Ibrahimagic: A great achievement for German basketball

Germany has unified the European and world titles - after winning the World Basketball Championship two years ago in Manila, Denis Schruder and his teammates won the European Championship last night in Riga, after defeating Turkey 88:83 in a brilliant final.

Germany won the EuroBasket for the second time in its history. The first continental title was won in 1993.

"It was a very tough game. Every time we came back, Turkey knew how to respond. This team is incredibly talented, they are great people, great talents and people who never give up and don't panic. When things get tough, we have a captain, Bonga, Daniel or whoever is on the court will do the job. This is a great achievement for German basketball and of course for me who worked with young German players. We have a lot of young and talented players and this is a mission for us to bring them to basketball and try to develop them," Ibrahimagić said after the game.

The final was marked by Isak Bonga, who was named the best defender of the tournament.

"An incredible game, I don't have much to say. We call Bongo the Swiss Army knife because he can do everything. He scored 20 points, provided momentum, grabbed rebounds and played defense that is the best in Eurobasket and he is the MVP of this game."

Ibrahimagić said that this is the success of the entire team.

"We talked about every game, not just tonight. The whole coaching staff talked, including coach Alex. He told me 'I made the decision for you to do this, I trust you' and I'm very happy about that. To be honest, I'll try to understand what we did and it will take a few days. In the end, I'll be happy because we won an incredible tournament and this is a great honor and privilege."

Ibrahimagić led the team, as coach Alex Mumbru had to be hospitalized after surgery at the beginning of the championship.

"By a combination of unfortunate circumstances, I am a coach. Aleks Mumbru is our coach and I am part of the coaching staff," said Ibrahimagić, noting that Mumbru is number one.

This was followed by a reaction from Denis Šruder, who interrupted him in mid-sentence.

"What Allen did is not easy. Of course, Alex is the head coach, but what Allen did is incredible. He coached us, led us, made statements, called timeouts and this is a big deal," Schruder said.