Hansi Gnad
Hans -Jürgen grace ( born June 4, 1963 in Darmstadt ) is a former German basketball player. After studying in the United States grace was professional and with various clubs in Germany and German champion with Mash Verona winner of Korać Cup 1998. As a national player grace took part in the 1992 Olympic Games and in 1993 European Champion.
Career
Grace did not begin until the age of 15 with the basketball. Previously, he was in the swimming team of SG Darmstadt, with which he could win some national titles and vintage championships.
With the assistance of the former national player of the TV Langen Rainer Greunke grace received a scholarship to the University of Alaska, for which he even broke his professional training. But it should pay off. He was elected in 1986 " Conference Player of the Year." In the same year the Federal Trainer took the Hessians in the national squad for the 1986 World Cup in Spain.
Grace is listed with 14 records in the annals of the University of Alaska. His jersey number 33 is not longer available from his college. He was the 1986-87 top scorer and rebounder, his school, which he recommended that the talent scouts of the NBA itself. When NBA Draft 1987, he was in the third round (56th pick overall ) drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers.
In 1987, he began his professional career in the National Basketball League in the BSC Saturn Köln, with whom he also equal to the German championship in 1987 was able to win after he had come only to the play-offs with the team. He came to the selection camp for the 76ers to get one of the 12 places in the team. As Last Hansi was removed from coach Matt Guokas mid-November from the squad of the Sixers. Then he went back to the BSC Saturn Köln, who could defend the national title in 1988.
In July 1988, Hansi was given another chance at an NBA commitment. The newly formed Miami Heat had now secured the rights to grace the so-called expansion draft. Again he tried his luck in the " try- outs ", but was also this time as last removed from the squad. After the 1988/89 season he was named basketball player of the year. He then moved for a season to the German champions Steiner Bayreuth, but were unable to defend her title.
In the summer of 1990, grace went to the Italian second division Billy Desio, for whom he played three years. 1990-91 he had his best season. He made an average of 19.6 points per game. In 1993 he returned to the Bundesliga. He played for one season at Alba Berlin and one year for Brandt Hagen before moving to Bayer Leverkusen. In 1996 he won his last championship title for the time being.
After the abolition of restrictions on foreigners in consequence of the Bosman ruling grace 1997 again went to Italy and played this time in the top division Serie A for Mash from Verona. The former semi-finalist at the Italian Championship retired twice in the first play-off round. While it was enough at the European level in 1998 to a profit in the Korać Cup, where they defeated in the finals KK Red Star Belgrade, it was only third from bottom nationally in the following season. Therefore, at the beginning of the following season, he went to the Spanish top club Real Madrid, where he use time per game scored as a reserve player from the bench in twelve games in just under nine minutes was only 1.6 points on average.
In December 1999, Gnad Real Madrid left back already and went back to Bayer Leverkusen, however, could not repeat her success at the beginning of the 1990s. After just two seasons, he moved again in 2001 to Brandt Hagen before 2003 at the age of just 40 years, ended his active career. After his active career as a player grace also worked as a trainer and was after he had initially worked for several years as an assistant coach at his former club Leverkusen, also assistant coach of the German national team in 2011.
National
Grace was related to the end of August 2007 the number of international matches with 181 inserts in the senior national record for national team before he was overtaken by Patrick Femerling in the number of inserts. In all 181 games he was in the starting lineup. He scored a total of 2123 points ( average 11.7 per game). With it, the team won 96 times (85 defeats).
His first Match of grace on 23 May 1986 in Vevey against Switzerland. He scored 19 points and Germany won the friendly match with 106:91. His most successful in terms of personal point yield game had grace with 30 points on 29 November 1989 in the European Championship qualifier against England, which was won with 110:87.
His first finals appearance with the senior team had grace at the World Cup 1986 in Spain where you left early on after two wins in five preliminary games because of the poorer direct comparison. In the following EM 1987, they have lost the quarter-final against Spain clearly and finally finished in sixth place. In the pre-Olympic qualifying tournament in 1988 we had no chance in the final round and missed a Olympic participation. For the following two EM- finals with the top eight teams, the Germans were unable to qualify each.
In the qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games in 1992 the national team was supported by the NBA professional Detlef Schrempf. So it was enough to qualify for the Games, inter alia vice European champions Italy and former European champion Greece. In the Olympic tournament played the national team after two opening victories, among other things about the host and EM - third of Spain against the so-called "Dream Team", a selection of the best American NBA pros, the first time in an Olympic tournament in the jersey of the U.S. Selection competed, which had been formed only by college players. This game was a special experience for the seasoned professional grace. After 68:111 defeat to the USA they lost the remaining two group matches and the quarter-finals against the team of the United team from the successor states of the Soviet Union and finished at the end of a seventh. In eight olympic jobs grace made an average of 8.5 points. At the Olympic Games in Barcelona grace met his future wife, Silke, who played for the national handball team. With Silke Gnad he has two sons together.
As Olympic participants and hosts one was automatically qualified for the next European Championship finals in 1993. This became the biggest triumph for the selection of the German Basketball Federation. Since 1955, the teams of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia had dominated these championships and split up to twice every title with each other. A German selection until then had never won a medal; the best result was a fifth place in the European Championship finals in 1985 in their own country. After the breakup of the two leading European basketball nations, the German selection could use under coach Svetislav Pešić in a balanced participants the home advantage and won sensational in a dramatic final against Russia the title. Team Captain grace could end up stretching the trophy into the air and cut off as a trophy Basket network.
At the World Cup finals in 1994 but they finished again only a twelfth place and at the last finals participation Gnads at the European Championship finals in 1995 resigned defending champion Germany after just one win in six games in the preliminary round of. The last game in the jersey of the German national team had mercy on 28 November at the 1998 European Championship qualifier against Slovenia in Bonn. Germany lost with 76:91 and grace scored only 2 points.