By Michalis Gioulenoglou/ info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Putting up 15 points with 5/10 field, including two three-pointers in a rough shooting showing for Germany, Isaac Bonga helped his country progress to the Quarterfinals of EuroBasket 2025.
“It was just a matter of being ready from the start,” he explained following a win against Portugal on Saturday, “I guess we kind of struggled to rebound at the beginning. We couldn’t really play as fast as we wanted to. I think the second half, especially defensively, we did it better, rebounds did better. Obviously, we didn’t make our shots today, but at this point, you just have to keep being aggressive.”
“I don’t think you’re always going to have a perfect game. I don’t even think before we had perfect games,” he referred to a 5-0 run in Tampere’s Group B, “In games like this, you just got to make sure you stick to your principles. I think especially in the second half, we did it today. And it was just like a whole team effort.”
The Round of 16 matchup in Xiaomi Arena featured Alex Mumbru as the head coach of Germany. The 46-year-old Spanish tactician missed the preliminary round but joined the national team in Riga for the knockout stage.
“It was good just to have him out there,” noted Bonga, “It was good that he’s healthy and able to be back out there, so I think we all are happy to know that coach is back out there with us.”
In the postgame press conference, assistant Alan Ibrahimagic, previously acting head coach, replaced Mumbru to recap the meeting with Portugal.
“They played physical. They controlled the defensive rebound very well. So, we couldn’t play our game, couldn’t run, and get many offensive rebounds and second-chance points. Actually, offensively, halfcourt was OK. We had some good shots but did not make any, especially in the first half. We wanted to stay calm, keep doing our job, and defend properly. Finally, in the last quarter, we came through,” said the 47-year-old Serbian coach.
On Wednesday, the winner of Sunday’s game between Italy and Slovenia will be the opponent for Germany in the Quarterfinals.
Photo Credit: FIBA