Hopes high, expectations low for Germany as it prepares to host Women’s Basketball World Cup

BERLIN (AP) — Injuries and three straight losses in warmups have not dimmed hopes for host team Germany at the Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

As a well-known German saying goes, “hope is the last to die.”

Germany is making just its second World Cup appearance. The first was when it previously hosted the quadrennial tournament in 1998. The German team reached the second group stage on that occasion and will be aiming for a medal this time, though the absence of star player Satou Sabally is a major blow.

The New York Liberty forward is still dealing with the effects of a concussion — her second of the year — sustained in a game against Las Vegas in June.

Sabally’s younger sister Nyara, who plays for the Toronto Tempo, is yet to make her comeback from a calf injury, while Liberty’s Leonie Fiebich, another key player, is just back from a foot injury.

Germany’s preparations for the expanded 16-team 20th edition of the tournament haven’t been optimal with three straight defeats to Spain, Hungary and Turkey in warmup games.

“Of course, we were hoping for a win but it was just a friendly,” Luisa Geiselsöder said of the latest loss, 63-62 to Turkey in Cologne on Thursday.

Geiselsöder’s WNBA colleagues Sabally, Fiebich and her Portland Fire teammate Frieda Bühner missed the warmup games but their arrival should provide a boost.

“We learned a lot today,” Germany coach Olaf Lange said after the Turkey game. “But with the three (WNBA players yet to arrive) we’re a completely different team.”

Lange said he was confident Nyara Sabally will be able to play at the tournament based on the results of an MRI scan on her calf.

Germany will also be reliant on combo guard Alexis Peterson as the primary playmaker.

Team captain Marie Gülich made her comeback from a serious knee injury in the 65-60 friendly loss to Spain.

Germany starts Friday with another clash against Spain in the 14,000 capacity Berlin Arena, so-called for the tournament to avoid mentioning the venue’s frequently changing sponsor.

The Max-Schmeling-Halle, a multipurpose 9,000 seat venue named after Germany’s heavyweight champion from 1932, will also host games for the tournament.

Germany has never beaten Spain in seven competitive meetups. Spain won their last meeting 79-60 in the group stage of Eurobasket in Hamburg last year.

Germany then faces Japan in the Max-Schmeling-Halle on Saturday, before finishing Group A with a game it will be expected to win against Mali on Sept. 7.

Only the bottom team in each of the four groups is eliminated. The group winners advance directly to the quarterfinals, while the others face playoffs to advance to the last eight.

Organizers announced that more than 200,000 tickets have been sold for the tournament already — more than for any of the previous editions. The final on Sept. 13 is sold out.

“We’re witnessing an extraordinary evolution of our sport, and this World Cup in Berlin will mark another major milestone,” German Basketball Federation president Ingo Weiss said. “200,000 tickets is a fantastic sign, and we’re far from finished yet.”

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