– David Hein
Rickey Paulding reached another milestone in his illustrious easyCredit BBL career as the EWE Baskets Oldenburg legend became the second player besides Mike Jackel to score 7,000 points in the league. The Round 3 action also saw Basketball Löwen Braunschweig’s German players score 82 points while five teams including reigning champs ALBA BERLIN are still undefeated. In offcourt news, German national team star Dennis Schröder was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers.
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:
Paulding joins 7,000-point club
Rickey Paulding made history in EWE Baskets Oldenburg’s win over FRAPORT SKYLINERS as the veteran became the second man to score 7,000 points in the easyCredit BBL. In the third quarter he collected a pass from Rasid Mahal-basic and drained a three-pointer from the left wing to join Mike Jackel as the only players with 7,000 points in the league - Jackel being the all-time leader with 10,789 points. Paulding now has 7,003 points - 2,968 of them on two-pointers, 2,853 on three-pointers and 1,182 on free throws. Paulding’s chances of catching Jackel are extremely low as he would need to play 278 more games with his current scoring average of 13.6 points to overtake Jackel - or 8.2 full regular seasons. Congrats Rickey, you’re a living legend.
Oldenburg roll past Frankfurt at home in historic game for Paulding
EWE Baskets Oldenburg rolled to an easy 86-69 home victory over FRAPORT SKYLINERS on a historic night for Rickey Paulding. Oldenburg led 25-14 after 10 minutes and never looked back in moving to 2-1 while Frankfurt dropped to 0-3. Oldenburg committed only 10 turnovers and held Frankfurt to 38.9 percent shooting. Keith Hornsby drained 5 three-pointers in scoring 28 points while Paulding added 16 points to eclipse the 7,000-point barrier in the easyCredit BBL. Frankfurt were paced by Kamari Murphy with 16 points and 6 rebounds while Konsti Konga had 14 points and 6 rebounds.
Braunschweig get 82 points from Germans in home win over Vechta
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig picked up their first victory in the easyCredit BBL this season by knocking off RASTA Vechta 96-78 at home thanks to 82 points from their German players. Braunschweig took control of the game in the third quarter with an 18-3 run to move to 1-2 while Vechta dropped to 0-3. Braunschweig committed only 9 turnovers while holding Vechta to 41.0 percent shooting. Five Germans scored in double figures for Braunschweig as Lukas Meisner had 19 points with 5 three-pointers to go with 5 rebounds, Kostja Mushidi and Karim Jallow both had 18 points, Luc van Slooten tallied 15 points with 5 three-pointers and Gavin Schilling added 10 points and 7 rebounds. Byron Allen pulled the strings for Braunschweig with 7 points,12 assists and 0 turnovers. Vechta’s leading scorer was Jordan Barnett with 15 points while Will Vorhees had 13 points and 6 rebounds and Dennis Clifford picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Bayern use third quarter to ease past Ludwigsburg at home
FC Bayern Munich were one of five teams to remain undefeated in the league by knocking off MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 93-70 at home in the top game of the week. Both teams entered the game at 2-0 and it was close until Bayern pulled away with a 35-16 third quarter. Bayern dominated the boards 39-22 and shot 62.7 percent from the field while Ludwigsburg could only hit 36.5 percent of their shots. Wade Baldwin paced Bayern with 21 points and 5 assists while Leon Radosevic scored 15 points and JaJuan Johnson added 10 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists. Jordan Hulls’ 21 points were wasted in the loss while Elias Harris tallied 16 points.
Göttingen win another thriller, down Chemnitz on road in overtime
BG Göttingen are making their fans sweat it out as they needed overtime to pick up their second thrilling victory, winning 103-99 over NINERS Chemnitz on the road. Playing their first ever easyCredit BBL home game, Chemnitz twice came back from 10-point deficits and George King’s three-pointer for the hosts with 13 seconds left sent the game to overtime. But Jorge Gutierrez drained a triple with 26 seconds left to put Göttingen up 99-98. And after Tai Odiase blocked Jan-Niklas Wimberg’s layup attempt, Luke Nelson secured the win with two free throws. Göttingen, who improved to 2-1, committed only 8 turnovers and shot 50.7 percent from the field while holding Chemnitz to just 43.5 percent on two-pointers - the hosts dropping to 0-2. Nelson collected 24 points and 6 assists while Aubrey Dawkins had 24 points and 9 rebounds, Odiase picked up 17 points and 7 rebounds, Gutierrez tallied 11 points, 3 rebounds, 13 assists and 4 steals and Mathis Mönninghoff chipped in 10 points and 10 rebounds. Marcus Thornton led Chemnitz with 25 points and 5 assists while King had 17 points, Wes Clark scored 15 points and Wimberg contributed 13 points 6 rebounds and 3 assists.
Berlin too much for Bonn with home victory
Reigning champions ALBA BERLIN were just too much at home as they raced away to a 97-74 victory over Telekom Baskets Bonn to remain undefeated. Playing their eighth game in 18 days, Berlin took control in the second quarter and blew the game open in the third quarter to move to 3-0 while Bonn fell to 0-3. Berlin out-rebounded Bonn 38-28 and shot 57.7 percent for the game while Bonn connected on only 42.9 percent of their shots. Niels Giffey led Berlin with 17 points and 10 rebounds while Luke Sikma added 16 points and 5 rebounds, and Maodo Lo tallied 11 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists. Berlin also saw Peyton Siva return from his Covid-19 absence with 8 points and 7 assists in 17 minutes in his first game of the season. Strahinja Micovic, Chris Babb and Deividas Gaiulis all scored 14 points for Bonn.
Crailsheim prevail versus Bamberg
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim picked up their second victory in as many games as they fended off Brose Bamberg 101-95 at home. Crailsheim never trailed in the final three quarters in moving to 2-0 while Bamberg dropped to 1-2. Crailsheim, who had head coach Tuomas Iisalo back after his self-isolation, shot 53.1 percent on three-pointers compared to 45.8 percent from long range for Bamberg. Trae Bell-Haynes was a force for Crailsheim with 30 points and 12 assists while Maurice Stuckey had 14 points and Bogdan Radosavljevic added 12 points. Devon Hall paced Bamberg with 21 points while David Kravish picked up 18 points and 9 rebounds and Bennet Hundt had 13 points and 4 assists.
Bayreuth avenge cup loss, defeat MBC at home
medi bayreuth avenged their loss in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup to SYNTAINICS MBC by winning at home 99-81 in the league. Bayreuth blew the game open in the fourth quarter to move to 2-1 while MBC are now 0-2. Bayreuth shot 56.1 percent from the floor, including a white-hot 62.5 percent from three-point range while holding MBC to just 42.3 percent shooting. Six Bayreuth players scored in double figures paced by Matthew Tiby and Frank Bartley with 19 points each while Andi Seiferth picked up 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. Roko Rogic was MBC’s top man with 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists while David Brembly scored 14 points and Quinton Hooker chipped in 12 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists.
Hamburg win again, brush aside Würzburg to stay undefeated
Hamburg Towers remained perfect on the season as they brushed aside s.Oli-ver Würzburg 90-61 on the road for a 2-0 record. Hamburg took the second quarter 32-18 and it was never close the rest of the way as Würzburg dropped to 1-2. Hamburg committed only 9 turnovers while forcing 22 Würzburg turno-vers and holding the hosts to just 41.7 percent from the field including 17.6 percent on three-pointers. Kam Taylor was Hamburg’s top scorer with 19 points while TJ Shorts and Jordan Swing both had 14 points and 5 assists, and Maik Kotsar collected 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. Würzburg were paced by Tayler Persons’ 12 points and Tyson Ward had 11 points and 6 assists in the loss.
Ulm never give Giessen chance on road
ratiopharm ulm streaked to their third victory in as many games as they routed JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 106-81 on the road in the hosts’ first game of the season in the league. Ulm led 21-11 after 10 minutes and it was 60-33 at the break. Ulm took the rebound battle 35-25 while shooting 58.5 percent from the field including 69.4 percent on two-pointers. Dylan Osetkowski paced Ulm with 21 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals while Aric Holman had 19 points, Andi Obst scored 18 points with 4 three-pointers, Per Günther added 14 points and John Petrucelli picked up 11 points, 6 rebounds and 5 as-sists. Brandon Bowman and Brandon Thomas both scored 17 points for Gies-sen in their season-opener.
Bamberg beat Chemnitz in Round 2 makeup win at home
Brose Bamberg collected their first victory of the season in the league in knocking off NINERS Chemnitz 93-86 at home in a Round 2 makeup game - the guests’ first ever game in the easyCredit BBL. The debutants Chemnitz led by eight points in the third quarter but lost the advantage in the period and could not grab the win as Bamberg improved to 1-1 and Chemnitz moved to 0-1. Bamberg, who won the rebound battle 40-25 including 14 offensive re-bounds, were paced by David Kravish with 26 points and 10 rebounds. Chase Fieler chipped in 16 points and Devon Hall had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Terrell Harris was the leading scorer for Chemnitz with 17 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals with Jonas Richter picking up 14 points, Marcus Thornton tallying 13 points, 4 assists and 5 steals and Jan-Niklas Wimberg scoring 11 points.
Bayreuth come back in fourth, beat Bonn at home in Round 1 makeup
medi bayreuth erased a double-digit fourth quarter deficit to knock off Telekom Baskets Bonn 83-77 at home for their first win of the season in a Round 1 makeup game. Bayreuth trailed 71-60 with 7 minutes left but used a 15-2 run to move ahead and David Walker’s three-point play with 19 seconds left sealed the win to move to 1-1 while Bonn fell to 0-2. Bayreuth committed only 7 turn-overs and made 17-of-21 free throws compared to 12 turnovers and 9-of-12 foul shots for Bonn. Walker scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter while Ryan Woolridge had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and Osvaidas Olisevicius picked up 11 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Chris Babb paced Bonn with 16 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
FIBA break until December 3, Germany play Montenegro, France in bubble
The easyCredit BBL will be on break until December 3 as the first FIBA window of the season will see the German national team competing in the the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers. Germany, who will be co-hosting the 2022 continental event, face off against Montenegro on November 27 and France on November 29 in Group G action in a bubble in Pau, France. ALBA BERLIN and FC Bayern Munich will be playing club games still as they both have one game scheduled in the EuroLeague. The German league will resume with Round 4 on the first weekend in December.
Player of the Week
Trae Bell-Haynes continued his outstanding early season as he was dominant in HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim’s win over Brose Bamberg to take home Player of the Week honors for the second straight week. He collected an efficiency of 39 as he scored 30 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go with 12-of-12 free throws along with 4 rebounds and 12 assists.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN
Lo is back on the team again as he helped Berlin knock off Telekom Baskets Bonn with 11 points, 3 rebounds and 6 assists.
G: Andi Obst, ratiopharm ulm
Obst is a big reason Ulm are 3-0 to start the season as he collected 18 points with 4 three-pointers, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in a win over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers.
F: Niels Giffey, ALBA BERLIN
Giffey makes the list as he led Berlin in scoring (17 points) and rebounds (10) in the win over Telekom Baskets Bonn.
F: Lukas Meisner, Basketball Löwen Brauschweig
It’s hard to pick just one player from Braunschweig in their win over RASTA Vechta as five Germans scored in double figures and 82 of the team’s 96 points were scored by domestic players. Meisner led the team in scoring with 19 points on 5 three-pointers to go with 5 rebounds.
C: Andi Seiferth, medi bayreuth
Seiferth gains a spot on the team for his performance over two games. In the Round 1 makeup game win over Telekom Baskets Bonn, the big man had 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals. Seiferth then collected 10 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists in the Round 3 victory over SYNTAINICS MBC.
Young Guns
Luc van Slooten, 18, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Van Slooten was one of five Germans to score in double figures for Braunschweig in the win over RASTA Vechta. The 18-year-old drained a career-high 5 three-pointers in scoring a career-high 15 points against his former team. Van Slooten also picked up 1 assist and 1 block in 22:09 minutes.
Jonas Mattisseck, 20, PG, ALBA BERLIN
The 20-year-old playmaker collected 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting - including 2-of-4 from long range - to go with 1 assist and 1 steal in 18:09 minutes in the win over Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Len Schoormann, 18, PG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Schoormann is on this list again for his showing in a loss to EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The 18-year-old connected on 3-of-5 shots and 4-of-4 free throws for a career high 10 points and also picked up 2 rebounds and 1 steal in 14:38 minutes of action.
Germans Abroad
Dennis Schröder’s chances of winning an NBA title got a major boost as he was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers and he will play the 2020-21 season alongside LeBron James. The 27-year-old Schröder has reached the playoffs in six of his seven seasons in the NBA, advancing to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2015 with Atlanta, losing to the Cleveland Cavaliers - with LeBron James.
Tempo, Ballhand-ling, Ruhe beim Abschluss: Schöne Aktion, Maodo! Belohnt mit dem Bonusfrei-wurf. Unser Team ist jetzt richtig gut drauf. Live bei #Ma-gentaSport. pic.twit-ter.com/UjkqYssbS8
— ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) November 22, 2020
