Germany star Dennis Schröder responded to comments by Turkey coach Ergin Ataman, who expressed confidence that his team is superior and poised to win the EuroBasket Final.
Schröder remained focused on his own team rather than engaging in any psychological battle: “We try to focus on ourselves,” he said after being informed about Ataman’s press conference remarks.
“I know the strategy he’s trying to do and it’s been working for him for sure. At the end of the day, good job. We just try to focus on ourselves. Compete. Stay together as a team and try to bring the trophy home.”
He acknowledged Turkey’s strengths while emphasizing Germany’s determination to execute their own game plan.
He also reflected on what a EuroBasket title would mean for German basketball: “It’s big. That would be really special for German basketball. Everybody is ready for the challenge. That would mean a lot for sure.”
On the Final itself, Schröder shared his excitement about the opportunity and the historic significance: “We are very excited. It’s a great opportunity to put Germany on the map. To write another historic summer for the federation. We’re looking forward to compete tomorrow.”
Schröder outlined Germany’s key advantages going into the match, focusing on their distinctive style and teamwork: “Our style of basketball is just unique. How we play. How fast we play. Defensive stops of course. We go out and run. Shoot a lot of threes. Crash the boards.
“Our team is really – really hard to scout and if we play on a high level like that 40 minutes we believe we can win it. We’re really hard to beat, we just have to bring it tomorrow and we have to be ready from the jump.”
Regarding how Germany plans to counter Turkey, particularly after their dominant semifinal victory over Greece, Schröder emphasized defensive intensity and controlling the pace of the game: “Playing our game. Defensively, putting them under pressure. Making sure they aren’t comfortable.
“Picking up the point guards full court. Everybody else behind be ready. Get stops. I think when we play our style of basketball we always want to dictate where the game goes. We want to control the game and that’s what we’ll try to do tomorrow.”
Dennis Schroder reacts to Ergin Ataman’s certainty about Turkey’s win in Final#EuroBasket https://t.co/X2LN9b2eiy
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) September 13, 2025
