FC Bayern Munich and ALBA BERLIN both needed big late game-winners as Deshaun Thomas gave Bayern a thrilling win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and Berlin beat MLP Academics Heidelberg on Maodo Lo’s floater at the buzzer. This past week also saw league legends Per Günther and Rickey Paulding meet on their respective farewell tours; Tremmell Darden turn 40 years old; and s.Oliver Würzburg fired head coach Denis Wucherer and replaced him with Saso Filipovski while also announcing the main sponsor will leave at season’s end.
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 waste two double-digit leads, Thomas wins it just before buzzer
FC Bayern Munich wasted two double-digit leads but still managed to beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 79-78 at home thanks to Deshaun Thomas’ jumper in the waning seconds. Bayern saw their 15-point lead early in the second quarter wiped out even before halftime and then the hosts were leading by 11 points with 5 minutes to play. Ludwigsburg raced back with a 14-2 run and led 76-75 on Jonah Radebaugh’s steal and layup with 53 seconds left. Augustine Rubit’s basket was matched by Tremmell Darden with 22 seconds remaining, giving Bayern the chance to win. Thomas delivered the game-winning tough jumper with 2.3 seconds left as Bayern extended their winning streak to six games for a 10-2 record while Ludwigsburg fell to 7-5. Bayern shot 54.9 percent for the game including an impressive 65.5 percent on two-pointers. Andi Obst led Bayern with 18 points including 5 three-pointers while Rubit had 16 points and both Vladimir Lucic and Corey Walden chipped in 10 points. Darden ended with 18 points, Radebaugh scored 15 points and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann picked up 13 points in the loss.
Ludwigsburg’s Darden fifth 40-year-old in Bundesliga since 1998
This week saw Tremmell Darden celebrate his 40th birthday and just two days later he nearly gave MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg the win as he poured in 18 points including a shot with 22 seconds left to give the team the lead over FC Bayern Munich. Ludwigsburg would eventually lose but Darden did reach a major milestone, becoming just the fifth player to appear in a game after their 40th birthday since the start of digital data collection in 1998. He still has a ways to go to catch the record holder - Derrick Taylor at 41 years, 7 months and 3 days in 2005. The other players ahead of him: George Evans (Trier - 40y2m8d - 2011), Horst Schmitz (Karlsruhe - 40y6m11d - 2004) and Karim Aw (Nuremberg - 40y10m0d - 2006).
Lo floater saves Berlin at buzzer in road win over Heidelberg
ALBA BERLIN needed a floater at the buzzer by Maodo Lo to survive a serious struggle with MLP Academics Heidelberg with an 83-81 road victory. Berlin trailed most of the game and were behind by 10 points early in the second half. The fourth quarter was tight throughout and Brekkott Chapman hit a long two with 64 seconds left to give Heidelberg the lead 81-79. Ben Lammers knotted the game with 43 seconds and then after Shyron Ely missed his attempt the game was set up for Lo’s heroics. Berlin improved to 7-4 while Heidelberg dropped another game, losing their seventh straight for a 4-8 record. Berlin committed only 10 turnovers and were better at using their offensive rebounds with 19-9 advantage in second chance points despite grabbing just one more offensive rebound (13 to 12). Lammers finished with 14 points, Luke Sikma and Louis Olinde both scored 13 points and Lo ended up with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals. Robert Lowry paced Heidelberg with 19 points and 7 assists, Chapman had 18 points and Ely scored 10 points in the loss.
Günther, Paulding meet on respective farewell tours
ratiopharm ulm’s game at EWE Baskets Oldenburg had special meaning as it was possibly the penultimate showdown of two of the league’s legendary players - Per Günther from Ulm and Oldenburg’s Rickey Paulding. Both players have announced they will retire after the season and the guards swapped jerseys before the game and the host club presented Günther with gifts before the game. Günther was playing for the 44th time against Oldenburg while Paulding faced Ulm for the 49th time. Paulding ended with 12 points on 5-of-12 shots, 7 rebounds, 4 assists 2 steals in 34:10 minute in the loss. Günther was not as needed by his team but he still scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shots and 2-of-2 free throws and 2 assists in 13:12 minutes. Günther and Paulding have another chance to face off in Round 20 on February 7, 2022 in Ulm - given both players are healthy. That could be the final meeting unless the teams square off in the playoffs.
Ulm win again on the road, keep Oldenburg reeling
ratiopharm ulm continue to be the road warriors of the league as they beat EWE Baskets Oldenburg 96-89 for their third straight victory to improve to a league-best 6-1 away from home. Ulm only trailed in the initial minutes and led by 12 points midway through the third quarter. Ulm locked up the game from the free throw line as they scored their final 10 points from the stripe, hitting all 10 of their attempts in the last 3 minutes for a 7-4 record while Oldenburg lost their third straight for a 2-9 record. Ulm forced only 8 Oldenburg turnovers but the hosts shot just 42.1 percent from the field and Ulm made 51.8 percent of their shots as well as 29-of-33 free throws compared to 15-of-17 for Oldenburg. Sindarius Thornwell’s 16 points paced six Ulm players in double figures with Cristiano Felicio adding 15 points, Semaj Christon scoring 14 points with 6 assists and Thomas Klepeisz chipping in 12 points and 8 rebounds. Michal Michalak led Oldenburg in scoring with 20 points.
Oldenburg add Farrell at guard position
EWE Baskets Oldenburg have reacted to their problems at the guard position by signing Matt Farrell until the end of the season. The 25-year-old playmaker played earlier this season for Israeli team Ironi Nes-Ziona.
Hamburg offense carries them past Würzburg on road
Hamburg Towers used their explosive offense once again to carry them to victory, knocking off s.Oliver Würzburg 100-88 on the road. It was the second time in three league games that Hamburg have reached the 100-point mark to go with twice in the 7DAYS EuroCup. The game was back and forth in the first half but Hamburg grabbed control of the game with a 12-2 surge early in the third quarter and rode it to a 7-4 record while Würzburg fell to 3-8 in their first game without fired head coach Denis Wucherer. Hamburg were dominant on the glass with a 42-27 rebound advantage while also shooting a white-hot 68.8 percent on two-pointers. Caleb Homesley paced Hamburg with 22 points, Maik Kotsar collected 18 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists, Justus Hollatz picked up 18 points and 4 assists and Jaylon Brown added 16 points. William Bufford was Würzburg’s leading scorer with 24 points and Desi Rodriguez scored 23 points.
Würzburg fire Wucherer, hire Filipovski, will lose main sponsor s.Oliver
It was an eventful week to say the least for s.Oliver Würzburg fans. The club announced on the same day that long-time main sponsor s.Oliver will be stepping away at season’s end and that they have fired Denis Wucherer as head coach. Club management did not wait long to announce his replacement as they brought in Saso Filipovski, who most recently coached at Partizan Belgrade.
Susinskas, Lockett, Ziegenhagen lead shorthanded Chemnitz past Bamberg
NINERS Chemnitz shrugged off a shorthanded rotation thanks to Mindaugas Susinskas, Trent Lockett and Malte Ziegenhagen combining for 84 points in a 106-94 home win over Brose Bamberg. Only seven players played more than 16 seconds for Chemnitz but they still led by 14 points early in the third quarter. Bamberg went on a 13-0 run to cut the deficit to one point only to see Chemnitz back up by 10 points by the end of the frame and never let Bamberg back into the game. Chemnitz moved to 7-4 while Bamberg dropped their fourth straight for a 5-6 record. Chemnitz shot a blistering 62.3 percent for the game including an amazing 74.3 percent on two-pointers while also holding Bamberg to just 46.4 percent from the field. Susinskas led the way with 32 points, Lockett finished with 31 points and 6 assists and Ziegenhagen scored 21 points while Darion Atkins chipped in 10 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Christian Sengfelder was Bambeg’s leading scorer with 20 points and Akli Mitchell scored 18 points and Justin Robinson added 6 points and 10 assists.
Bonn win streak extends to six with road win over Giessen
Telekom Baskets Bonn remained right on the heels of league leaders FC Bayern Munich as they knocked off JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 103-95 on the road for their sixth straight victory. Bonn built a 16-point lead in the second quarter but the game was tied early in the third quarter. The guests put the game away for good with a 19-4 run spanning the final two frames to improve to 9-2 while Giessen have dropped three straight for a 3-8 mark. Bonn shot 65.7 percent on two-pointers but really decided the game with 33-of-43 free throws compared to 16-of-22 from the line for Giessen. Michael Kessens paced Bonn with 23 points while Parker Jackson-Cartwright collected 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists and Jeremy Morgan added 15 points. Giessen wasted an outstanding showing of 26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 steals from Nuni Omot and Florian Koch tallied a career-high 23 points.
Bonn adds coach Iisalo’s former wing Javontae Hawkins
Telekom Baskets Bonn added reinforcements at the wing position as they signed Javontae Hawkins until the end of the season. Hawkins is a known entity for Bonn head coach Tuomas Iisalo, who coached the American in 2019-20 at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. Hawkins will be making a comeback to the court as his last game was June 8, 2020. He moved to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg before last season but missed the entire season with a torn ACL
Ludwigsburg even steals record in Round 12 win over Frankfurt
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg imposed their defensive will on FRAPORT SKYLINERS in running away with a 95-67 home victory in a Round 12 game in which they tied a league record with 20 steals. Ludwigsburg took over the game with a 33-18 second quarter to improve to 7-4 while Frankfurt fell to 3-8. Frankfurt ended up committing 34 turnovers as they had only 8 players play as they are missing Will Cherry and Brancou Badio and shot just 42.3 percent on three-pointers. Jonah Radebaugh poured in 25 points to lead Ludwigsburg with Rawle Alkins scoring 14 points and Jordan Hulls collecting 13 points, 5 assists and 4 steals. Frankfurt were paced by Len Schoormann with 17 points and Tez Robertson scored 13 points.
Krämer sets career high, Braunschweig win back-to-back for first time this season
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig won back-to-back games for the first time this season as they raced past medi bayreuth 99-62 at home. Braunschweig pulled away in the second quarter with a 25-12 frame and put the game away for good in the third quarter for a 4-7 record while Bayreuth dropped to 5-5. Braunschweig dominated the glass 45-27 and also held Bayreuth - the league’s best three-point shooting team - to just 4-of-29 three-pointers (13.8 percent). David Krämer scored a career high 23 points with 5 three-pointers while Tookie Brown had 21 points, Robin Amaize scored 13 points and Ondrej Sehnal chipped in 4 points and 10 assists. Martynas Sajus was the only Bayreuth player in double figures with 17 points.
Göttingen down Crailsheim, keep pace with leaders
BG Göttingen defended their spot in third place in the standings as they beat HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 83-76 at home for their third straight win. Göttingen took control of the game with a 21-11 third quarter and never let Crailsheim threaten the rest of the game in improving to 7-3 with Crailsheim falling to 6-5. Göttingen committed only 9 turnovers and turned 12 offensive rebounds into 17 points compared to 6 points from 7 offensive boards for Crailsheim. Kamar Baldwin collected 19 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals in the win with Jake Toolson and Jeff Roberson both scoring 16 points. T.J. Shorts was outstanding for Crailsheim with 28 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 blocks while Jalen Lewis added 18 points. But the rest of the team only came up with 30 points.
MBC down Frankfurt, snap six-game losing streak
SYNTAINICS MBC finally got back to their winning ways by knocking off FRAPORT SKYLINERS 98-68 on the road to snap a six-game losing streak. MBC opened a 13-point second quarter lead and watched Frankfurt trim it to five points. But the guests took over the game with a 12-0 run to improve to 4-7 while Frankfurt dropped their third straight for a 3-9 mark. MBC committed only 10 turnovers and held Frankfurt to just 40.3 percent from the field including just 3-of-22 from long range (13.6 percent). Jamel Morris paced MBC with 20 points, Goran Huskic had 15 points, Kostja Mushidi scored 13 points and Nikola Rebic chipped in 9 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals. Len Schoormann was Frankfurt’s leading scorer with 22 points while Tez Robertson picked up 14 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and Jamel McLean chipped in 12 points. But Frankfurt lacked the firepower as Will Cherry and Brancou Badio are still out injured.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honors for Round 11 go to Mindaugas Susinksas from NINERS Chemnitz for his outstanding showing in the win over Brose Bamberg as he scored 32 points on 11-of-16 shots, including 5-of-9 three-pointers, and 5-of-6 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals for an efficiency of 35.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN
Lo did much more than just hit the game winner against MLP Academics Heidelberg as he finished with 12 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals.
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Krämer is back on this list again as he torched medi bayreuth for a career-high 23 points with 5 three-pointers to go with 6 rebounds.
G: Malte Ziegenhagen, NINERS Chemnitz
It was a great game for Ziegenhagen against Brose Bamberg as he collected 21 points with 4 three-pointers, 3 assists and 1 steal.
F: Felix Koch, JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers
Koch did all he could to help Giessen but it wasn’t enough against Telekom Baskets Bonn. Still, he set a career high with 23 points as he drained 3 three-pointers and also had 4 rebounds and 1 assist.
C: Michael Kessens, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Kessens returns to the team as well with another outstanding showing for Bonn in their win over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers with 23 points and 5 rebounds.
Young Guns
Len Schoormann, 19, PG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Schoormann earned consideration for a spot in the German Top Five but he is still young enough to be included here, and rightfully so. He poured in 22 points on 7-of-14 shots including 2-of-8 three-pointers and 6-of-9 free throws against SYNTAINICS MBC and added 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 34:29 minutes.
Justus Hollatz, 20, PG, Hamburg Towers
The same goes for Hollatz, who had an argument for the German Top Five list as he came off the bench against s.Oliver Würzburg and scored 18 points on 4-of-5 shooting (1-of-2 threes) and 9-of-9 from the foul line and added 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal in 21:24 minutes.
Norris Agbakoko, 21, C, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Agbakoko had a chance to show what he could do against ratiopharm ulm and the 2.17 meter giant played well, tying a career high with 8 points on 4-of-4 shooting to go with 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and a career best 2 blocks in 12:43 minutes.
Tischlers Watch
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig’s win over medi bayreuth saw Brandon Tischler get a dramatic increase in playing time and both twins play well. Brandon started the game and played 17:22 minutes and went 2-of-3 from the field for 4 points and grabbed 5 rebounds. Nicholas Tischler meanwhile played 10:03 minutes and went 1-of-2 from the field (0-1 threes) and 1-of-1 from the free throw line for 3 points and 2 rebounds.
Germans Abroad
And you thought Philipp Schwethelm was done playing basketball! It turns out, the German veteran could not turn his back on the game after all as he is playing in the Norwegian BLNO league for Baerum Basket. He drained 6 three-pointers in his most recent game in scoring 20 points to go with 8 rebounds and 5 assists against Ammerud Basket. For the season, the 32-year-old is averaging 10.5 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.1 steals.
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