Germany’s basketball national team head coach Frank Menz is positive that Dirk Nowitzki will once again don the national team colours in future competitions.

“He said he really wanted to play for the national team,” said Frank Menz, in an interview with Mark Woods of ESPN.COM.

“He always enjoyed it. And he wants all the younger players to one day have a chance to play at an Olympic Games,” added Menz, who said that the German Basketball Federation remains in contact with the 36-year-old Nowitzki.

Menz could have used a player of Nowitzki’s caliber in the 2013 FIBA European Championships. In five games, Germany could only muster 2 wins against three losses as the team failed to advance past the group stages.

Menz’s team had a promising start beating France, 80-74 in their first game. However, they faltered in the next three—losing to Belgium, 73-77; Ukraine, 83-88; and Great Britain, 74-81 to get booted out of the tournament. Germany finished the tournament with a win over Israel, 80-76.

The last time Nowitzki suited up for his country was in 2011 at the FIBA European Championships in Lithuania. In 2001, Nowitzki towed Germany to a fourth place finish, averaging 28.7 PPG while shooting 57.3 per cent from the field. In the 2002 World Championship, he was named the tournament MVP even if Germany can only come up with the bronze medal. In 2008, Germany qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 1992.

When Nowitzki finally returns to the national team, he’ll be playing alongside promising youngsters Robin Benzing (17.0 PPG) and center Tibor Pleiss (11.6 PPG and 11.0 RPG) who led the squad in the 2013 Eurobasket. Benzing’s scoring average leads the team and 7th overall in the tournament, while Pleiss’s rebounding is 2nd overall.