Just 63 days after winning their seventh German Championship, Bayern Basketball is back in training. On Thursday morning, head coach Gordon Herbert gathered the currently available roster along with three guest players, who will help out during pre season given the absence of eight internationals.
“This preparation will be special — before our first game we’ll probably only have five days of full practice together,” said the Canadian coach. “But there are no excuses, and Dragan (Tarlac) did a great job bringing in three players to support us. It is what it is, and of course I wish our national team players the greatest possible success.”
“Grateful to Work Alongside Gordie”
TJ Parker remains part of Herbert's coaching team. The French assistant coach has extended his contract with Bayern through 2027. “I’m very grateful to keep working alongside Gordie here in Munich,” said the 41-year-old. “It’s exciting to be part of this program and I’m looking forward to another successful season, hopefully as strong as my first year.”
Parker joined Bayern last summer. The former professional had previously served as assistant coach at EuroLeague rival ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne before taking over as head coach, leading the team to two league titles and a cup victory.
Preseason & First Games
Bayern’s first preseason test will be a closed-door game on September 2 against Austrian side Swans Gmunden. Their first official contest is the BBL season opener on Friday, September 26 (8:00 p.m.) against the promoted team Jena.
Three Guest Players in Training
Herbert and his staff will have only limited preparation time with the full squad. Seven Bayern players are currently competing at EuroBasket, while newcomer Isiaha Mike is in action with Team Canada at the FIBA AmeriCup, facing Colombia in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Present in training are: Wenyen Gabriel, Niels Giffey, Justinian Jessup, Vladimir Lucic, and Xavier Rathan-Mayes. Elias Harris continues his individual rehab work.
Alongside Parker, Bayern’s coaching staff from last season remains unchanged, as does the medical department. After six successful years, however, individual coach Emilio Kovacic has departed. FC Bayern Basketball thanks him sincerely for his contributions and wishes him all the best for the future.
Head Coach: Gordon Herbert
Assistant Coaches: TJ Parker, Daniel Herbert, Mihajlo Mitic; Strength & Conditioning Coach: Ivan Pijanec
Physiotherapists: Thomas Bäuml, Frank Moreno, Alejandro Perez
Team Doctors: Sebastian Torka, Tom Uckermann, Jochen Hahne
Team Operations: Stefan Kaufmann (Team Attendent), Ivan Djerman (Team Manager), Irina Hemmerling (Administration)