Henrik Rödl


Henrik Markus Rödl is a retired German professional basketball player, and currently a basketball coach. He played college basketball in the US for coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. Born in Offenbach am Main, Hesse, he has been credited for his role in bringing other European players, including fellow German Ademola Okulaja, into the North Carolina basketball program.
The 6' 7", 200-lb. shooting guard/small forward has had great success and a number of championships over a long career in American collegiate and international professional basketball.

Amateur career

Rödl was spotted by Smith's staff while he was an exchange student at Chapel Hill High School, a school located only a few miles from UNC's campus. Rödl and teammate Major Geer led the CHHS basketball team to the 1987 North Carolina State High School Basketball Championship. He returned to Germany for 2 years before returning to Chapel Hill.
Rödl played for the Tar Heels from 1989 to 1993. Rödl's Tar Heels won the 1993 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, making Rödl the third German to win an NCAA Title. He wore jersey #5 during his collegiate career. During his time at North Carolina Rödl averaged 3.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game.

Professional career

Rödl played professionally for ALBA Berlin for 11 years. His team won the 1995 Korać Cup, a former European international pro basketball tournament, and began building a German basketball dynasty. Rödl's ALBA Berlin teams won seven consecutive championships in the Bundesliga from 1997 through 2003. His jersey number 4 was retired by ALBA Berlin in 2010.

International career

Rödl also played for many years for the German national basketball team. Rödl played on the team that competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics and led the German team to the European Basketball Championship in 1993. He also played on the team that won the bronze medal at the 2002 FIBA World Championship. Rödl also played for the German team in the 1995, 1997 and 1999 European championship tournaments. He won a total of 178 caps for the German men's national team.

Coaching career

Rödl started his coaching career in the youth ranks of ALBA Berlin, before being named ALBA head coach in January 2005. He was released in June 2007, but stayed on with the club serving as director of the youth program and coach of the development squad. In 2010, he became head coach of TBB Trier. He left his job there 2015.
Already in May 2014, Rödl had been named head coach of the German A2 men's national team. In 2015, he coached the team to a silver medal at the World University Games. In January 2016, Rödl signed a deal as full-time coach of the German Basketball Federation, continuing as head coach of the A2 squad and serving as assistant to Chris Fleming with the men's national team. Rödl took over the head coaching job on September 18, 2017.