– David Hein
This was a big week for the Bs of the league. Brose Bamberg ended up losing twice - first losing at home for the first time against s.Oliver Würzburg and then at EWE Baskets Oldenburg, albeit under protest. FC Bayern Munich ad-ded two more wins to remain undefeated atop the league and then ALBA BER-LIN handed Telekom Baskets Bonn a historic defeat.
In this section, we break out our English language skills and inform you about the latest news from the German easyCredit Basketball Bundesliga. If you’re short on time but still want your fill of Germany’s top basketball league then you are in the right place. Every week David Hein (www.heinnews.com) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Oldenburg win at home over Bamberg - protest filed in defeat
EWE Baskets Oldenburg continued their up and down play of late and held on for a 71-68 home victory over Brose Bamberg (Highlights) - though the road side filed an official complaint after the Round 12 game. Oldenburg had a 12 point lead early in the third quarter but were behind in the fourth. With 37 seconds left, Oldenburg were up 71-64 but missed four free throws down the stretch. Bamberg however also saw Assem Marei miss two foul shots with 2 seconds left. But the guests lodged the complaint as it appeared that there was time left on the clock when Rasid Mahalbasic stepped out of bounds. Oldenburg have won three of the last five and are now 6-4 while Bamberg are 7-4 after two straight defeats. Oldenburg shot only 43.9 percent from the field but they turned it over only nine times while Bamberg lost it 14 times. Rickey Paulding paced the winners with 20 points; Rasid Mahalbasic had 14 points and 8 rebounds and Nathan Boothe scored 12 points. Assem Marei was Bamberg’s only player in double figures with 17 points and 9 rebounds.
Würzburg win for the first time in Freak City
s.Oliver Würzburg picked up their first victory at Brose Bamberg with a 72-69 win, snapping a 10-game losing streak in Freak City. Bamberg led by 10 points in the first quarter and it was an eight-point lead with 6 minutes left. Bamberg missed their final three attempts, shooting just 39.0 percent for the game including 16.0 percent on three-pointers in dropping their second in the last three for a 7-3 record. Würzburg won their fourth in the last five to move to 6-4 despite hitting just 22.2 percent on threes. Junior Etou had 13 points and 6 rebounds for the guests with Cameron Wells picking up 13 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists and Victor Rudd adding 10 points and 7 rebounds. Louis Olinde had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in the loss and Paris Lee added 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals.
Eriksson steps up as Berlin keep Bonn reeling to historic levels
ALBA BERLIN got a big performance from Marcus Eriksson as they collected a 90-87 victory at Telekom Baskets Bonn, who made club history with their seventh straight loss. The game was tight throughout with Eriksson securing the win with two free throws with 7 seconds left as Berlin moved to 7-2 with two straight wins. Bonn dropped to 1-7 as they turned it over 19 times. The hosts did nail 52.4 percent of their three-pointers (11-of-21) but only 39.5 percent on twos while Berlin shot 50.8 percent including 61.1 percent on two-pointers and turned it over only 13 times. Eriksson scored 24 points, besting his previous high of 13 points, while Niels Giffey had 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals; Martin Hermannsson picked up 11 points and 8 assists; Luke Sikma chipped in 9 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists and Peyton Siva added 0 points, 1 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 12:58 minutes in his first game since November 3. Brenden Frazier collected 25 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists, Martin Breunig had 12 points and 7 rebounds and Bojan Subotic added 10 points and 6 rebounds.
Ludwigsburg run away from Braunschweig in fourth quarter
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg used a big fourth quarter run to extend their winning streak to seven games with a 91-77 victory at home over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Ludwigsburg took control of the game with a 15-3 surge in the final frame in moving to 9-1 while Braunschweig are 4-4 after three consecutive losses. Ludwigsburg made 11-of-31 from three-point range for 35.5 percent while holding Braunschweig to 5-of-24 or 20.8 percent from the outside and also forcing 24 turnovers for the guests. Tanner Leissner paced the winners with 18 points and 5 rebounds off the bench with Khadeen Carrington picking up 17 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists and Nick Weiler-Babb and Marcos Knight both scoring 14 points. Braunschweig had Scott Eatherton collect 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists and Thomas Klepeisz scored 16 points.
Bayern race away from Crailsheim late to stay undefeated
FC Bayern Munich remained undefeated in the league after running away late from HARKO Merlins Crailsheim for an 82-63 victory. Bayern took the game for good with a 17-2 run in the fourth quarter in moving to 10-0 while Crailsheim have lost three of their last four to fall to 6-3. Bayern shot 60.0 percent from field for the game and 84.6 percent from the foul line while forcing 17 Crailsheim turnovers and holding the guests to 40.4 percent from the field. Greg Monroe collected 14 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals in the win; Vladimir Lucic had 13 points and 5 rebounds; and DeMarcus Nelson chipped in 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Quincy Ford was the top scorer for Crailsheim with 19 points including 5 three-pointers and 6 rebounds while Javontae Hawkins had 14 points and Aaron Jones added 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals.
Bayern not challenged by Ulm at home
FC Bayern Munich were never really threatened in rolling past ratiopharm ulm 83-69 at home for a perfect 9-0 record. Bayern pulled away in the second quarter as they shot 50.9 percent from the field for the game with just 11 turnovers while holding Ulm to 42.1 percent for the game including 26.1 percent from long range. Bayern’s top scorer was Paul Zipser with 16 points and 6 rebounds with Petteri Koponen adding 15 points and 4 assists and Danilo Barthel pitching in 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists. Ulm, who had won two straight but fell to 3-6, were paced by Zoran Dragic with 19 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists with Derek Willis scoring 11 points and Seth Hinrichs adding 6 points, 11 rebounds and 5 assists.
MBC snap losing streak in comeback win at Vechta
SYNTAINICS MBC snapped a seven-game losing streak by coming back for an 88-84 victory at RASTA Vechta. The hosts led by 15 points in the third quarter but ended up losing the quarter 29-15 to lose their second straight for a 5-5 record. MBC, who shot 49.2 percent from the field and held Vechta to only 39.4 percent for the game, improved to 2-8. Andrew Warren led the way with 19 points with 5 three-pointers while Kaza Kajami-Keane had 14 points and 5 rebounds and Jovan Novak picked up 13 points and 10 assists from the bench. Steve Vasturia was Vechta’s main weapon with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists with Trevis Simpson scoring 15 points and Josh Young adding 13 points and 4 assists.
MBC add former EuroLeague champion big man Dorsey
SYNTAINICS MBC made a major addition to their low post as they acquired veteran center Joey Dorsey on a deal until the end of the season. The 35-year-old big man has played 120 games in the NBA as well as for elite European powerhouses such as Barcelona, Olympiacos Piraeus and Galatasaray Istanbul. Dorsey helped Olympiacos to the EuroLeague crown in 2012 and now hopes to use his time in Germany to return to the top level after playing last season with Panionios and earlier this season with Korean club Jeonju KCC.
Bayreuth continue fine form, Hamburg lose yet again
medi bayreuth continued their strong run of play by grabbing a 95-81 victory at Hamburg Towers, whose struggles went on. Hamburg led by 11 points in the first quarter but watched as Bayreuth took over in the third quarter. Bayreuth improved to 4-5 with two straight wins in the easyCredit BBL to go with two in a row in the FIBA Europe Cup. Hamburg have now dropped six straight for a 1-8 record. Hamburg shot just 21.4 percent from the three-point stripe and forced 23 Bayreuth turnovers but the guests shot 55.8 percent from the field including 69.0 percent on twos. Bryce Alford led the way with 19 points and fellow reserve Lukas Meisner scored a career-high 18 points with 5 rebounds. Jorge Gutierrez paced Hamburg with 23 points, 3 assists and 3 steals and Heiko Schaffartzik added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Hamburg sign former Bamberg power forward Carrera
Hamburg Towers made sure that Michael Carrera did not remain unemployed for very long in signing the power forward until the end of the season. The Venezuelan international was available after recently being released from Brose Bamberg.
Ulm bounce back from Bayern lose to roll past Giessen
ratiopharm ulm bounced back from their loss against FC Bayern Munich to gain a comfortable 97-77 road victory over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers. Ulm gained control in the second quarter and never really were threatened the rest of the way in picking up their third win in the last four games to move to 4-6. Giessen saw their two-game winning streak end in falling to 3-6. Giessen shot only 45.9 percent from the field and turned it over 21 times while Ulm hit 52.4 percent of their shots and committed only 11 turnovers. Zoran Dragic was outstanding with 27 points, 2 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals; Grant Jerrett had 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks; Per Günther scored 14 points; and Seth Hinrichs collected 10 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists off the bench for Ulm. Stephen Brown paced Giessen with 16 points and 4 assists while Teyvon Myers scored 15 points and Brandon Thomas had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Hines out up to six weeks for Frankfurt
FRAPORT SKYLINERS will be without wing Shaquille Hines for up to six weeks as the 26-year-old American suffered a right ankle injury. The club is looking for a replacement for Hines.
Player of the Week
Grant Jerrett collected Player of the Week honors for his showing for ratiopharm ulm against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers as he collected 15 points on 5-of-7 shots and 4-of-4 free throws, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocks and 0 turnovers for an efficiency of 31.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Heiko Schaffartzik, Hamburg Towers
Schaffartzik was strong but not strong enough against medi bayreuth with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
F: Niels Giffey, ALBA BERLIN
Giffey nailed 3 three-pointers in scoring 15 points with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against Telekom Baskets Bonn.
F: Lukas Meisner, medi bayreuth
Meisner was outstanding for bayreuth against Hamburg Towers with a career-high 18 points while also picking up 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
F: Danilo Barthel, FC Bayern Munich
Barthel had two rock solid games for Bayern as he collected 11 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists versus ratiopharm ulm and then had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
C: Martin Breunig, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Bonn lost to ALBA BERLIN but it wasn’t really Breunig’s doing as he tallied 12 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block.
LIVE-VIDEO: Akti-ver Euroleague-Frustabbau bei Danilo Barthel.
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) December 1, 2019
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Young Guns
Justus Hollatz, 18, PG, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz had a strong game against medi bayreuth as he scored 6 points on 2-of-3 shooting and 2-of-3 free throws in 12:24 minutes while adding 3 rebounds, 4 assists, a career-high 6 steals with just 1 turnover.
Nelson Weidemann, 20, PG, Brose Bamberg
Weidemann had an up and down week as he had 0 points, 1 rebounds and 1 assist in 13:03 minutes in a loss to s.Oliver Würzburg and then picked up 7 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 turnover in 16:46 minutes against EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Philipp Herkenhoff, 20, SF, RASTA Vechta
Herkenhoff’s production of 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal was not enough as Vechta lost to SYNTAINICS MBC.
Mattisseck Check
Jonas Mattisseck was a little bit of good and bad for ALBA BERLIN in the win over Telekom Baskets Bonn. The 19-year-old point guard scored 5 points on 1-of-2 shots including hitting his only three-pointer and 2-of-2 free throws while turning the ball over twice in 13:26 minutes off the bench.
LIVE-VIDEO: @NelsonWeidemann begrüsst den Advent mit jugendlichem Elan.
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) December 1, 2019
???? Das Spiel seht ihr LIVE unter https://t.co/plZas1KAxH#easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/Ss5OdA6Ydh
Deals for teams losing?
Check out some of the top players of the easyCredit BBL recording social media clips offering their teams’ fans major deals on clothing - albeit for when their team loses games: even up to 50 percent for five losses in a row and 70 percent off everything after missing the playoffs. What? Oh, of course, prankster de jour C-BAS was at work. Sorry … but you need to understand German for most of this highlight.
Germany will face Mexico and Russia in Olympic qualifiers
Germany learned their path to a possible trip to the 2020 Olympics as they will face Mexico and Russia in Group A of next summer’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Croatia. The top two teams from the group will advance to the OQT Semi-Finals where they will take on the top two from Group B, which includes hosts Croatia, Tunisia and Brazil. Only one team from the Croatia OQT will advance to the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Germans Abroad
While Kostja Mushidi has returned to Germany, Filip Stanic is still at Mega Bemax Belgrade and the 21-year-old big man had a strong game in the ABA against Igokea, collecting 12 points, 6 rebounds and 1 steal in 19 minutes. For the season, the former ALBA BERLIN farmhand is averaging 8.3 points and 5.2 rebounds in 19.1 minutes over nine games.
