– David Hein
The final week of the easyCredit BBL regular season saw plenty of drama with two rounds of games. In the end, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig locked up the final spot in the playoffs, Eisbären Bremerhaven were relegated to ProA and EWE Baskets Oldenburg’s Will Cummings took home the MVP award.
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:
Braunschweig beat Bayreuth to reach playoffs
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig reached the playoffs by knocking off medi bayreuth 100-85 at home. Braunschweig took over late in the third quarter and grabbed eighth place in the post-season - and a date with reigning champions FC Bayern Munich. DeAndre Lansdowne collected 23 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Christian Sengfelder had 23 points and 7 rebounds and Joe Rahon chipped in 15 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists as Braunschweig turned the ball over just 7 times and shot 51 percent from the field while forcing 13 Bayreuth turnovers. Braunschweig won their final two games for a 17-17 record. Kassius Robertson led the guests with 23 points and 5 assists and Hassan Martin had 21 points and 7 rebounds as Bayreuth dropped their final four games to finish 14-20 in 12th place.
MBC win at home, send Bremerhaven to ProA
SYNTAINICS MBC secured their spot in the top flight next season with a 90-87 home victory over Eisbären Bremerhaven, who were sent to the ProA with the defeat and HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim’s win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The game was close throughout with nine points being the biggest lead. Keith Benson gave Bremerhaven the lead with 1:19 minutes left but Jovan Novak nailed a three-point dagger with 16 seconds remaining. Tremmell Darden paced MBC with 17 points, Andrew Warren scored 14 points and Novak finished with 10 points and 10 assists. MBC shot 53 percent in winning two of their last three for a 10-24 record and 15th place finish while Bremerhaven dropped their last three games to finish at 8-26 and get sent to ProA despite Benson’s 18 points and 12 rebounds and Chris Warren picking up 17 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists.
Crailsheim win at Oldenburg to stave off relegation
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim secured their spot back in the easyCredit BBL by beating EWE Baskets Oldenburg 99-87 at home. Oldenburg had led by 11 points in the third quarter but Crailsheim took the final frame 27-13 including an 11-2 run late as Dewayne Russell scored 19 points, Ben Madgen had 15 points, Frank Turner picked up 14 points and 10 assists and Konrad Wysocki added 14 points and 6 rebounds. Crailsheim shot 50 percent from long range in winning their final two games to finish 9-25 in 16th place - thanks also to SYNTAINICS MBC’s win over Eisbären Bremerhaven. Oldenburg, who were already locked into second place, shot just 29 percent from the outside in snapping a seven-game winning streak for a 28-6 record. Rasid Mahalbasic collected 25 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and Frantz Massenat had 18 points and 8 assists.
Bamberg knock Würzburg out of playoffs with home win
Brose Bamberg knocked s.Oliver Würzburg out of the playoffs with a 97-65 home victory. Bamberg led 30-15 after 10 minutes and never looked back as they were paced by Cliff Alexander’s 21 points and 9 rebounds while Arnoldas Kulboka had 17 points with 5 three-pointers, Ricky Hickman added 11 points and 8 assists and Louis Olinde chipped in 11 points and 15 rebounds. Bamberg shot 52 percent from the field and won the rebound battle 45-20 for a second straight win and 22-12 record as they await a first round playoffs showdown with RASTA Vechta. Würzburg shot just 28 percent from long range with Skyler Bowlin leading the way with 13 points as their two-game winning streak was snapped for a 17-17 record and ninth place as Basketball Löwen Braunschweig owned the tiebreaker.
Bonn enter playoffs with confidence in snapping Bayern’s win streak
Telekom Baskets Bonn will enter the playoffs on a high after snapping FC Bayern Munich’s 11-game winning streak with a 102-98 home victory over the reigning champions. Bonn lost a 17-point third quarter lead but held Bayern scoreless for the final 71 seconds to snap a two-game losing streak to finish 18-16 in seventh place, avoiding a post-season match-up with Bayern and instead taking on EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Josh Mayo had 22 points and 4 assists, Martin Breunig scored 16 points and Charles Jackson chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists. Bayern allowed Bonn to shoot 56 percent from the field in finishing with a 31-3 record. Devin Booker scored 18 points and Nihad Djedovic added 14 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Ulm end regular season with strong win at home over Vechta
ratiopharm ulm will enter the playoffs on a high note as they knocked off RASTA Vechta 98-94 at home. Vechta led by 12 points in the second quarter but it was tight the rest of the game. Michael Kessens made it a two-point game with a put-back of an offensive rebound with 7 seconds left but Ulm’s Dwayne Evans made two free throws with 5 seconds remaining to win the game - Ulm’s third in the last four for a 20-14 record in sixth place. Evans finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists while Katin Reinhardt had 20 points with 5 three-pointers and Ismet Akpinar added 13 points and 6 assists for Ulm, who won the rebound battle 43-32 and will face ALBA BERLIN in the first round of the playoffs. Austin Hollins had 26 points with 6 three-pointers, TJ Bray added 16 points and 8 assists and Philipp Herkenhoff chipped in 13 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists for Vechta, who have lost two of the last three for a 24-10 record in fourth place with a match-up against Brose Bamberg awaiting in the playoffs.
Göttingen finish season with third straight win
BG Göttingen finished the season with three straight wins as they won 93-92 at Science City Jena. Gottingen led 29-19 after 10 minutes and the lead was 17 points early in the fourth quarter. But it was down to a one-point game before neither team scored in final minute as Göttingen went 11-23 for the season in 14th place. Darius Carter had 18 points and 6 rebounds and Michael Stockton picked up 16 points, 7 rebounds and 10 assists for Göttingen, who hit 52 percent from long range and committed just 8 turnovers. Reggie Williams tallied 20 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists for relegated Jena, who lost their final 15 games for a 5-29 record.
Frankfurt end season on high note, beat Giessen
FRAPORT SKYLINERS finished off their season on a high note as they defeated GIESSEN 46ers 82-81 in a battle of teams out of the playoffs. Giessen led by 10 points early in the fourth quarter but Frankfurt came back and Tyler Larson nailed the game winner with 8 seconds left. Tra Holder scored 18 points and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann added 13 points and 8 rebounds as Frankfurt won four of the last five but finished in 11th place with a 16-18 record. Mahir Agva collected 23 points and 8 rebounds, Brandon Thomas 23 scored 23 points and Jared Jordan picked up 8 points and 11 assists for Giessen, who lost their last four for a 13-21 record and 13th place.
To avoid confusion: Here a rundown of the Round 33 games:
Bonn lock up playoffs spot, Würzburg jump to seventh place with win
Telekom Baskets Bonn locked up a spot in the playoffs despite an 80-75 loss at s.Oliver Würzburg, who jumped to seventh place with the win. Würzburg led by 16 points in the fourth quarter but the lead was down to two points before a dagger three-pointer from Skyler Bowlin with 9 seconds left. Devin Oliver paced Würzburg with 16 points and 11 rebounds and Bowlin added 12 points, 8 assists and 4 steals as Würzburg have won two straight for a 17-16 mark. Bonn got 14 points from Josh Mayo but dropped their second straight for a 17-16 mark.
Braunschweig stay alive for the post-season with home win
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig stayed alive in the race for the playoffs with a 95-77 home victory over FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Braunschweig took control of the game with a 12-3 finish to the third quarter with partial team owner Dennis Schröder on hand as they snapped a two-game losing skid for a 16-17 record. DeAndre Lansdowne collected 24 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals and Christian Sengfelder added 23 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in place of Scott Eatherton. Jason Clark had 26 points with 6 three-pointers while Quantez Robertson and Tyler Larson both scored 14 points and combined for 11 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals as Frankfurt’s three-game winning streak was snapped to fall to 16-17.
Crailsheim clinging to life after win at Jena
HARKO Merlins Crailsheim are clinging to life as they snapped a seven-game losing streak with a 91-88 win at Science City Jena. Crailsheim nearly blew an 11-point fourth quarter lead but Dewayne Russell made two free throws with 6 seconds left to secure the win to put the promoted team to 8-25. Russell had 16 points and 6 assists, Konrad Wyoscki scored 16 points and Frank Turner and Michael Cuffee both added 14 points as Crailsheim shot 52 percent from the field. Jena got 26 points from Derrick Allen while Reggie Williams picked up 19 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals and Dru Joyce added 15 points and 12 assists. But they were not enough as Jena lost their 14th in a row for a 5-28 mark.
Berlin need overtime to get past Bremerhaven
ALBA BERLIN needed overtime but managed to knock off Eisbären Bremerhaven 107-104 at home as Bremerhaven still face the threat of the drop to ProA. The game was close throughout and Bremerhaven led by seven points in the fourth quarter but Martin Hermannsson nailed a three-pointer with 19 seconds left to force overtime. The Icelandic international hit a layup with 24 seconds left in overtime to secure the win, finishing with 23 points and 4 assists. Derrick Walton Jr added 19 points and 5 assists and Peyton Siva had 14 points and 6 assists as Berlin have won four in a row for a 26-7 record. Bremerhaven turned the ball over 19 times and lost their second in row for a 8-25 record despite Chris Warren’s 22 points with 4 three-pointers and Armani Moore and Keith Benson both scoring 20 points.
Oldenburg win overtime shoot-out at home over MBC
EWE Baskets Oldenburg won an overtime shoot-out with SYNTAINICS MBC 118-115. The game was tight throughout with 7 points being the biggest lead for either team. Rasid Mahalbasic missed three free throws in last 10 seconds of regulation including two with 1 second left to send the game in overtime. In the extra session, Frantz Massenat hit a layup to make it a 6-point lead with 14 seconds to play. Mahalbasic led the way with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, Nathan Boothe picked up 20 points and 6 rebounds and Massenat had 19 points and 6 assists for Oldenburg. Freshly-crowned MVP Will Cummings sat out the game but Oldenburg did see the return of Justin Sears after missing an entire year of action and he picked up 7 points and 4 rebounds in 13 minutes. Oldenburg shot 64 percent for the game including 75 percent from two-point range in winning their seventh straight for a 28-5 record. David Brembly scored 22 points and Jovan Novak added 19 points, 4 rebounds and 14 assists in the loss as MBC dropped to 9-24.
Göttingen knock Ludwigsburg out of playoffs
BG Göttingen knocked MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg out of the running for the playoffs with an 86-80 win in their final home game of the season. Göttingen led by 20 points early in the third before Ludwigsburg made things interesting but the hosts held Ludwigsburg to just 41 percent shooting and Michael Stockton had 21 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists and Derek Willis added 21 points and 4 rebounds in the win - Göttingen’s second straight for a 10-23 record. Marcos Knight picked up 24 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists and Owen Klassen chipped in 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 blocks in Ludwigsburg’s third loss in a row for a 16-17 record.
Vechta beat Giessen despite just 4 points in second quarter
RASTA Vechta shrugged off scoring just 4 points in the second quarter to storm back to a 92-81 victory over GIESSEN 46ers. After scoring just 29 points in the first half, Vechta tallied 63 in the final 20 minutes and finished the game on a 22-4 run for their fourth win in the last five for a 24-9 mark. TJ Bray led the way with 20 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and Michael Kessens and Philipp Herkenhoff both scored 14 points for Vechta, who had just 8 turnovers. Larry Gordon had 18 points, Brandon Thomas and David Bell both scored 16 points while John Bryant had 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists in Giessen’s third straight loss for a 13-20 mark.
Bamberg snap losing skid with win at Bayreuth
Brose Bamberg snapped a two-game losing record by knocking off medi bayreuth 90-79 on the road. Bamberg took over with a 30-12 second quarter as Bryce Taylor scored 19 points with 4 three-pointers and Augustine Rubit had 15 points and 6 rebounds for a 21-12 record. Bayreuth, who were already eliminated from the post-season, dropped their fourth in a row for a 14-19 mark despite Hassan Martin’s 19 points and 15 from Gregor Hrovat.
Bayern pull away late at home over Ulm
FC Bayern Munich used a big fourth quarter to pick up a 95-72 home victory over ratiopharm ulm. Bayern, who finished the regular season undefeated at home, started the final frame on a 16-2 run and Nihad Djedovic led the way with 16 points and 6 assists. Derrick Williams chipped in 15 points and Devin Booker scored 14 points as Bayern won their 11th straight. Javonte Green scored 15 points for Ulm, who had won two in a row but fell to 19-14.
Cummings takes home MVP award
Will Cummings of EWE Baskets Oldenburg was chosen for the Most Valuable Player award for the 2018-19 season. The 26-year-old Cummings averaged 20.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.7 steals for the second-best team in the league. Cummings finished ahead of TJ Bray of RASTA Vechta and GIESSEN 46ers captain John Bryant in the voting of the 18 league head coaches and team captains as well as selected media members.
Vechta’s Calles named Coach of the Year
RASTA Vechta’s Pedro Calles was named as the league’s Coach of the Year. The 35-year-old Spaniard guided the promoted team to home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs in his first season at the helm of the team. Calles took the most votes to finish ahead of compatriot Aito Garcia Reneses of ALBA BERLIN and third placed Mladen Drijencic of EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Bartolo defends Best Defender award
Yorman Polas Bartolo of Telekom Baskets Bonn won the Best Defender award for the second straight season. The Cuban-German finished ahead of FRAPORT SKYLINERS’ Quantez Robertson while Max DiLeo of RASTA Vechta was third in the voting.
Berlin’s Wagner wins Best German U22 Youth Player honor
ALBA BERLIN talent Franz Wagner was awarded as the league’s Best German U22 Youth Player. The 17-year-old averaged 4.9 points in nearly 13 minutes a game for the third-ranked team in the league, which also reached the EuroCup finals. Wagner was picked as the top player ahead of David Krämer of ratiopharm ulm, RASTA Vechta’s Philipp Herkenhoff, teammate Jonas Mattisseck and Joshua Obiesie of s.Oliver Würzburg.
Player of the Week(s)
Two round of games this week actually ended up with just one player taking home Player of the Week twice. Mr. Triple-Double Rasid Mahalbasic of EWE Baskets Oldenburg scored 27 points on 9-of-12 shooting and 9-of-13 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 block for an efficiency of 30 against SYNTAINICS MBC in Round 33. And in Round 34’s loss to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, Mahalbasic came up with an efficiency of 37 with 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting and 4-of-4 free throws, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Ismet Akpinar, ratiopharm ulm
Akpinar struggled against FC Bayern Munich with 3 points on 1-of-7 shooting with 1 rebound, 3 assists but 0 turnovers and then picked up 13 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists in the win over RASTA Vechta
F: Philipp Herkenhoff, RASTA Vechta
Speaking of Vechta, what a week for 19-year-old Herkenhoff in a big Top Five line-up this week. Herkenhoff had 14 points with 2 three-pointers and 4 rebounds against GIESSEN 46ers and followed that with 14 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block and 0 turnovers against ratiopharm ulm.
F: Konrad Wysocki, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Wysocki helped save Crailsheim from relegation with two great games. In the win over Science City Jena, the veteran had 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block and then he picked up 14 points with 3 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
F: Christian Sengfelder, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Sengfelder showed Braunschweig he can be counted on to help replace Scott Eatherton as the German international set and then matched his career high in points in two huge victories to send the team into the playoffs. Sengfelder scored a new career-best 23 points with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in the win over SYNTAINICS MBC and against medi bayreuth he collected 23 points with 3 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block.
C: Mahir Agva, GIESSEN 46ers
Agva finished the season strong despite two losses. The 22-year-old had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block against RASTA Vechta and then scored a career high 23 points to go with 8 rebounds and 3 assists against FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
Young Guns
Franz Wagner, 17, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Wagner did not have the greatest of weeks but he did take home the Best German U22 Youth Player award. On the court, he had 2 points on 1-of-3 shots with 1 assist and 2 steals in 17:54 minutes against Eisbären Bremerhaven and then 0 points on 0 shots with 1 turnover in 5:14 minutes against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Lars Lagerpusch, C, 21, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Lagerpusch did his part in helping Braunschweig reach the playoffs as he had 6 points and 2 rebounds in 10:50 minutes against SYNTAINICS MBC and then picked up 6 points in 13:18 minutes against medi bayreuth.
Joshua Obiesie, 18, PG, s.Oliver Würzburg
Obiesie did not play for Würzburg against Telekom Baskets Bonn but he collected 5 points and 1 rebound in 17:45 minutes against Brose Bamberg.
Olinde Watch
Louis Olinde had probably the best game of his career as the 21-year-old scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting including 1-of-2 three-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws to go with a career-high 15 rebounds - 8 of them off the offensive glass - 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 29:43 minutes against s.Oliver Würzburg. That came after Olinde had 0 points on 0-of-2 shooting with 2 rebounds in 9:25 minutes against medi bayreuth.
