Prospect Highlight: Hannes Steinbach 2006 GER Würzburg
Hannes Steinbach can look forward to a big role at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2024 as he is dominating in Germany’s U19 NBBL League for Würzburg Baskets.
Hannes Steinbach was a role player at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023 and helped Germany make history with their first-ever podium finish by taking third place. The 2006-born power forward did not have a major role in the team but he can expect to be more of a leader on the U18 team next summer as he is dominating the German U19 NBBL league with Würzburg Baskets Akademie. The 2.03 meter big man has even made the easyCredit BBL roster with Würzburg Baskets for one game already.
Hannes Steinbach hails from a small village called Moos near Würzburg and grew up on a farm for horses. He started playing basketball when he was 9 years old and is the son of Burkhard Steinbach, who played 139 Bundesliga games for Würzburg, including five years alongside Dirk Nowitzki. Burkhard ran his horses farm and was kind of considered a hobby basketball player.
Through Nowitzki, Steinbach also got to know Holger Geschwindner, Dirk’s long-time mentor. Steinbach always served as Hannes’ coach or assistant coach and used to use some of Geschwindner’s drills and exercises according to an article in the Würzburg Main Post.
Hannes’ father started playing basketball when he was 18 years old and weighed about 115 kilograms during his top playing days and stood 2.12 meters - earning the nickname “Koloss von Moos” (Colossus from Moos). He was on the coaching staff with Würzburg when his son joined the club in the big city.
In 2021-22, Steinbach played the entire season as a 15-year-old and averaged 24.1 points, 14.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 blocks in the U16 JBBL league. Steinbach really stood out in the two games against Mainz, tallying 47 points, 20 rebounds and 5 assists in one game and then 49 points, 32 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 9 blocks in the second game - a double-OT thriller.
Steinbach also appeared in 11 games in the U19 NBBL league and averaged 2.9 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Steinbach for the 2022-23 season split time between the U19 NBBL league and the fourth division Regionalliga. And he dominated the NBBL - despite playing the season as a 16-year-old - with 16.6 points, 12.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.5 blocks.
Steinbach has been on the radars of the German youth national team coaching staff since 2019. In February of that year, the 13-year-old Steinbach was selected for the Team Bayern for the Perspective für Talente tournaments alongside names like Ivan Kharchenkov, Declan Duru and Ivan Volf.
Following the Covid break, the German federation invited Steinbach for the U16 national team camp in December 2021. And Steinbach was one of 38 players selected for the first U18 camp in February 2023.
Despite being a year younger as a 2006-born, Steinbach made Germany’s team for the FIBA U18 European Championship 2023. He was actually one of six players on the German roster born in 2006. But three of the 2005-born players were big men - Johann Grünloh, Linus Trettin and Ben Defty. That meant Steinbach did not get a lot of playing time.
“It was difficult for me to get playing time, but every training session helped me develop. I learned a lot,” Steinbach told the Main Post.
Steinbach totaled 48 minutes in six games and he averaged 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds. He picked up 5 points and 4 rebounds in the opening game against Croatia and had 5 points and 5 rebounds in the final group stage game versus Turkey.
Still, he played his part in Germany making history as the team clinched third place - the first time Germany reached the podium at a FIBA U18 European Championship.
Steinbach this season is playing in the U19 NBBL and is once again dominating the league even though he won’t turn 18 until May 1, 2024.
He started the season with 37 points, 22 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 3 blocks. He has topped 30 points five more times, including a 38-point outburst against Hanau.
For the season, Steinbach is averaging 29.9 points, 15.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.3 blocks in 9 games. He is shooting 68.3% on two-pointers, has made 5-of-17 three-pointers (29.4%) and is making 69.6% from the free throw line. Steinbach is playing 33 minutes a game and does have high turnover numbers, an average of 5.1 turnovers per game, three times losing the ball 8 times.
As opposed to many other talents in Germany, Steinbach does not have a ProA second division or third division ProB team where he can be pushed against senior level players. Würzburg have the Bundesliga team and then the fourth division Regionalliga side. Getting that ProA or ProB experience would be invaluable for Steinbach.
The youngster has been included in Würzburg’s pro roster for one game, in Round 4 at home against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig on October 21. He did not play but it was the first step to possibly getting some minutes for Sasa Filipovski’s team.
Steinbach has a couple of German power forwards to learn from with the Würzburg pro team in 28-year-old Max Ugrai and 25-year-old Collin Welp.
Still, Steinbach has another major task in front of him - finishing his eduction. He still has two years left before he takes his “Abitur” high school equivalent final exam.
If Steinbach continues to develop as he is, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if he is one of Germany’s top low post presences next summer at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2024.
Before that is the Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim and Viernheim in late March and early April. That would be a good test for Steinbach to see where he stands in the U18 team.
Because there will be two goals for Germany at the U18 European Championship next summer. First would be to place in the top five to lock up a spot at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2025, which would be the country’s appearance since 2017. And the second goal would be to return the podium after making history this past summer.
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