the top games we are looking forward to.
Make sure to tune in to all of the OQT action, where it will be broadcasted live on FIBA 3x3's YouTube Channel and Facebook page.
FIBA
