© Pahnke
In late summer, after Paris 2024, Gordon Herbert took a two-day vacation. Two. In Western Finland, the second home of the West Canadian. Then he traveled to Munich to quickly shake off the Olympic frustration, caused by the very honorable fourth place.
From the German national team to Bayern, Herbert, 65, has now been here for half a year. And what can we say: The Canadian with a Finnish passport has apparently found a third home. “Munich is the best city in Germany for me, one of the best in Europe,” he raves, “I love it here.” A rather personal conversation with the new head coach from the new MIDSEASON-MAGAZIN of FCBB, which is available for free at the home games in BMW Park and SAP Garden.
Gordie, after half a year at Bayern, is there already a goosebumps moment that even a World Championship coach remembers?
GORDON HERBERT: "Yes, there was, it was really the first EuroLeague game in the SAP Garden, our comeback against Real Madrid. We were behind and then won with the crowd behind us. Everyone thought the game was lost. That was the beginning of everything we've experienced so far."
There will be 80, 85, maybe even 90 season games in the end. Back in your first BBL time in the early 2000s and before your DBB job, it was much less stressful. How do you manage the workload?
“Yes, back then it was different, at most one game during the week. The schedule now is brutal, almost inhuman. I don’t like the 9 p.m. games at all, because I usually go to bed around 9:30 p.m.! But I’m not suffering, I take care of myself. I sleep well, get some fresh air. I only suffer because of the training – because it’s hardly possible. A lot has to happen with video study. I would rather solve it on the court.”
How do you reward yourself?
“Phew... After a good win, sometimes I have a beer and then wake up at 4:30 a.m. to watch a good live ice hockey game. But we have so little time, I usually stay at home, cook something, and watch a movie; one that's 10 or 20 years old, when the world had fewer problems. And I read a lot, novels, every evening before bed. It takes my mind off basketball. As a young coach, I lived basketball 24/7, I was only in the gym. I still have sleepless nights, especially when we haven’t defended well and were bad... But I’ve learned that it goes on.”
You’re Canadian with Finland as your family base and have now worked in Germany for a total of one and a half decades. What parts of you are Canadian, Finnish, and German?
GORDON HERBERT: “They say that Canadians are similar to Swedes and Australians: always easy going, calm, gentle. Canadians often say 'sorry'. That's all me, but I also have the Canadian hockey mentality in me – fighting spirit, being ambitious, and very physical, at least when I was younger.”
In Finland, where you got married, still own a house, where your sons were born, and where you began as a professional and coach, there's the untranslatable term ‘Sisu’...
...a kind of national virtue, it stands for never giving up, fighting, being persistent. I show this to my team. I firmly believe, like the Finns, that you must face adversity rather than use it as an excuse. I learned that from my mother, who was a great athlete herself in various sports.”
Therapy in the House by the Ocean
And now you’re working in your 16th season in Germany, this time again as a club coach...
...and here you learn: When you do something, do it professionally. Germany is a bit more precise than Canada or Finland...
...but these Germans are also often said to be too serious, it’s sometimes claimed...
...and now people here, like the president, tell me I should laugh more, smile more (laughs loudly and smiles). But I’ve found peace in my life now, coaching is no longer a matter of life and death. I’ve learned to enjoy the moment, to train players, to be with them, and to communicate better with them than I did before.”
You’ve changed as both a coach and a person, you’ve openly admitted that.
GORDON HERBERT: “Yes, this job exposes you. You move from country to country, from one house to the next apartment; usually without a wife and the stability of a family. I now have my son Daniel here as an assistant, which is special. But I didn’t see much of how my (three) children grew up. Because of the job, because of my selfishness. I placed my career above family life, unfortunately, I have to say. That can’t come back, but I try to make up for a lot of it. It’s never too late.”
For example, next summer, you could treat yourself to two or three weeks off, not just two days.
“I enjoyed working with the national team, but what I didn’t like was not having a summer. I don’t know yet what I’ll do, but there’s still a lot to do at my summer house, it’s four hours from Helsinki on the west coast. The place is called Pyhäma, which translates to 'Holy Land'. There I chop wood, go on the SUP board, ride jetskis, do gardening. That’s my therapy, in my house by the ocean. Sometimes the kids come, friends too, but mostly it’s just me there.”
How has head coach Herbert changed?
“I used to be quite emotional, shouting a lot and demanding a lot. Sometimes I’d go home after training and look in the mirror – what I saw there, I didn’t like, it wasn’t me. I broke TVs, became quite personal. It took a long time, but I’ve learned that you can create an atmosphere of hard work and energy without shouting. I like myself much more now. With the national team, I raised my voice just once in three years, during the argument with Dennis (Schröder, in the 2023 World Cup second round against Slovenia; editor's note).”
The scene was an important episode on the way to the World Cup triumph. What’s next? The Final Four participation, which you’ve set as a vision, though not as a goal, alongside defending the title?
“Why not? We have a chance at the Final Four if we come together as a team. When you're strong as a group, individuals can improve. It’s very possible that we’ll fail. Are we already a very good team? Certainly not, no. That’s fine because we can still improve. Still, why shouldn’t that be a vision?”
You had other options as a Gold coach. Why Bayern?
“I wanted to stay in Germany, and we have five national players here. It was always my dream to coach Bayern; because of this brand, the city, the culture here, and how this club is growing. Not coming here was never an option.”