– David Hein
The playoff teams are decided but not the final post-season picture as EWE Baskets Oldenburg still have one big make-up game to play. The final week of action saw Brose Bamberg lock up the eighth playoffs spot and JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers get relegated to ProA. The double round of action also had ALBA BERLIN beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg in a top-two showdown while FC Bayern Munich are struggling in Germany, losing to ratiopharm ulm in a dress rehearsal of the up-coming MagentaSport BBL German Cup Top Four as well as against Ludwigsburg.
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:
Bamberg lock up playoffs spot, Giessen relegated in Round 33 loss
The playoffs teams and relegated clubs were decided after Brose Bamberg defeated JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 99-90 at home in Round 33 to send the winners to the post-season and the losers to ProA. Giessen fell behind 37-16 after 10 minutes but got close in the third quarter before Bamberg pulled away late. Bamberg improved to 17-15 and Giessen dropped to 8-25. Bamberg made 14 three-pointers to 8 for Giessen, who made just 6-of-9 from the foul line. Devon Hall paced the winners with 18 points, Christian Sengfelder scored 15 points, Tyler Larson had 15 points and 9 assists and David Kravish added 10 points and 10 rebounds. Giessen got a strong showing from Diante Garrett with 26 points and 5 assists while John Bryant picked up 22 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists.
Berlin win re-match of 2020 finals with Ludwigsburg in Round 33
ALBA BERLIN locked up second place in the playoffs as they knocked off first-placed MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 79-78 at home in a Round 33 rematch of the 2020 Finals. Ludwigsburg did have an 11-point lead in the second quarter but Berlin had more control in the fourth quarter and neither team scored in the final 59 seconds. Berlin improved to 27-6 and Ludwigsburg’s mark fell to 29-4. Berlin committed 16 turnovers but kept Ludwigsburg to just 40.0 percent from the field and out-rebounded the league leaders 41-32. Niels Giffey scored 16 points for the winners, Marcus Eriksson and Ben Lammers both had 14 points and Luke Sikma picked up 5 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists. Andrew Warren was Ludwigsburg’s leading scorer with 17 points and Jaleen Smith amassed 14 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.
Ludwigsburg end regular season with home win over struggling Bayern
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg ended the regular season with a strong 91-77 victory at home over FC Bayern Munich. The hosts led 24-12 after 10 minutes and never let Bayern back into the game in moving to 30-4 while Bayern fell to 24-10 including six losses in the last nine games. Ludwigsburg held Bayern to just 40.0 percent shooting including just 3-of-22 or 13.6 percent from long range. Jordan Hulls was Ludwigsburg’s top man with 22 points and 10 assists, Jamel McLean tallied 18 points and 7 rebounds and Jonah Radebaugh and Desi Rodriguez both had 12 points. Jalen Reynolds poured in 21 points for Bayern, who also had Robin Amaize pitch in 9 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Ulm unchallenged in Round 33 blowout of Bayern in cup dress rehearsal
ratiopharm ulm remained the hottest team in the league and blew out FC Bayern Munich 98-64 on the road in a Round 33 dress rehearsal of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup semi-finals match-up. Ulm led 35-18 after 10 minutes and never looked back for their eighth straight win and a 22-11 record while Bayern fell to 24-9. Bayern committed 26 turnovers and allowed Ulm to shoot 61.8 percent. Troy Caupain led the way with 25 points, Demetrius Conger and Dylan Osetkowski both had 14 points and Andi Obst collected 10 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists. Bayern were paced by Robin Amaize with 15 points.
Ulm extend win streak to nine with victory at Bonn, ready for Bayern
ratiopharm ulm ended the regular season as the hottest team as they ran away late for a 94-81 victory at Telekom Baskets Bonn. Ulm used a 20-0 fourth quarter run for their ninth straight win for a 23-11 record ahead of the playoffs - as well as their MagentaSport BBL German Cup semifinals versus hosts FC Bayern Munich this weekend. Ulm shot a white-hot 61.7 percent from the field, including hitting 16-of-28 or 57.1 percent from long range. Troy Caupain did it all for Ulm with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals, Demetrius Conger had 18 points and Andi Obst scored 14 points. Chris Babb had 19 points for Bonn, who ended the season with a 12-22 record.
Radosavljevic dagger three gives Crailsheim road win over Bamberg
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim got another boost of confidence heading into the post-season as they defeated Brose Bamberg on the road 77-70 in a match-up of playoffs teams. Bamberg lost a 10-point third quarter lead and Crailsheim won it on a dagger three-pointer by Bogdan Radosavljevic with 37 seconds for a 24-10 record with Bamberg falling to 17-17. Bamberg could not find its shooting form, hitting just 35.3 percent from the field. Fabian Bleck led Crailsheim with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals, Trae Bell-Haynes had 12 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists and Radosavljevic ended with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Kenneth Ogbe poured in a career-high 17 points with 11 rebounds in the loss with Chase Fieler picking up 16 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists and Christian Sengfelder chipping in 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Crailsheim roll past Oldenburg on road in Round 33
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim got a big victory before the start of the post-season by winning 90-73 at EWE Baskets Oldenburg in a Round 33 matchup of playoffs teams. Crailsheim led 47-33 at halftime and never let Oldenburg into the game in moving to 23-10 with Oldenburg now at 23-9. Crailsheim forced only 8 Oldenburg turnovers but held the hosts to just 37.9 shooting. Bogdan Radosavljevic paced the winners with 19 points and 10 rebounds, Elias Lasisi scored 16 points and Trae Bell-Haynes tallied 11 points and 8 assists. Phil Pressey was Oldenburg’s leading scorer with 14 points.
Radosavljevic, Crailsheim extend deal for three seasons
Bogdan Radosavljevic and HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim have agreed to a contract extension that will keep the German big man in Craisheim for three years. The 27-year-old had played for five teams in the last two seasons before joining Crailsheim this off-season.
Oldenburg dominate MBC to keep chances for home court advantage
EWE Baskets Oldenburg kept alive their chances of hosting the first round of the playoffs by knocking off SYNTAINICS MBC 87-72 on the road. Oldenburg took control of the game with a 31-17 third quarter in moving to 24-9 while MBC lost their third straight to finish the season at 9-25. Oldenburg dominated the glass 47-36, including 15 offensive rebounds. Rickey Paulding led the way with 21 points and 6 rebounds and Martin Breunig, Rasid Mahalbasic and Nathan Boothe all picked up 13 points. Kyndahl Hill had 15 points and 9 rebounds in the loss and Quinton Hooker chipped in 15 points and 6 assists.
Oldenburg vs Göttingen Round 31 makeup to decide final standings
The eight teams in the playoffs have been set but the final standings - and the playoffs matchups - will not be decided until the final makeup game of the season. EWE Baskets Oldenburg will be hosting BG Göttingen on Tuesday in a Round 31 contest which has major playoffs implications. Should Oldenburg win, they will finish third and host ratiopharm ulm in the first round of the post-season - and FC Bayern Munich would take fourth over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. If Oldenburg lose, they will drop to fifth place and will face Bayern on the road in Game 1 - with Crailsheim and Ulm facing off in the other series.
Göttingen lose to Bayreuth in final warmup for German Cup semis
BG Göttingen finished their regular season with a 99-95 home loss to medi bayreuth in their final warmup ahead of the MagentaSport BBL German Cup Top Four showdown this weekend with ALBA BERLIN. Göttingen led by 15 points after 10 minutes but wasted a 16-point lead before Matthew Tiby made four free throws in the final 6 seconds to secure the Bayreuth win and a 15-19 record. Göttingen, who fell to 13-20, hit 20-of-35 three-pointers but connected on just 45.8 percent on two-pointers and forced only 8 Bayreuth turnovers. Tiby finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds, Osvaldas Olisevicius collected 17 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals and Bastian Doreth scored 15 points. Luke Nelson and Aubrey Dawkins both scored 20 points and Nelson Weidemann had 12 points and 6 assists for Göttingen.
Shorts give Hamburg home win in Round 33 over Göttingen
TJ Shorts scored with 1.2 seconds left to give Hamburg Towers a 93-91 home victory over BG Göttingen in Round 33. Hamburg lost a 13-point fourth quarter lead before Shorts’ heroics for a 21-12 record with Göttingen falling to 12-19. Hamburg committed only 5 turnovers compared to 22 for Göttingen, who held Hamburg to just 20.8 percent shooting from long range. Shorts poured in 24 points, Maik Kotsar had 21 points and Justus Hollatz collected 15 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in the win. Rihards Lomazs hit 6 three-pointers for 26 points for Göttingen.
Göttingen ease past Bamberg on road in Round 30
BG Göttingen grabbed bragging rights of familiar foes as they knocked off Brose Babmerg 106-84 on the road in a Round 30 game featuring a number of players and coaches who played for the opposing teams last season. Göttingen won the second quarter 31-17 and never looked back for a 13-19 record while Bamberg fell to 17-16. Göttingen made 58.8 percent from the field and took the rebound battle 39-26. Luke Nelson paced Göttingen with 22 points and 5 assists, Nelson Weidemann had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists against his former team and Aubrey Dawkins scored 17 points. Chase Fieler was Bamberg’s leading scorer with 16 points and Mateo Seric and Kenneth Ogbe both had 14 points off the bench.
Hall out for rest of season with hand injury
Brose Bamberg’s chances in the playoffs took a major hit when Devon Hall was ruled out the rest to the season after suffering a hand injury in Bamberg’s lost to BG Göttingen in Round 30.
Vechta bid farewell to Bundesliga with road win over Würzburg
RASTA Vechta are leaving the easyCredit BBL with their heads held high as they rolled past s.Oliver Würzburg 95-62 on the road in their final game before heading to the ProA. Vechta claimed the second quarter 31-16 and then gave up only 7 points in the final 10 minutes for a 7-27 record with Würzburg finishing at 9-25. Vechta forced 20 Würzburg turnovers and won the rebound battle 44-32 and held the hosts to 39.3 percent from the field. Philipp Herkenhoff was outstanding with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists while Edgar Sosa had 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Sha’Marcus Kennedy and Josh Young both scored 14 points. Brekkott Chapman was Würzburg’s leading scorer with 20 points.
Braunschweig win streak extended in Round 33 victory at Bonn
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig extended their winning streak to five games with an 85-78 victory at Telekom Baskets Bonn in Round 33. Braunschweig led by 13 points in the first quarter and gave up the lead but were ahead the entire fourth quarter for a 15-18 record and Bonn dropped to 12-21. Braunschweig knocked down 13 three-pointers, six more than Bonn. Benedikt Turudic collected 16 points and 11 rebounds, Arnas Velicka scored 16 points, James Robinson picked up 13 points and 8 assists and Garai Zeeb added 12 points. Chris Babb tallied 24 points and 4 assists to pace Bonn.
Braunschweig finish season with sixth straight win
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig finished their season in excellent form as they defeated JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers 103-91 on the road for their sixth straight win. Braunschweig took the second quarter 28-15 in moving to 16-18 while Giessen fell to 8-26 in their last game in the Bundesliga before heading to the ProA. Braunschweig grabbed 14 offensive rebounds and held Giessen to just 33.3 percent from long range. Karim Jallow poured in a team-high 24 points, Benedikt Turudic had 18 points and 5 rebounds, Luc van Slooten scored 13 points and Arnas Velicka added 12 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists. Scottie James was unstoppable for Giessen with 30 points and 7 rebounds, Bjarne Kraushaar had 14 points and 5 assists and John Bryant collected 13 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks.
Chemnitz hot from outside in Round 33 win at Würzburg
NINERS Chemitz were on target from long range as they knocked off s.Oliver Würzburg 84-83 on the road in Round 33. The game was tight throughout but Jonas Richter scored after an offensive rebound to make it 84-79 with 79 seconds left as Chemnitz moved to 12-21 and Würzburg lost their fourth straight for a 9-23 mark. Chemnitz drained 16 three-pointers to just 9 for Würzburg with Malte Ziegenhagen hitting 7 triples for a career high 24 points. Marcus Thornton picked up 19 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and Isiaha Mike added 13 points and 6 rebounds in the win. Robert Lowery had 17 points and 6 assists for Würzburg.
Berlin too much for Chemnitz
ALBA BERLIN avoided a slip-up at the end of the regular season with a 91-81 victory at NINERS Chemnitz. Berlin built a 19-point third quarter lead to roll to a fifth straight win and a 28-6 record with Chemnitz ending their first season in the Bundesliga with a 12-22 mark. Berlin dished out 27 assists in hitting 56.9 percent from the field while holding Chemnitz to 35.7 percent from long range. Marcus Eriksson led Berlin in scoring with 17 points, Peyton Siva had 13 points and 6 assists and Simone Fontecchio and Jayson Granger scored 11 points each. Malte Ziegenhagen paced Chemnitz with 19 points, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Vechta snap losing skid, beat MBC in Round 33 at home
RASTA Vechta ended their four-game losing streak as they beat SYNTAINICS MBC 84-80 at home in Round 33. Vechta, who are already relegated, blew a 13 point third quarter lead but held on for a 6-27 record and MBC moved to 9-23. Vechta connected on 22-of-28 free throws compared to 10-of-18 for MBC. Edgar Sosa led Vechta with 19 points, Josh Young collected 16 points, 4 rebounds and 9 assists and Philipp Herkenhoff was outstanding with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Michal Michalak picked up 23 points and 6 assists for MBC and Quinton Hooker had 22 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists.
Bayreuth beat Frankfurt at home in Round 33 for third straight win
medi bayreuth continued their strong finish to the season as they defeated FRAPORT SKYLINERS 81-58 at home in Round 33. Bayreuth led 27-13 after 10 minutes and won their third straight for a 14-19 record while Frankfurt’s fifth consecutive loss dropped them to 11-21. Bayreuth kept Frankfurt to just 36.4 percent from the field including 16.7 percent on three-pointers. David Walker was Bayreuth’s top scorer with 23 points and Andreas Seiferth had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. Kamari Murphy collected 16 points and 10 rebounds for Frankfurt.
Frankfurt get back to winning ways with Round 28 win at Würzburg
FRAPORT SKYLINERS ended a five-game losing streak as they eased past s.Oliver Würzburg 95-66 in a Round 28 road game. Frankfurt wrestled away control of the game with a 19-4 start to the second half for a 12-21 record with Würzburg losing their fifth in a row for a 9-24 mark. Frankfurt shot a blistering 58.7 percent from the field while Würzburg made only 42.6 percent of their attempts. Quantez Robertson poured in a season-high 22 points and Rasheed Moore added 21 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists for Frankfurt. Tyson Ward led Würzburg with 12 points.
Frankfurt end season with home win over Hamburg
FRAPORT SKYLINERS ended their season on a high note with a 96-89 home victory over Hamburg Towers. Frankfurt led by 16 points late in the third quarter and held on for a final record of 13-21 and Hamburg will enter the post-season with a 21-13 record. Frankfurt knocked down 15-of-28 three-pointers for 53.6 percent while Hamburg were just 5-of-19 or 26.3 percent from long range. Jon Axel Gudmundsson was Frankfurt’s big gun with 24 points while Rasheed Moore had 19 points, Bruno Vrcic and Quantez Robertson both scored 18 points and Joe Rahon had 3 points, 5 rebounds and 11 assists. TJ Shorts and Terry Allen both scored 17 points in the loss, and Johannes Richter picked up 12 points and 10 rebounds.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
There were two rounds of games this week which means two Players of the Week awards to hand out. In Round 33, John Bryant of JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers and Quinton Hooker from SYNTAINICS both picked up an efficiency of 28. Bryant had 22 points on 9-of-18 shots (3-of-6 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws to go with 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 block versus Brose Bamberg. Hooker scored 22 points on 7-of-14 shots (4-of-9 threes) and 4-of-6 foul shots as well as 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals against RASTA Vechta. The top man for Round 34 was Scottie James of Giessen after he had an efficiency of 33 against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. James finished with 30 points on 11-of-16 shooting (1-of-3 threes) and 7-of-8 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Nelson Weidemann, BG Göttingen
Weidemann had a strong week with two good games and one subpar performance. He had 3 points, 1 rebound and 2 assists against Hamburg Towers in Round 33 before picking up 18 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists against his former team Brose Bamberg in Round 30. Weidemann finished the week with 12 points on 4-of-4 three-pointers and 6 assists against medi bayreuth.
G: Malte Ziegenhagen, NINERS Chemnitz
Another strong week by Ziegenhagen as he improved his career high with 24 points on 7 three-pointers to go with 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in Round 33 against s.Oliver Würzburg. He followed that up with 19 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals in Round 34 against ALBA BERLIN.
G: Kenneth Ogbe, Brose Bamberg
Ogbe had a strong close to the regular season, starting with 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers in Round 33. He continued with 14 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist against BG Göttingen in a Round 30 makeup and ended with a career-high 17 points to go with 11 rebounds and 1 assists against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim in Round 34.
F: Benedikt Turudic, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Turudic stepped up his game in the final week of the season as he tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds in Round 33 against Telekom Baskets Bonn and then picked up 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block versus JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers in Round 34.
C: Bogdan Radosavjlevic, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Radosavljevic showed he’s ready for the playoffs as he picked up 19 points,10 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block against EWE Baskets Oldenburg in Round 33 and followed that up with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists in Round 34 versus Brose Bamberg.
Young Guns
Philipp Herkenhoff, 21, PF, RASTA Vechta
Herkenhoff finished his season in great form as he collected 15 points, 12 rebounds and 1 assist in Round 33 versus SYNTAINICS MBC before tallying a team-high 19 points with 6 three-pointers, 7 rebounds, 4 rebounds and 1 steal against s.Oliver Würzburg.
Luc van Slooten, 19, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Van Slooten can go into the off-season with a good feeling as he had a solid final week of the season. The 19-year-old scored 8 points on 2-of-4 shots (2-fo-3 threes) and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 22:57 minutes against Telekom Baskets Bonn. In the final game against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers, van Slooten had 13 points on 4-of-10 shots (3-of-7 threes) and 2-of-3 foul shots, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 17:55 minutes.
Bruno Vrcic, 20, SG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Vrcic had a strong week to close the season. He scored 16 points on 5-of-7 shots (3-of-5 threes) with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 22:51 minutes against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim in Round 33. Against s.Oliver Würzburg in Round 28, the 20-year-old had 5 points on 2-of-4 shots (1-of-2 threes) in 13:05 minutes. Vrcic’s final game of the season saw him score a career-high 18 points on 4-of-7 three-pointers and 6-of-7 free throws to go with 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal in 19:17 minutes versus Hamburg Towers in Round 34.
Hollatz Check
Justus Hollatz and Hamburg Towers had an up and down close to the regular season with a home win over BG Göttingen in Round 33 and then a road loss against FRAPORT SKYLINERS in Round 34. Against Göttingen, the 20-year-old point guard collected 15 points on 6-of-9 shots (1-2 threes) and 2-of-3 free throws, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 32:37 minutes. Hollatz was held to 2 points on 1-of-8 shots (0-of-3 threes) and 0-of-2 free throws but did have 1 rebound and 7 assists in 24:13 minutes against Frankfurt.
Germans Abroad
Franz Wagner first followed his older brother Moritz Wagner in going to college in the United States at the University of Michigan. Now the former ALBA BERLIN young talent is hoping to follow his brother to the NBA. Franz Wagner has announced he will be putting his name in the 2021 NBA Draft after two seasons with the Wolverines.
Es regnet Dreier! Unsere Veilchen machen da weiter, wo sie in der ersten Halbzeit aufgehört haben. Wir führen in Bamberg 65:49 (25.).
— BG Göttingen (@BGGoettingen) May 7, 2021
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