– David Hein
Happy New Year and welcome to 2020. The holidays saw three rounds of action in the easyCredit BBL and we won’t be going through all 23 games played since our last Weekly News but only the Round 15 action. The top storylines from Round 15 were FC Bayern Munich fending off RASTA Vechta to stay undefeated while BG Göt-tingen surprised ALBA BERLIN and HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim knocked off Brose Bamberg.
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:
Bayern shut down Vechta in third quarter to remain undefeated
FC Bayern Munich remained undefeated as they earned a hard-fought 76-68 victory at RASTA Vechta. Bayern gave up only 9 points in the third quarter and Vechta did not have enough for a comeback as Bayern improved to 14-0. Vechta suffered their third home loss of the season and had their three-game winning streak snapped in falling to 8-6. Bayern won the rebound battle 35-26 and held Vechta to 8-of-33 on three-pointers (24.2 percent). Petteri Koponen made 5 three-pointers in scoring 19 points for Bayern and Greg Monroe added 12 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. The Bayern starters scored only 37 points, topped by Vladimir Lucic’s 11 points and 11 rebounds. Steven Vasturia had 17 points for Vechta. Bayern’s holiday bill included just two games as they played Round 13 in late November. They finished the calendar year with an 82-76 win at Brose Babmerg as they held Bamberg to 23.1 percent three-point shooting and forced 20 turnovers and Monroe collected 20 points and 6 rebounds. Vechta finished 2019 with two tight wins: 89-87 at home over s.Oliver Würzburg and 79-72 at Hamburg Towers. Josh Young scored 21 points off the bench against Würzburg while Jordan Davis and Trevis Simpson both tallied 18 points against Hamburg.
Bayern sign “future project” Sisko, do not extend with Nelson
FC Bayern Munich made some personnel moves during the holiday break, signing Zan Mark Sisko while also not re-signing DeMarcus Nelson. The reigning champs parted ways with the 34-year-old Nelson, whose contract expired with the end of the first half of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Nelson was signed to help fill in for the injury to TJ Bray. Bayern meanwhile see the 22-year-old Sisko as a part of their future, penning a deal until 2022 with the Slovenian. Bayern sports director Daniele Baiesi called Sisko a “project for the future” after he came to Munich from Slovenian champions Koper Primorska.
Vechta add big man Raffington for short-term help
RASTA Vechta picked up some help in the low post as their rash of injuries resulted in signing German power forward Justin Raffington until February 5. The 28-year-old Raffington, who can also play center, will help Vechta fill their German contingent as Robin Christen, Tim Insinger and Frederik Kramp are all injured. Raffington started the season on a short-term deal with medi bayreuth to help bridge the time until Andi Seiferth could recover from his injury.
Göttingen win again - surprise Berlin at home
BG Göttingen extended their winning streak to four games as they knocked off ALBA BERLIN 72-71 at home. Göttingen failed to score in the final 1:57 minutes but only gave up one Berlin point over the final 100 seconds, grabbing four straight offensive rebounds in the final minute and forcing a Berlin turnover in the final seconds to move to 6-8. Berlin dropped to 10-3 with a 3-2 mark in the last five games. Göttingen won the rebound battle 35-28 and forced 18 Berlin turnovers. Dylan Osetkowski colllected 22 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists and Alex Ruoff added 12 points for Göttingen while Marcus Eriksson and Landry Nnoko both scored 14 points in the loss. Before facing Berlin, Göttingen picked up two wins post Christmas, knocking off medi bayreuth 90-75 on the road and defeating FRAPORT SKYLINERS 89-77 at home in a Round 10 make-up game. Kyan Anderson scored 24 points against Bayreuth as Göttingen took the fourth quarter 36-16. Anderson torched Frankfurt for 35 points. Berlin had just one other game as they out-lasted SYNTAINICS MBC 116-108 at home in Round 14 as Eriksson scored 23 points, Niels Giffey had 21 and Rokas Giedratis added 20 points.
Crailsheim roll continues with home win over Bamberg
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim built upon the strong finish to 2019 with a 73-69 home victory over Brose Bamberg to start the new year. Crailsheim grabbed a 12-point fourth quarter lead and held on for a third straight win and a 9-5 record - the nine wins already matching last season’s total. Bamberg have lost two in a row and four of their last five for an 8-6 record. Crailsheim committed only 10 turnovers to offset 22.2 percent three-point shooting while holding Bamberg to just 41.5 percent shooting for the game. All five Crailsheim starters finished in double figures including Jeremy Morgan’s 19 points and 9 rebounds and Javontae Hawkins added 14 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. The Crailsheim bench contributed just 2 points. Tre McLean and Louis Olinde both scored 11 points in the loss. Crailsheim’s post-Christmas period started with a thrilling 115-105 overtime win at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig as Hawkins’ 24 points paced six players in double figures. In Round 14, Crailsheim won 91-79 at home over ratiopharm thanks to 24 points from Sebastian Herrera and 20 points from Hawkins. Crailsheim gave up 34 points in the third quarter but shut down Ulm for just 9 points in the final frame. Bamberg grabbed a 75-68 Round 13 victory at home over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as Assem Marei scored 16 points. But Bamberg finished 2019 with an 82-76 home loss against FC Bayern Munich despite Paris Lee picking up 23 points and 8 assists.
Bonn nightmares continue as Ulm grab home win
ratiopharm ulm continued their ascent up the easyCredit BBL standings with an 85-73 home win over Telekom Baskets Bonn, who lost yet again. Ulm pulled away in the fourth quarter for their fourth win in five games and a 7-7 mark. Bonn have lost four straight and are now 2-11 after hitting just 5-of-24 three-pointers for 20.8 percent and committing 18 turnovers. Zoran Dragic paced Ulm with 25 points and Derek Willis picked up 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 assists. Martin Breunig topped Bonn with 18 points. Ulm finished their 2019 with a 91-79 loss at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim as Willis had 13 points and 7 rebounds but the team made just 3-of-23 three-pointers for 13.0 percent. Bonn just cannot solve their problems, losing their final two games of the calendar year. Bojan Subotic’s 17 points were not enough in a 102-90 home loss on Boxing Day to Hamburg Towers as they allowed 35 points in the fourth quarter. Bonn gave up triple digits again in a 100-93 loss at s.Oliver Würzburg despite 25 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists off the bench from Branden Frazier.
Bonn add outside shooting big man Alec Brown
Telekom Baskets Bonn are looking to pick up things in the easyCredit BBL and have signed center Alec Brown until the end of the season as a reaction also to the injury to Stephen Zimmerman. The 27-year-old Brown comes to Bonn from Russian Basketball Champions League side Nizhny Novgorod. The 2.16 meter Brown is expected to help Bonn’s big man rotation in that he can hit the three-pointer.
Würzburg keep Braunschweig reeling with home win
s.Oliver Würzburg started 2020 with a strong 97-83 home victory over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, who continued their struggles in the new year. Würzburg took over the game in the second quarter and have won two straight games and three in a row at home for a 9-6 mark. Braunschweig have dropped three consecutive games and are 5-8 after watching Würzburg hit 12-of-21 three-pointers for 57.1 percent while hitting just 35.7 percent from the outside as well as only 5-of-14 free throws for a dismal 35.7 percent. Skyler Bowlin led Würzburg with 20 points on 5 three-pointers while Luke Fischer had 17 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists and Cameron Wells added 14 points and 5 assists. Thomas Klepeisz paced Braunschweig with 19 points on 6 three-pointers and Karim Jallow and Scott Eatherton both scored 16 points. Round 13 saw Würzburg lose 89-87 at RASTA Vechta despite scoring 34 points in the third quarter with Wells collecting 17 points, 4 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals. They followed that up with a 100-93 home win over Telekom Baskets Bonn in Round 14 with Wells picking up 23 points and 8 assists. Braunschweig lost in Round 13 as well, 115-105 at home in overtime to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim despite all five starters scoring in double figures including Scott Eatherton’s 21 points and 9 rebounds. Braunschweig gave up 23 points in the extra session. That loss was followed by a 93-71 home defeat against EWE Baskets Oldenburg as Trevor Releford scored 21 points and Eatherton had 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Frankfurt snap losing skid with Hessen derby win over Giessen
FRAPORT SKYLINERS won the Hessen derby against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 81-65 to snap a three-game losing streak. Frankfurt pulled away late in the game to improve to 5-9. Giessen have lost three in a row and are 4-9 after shooting just 33.8 percent in the game including 24.0 percent from long range. Lamont Jones paced Frankfurt with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Quantez Robertson added 15 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists. Stephen Brown was Giessen’s top scorer with 17 points. Frankfurt’s holiday bill started with an 82-64 Round 14 loss at MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as Jones’ 20 points were wasted with the Skyliners scoring just 8 points in the third quarter. That was followed by an 89-77 defeat at BG Göttingen in a Round 10 make-up game. Robertson’s 25 points were not enough as Kyan Anderson poured in 35 points. Giessen only had one other game as they lost 115-99 at medi bayreuth, giving up 30 or more points in the last three quarters. That was too much even for Brown picking up 24 points and 7 assists and Jordan Barnett chipping in 24 points and 7 rebounds.
Strong second half carries Bayreuth to home win over MBC
medi bayreuth used a strong second half to pick up a 102-88 home victory over SYNTAINICS MBC. Bayreuth took the final 20 minutes 53-31 for their second win in a row for a 6-8 mark while MBC are still in last place at 2-13 after their fifth consecutive defeat. Bayreuth shot 52.2 percent on threes and 14-of-16 free throws (87.5 percent) while MBC connected on just 43.9 percent on two-point shots. James Woodard scored 20 points for Bayreuth and Lukas Meisner picked up a career high 20 points in his return after nearly a month away. Andrew Warren was MBC’s top weapon with 21 points. Bayreuth played Round 13 on Boxing Day and lost 90-75 at home against BG Göttingen despite Bryce Alford scoring 18 points off the bench as Bayreuth gave up 36 points in the fourth quarter. The Bayreuth offense was on fire in Round 14 with a 115-99 home win over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers as Reid Travis scored 30 points off the bench and Woodard tallied 26 points and the team picked up 32 assists. MBC’s defense struggled over the three games, losing 113-86 at home to EWE Baskets Oldenburg in Round 13 and then falling 116-108 at ALBA BERLIN in Round 14. Sergio Kerusch led the team in scoring against Oldenburg with 18 points and 8 rebounds and Warren scored 28 points against Berlin while Jovan Novak collected 21 points, 3 rebounds, 15 assists and 2 steals.
Bayreuth coach fines himself after kicking water bottle
medi bayreuth head coach Raoul Korner wanted to make sure his misbehavior did not rub off on his players and he fined himself 1000 euros. Korner showed his frustration with 13 seconds left in the 90-75 loss against BG Göttingen as he kicked a water bottle into the stands. “That was not okay, that was crap, that cannot happen - especially not if you have a certain role model status,” Korner said. The coach donated 1000 euros to the Bayreuth children’s clinic.
Oldenburg late surge gives them home win over Hamburg
EWE Baskets needed a fourth quarter surge to continue their strong play with a 91-79 victory at home over Hamburg Towers. Oldenburg squandered a 14-point third quarter lead but then regained control of the game with a 13-2 run for their third straight win and a 9-5 record. Hamburg fell to 3-11 after a second straight loss. Oldenburg turned it over just 12 times while forcing 21 Hamburg turnovers. Rickey Paulding scored 25 points and Rasid Mahalbasic had 20 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals for Oldenburg while Hamburg’s new acquisition Bogdan Radosavljevic picked up 22 points and 5 rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench. Oldenburg’s Boxing Day saw them run away from SYNTAINICS MBC 113-86 on the road with Philipp Schwethelm nailing 5 three-pointers in scoring 23 points and Paulding hitting 22 points. They followed that with a 93-71 win at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with a big 53-37 second half. Armani Moore’s 17 points off the bench led the way. Hamburg’s first post-Christmas time in the easyCredit BBL produced a 102-90 win at Telekom Baskets Bonn in Round 13 thanks to a 35-16 fourth quarter as Heiko Schaffartzik and Yannick Franke both had 23 points. But Hamburg lost in Round 14 at home 79-72 to RASTA Vechta despite 15 points from both Schaffartzik and Michael Carrera.
Radosavljevic on move again - joins Hamburg
Bogdan Radosavljevic changed teams yet again over the new year as the 26-year-old center signed with Hamburg Towers until the end of the season. Radosavljevic started the season with Italian team Happy Casa Brindisi on a limited contract and then signed another short-term deal with ALBA BERLIN to help fill in for the injured Johannes Thiemann.
Nearly three-week break for Ludwigsburg
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg was the only team to not play in Round 15 - given the 17 teams in the league. And John Patrick’s team will actually have nearly three weeks off between games. Ludwigsburg lost 75-68 at Brose Bamberg in Round 13 and then beat FRAPORT SKYLINERS 82-64 on December 30 thanks to 29 points from Thomas Wimbush. Ludwigsburg now have an 11-3 record, but they will not play again until January 19 and the big showdown at home against FC Bayern Munich.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
Three rounds of action means three weekly awards need to be handed out. Round 13’s top player was Kyan Anderson, who collected an efficiency of 33 for BG Göttingen in their win over medi bayreuth as had 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 5-of-5 free throws, 5 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal. Branden Frazier had the top efficiency of Round 14 with 35 as he scored 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 3-of-3 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 8 assists and 1 steal in Telekom Baskets Bonn’s loss to s.Oliver Würzburg. Round 15 had two players produce an efficiency of 32. Rasid Mahalbasic scored 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws and also had 9 rebounds, 7 assists and 3 steals for EWE Baskets Oldenburg against Hamburg Towers. Dylan Osetkowski guided BG Göttingen to a win over ALBA BERLIN with 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 6-of-9 free throws while also tallying 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Heiko Schaffartzik, Hamburg Towers
There were loads of Germans who had three good games and one of them was Schaffartzik, who helped Hamburg to a win over Telekom Baskets Bonn with 23 points including 6 three-pointers, 6 rebounds and 5 assists. He had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal against RASTA Vechta and picked up 12 points, 1 rebound and 4 assists against EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
G: Sebastian Herrera, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
The Chilean-German poured in 24 points on perfect 7-of-7 shooting and 6-of-6 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block against ratiopharm ulm. Against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, he had 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists and then chipped in 12 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists against Brose Bamberg.
Jetzt live auf https://t.co/Wdl4nhNV5P: @ARuoff findet Osetkowski - buckets! Unsere ???? spielen stark auf und gehen erstmals gegen @albaberlin in Führung (49:47/25.).#veilchenimblut #wirsindgöttingen #easycreditbbl #basketball #göttingen pic.twitter.com/hWVDf3lemf
— BG Göttingen (@BGGoettingen) January 5, 2020
F: Karim Jallow, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Jallow is starting to really come into his own as he collected 15 points and 9 rebounds against HARKO Merlins Crailsheim and followed that up with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals against EWE Baskets Oldenburg and then 16 points and 7 rebounds versus s.Oliver Würzburg. Unfortunately for Jallow, all three of those games ended in Braunschweig losses.
F: Sergio Kerusch, SYNTAINICS MBC
Kerusch is blossoming for MBC as he tallied 18 points and 8 rebounds against EWE Baskets Oldenburg; had 11 points, 2 rebounds and 1 steal versus ALBA BERLIN and followed that with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against medi bayreuth.
C: Martin Breunig, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Three more solid games from Breunig - albeit three more Bonn defeats. He contributed 16 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists against Hamburg Towers and then tallied 17 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists versus s.Oliver Würzburg and picked up 18 points, 6 rebounds and 3 steals against ratiopharm ulm.
LIVE-VIDEO: Es gibt nicht viel furiosere Fastbreak-Highflyer als @jallow88. Beweis gefällig? #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/OSeUjdopjw
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) January 3, 2020
Young Guns
Louis Olinde, 21, SF, Brose Bamberg
Olinde continues to play more of a role offensively as he picked up 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and followed that up with 5 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks against FC Bayern Munich before chipping in 11 points and 7 rebounds against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
Anthony Okao, 21, PF, SYNTAINICS MBC
Okao played his first two games of the season for MBC and he picked up 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 turnovers in 25:27 minutes as a starter against ALBA BERLIN. The 21-year-old then started again versus medi bayreuth and had 6 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block and 2 turnovers in 16:20 minutes. The Göttingen native played three games in the easyCredit BBL in the 2017-18 season, collecting 2 points and 2 rebounds in 4:31 combined minutes for JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers.
Justus Hollatz, 18, PG, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz started against RASTA Vechta and picked up 5 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists, 1 steal and just 1 turnover in 32:36 minutes. Against Telekom Baskets Bonn, the 18-year-old went scoreless with 1 rebound, 2 assists and 2 turnovers in 8:22 minutes. The game against EWE Baskets Oldenburg was special as he faced his brother Jacob and picked up 0 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 block and 1 turnover in 14:11 minutes.
LIVE-VIDEO: @louisolinde98 zum dritten! WAS. EIN. BLOCK! ???? - vom jungen Deutschen bei @BroseBamberg - aber seht selbst nach. ???? #easyCreditBBL #Basketballherz pic.twitter.com/BUZY1QQYXX
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) December 30, 2019
Mattisseck Check
Jonas Mattisseck started for ALBA BERLIN against SYNTAINICS MBC and collected 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting including 1-of-2 threes, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 turnovers in 19:46 minutes. Against BG Göttingen, the 19-year-old played 18:37 minutes off the bench and scored 3 points - hitting a big three-pointer with under 3 minutes left the game. Mattisseck also had 1 rebound but 2 turnovers, including one with 2 seconds left in the game.
Germans Abroad
Isaac Bonga is slowly getting more responsibility with the Washington Wizards and he showed what he can do against Denver with a career-high 15 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 1 block in 21 minutes. For the season, the 20-year-old is averaging 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 15.6 minutes.
