– David Hein
The biggest news of the week actually came off the court as the living legend Rickey Paulding signed for two more years at EWE Baskets Oldenburg, who we-re extremely busy personnel-wise with a number of moves. On the court, ALBA BERLIN blew past Brose Bamberg while FC Bayern Munich gave up just one point in the third quarter to Oldenburg. In addition, Telekom Baskets Bonn and Brose Bamberg both added former NBA guards.
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 allow just 1 point to Oldenburg in third quarter in blowout win
FC Bayern Munich allowed just one point in the third quarter in coming back for a 79-58 comeback victory at home. Bayern trailed by as many as 15 points in the second quarter and were down 41-29 at the break before giving up just one Rasid Mahalbasic free throw in a 25-1 third quarter. Bayern’s performance was nearly record breaking as Eisbären Bremerhaven were held scoreless for an entire quarter against media bayreuth in October 2014 in a 22-0 period. Bayern got back to their winning ways after losing to BG Göttingen to move to 18-2 while Oldenburg had their two-game winning streak end to fall to 12-7. Bayern shot 52.1 percent on three-pointers while holding Oldenburg to just 37.5 percent from the field and 20.7 percent from the outside. Paul Zipser led Bayern in scoring with 15 points with Greg Monroe picking up 14 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. Rickey Paulding was Oldenburg’s top scorer with 11 points.
Paulding will stay with Oldenburg for two more seasons
The legend is staying with EWE Baskets as Rickey Paulding agreed to a two-year contract extension until the summer of 2022. The 37-year-old Paulding has been the club since 2007, which resulted in the nickname Pauldingburg for Oldenburg. Paulding has played more than 500 games for Oldenburg in the easyCredit BBL.
Oldenburg lose Blakes, add Hummer and Stanic
In addition to re-signing club legend Rickey Paulding, EWE Baskets Oldenburg had a very busy week as they saw Gerry Blakes depart the team while adding Ian Hummer and Filip Stanic. Blakes and Oldenburg decided to part ways with immediate effect and the guard left for French top flight SIG Strasburg. Hummer joins Oldenburg from Turkish club Teksüt Bandirma on a deal until the end of the season. The 29-year-old forward knows the German league after playing previously with ratiopharm ulm and BG Göttingen. Oldenburg also reacted to the injury to Justin Sears - out for 12 weeks with an Achilles tendon injury - by adding the 22-year-old German big man Stanic on loan until the end of the season from Serbian club Mega Bemax Belgrade. Stanic, who came up in the ALBA BERLIN system and played for Rockets Gotha in the Bundesliga, helped Germany to third place at the FIBA U20 European Championship 2018. Stanic will not be eligible to play in the 7DAYS EuroCup since the transfer window closed at the end of January.
Berlin blow by Bamberg at home
ALBA BERLIN made little work of Brose Bamberg in breezing to a 107-70 home victory. Berlin led 34-24 after 10 minutes and never looked back despite playing without Landry Nnoko, Peyton Siva, Makai Mason, Tim Schneider and Stefan Peno for their third straight win and a 14-4 record. Bamberg have dropped two of three games for an 11-9 mark. Berlin shot 54.3 percent for the game including a blistering 58.6 percent from the outside while also winning the rebound battle 37-27, forcing 20 Bamberg turnovers and holding the guests to just 28.6 percent from long range. Six Berlin players in double figures, led by Marcus Eriksson with 22 points off the bench with 6 three-pointers while Tyler Cavanaugh had 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and Martin Hermannsson picked up 14 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals. Jordan Crawford scored 11 points in his Bamberg debut and Assem Marei tallied 11 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists.
Bamberg added Jordan Crawford to backcourt
Brose Bamberg added reinforcements as they signed former NBA guard Jordan Crawford until the end of the season. The 31-year-old appeared in 294 NBA games from 2010 to 2018 with Atlanta, Washington, Boston, Golden State and New Orleans. Crawford came to Bamberg from Chinese top flight club Sichuan Blue Wales and nearly joined the easyCredit BBL earlier this season on a one-month contract with ALBA BERLIN but failed the physical.
Russell carries Crailsheim to overtime win at Hamburg
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim picked up a thrilling 92-91 overtime victory at Hamburg Towers, who still have not yet won at home this season. Crailsheim led by 13 points in the second quarter but Yannick Franke tied the game with 17 seconds left for Hamburg to send the game to overtime. In the extra session, Hamburg led by six points 88-82 but DeWayne Russell made the game-winner jumper with 5.0 seconds to play to give Crailsheim their fourth straight win for a 14-6 record. Hamburg have lost seven in a row - as well as nine straight at home - to fall to 3-16. Hamburg, who were without Heiko Schaffartzik, shot just 26.1 percent on three-pointers and committed 18 turnovers while Crailsheim managed 32.4 percent from long range. Russell led the way with 22 points and 4 assists, Sebastian Herrera had 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals and Aaron Jones picked up 15 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks. Jorge Gutierrez paced Hamburg with 25 points and 5 steals while Michael Carrera collected 23 points and 9 rebounds and Franke had 22 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
Jordan Davis wins game for Vechta at home over Giessen
RASTA Vechta battled past JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 73-72 at home thanks to Jordan Davis’ game-winning three-pointer with 2.4 seconds to play. Giessen led by 14 points in the first quarter but the lead was only five points after 10 minutes. And the game was tight the rest of the way until Davis’ decider for Vechta, who have won two of three to move to 12-8. Giessen have lost three in a row for a 6-13 mark. Vechta shot only 35.8 percent from the field and had 16 turnovers but they grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and held Giessen to 45.3 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers. Davis came off the bench for 25 points with 4 three-pointers, 3 assists and 3 steals and Steve Vasturia picked up 13 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals in the win. Matthew Tiby paced Giessen with 22 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and Teyvon Myers and Luke Petrasek both had 13 points.
Göttingen win again, beat Braunschweig on road
BG Göttingen confirmed their win over FC Bayern Munich by knocking off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 91-87 on the road. Göttingen, who were without Alex Ruoff, led by 12 points early in the third quarter but it was tight throughout until Terry Allen hit a layup with 22 seconds left to make it 89-82 to decide the game. Göttingen have won two straight and three of four for a 10-10 record while Braunschweig have lost two of three for an 8-11 mark. Göttingen out-rebounded the hosts 39-31 and held Braunschweig to just 39.7 percent from the field, including 23.3 percent from long range. Kyan Anderson led the way with 23 points and 5 assists while Dominic Lockhart had 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and both Elias Lasisi and Adam Waleskowski scored 12 points. Karim Jallow paced Braunschweig with a career high 26 points to go with 7 rebounds and 4 assists with Scott Eatherton picking up 15 points and 6 rebounds and Thomas Klepeisz scoring 14 points in the loss.
Ludwigsburg roll past Frankfurt on road for fourth straight win
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg rolled past FRAPORT SKYLINERS 79-54 on the road for their fourth straight victory. Ludwigsburg won the second quarter 18-8 and it was enough never close the rest of the way as the guests moved to 16-4 and Frankfurt dropped their sixth in a row for a 5-16 mark. Frankfurt made only 34.4 percent of their shots including 19.2 percent from three-point range while Ludwigsburg committed only 11 turnovers and shot 40.0 percent. Marcos Knight paced Ludwigsburg with 20 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Nick Weiler-Babb had 14 points and 6 rebounds and Khadeen Carrington picked up 12 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Shaquille Hines scored 16 points with 7 rebounds and the rest of the Frankfurt starters combined for only 11 points with Lamont Jones chipping in 15 points off the bench.
Würzburg snap losing streak with road win over Bonn
s.Oliver Würzburg snapped a three-game losing streak by defeating Telekom Baskets Bonn 95-86 on the road. Würzburg led by 17 points in the first quarter before Bonn tied the game in the second quarter. But it was never close in the fourth quarter as Würzburg moved to 11-9. Bonn have dropped four of five games to fall to 4-16. Würzburg shot 60.9 percent from the field and turned the ball over just 6 times while holding Bonn to just 40.0 percent from the field. Luke Fischer was dominant with 26 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 blocks while Cameron Wells collected 23 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists and Florian Koch scored 12 points. Martin Breunig paced Bonn with 18 points and 10 rebounds with Alec Brown totalling 17 points and 4 rebounds and Donald Sloan scoring 14 points in his debut.
Bonn win first game under Voigt, knock off Giessen at home
Telekom Baskets Bonn collected their first victory under new head coach Will Voigt by knocking off JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 112-96 at home in a Round 20 game. Bonn led by 21 points in the first quarter but the gap was down to one point early in the third quarter. It was still just 89-85 when Bonn scored the next six points as Bonn snapped a three-game losing streak to move toe 4-15. Giessen have lost two in a row to drop to 6-12. Bonn committed only 9 turnovers with 29 assists while shooting 53.4 percent for the game while holding Giessen to 43.4 percent. Trey McKinney-Jones paced Bonn with 27 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while Martin Breunig had 20 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and Branden Frazier and Benjamin Simons both scored 18 points and combined for 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Teyvon Myers was Giessen’s top man with 21 points and 7 rebounds and Brandon Thomas picked up 17 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists.
Bonn add NBA veteran Donald Sloan
Telekom Baskets Bonn strengthened their backcourt by adding former NBA veteran Donald Sloan. The 32-year-old guard was needed after the serious injury to T.J. DiLeo. Sloan played 218 NBA games from 2011 to 2016 for Cleveland, Indiana and Brooklyn. He was playing previously this season with Chinese side Beijing Royal Fighters.
Giessen add Mike Koch as GM and sports director, part ways with Schelberg
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers made a big addition behind the scenes as they signed former German international star and former easyCredit BBL head coach Mike Koch as general manager and sports director. The 54-year-old Koch won a number of German titles as well as a European club crown with Panathinaikos Athens, not to mention the FIBA EuroBasket 1993 trophy with Germany. As head coach, Koch worked with Telekom Baskets Bonn, medi bayreuth and most recently AEL Limassol of Cyprus, coaching twice in the German league finals and twice in the German Cup final. Giessen also announced the departure of Heiko Schelberg, who had served as club managing director from 2012 to the end of February 2020.
Ulm win first game without Dragic, prevail in Bayreuth
ratiopharm ulm picked up their first victory since the departure of Zoran Dragic as they won 85-69 at medi bayreuth. Ulm took over the game with a 23-11 third quarter to snap a two-game losing streak and move to 10-9. Bayreuth had won two straight but fell to 9-11. Ulm committed only 9 turnovers and shot 51.5 percent from field while Bayreuth hit just 35.9 percent from the field including 20.7 percent from three-point range. Tyler Harvey tallied 20 points with 4 three-pointers off the bench for Ulm while Killian Hayes collected 14 points, 2 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals and Archie Goodwin scored 14 points. Bayreuth’s top scorer was Nate Linhart with 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists and Andi Seiferth scored 10 points.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week for Round 21 is Luke Fischer, who had a monster game for s.Oliver Würzburg against Telekom Baskets Bonn in collecting 26 points on 12-of-16 shots and 2-of-4 free throws to go with 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 blocks and just 1 turnover for an efficiency of 43.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Dominic Lockhart, BG Göttingen
Lockhard helped Göttingen to a win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweigh in picking up 13 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
G: Sebastian Herrera, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Herrera played a major role in Crailsheim knocking off Hamburg Towers in overtime in collecting 17 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
F: Karim Jallow, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Jallow had a career game as he scored a career-high 26 points in converting 15-of-16 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal against BG Göttingen.
F: Paul Zipser, FC Bayern Munich
Zipser came off the bench to lead Bayern in scoring against EWE Baskets Oldenburg with 15 points on 4-of-4 shooting including 3-of-3 three-pointers, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
C: Martin Breunig, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Breunig had a big game in a loss against s.Oliver Würzburg with 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist.
21. | 34:41 | #FCBBOLD
— FC Bayern Basketball (@fcb_basketball) March 1, 2020
Guter Einstieg in Halbzeit zwei.
LIVE auf https://t.co/sAb7puXV9N#FCBBlive #BBL #FCBB @paulzzip pic.twitter.com/MkAqUfytdN
Young Guns
Bennet Hundt, 21, PG, BG Göttingen
Hundt played a big role in Göttingen’s win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with 7 points on 2-of-7 shots including 0-of-3 three-pointers and 3-of-4 free throws, 3 rebounds, 2 assists 1 turnover in 15:07 minutes.
Philipp Herkenhoff, 20, PF, RASTA Vechta
Herkenhoff struggled with his shot, hitting just 1-of-5 from the field in scoring 2 points but he added 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 24:51 minutes.
Malte Delow, 18, SG, ALBA BERLIN
With all the injuries to Berlin’s players, Delow is getting a chance to play, appearing in his sixth easyCredit BBL game with 2 points on 0-of-4 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 turnover in 10:25 minutes against Brose Bamberg. The 18-year-old had career highs in minutes and rebounds and tied his best in assists.
Mattisseck Check
ALBA BERLIN rolled past Brose Bamberg and Jonas Mattisseck played a big role in tying his career high with 11 points as he made 2-of-4 shots - including 2-of-3 three-pointers - and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 0 turnovers in 21:30 minutes as a starter.
Ludwigsburg will host NBBL/JBBL TOP4
Germany’s two youth titles will be decided in Ludwigsburg as MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg were named as the host club for the U19 NBBL and U16 JBBL TOP4 on May 16-17. It will be second time that Ludwigsburg will be hosting the event following 2011.
LIVE-VIDEO: Schnell, schneller, Bennet Hundt. #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/LfB2qQIzxd
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) February 28, 2020
Germany win at home over France, lost at Great Britain in EuroBasket Qualifiers
The German national team returned to the court for the first time since their disappointing FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 appearance and went 1-1 in two games in the FIBA EuroBasket 2021 Qualifiers. Germany, who will be co-hosting the European spectacle next year and do not need to qualify for the event, rolled past France 83-69 at home before losing 81-73 at Great Britain. Henrik Rödl called on a very young team but held France to just 32.4 percent from the field with Robin Benzing totalling 22 points and Joshiko Saibou had 19 points in Vechta. The second game in Newcastle saw Germany shoot just 36.1 percent from the field and lose despite Andreas Obst draining 6 three-pointers in scoring 24 points. In the next EuroBasket Qualifiers window, Germany will host Montenegro on November 26 and play in France on November 29.
