They once shared the court at a college in the United States and now they’re back together representing the German University Sports Federation at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games.
Eléa Gaba and Jessika Schiffer are part of the host country’s women’s basketball team and, reunited in national colours, the two friends are aiming high.
“We were sitting in the room snacking on pistachios.” That’s the first shared memory the two student-athletes recalled when asked about how their friendship began. Since then they’ve been through a lot together, on and off the court. And today, they’re once again side by side.
Their tournament opener on Friday, 18 July was no easy task as they faced hoops powerhouse USA, represented at Rhine-Ruhr 2025 by Texas Tech University. Backed by a raucous home crowd at the Grugahalle in Essen, the Germans fought hard but in the end fell just short, dropping a 69-63 decision.
“Now it‘s time to bounce back from the game against the USA. You can learn a lot from the first game and take away some really important things for the matches to come,” said Gaba.
Learning together is nothing new for the pair. In 2019 they both played for the University of Buffalo in the NCAA. That’s why Friday’s duel brought back memories. “Even the warm-up looked so different compared to European teams. It reminded me of college,” said Schiffer.
Lifelong bonding
The impact of that time is still visible – literally. Together with British basketball player Loren Christie, the trio got matching tattoos: each one has 1/3 inked on their ankle. For all three their college experience was unforgettable. Being so far from home, growing as people and also as players on the court.
“Since then, we’ve been inseparable,” Gaba said.
Today Gaba studies at the Open University in the United Kingdom, while Schiffer is pursuing Humanities and Social Sciences at the Fern Universität in Hagen, Germany.
But it wasn’t just their college years they shared. The two also played together on Germany’s youth national teams. In 2016 they won a silver medal at the U16 European Championship.
“I can always count on her,” said Schiffer about their long-standing friendship. Although they now play for different clubs, wearing the same jerseys again at the FISU Games means a lot.
Big goals ahead
“We want to play for medals. We have a very good team, and if we play together and really show what we’re capable of, then we’ll be right up there,” said Gaba.
Germany faces Poland on Saturday, 19 July and then Chinese Taipei on Sunday for its third contest in as many days.
The women’s basketball medals at Rhine-Ruhr 2025 will be awarded on Friday, 25 July.
The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 FISU World University Games take place from 16-27 July. Watch all the competitions live on fisu.tv. Click on the link to find the full schedule.
Written by Lara Zugck, EU U-Media Ambassador, Germany
The Young Reporters Programme exemplifies FISU’s commitment to more than sports competitions. At every FISU World University Games, a group of talented aspiring sports journalists are chosen to cover the competition.
We warmly thank FISU Official Partner Qiaodan Ltd. which provides remarkable uniforms to FISU Family and International Technical Officials since 2015. Qiaodan is a valuable partner for FISU as it continued to provide its support during the postponement of events due to the global pandemic, and recently extended the relationship with FISU up to and including 2025.
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