– David Hein
This week saw a major shock as Telekom Baskets Bonn ousted FC Bayern Munich from the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup Round of 16. The upset was even more surprising given that Bonn had suffered their worst ever home loss just two days earlier. The week also saw a first as Hamburg Towers collected their first-ever victory in the easyCredit BBL. And we also saw two youngsters really step up for their teams with double-doubles - Bennet Hundt of BG Göttingen and Louis Olinde with Brose Bamberg: albeit with differing results.
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:
Bonn shock Bayern, bounce Munich from German Cup
Telekom Baskets Bonn bounced back from their worst home loss in club history to shock FC Bayern Munich in the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup with a thrilling 85-84 road victory. Martin Breunig rebounded his own missed free throw and put it back for the winner with 6.9 seconds as Bonn reached a cup quarter-finals date with EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Just two days after losing 114-82 at home to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, Bonn led by 15 points early in the second half but watched as Bayern came back and took the lead on two three-pointers from Maodo Lo to make it 84-81. Breunig was fouled on the three-point line with 10.1 seconds left and made the first two. He missed the third but the loose ball went to him and he put it in. And Bayern were eliminated after Leon Radosevic’s final attempt went out. Breunig had 14 points and 5 rebounds while Joshiko Saibou collected 14 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in helping Bonn make 20-of-29 free throws - Breunig and Saibou combining for 14-of-17 - compared to just 8-of-11 for Bayern. Bonn snagged 14 steals as Bayern turned it over 18 times and lost despite shooting 53.3 percent for the game. Lo finished with 19 points including 5 three-pointers and Danilo Barthel had 15 points and 5 rebounds with Greg Monroe chipping in 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks.
Crailsheim hand Bonn worst home loss in club history
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim remained perfect this season in the easyCredit BBL by using some fantastic outside shooting in beating Telekom Baskets Bonn 114-82 on the road - Bonn’s worst home loss in club history. Crailsheim’s first eight baskets were three-pointers and they ended up hitting 21-of-41 for 51.2 percent and shot 54.4 percent overall for the game in moving to 3-0. Crailsheim led 34-19 after 10 minutes and scored 67 points in the first half. Sebastian Herrera drained 6 three-pointers in scoring 26 points to go with 3 rebounds and 4 assists while Jan Spain had 19 points with 5 three-pointers, 4 assists and 2 steals, Javontae Hawkins picked up 19 points and 6 rebounds and DeWayne Russell tallied 10 points, 6 assists and 5 of Crailsheim’s 16 steals - as they forced 22 Bonn turnovers. Bonn, who dropped to 1-2, were paced by Bojan Subotic with 14 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals while Yorman Polas Bartolo had 11 points and 5 rebounds.
Hamburg grab first easyCredit BBL win - of course vs Giessen
Hamburg Towers captured their first victory in the easyCredit BBL by beating - who else? - JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 79-75 on the road. Towers picked up the first victory of their existence in 2014 at Giessen and Mike Taylor’s team used a big 25-8 third quarter to enter the win column. There was some drama though as Giessen’s Teyvon Myers went up to even the game late but Marvin Ogunsipe came up with a huge block and Yannick Franke turned it into a layup for a 77-73 lead. Franke had 19 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals off the bench while Beau Beech collected 13 points and 10 rebounds, Tevonn Walker scored 13 points and Heiko Schaffartzik chipped in 9 points and 8 assists as Hamburg improved to 1-2. While Hamburg shot just 40.9 percent from the field, they did grab 16 offensive rebounds while holding Giessen to 39.3 percent for the game, including just 4-of-17 of 23.5 percent from long range in dropping the hosts to 0-2. Stephen Brown led the way with 22 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block, Myers had 17 points, Brandon Thomas scored 15 points and John Bryant picked up 5 points on 2-of-2 shots and 1-of-2 free throws but added 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks.
A first for the Towers: Hamburg release playmaker Dukes
Hamburg Towers have parted ways with a player prematurely for the first time in club history as they released guard Kahlil Dukes. Hamburg general manager and sports director Marvin Willoughby said the move had nothing to do with Dukes’ personality but he just didn’t fit with the team’s needs. The Towers did not release a player in their first five seasons. But now they will be looking to add a new point guard.
Bamberg lose lead, prevail in overtime at MBC
Brose Bamberg needed overtime but got a hard-fought victory by beating SYNTAINICS MBC 99-96 on the road. The game was close throughout though Bamberg did manage to build a 10-point lead in the fourth quarter. The gap was 86-80 with just more than a minute to play but Andrew Warren hit two free throws with 17 seconds left to force overtime. Louis Olinde hit a big three-pointer and had a chasedown block with 32 seconds left in the extra session to help Bamberg move to 2-1 with MBC falling to 1-2. Olinde scored 21 points with 5 three-pointers to go with 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks while Assem Marei had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists, Kam Taylor scored 12 points and Paris Lee pitched in 9 points, 2 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals. Bamberg won the rebound battle 39-27 and shot 53.2 percent for the win. Michael Gbinije led MBC with 25 points, 3 rebounds and 3 steals with Warren grabbing 19 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, Strahinja Micovic adding 17 points and 4 rebounds and Kaza Kajami-Keane picking up 17 points and 5 assists.
Oldenburg move to 3-0 with home win over Ludwigsburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg collected their third win in three games by getting past MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 83-78 at home. Oldenburg led by 18 points in the second quarter and the gap was still 17 with less than 4 minutes left in the game before the guests made things interesting. Oldenburg shot only 44.4 percent but they dished out 30 assists with only 10 turnovers. Nathan Boothe led the winners with 25 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block off the bench while Philipp Schwethelm had 15 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists and Rasid Mahalbasic added 10 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists. Ludwigsburg lost their first game of the season in falling to 2-1. Khadeen Carrington picked up 21 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists, Jaleen Smith scored 15 points and Tanner Leissner had 14 points. Ludwigsburg’s Nick Weiler-Babb, who collected a triple-double last weekend against Telekom Baskets Bonn, had 7 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assists in 18 minutes of action but left the game with an injured foot in the third quarter.
Vechta grab first victory, win at Göttingen
Last season’s fairytale team RASTA Vechta collected their first victory of the season by winning 77-72 at BG Göttingen. Vechta used a big 22-10 third quarter to build a 12-point lead. Göttingen came back in the fourth with Bennet Hundt making all three free throws to make it 74-72. The hosts sent Kamari Murphy to the line with 12.3 seconds to play and he made the first free throw. Murphy missed the second free throw, which Ishmail Wainwright rebounded and put back to decide the game, which improved Vechta’s record to 1-3 while dropping Göttingen to 0-3. Josh Young paced Vechta with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal off the bench while Steve Vasturia had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and Wainwright picked up 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 1 block. Vechta held Göttingen to just 40.0 percent shooting including 29.4 percent from long range and 3-of-19 in the second half. Elias Lasisi had 15 points and Terry Allen scored 11 for Göttingen, who also saw Hundt pick up his second double-double with 11 points, 2 rebounds and 11 assists with just 1 turnover.
Göttingen add low post reinforcements with Osetkowski
BG Göttingen’s early season struggles led them to make an addition to their roster as they signed Dylan Osetkowski to a deal until the end of the season. The 23-year-old center played last season at the University of Texas and averaged 11.1 points and 7.2 rebounds.
Bayern never challenged at home against Braunschweig
Before the shock of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup ousting, FC Bayern Munich continued their superb start to the season with a comfortable 75-62 victory at home over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. The reigning champs led by 18 points in the first quarter and were never challenged the rest of the way in moving to 3-0. Bayern shot 48.3 percent for the game and survived 17 turnovers thanks to 20 turnovers by Braunschweig. Munich also held Braunschweig to just 37.1 percent for the game, including 5-of-26 on three-pointers for 19.2 percent. Danilo Barthel paced Bayern with 14 points while Greg Monroe collected 11 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 5 steals and 1 block in just 16:34 minutes, Nihad Djedovic scored 11 points and Paul Zipser added 10 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Kostja Mushidi had 15 points and 6 rebounds as the only player in double figures for Braunschweig, who dropped to 2-1. Scott Eatherton did pick up 9 points and 10 rebounds.
Würzburg control Bayreuth for road victory
s.Oliver Würzburg picked up a strong road victory by knocking off medi bayreuth 88-79. Würzburg led by 11 points after 10 minutes and were only threatened late in the second quarter and controlled the second half in moving to 2-1. Cameron Wells gathered 22 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists with Skyler Bowlin picking up 18 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and Luke Fischer making up a superb trio with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 blocks for Würzburg, who shot 54.8 percent from the field. Bayreuth shot just 39.0 percent for the game, including 35.5 percent from two-point range in falling to 0-3. Bryce Alford had 13 points and 3 steals, Evan Bruinsma scored 12 points and Lukas Meisner added 11 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss.
Würzburg add Rudd, lose Chapman with knee injury
s.Oliver Würzburg have been forced into making personnel moves as they signed Victor Rudd as an injury replacement with Brekkott Chapman going down for numerous months with a knee injury. The 28-year-old Rudd, who has EuroLeague experience with Maccabi Tel Aviv and CSKA Moscow, was brought in to replace Noah Allen, whose two-month contract was not extended. Rudd’s arrival is all the more important with the Chapman absence. Würzburg also brought up Lithuanian Rytis Pipiras from the third division ProB team.
Player of the Week
Luke Fischer played a major role in s.Oliver Würzburg knocking off medi bayreuth, picking up 16 points on 7-of-7 shots and 2-of-5 free throws, 10 rebounds, 6 assists, 1 steal, 5 blocks and 2 turnovers for an efficiency of 33.
LIVE-VIDEO: Fischers Luke fischt frische Flugeinlagen, frische Flugeinlagen fischt Fischers Luke.#easyCreditBBL #CourtsideLive @soliver_wue pic.twitter.com/5Tvl1u7lAC
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) October 13, 2019
German Top Five of the Week
G: Bennett Hundt, BG Göttingen
Hundt continued his outstanding performance this season - albeit in another loss. The 21-year-old had 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting including 0-of-4 on three-pointers with 5-of-7 free throws to go with 2 rebounds, 11 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover against RASTA Vechta.
SG: Sebastian Herrera, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Herrera is back again as well as the Chilean-German scored a career high 26 points with a career-high 6 three-pointers and a career high 4 assists while also grabbing 3 three rebounds in the win over Telekom Baskets Bonn.
F: Louis Olinde, Brose Bamberg
Olinde had one of the best games of his career as he scored a career high 21 points while hitting a career high 5 three-pointers and grabbing 12 rebounds to go with a career-high 4 assists and 2 blocks in the overtime win against SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Danilo Barthel, FC Bayern Munich
Barthel led the team in scoring with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including 1-of-1 on three-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws while also dishing out 2 assists against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. In the cup loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn, Barthel collected 15 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
C: Martin Breunig, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Breunig had a solid if not spectacular game in Bonn’s historic loss to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim with 8 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. But he played a huge role in Bonn’s ousting of FC Bayern Munich in the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup with 14 points - including the game-winning basket with 6.9 seconds left - and 5 rebounds.
LIVE auf https://t.co/Wdl4ni5vXn: Wieso nur drei Punkte, wenn auch vier gehen? Wir führen weiterhin mit 33:28 (14.)#veilchenimblut #wirsindgöttingen #easycreditbbl #basketball #göttingen pic.twitter.com/S0RmtjWbqv
— BG Göttingen (@BGGoettingen) October 13, 2019
Young Guns
Radii Caisin, 18, SG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Caisin was quite productive in his 12:11 minutes against EWE Baskets Oldenburg with career highs of 5 points and 4 rebounds as well as his first assist. He made 1-of-2 shots and all three of his free throws and also picked up a steal.
Nelson Weidemann, 20, PG, Brose Bamberg
Weidemann has played all three games for Bamberg this season and he had 4 points on 1-of-2 shooting - hitting his only three-point attempt - and 1-of-2 free throws to go with 1 assist and 2 turnovers in 7:50 minutes in the overtime win against SYNTAINICS MBC.
Kostja Mushidi, 21, SG, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Mushidi is back in the Young Guns after a strong showing in the loss to FC Bayern Munich. The 21-year-old scored a career-high 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting including 3-of-8 three-pointers and also grabbed 6 rebounds.
LIVE-VIDEO: Kostja Mushidi lässt es hier an dieser Stelle krachen, doch die @BBLoewenBS liegen zur Pause trotzdem mit 29:43 beim @fcb_basketball zurück. #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/nfwuliickX
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) October 12, 2019
Germans Abroad
Johannes Voigtmann took a major step up in his career in moving from Kirolbet Baskonia Vitoria-Gasteiz to CSKA Moscow. And the 27-year-old big man showed he’s up to the challenge as he collected 10 points, 12 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague victory over FC Bayern Munich.
