NEW YORK (AP) — Former New York Liberty assistant coach Olaf Lange has landed a new job as the head of the German women's national team.
Lange, a Berlin native, will coach the team in the World Cup that Germany is hosting next year. He also held that role from 2001-03.
“I'm really excited and proud to take on this new role with the German national team,” Lange wrote in a text to the AP. “It's sort of a homecoming for me after so many years abroad and I feel a deep connection to helping Germany basketball continue to grow.”
The 53-year-old will reunite with Liberty players Leonie Fiebich and Nyara Sabally in the tournament. Germany also has Phoenix Mercury star Satou Sabally on the roster.
“This group has real potential — a talented hungry team that's already taken big steps — and with the World Cup on home soil next year, the next three years present a tremendous opportunity to build something special,” Lange said.
The Germans first will play in the FIBA World Cup qualifier next March in France.
Lange will potentially coach against his wife Sandy Brondello, who is the Australian national team coach. He served on her staff for the Opals since 2019 and with the Liberty since she got the job in 2022. Brondello's contract was not renewed by New York last month after the team lost in the first round of the playoffs.
He also served as Russia's national team coach from 2017-19. Lange replaces Lisa Thomaidis, who led Germany in the Paris Olympics. The Germans reached the quarterfinals last year at the Olympics.
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