– David Hein
Welcome to 2021 as the calendar has flipped and there was plenty of great action since Christmas, topped off with short-handed ALBA BERLIN knocking off FC Bayern Munich for their first win over the southern German rivals in two years. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim both kept on winning while EWE Baskets Oldenburg defeated Brose Bamberg. There was bad news as Elias Harris has left Ludwigsburg and will be playing the rest of the season in Spain.
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:
Tough defense brings Berlin first win over Bayern in two years
ALBA BERLIN used some tough defense to knock off FC Bayern Munich 85-72 for their first victory over the fellow EuroLeague team in two years. Berlin took over in the third quarter for their third straight win and a 7-1 record while Bayern have lost two of their last three games for a 7-2 record. Bayern committed 17 turnovers and were held to just 42.9 percent shooting, including 44.2 percent on 2-pointers - way below their 61.2 percent from close range coming into the game. Louis Olinde led the way with 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks, Johannes Thiemann collected 11 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals and Jayson Granger added 11 points, 3 rebounds and 10 assists in the win. Bayern were paced by JaJuan Johnson with 12 points and 7 rebounds while Wade Baldwin, Jalen Reynolds and Diego Flaccadori all scored 11 points.
Sikma, Giffey latest injuries to decimated Berlin
ALBA BERLIN’s injury nightmares continue as Luke Sikma and Niels Giffey both will miss several weeks. Sikma left Berlin’s EuroLeague game against Zalgiris Kaunas with 9 minutes left with a thigh injury. Giffey will be out with a foot injury. Berlin just saw Ben Lammers return in the game against FC Bayern Munich but the team was missing Peyton Siva and Marcus Eriksson - not to mention head coach Aito Garcias Reneses being under self-isolation due to testing positive for Covid-19.
Ludwigsburg route Hamburg in Round 10 for seventh straight win
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg continued their strong start to the season by blowing out Hamburg Towers 86-65 at home in a Round 10 game. Ludwigsburg’s big lead was cut to single digits in the third quarter but the hosts reeled off a 15-3 start to the final frame to move to 9-1 with a seventh straight victory. Hamburg have dropped two in a row and three of four in falling to 6-3. Hamburg committed 21 turnovers and shot just 39.0 percent for the game. Jordan Hulls was Ludwigsburg’s leader with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals while Jaleen Smith collected 16 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks and Yorman Polas Bartolo added 10 points and 6 assists. Maik Kotsar picked up 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks for Hamburg and TJ Shorts and Jordan Swing both scored 11 points.
Ludwigsburg too strong in second half in Bayreuth
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg were just too strong in the second half as they rolled to an 89-70 road victory over medi bayreuth. Ludwigsburg pulled away in the third quarter and never looked back, giving up just 29 points in the final 20 minutes for their eighth straight win and a 10-1 record. Bayreuth saw their record fall to 4-7 as they committed 18 turnovers and watched Ludwigsburg shoot 52.3 percent from field including 53.8 percent (14-of-26) from long range. Barry Brown led Ludwigsburg with 19 points and 4 rebounds while Jordan Hulls and Jaleen Smith both had 16 points and 4 assists. Marcus Tiby was Bayreuth’s top scorer with 19 points and 4 assists, Frank Bartley poured in 18 points and Andreas Seiferth picked up 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in the loss.
Ludwigsburg lose Elias Harris to Spain, add Wiley and Radebaugh
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg went through a roster shake-up around the calendar change as they lost Elias Harris to Spain while adding Austin Wiley and Jonah Radebaugh. Harris had been one of the best big men in the league since he arrival from Brose Bamberg in the off-season, but the 31-year-old used his option and signed with Casademont Zaragoza after picking up 15.6 points and 4.9 rebounds a game. Wiley will serve as Harris’ nominal replacement, signing on a deal until the end of the season. The 21-year-old big man will be making his professional debut. The 23-year-old point guard Radebaugh impressed in his try-out with Ludwigsburg and signed until the end of the season. Radebaugh started the season with Köping Stars in Sweden.
Crailsheim blow lead, down Ulm for Round 10 home win
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim blew a 14-point lead but managed to down ratiopharm ulm 86-84 in a Round 10 home game to extend their winning streak to six games. Crailsheim led by 14 points in the third quarter but watched Ulm score 36 points in the period and go ahead. Tim Coleman’s free throws to make it 86-81 decided the game as Crailsheim improved to 9-1 and completed the 2020 calendar year without a home loss. Ulm have dropped three straight and fell to 5-3. Crailsheim head coach Tuomas Iisalso was ejected from the game at the end of the third quarter for two technicals. Crailsheim hit 52.0 percent of their three-pointers and held Ulm to 48.5 percent on 2-pointers. Haywood Highsmith paced the winners with 17 points and 7 rebounds, Elias Lasisi scored 16 points and Trae Bell-Haynes had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists. Troy Caupain led Ulm with 25 points while Andi Obst tallied 15 points and 3 assists, Thomas Klepeisz scored 15 points and Dylan Osetkowski picked up 11 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
Crailsheim give up lead, finish tough for win in Würzburg
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim wasted a big lead but prevailed in the end thanks to a strong finish in knocking off s.Oliver Würzburg 86-80 on the road. Trailing by 15 points in the fourth quarter, Würzburg went on a 13-0 run to get back into the game and evened it at 79-79 before Crailsheim gave up just one point in the final 2 minutes for their seventh straight win for a 10-1 record. Würzburg have lost four of their last five games to fall to 2-7 including a 0-5 mark at home. Crailsheim held Würzburg to 43.4 percent shooting and hit 12-of-25 three-pointers (48.0 percent). Trae Bell-Haynes led the way with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists, Fabian Bleck picked up 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals and Bogdan Radosavljevic collected 10 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in his first game in three weeks. Würzburg’s top scorer was Cameron Hunt with 21 points and Justin Sears added 14 points and 8 rebounds.
Hornsby run carries Oldenburg to road win over Bamberg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg extended their winning streak to five games as they knocked off Brose Bamberg 85-78 on the road thanks to a big run by Keith Hornsby. Bamberg blew a 11-point third quarter lead as Hornsby drained three three-pointers in a 12-0 run on his own as Oldenburg took the frame 30-16 to improve to 9-2 including 6-1 on the road. Bamberg dropped their third straight to fall to 4-6. Oldenburg committed only 5 turnovers and hit 17-of-20 free throws compared to 8-of-10 free throws for Bamberg, who committed 16 turnovers. Rickey Paulding led the way with 22 points while Hornsby scored 16 points and Rasid Mahalbasic picked up 14 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals in just 15:34 minutes as he dealt with foul trouble. Bennet Hundt paced Bamberg with 20 points and 3 assists, Dominic Lockhart scored 12 points and David Kravish had 6 points, 12 rebounds and 5 assists.
Oldenburg finish tough in Round 10 road win over Vechta
EWE Baskets Oldenburg used some tough defense late to grab an 82-80 victory at RASTA Vechta in a Round 10 game. Oldenburg lost a 13-point second quarter lead and the game was tight otherwise until Vechta went scoreless in the final 3 minutes as the guests won their fourth straight to move to 8-2 while Vechta dropped to 0-10. Oldenburg committed just seven turnovers while Nathan Boothe poured in 23 points and 7 rebounds and Keith Hornsby and Rickey Paulding both hit 11 points. Josh Young had 13 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists for Vechta while Robin Christen scored 11 points and Dennis Clifford picked up 9 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Ulm win tight battle with Bonn at home to snap skid
ratiopharm ulm survived a tight battle at home with Telekom Baskets Bonn to collect a 73-72 home win and snap a three-game losing streak. Bonn led by 11 points in the first quarter of an otherwise close game, which was decided on Patrick Heckmann’s three-pointer with 18 seconds left to make it 73-72 to push the hosts to 6-3. Josh Hagins missed the game winner as Bonn’s two-game winning streak came to an end and the team fell to 3-7. Ulm held Bonn to only 43.3 percent shooting and made 22-of-24 free throws compared to Bonn’s 10-of-10 foul shots. Dylan Osetkowski tallied 18 points and 7 rebounds in the win with Thomas Klepeisz chipping in 13 points and 4 assists. Chris Babb paced Bonn with 20 points and Strahinja Micovic had 15 points and 7 rebounds.
Bayreuth snap losing skid in Round 10 road win over Bamberg
medi bayreuth snapped their four-game losing streak by defeating Brose Bamberg on the road 73-67 in a Round 10 game. Bayreuth trailed by 14 points in the first quarter but came back and used a 9-0 start to the fourth quarter to improve to 4-6 and drop Bamberg to 4-5. Bayreuth held Bamberg to just 32.5 percent from the field. Frank Bartley led the way with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and Andreas Seiferth had 14 points and 8 rebounds. Dominic Lockhart was Bamberg’s leading scorer with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Christian Sengfelder picked up 11 points and 9 rebounds and David Kravish added 10 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks in the loss.
Göttingen end losing streak with win at Giessen
BG Göttingen ended their six-game losing streak in defeating JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 92-90 on the road. Göttingen never trailed though they nearly blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead, but it was just too big of a hole for Giessen to dig themselves out of. Göttingen moved to 3-7 and Giessen fell to 2-9 after having won two in a row. Göttingen shot 55.7 percent for the game while holding Giessen to 44.4 percent. Aubrey Dawkins paced the winners with 18 points and 6 rebounds, Jorge Gutierrez collected 13 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists and Tai Odiase added 12 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks. Jonathan Stark’s 23 points and 7 assists were not enough with Isaac Hamilton adding 16 points and 4 rebounds and Johannes Richter pitching in 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
Giessen waste lead, beat Frankfurt at home in Round 10 Hessen derby
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers blew a big lead but downed FRAPORT SKYLINERS 75-74 at home in a Round 10 showdown of Hessen-based sides. Giessen wasted a 15-point lead and trailed in the fourth but took the lead for good on a three-point play by Brandon Bowman for their second straight win and a 2-8 mark while Frankfurt went to 3-6. Giessen held Frankfurt to just 36.9 percent shooting to gain their first home victory of the season, with Jonathan Stark and Bowman both collecting 14 points and 4 assists and Bowman adding 5 blocks. Quantez Robertson paced Frankfurt with 15 points and 12 rebounds with Matt Mobley adding 15 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Jon Axel Gudmundsson pitching in 11 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.
Frankfurt win road battle with MBC
FRAPORT SKYLINERS prevailed in a road battle with SYNTAINICS MBC in picking up a 94-89 victory. The game was close throughout with eight points being the biggest lead and MBC scored just four points in the final 2 minutes and Matt Mobley converted a three-point play with 17 seconds left to move Frankfurt to 4-6. Frankfurt shot 51.9 percent from the field including 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from the outside and made 30-of-43 free throws compared to 14-of-19 for MBC, who have dropped two in a row for a 4-6 mark. Mobley finished with 29 points, 6 rebounds and 3 assists, Jon Axel Gudmundsson had 18 points, 3 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals and Rasheed Moore collected 13 points and 7 rebounds. Michal Michalak paced MBC with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Quinton Hooker scored 19 points and Roko Rogic picked up 12 points and 6 assists in the loss.
Chemnitz roll past MBC at home in Round 10
NINERS Chemnitz grabbed their second straight victory as they rolled past SYNTAINICS MBC 96-79 at home in Round 10. Chemnitz led by 15 points in the first quarter and were never really threatened the rest of the way in moving to 3-7 while MBC saw their four game winning streak snapped and fell to 4-5. Chemnitz held MBC to just 37.7 percent from the field including 4-of-30 on three-pointers (13.3 percent), and Joe Lawson paced the winners with 23 points. Wes Clark scored 16 points and Jan Niklas Wimberg added 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Michal Michalak led MBC with 23 points while Kyndahl Hill picked up 14 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists and Sergio Kerusch pitched in 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
Hamburg race past Vechta as Calles, DiLeo face old team
Hamburg Towers ended a two-game losing skid in racing past RASTA Vechta 92-74 at home as head coach Pedro Calles and guard Max DiLeo defeated their former team. Hamburg gained control of the game with 25-11 second quarter for a 7-3 record while Vechta fell to 0-11. Hamburg held Vechta to 41.7 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers with Maik Kotsar leading the way with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Kam Taylor had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists and TJ Shorts picked up 13 points, 3 assists and 5 steals. Dennis Clifford was Vechta’s main man with 17 points and 10 rebounds and Josh Young added 13 points.
Player of the Week
Maik Kotsar took the Player of the Week honors for Round 11 as he picked up an efficiency of 29 in Hamburg Towers’ win over RASTA Vechta. The Estonian scored 19 points on 9-of-12 shots and 1-of-1 free throws to go with 10 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Dominic Lockhart, Brose Bamberg
Lockhart had two strong games for Bamberg, though both were losses. He picked up 14 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the defeat against medi bayreuth while he had 12 points and 3 assists versus EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
F: Fabian Bleck, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Bleck helped Crailsheim to two victories, starting with 3 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against ratiopharm ulm and then picking up 15 points, 4 rebounds and 3 steals versus s.Oliver Würzburg.
F: Louis Olinde, ALBA BERLIN
Olinde led Berlin in scoring in the big win over FC Bayern Munich as he had 17 points, 2 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. In his previous German league game, Olinde collected 15 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals against ratiopharm ulm.
F: Jan Niklas Wimberg, NINERS Chemnitz
Former highly-touted prospect Wimberg continued his strong season with Chemnitz as he had 13 points, 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks in a win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
C: Andreas Seiferth, medi bayreuth
Seiferth had two strong games for Bayreuth this past week, collecting 14 points and 8 rebounds in a win over Brose Bamberg and then picking up 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists in a loss to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Young Guns
Lukas Herzog, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Herzog continues to play a solid role for Ludwigsburg as the 19-year-old picked up 3 points on 1-of-2 three-pointers and 1 steal in 11:55 minutes against Hamburg Towers. He then tallied 7 points on 3-of-4 shots including 1-of-2 three-pointers, 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in 10:44 minutes versus medi bayreuth.
Justus Hollatz, 19, PG, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz has been one of the top youngsters in the German league this season and he did nothing to change that this week. He went scoreless with zero shots against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg but he collected 1 rebound, 2 assists and 2 steals in 12:16 minutes. Against RASTA Vechta, he picked up 5 points on 1-of-4 shots, including 1-of-3 three-pointers, and 2-of-4 free throws, 2 rebounds and 1 assists in 19:02 minutes.
Kay Bruhnke, 19, SG, medi bayreuth
Bruhnke started his first game in the easyCredit against his former team Brose Bamberg and he had three points - the first points of his career - on 1-of-3 shooting and 1-of-2 three-pointers and 1 rebound in 8:10 minutes. In the fifth game of his career, the 19-year-old had one rebound in 3:36 minutes against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Unser Team läuft zu Beginn des dritten Viertels von außen heiß! Hier belohnt Louis Olinde die tolle Ballbewegung! Live bei #Magentasport. pic.twitter.com/OWjrRBZiUJ
— ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) January 3, 2021
Germans Abroad
Christian von Fintel was more known for his energy both on and coming off the bench in his last two seasons at MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, but the 30-year-old guard collected a double-double and has been close to numerous more as he has starred for BC Raiffeisen Flyers Wels. Playing in the Austrian BSL league, von Fintel is averaging 14.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.4 steals in 34 minutes a game, including 19 points and 10 rebounds against UBSC Graz. He has played at least 36 minutes in six of his last eight games.
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Kochs Nachschlag
