– David Hein
The 2020-21 MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup Top Four was postponed due a positive test for SARS-CoV-2 from an unnamed BG Göttingen player. The Top Four has not yet been re-scheduled. The week of action saw seven of the eight playoff spots set as Hamburg Towers and ratiopharm ulm both locked up post-season berths. Off the court, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim will have a new head coach next season as Tuomas Iisalo will not return and will be replaced by current FRAPORT SKYLINERS head coach Sebastian Gleim.
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:
Top Four postponed due to Göttingen Covid-19 positive
The 2020-21 MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup Top Four planned for this past weekend in Munich was postponed and will be played at a later date. The event was called off shortly before tip-off at the Audi Dome when an unnamed player from BG Göttingen tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in a sample taken Friday. All tests were negative on Thursday. A new date for the Top Four will be announced soon. We will have to wait for new memories.
Hamburg reach first playoffs with win over Oldenburg
Hamburg Towers secured a playoffs spot for the first time in club history as they pulled off an 80-74 home win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Hamburg gave up just 8 points in third quarter but had to fight the whole game in holding down the league’s best offense. Hamburg collected their ninth straight win for a 19-9 record - one win fewer than HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and two fewer than Oldenburg, who fell to 21-7 as their four-game winning streak was snapped. Hamburg hit 51.7 percent from the field while Olenburg made just 2-of-6 free throws. TJ Shorts paced the winners with 22 points, Maik Kotsar had 15 points and 8 rebounds and Kam Taylor collected 8 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Oldenburg’s top scorer was Braydon Hobbs with 17 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals while Rasid Mahalbasic picked up a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.
Ulm win shootout with Bayreuth to book playoffs ticket
ratiopharm ulm locked up their spot in the easyCredit BBL playoffs by knocking off medi bayreuth 99-93 on the road. Ulm held off Bayreuth for their fourth straight win for an 18-11 record while Bayreuth have lost third straight and are close to being eliminated from the post-season at 11-18. Ulm shot 60.3 percent for the game, including hitting 50.0 percent from the outside. Cameron Clark led the way with 20 points while Andi Obst scored 17 points and Troy Caupain added 14 points, 4 rebounds and 8 assists. Frank Bartley paced Bayreuth with 25 points.
Ulm, coach Lakovic extend deal for two seasons
ratiopharm ulm and head coach Jaka Lakovic will stay together for at least two more seasons as the sides agreed on a contract extension until the end of the 2022-23 season. The 43-year-old coach’s deal was to expire at the end of next season.
Crailsheim stay in fight for home court advantage with win at Chemnitz
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim stayed in the fight for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs with an 85-73 victory at NINERS Chemnitz. The hosts led by 14 points early in the second quarter but Crailsheim pulled away in the final frame for a 20-9 record - one win fewer than EWE Baskets Oldenburg - with Chemnitz falling to 10-18. Crailsheim drained 7-of-13 three-pointers in the second half while forcing Chemnitz into 21 turnovers and just 31.8 percent from long range. Trae Bell-Haynes was outstanding for Crailsheim with 25 points and 8 assists, Jeremy Jones had 17 points and 5 steals and Bogdan Radosavljevic chipped in 11 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. George King was Chemnitz’s leading scorer with 14 points.
Crailsheim head coach Iisalo will leave after season, Frankfurt’s Gleim named as successor
The director of HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim’s magical recent run will be leaving as head coach Tuomas Iisalo will not return for next season, the club announced. Iisalo will leave the club after five seasons and his brother and assistant coach Joonas Iisalo will also depart at season’s end. The new coach for next season will be Sebastian Gleim, who is currently the head coach at FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
Bamberg close in on playoffs spot with home win over Vechta
Brose Bamberg moved a step closer to sealing the final playoffs spot as they defeated RASTA Vechta 104-76 at home. Bamberg took over the game with a 26-11 third quarter for their seventh win in the last eight games for a 15-12 record while Vechta have a 5-24 mark - three wins fewer than SYNTAINICS MBC. Bamberg shot 57.9 percent from the field including 54.8 percent from deep and also made 21-of-22 free throws. Bennet Hundt was unstoppable with 25 points and 7 assists as he matched up against his brother Jannes Hundt - who had 8 points. Devon Hall chipped in 20 points and 5 assists for the winners and Dominic Lockhart had 14 points. Josh Young paced Vechta with 20 points and Philipp Herkenhoff picked up 16 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
Göttingen stay in playoffs race with win at MBC
BG Göttingen remained alive in the race for the playoffs as they defeated SYNTAINICS MBC 99-85 on the road. Göttingen pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 12-17 record - three wins fewer than Brose Bamberg in the final post-season spot while MBC dropped to 8-22. Göttingen drained 17-of-27 from long range for 63.0 percent while MBC made just 3-of-26 three-pointers for a nightmare 11.5 percent. Rihards Lomazs was Göttingen’s top scorer with 25 points including 6 three-pointers, Deishaun Booker had 17 points and 6 rebounds, Luke Nelson picked up 16 points and 10 assists and Tai Odiase collected 9 points and 16 rebounds. Quinton Hooker led MBC with 26 points and Michal Michalak had 25 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Djordje Pantelic returned after a long injury break and scored two points to become the club’s all-time leading scorer with 983 points and overtaking Marcus Hatten.
Berlin need late run to fend off Giessen
ALBA BERLIN needed a late run to fend off JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 102-96 and remain in second place. Berlin trailed 91-90 with 4 minutes to go but got seven straight points from Jayson Granger in an 11-0 run to move to 23-5 with Giessen falling to 6-23 - two wins behind SYNTAINICS MBC. Both teams were excellent on offense, Berlin hitting 59.7 percent from the field including 15-of-29 for 51.7 percent from long range and Giessen making 54.8 percent from the field with 17 three-pointers. Marcus Eriksson went 6-of-6 on three-pointers for 20 points while Granger ended with 16 points and 5 assists, Peyton Siva scored 15 points for 1,500 points in his Bundesliga career and Luke Sikma collected 11 points, 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Diante Garrett paced Giessen with 19 points, 5 assists and 4 steals, Brandon Thomas picked up 19 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists and John Bryant added 13 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists in the loss.
Ludwigsburg roll past Braunschweig on road for sixth straight win
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg continued their roll as they breezed past Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 107-71 on the road. Ludwigsburg took the first quarter 34-19 and were never challenged for their sixth straight win and a 26-2 record with Braunschweig falling to 10-18. Ludwigsburg committed just 9 turnovers and drained 18-of-34 three-pointers for 52.9 percent with Braunschweig committing 18 turnovers and made just 4-of-22 on threes for 18.2 percent. Ludwigsburg were led by Barry Brown with 23 points and 7 assists off the bench and fellow reserve Andrew Warren hit 6 three-pointers for 21 points with Jordan Hulls chipping in 17 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists. Gavin Schilling tallied 15 points and 7 rebounds as Braunschweig’s only player in double figures as the starting five was held to just 26 points.
Late run carries Bayern past Bonn on the road
FC Bayern Munich fought off Telekom Baskets Bonn with an 89-71 road victory to remain in third place. Bayern nearly lost a 15-point lead but used a 10-0 run in the fourth quarter to move to 23-7 while Bonn lost their fourth straight to fall to 10-19. Bayern dominated the glass 40-24 and shot 50.8 percent from the field. Jalen Reynolds led the way with 24 points and 9 rebounds, Wade Baldwin picked up 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists and Zan Mark Sisko had 14 points. And while Nick Weiler-Babb was held scoreless with 1 rebound and 1 assist for Bayern, his brother Chris Babb scored 15 points for Bonn and Alex Hamilton and Strahinja Micovoic both picked up 12 points.
All 18 Bundesliga teams and five ProA clubs submit paperwork for 2021-22 easyCredit BBL license
All 18 teams in the easyCredit BBL as well as five clubs from the second division ProA have submitted paperwork for a license for the first division for the 2021-22 season. The five ProA teams hoping to play in the Bundesliga next season are ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES, MLP Academics Heidelberg, Science City Jena, Artland Dragons and VfL Kirchheim Knights.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honor for Round 28 goes to two players. Brose Bamerg’s Bennet Hundt scored 25 points on 6-of-7 shots and 10-of-11 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 31 against RASTA Vechta. Jalen Reynolds of FC Bayern Munich also had an efficiency of 31 against Telekom Baskets Bonn with 24 points on 11-of-15 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Bennet Hundt, Brose Bamberg
Hundt guided Bamberg to a big win over RASTA Vechta as he collected 25 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 1 steal.
G: Andi Obst, ratiopharm ulm
Obst played a major role in Ulm locking up a playoffs spot as he poured in 17 points to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists in the win over medi bayreuth.
F: Philipp Herkenhoff, RASTA Vechta
Herkenhoff continues his strong play since his return to the court as he tallied 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals against Brose Bamberg.
F: Gavin Schilling, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Schilling tried his best but could not keep Braunschweig from losing to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as he picked up 15 points, 7 rebonds and 1 steal.
C: Leon Kratzer, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Bonn may have lost to FC Bayern Munich but Kratzer was strong for the hosts with 11 points, 13 rebounds and 2 steals.
Young Guns
Luc van Slooten, 19, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Van Slooten, who celebrated his 19th birthday on Saturday April 17, scored 3 points on 1-of-5 shots (1-of-4 threes) and added 1 rebound and 2 assists in 15:01 minutes against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Nico Santana Mojica, 18, SF, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Santana Mojica made his easyCredit debut for Ludwigsburg against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and he had 5 points on 2-of-3 shots (1-of-2 threes) and 1 rebound in 6:33 minutes.
Aeneas Jung, 19, SF, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Another youngster debuted for Ludwigsburg against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig as Jung played 5:04 minutes while going scoreless as he missed his only three-point attempt and committed one turnover.
Hollatz Check
Justus Hollatz and Hamburg Towers continue to roll on in the league as the team defeated EWE Baskets Oldenburg 80-74 to secure the club’s first berth in the playoffs. The 19-year-old point guard started the game and scored 9 points on 4-of-6 shots (1-of-1 threes) to go with 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 turnovers in 21:03 minutes.
Germans Abroad
Moritz Wagner’s turbulent 2020-21 season continued as he was waived by the Boston Celtics this week. The 23-year-old former ALBA BERLIN talent was traded to Boston from the Washington Wizards on March 25. He averaged 1.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 8.3 minutes of nine games with the Celtics.
Justus Hollatz #CoasttoCoast ????
— Hamburg Towers (@hamburgtowers) April 14, 2021
???? Alle Spiele der @easycreditBBL gibt es LIVE unter https://t.co/ke4YKIVwck | #HamburgTowers #MorethanBasketball pic.twitter.com/cpXY7ivhkX
RelatedNews
Pfiff der Woche
Auflösung des Pfiffs der Woche bei Weißenfels - Chemnitz: Wer ist verantwortlich für die Wurfuhr?
News
23 Clubs reichen Lizenzunterlagen für die Saison 2021/2022 ein / Fünf Anträge aus der ProA
Nothing but Knowledge
