The north-south easyCredit BBL rivalry will continue as two-time reigning champions ALBA BERLIN have a date in the Finals with FC Bayern Munich - in a re-match from last season and three of the last four campaigns. Bayern needed five games to fend off Telekom Baskets Bonn while Berlin finished off a sweep of MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. Speaking of Ludwigsburg, the league’s longest-serving head coach John Patrick is leaving the club - most likely for Japan. Another big name coaching move saw Raoul Korner take over as the new Hamburg Towers playcaller. And one more big piece of off-court news is FRAPORT SKYLINERS being awarded a wild card for the 2022-23 season.
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:
Berlin vs Bayern redux for the title - with 1-1-1-1-1 format
ALBA BERLIN will shoot for their third straight easyCredit BBL title - and 11th overall - as they have a Finals date set with FC Bayern Munich. The showdown of Germany’s two Turkish Airlines EuroLeague teams is a repeat of the 2020-21 Finals - which Berlin won 3-1. Bayern and Berlin have squared off in the Finals three of the last four years - with Bayern winning in 2017-18 and 2018-19 - and Bayern also claimed the crown over Berlin in 2013-14. The playoffs format for the Finals has changed to 1-1-1-1-1 meaning the teams will alternate home games with the series starting on Friday June 10 in Berlin, where a possible Game 5 would take place on June 22.
Road team wins again: Bayern finish off Bonn with third road victory, will meet Berlin
FC Bayern Munich made it 5-for-5 for the road team as they grabbed a third win at Telekom Baskets Bonn 87-74 to win their semi-final series 3-2 and book their ticket to a second straight Finals date with ALBA BERLIN. Bayern had a great start to the game and built a 14-point lead only to watch Parker Jackson-Cartwright score 20 first half points and give Bonn the lead 44-42 at the break. The third quarter remained tight but Bonn could not hit their shots in the fourth quarter, scoring just two points in the final 3 minutes and Bayern pulled away for a comfortable win in the end. Bayern ruled the rebounds 39-25 and held Bonn to just 40.0 percent shooting for the game while they shot 54.0 percent from the field. Nick Weiler-Babb led the way with 18 points and 8 rebounds, Nihad Djedovic scored 14 points and Augustine Rubit chipped in 10 points and 9 rebounds. PJC ended with 25 points and 10 assists while Karsten Tadda and Saulius Kulvietis both scored 12 points.
Bonn, PJC steal Game 4 in Munich - send series to Bonn for Game 5
Telekom Baskets Bonn did what few observers thought would be possible as they grabbed back-to-back road victories over FC Bayern Munich, picking up Game 4 with an 83-80 victory to force a Game 5 back at home. Eight points was the biggest lead of the game which featured 24 lead changes and 12 ties. Bonn were up 78-70 with 4 minutes to go and twice watched Bayern pull within three points. After Karsten Tadda missed a jumper with 6 seconds left to decide the game, Parker Jackson-Cartwright sealed the win as he swatted the ball from Ognjen Jaramaz with 2 seconds to play. Bonn committed only 8 turnovers and held Bayern to just 27.8 percent from long range. PJC led the way with 20 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals while Jeremy Morgan had 16 points and 8 rebounds, Javontae Hawkins picked up 15 points and Michael Kessens chipped in 12 points and 5 rebounds. Nick Weiler-Babb was Bayern’s top scorer with 16 points and Vladimir Lucic and Augustine Rubit both had 13 points.
Tadda saves Bonn hopes with first block of season
Telekom Baskets Bonn remained alive in the #playoffsbaby as they fended off FC Bayern Munich 86-84 to take Game 3 on the road with Karsten Tadda saving the day with a block in the dying second. Bonn took a 13-point lead midway through the second quarter and watched Bayern get back into the game, but never gave up the advantage. Bayern erased a 10-point deficit and evened it 81-81 and 84-84. After Javontae Hawkins split two free throws with 20 seconds left, Tadda swatted Nick Weiler-Babb’s shot with 4 seconds remaining for his first block of the season and Saulius Kulvietis added the final free throw. Bonn made 11 three-pointers to 7 for Bayern and also grabbed 16 offensive rebounds. Hawkins finished with 19 points, Jeremy Morgan had 17 points, Michael Kessens added 16 points and Parker Jackson-Cartwright picked up 15 points and 6 assists. Bayern were paced by Deshaun Thomas with 18 points while Vladimir Lucic and Nihad Djedovic both had 14 points and Weiler-Babb contributed 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists.
Berlin sweep past Ludwigsburg into fifth straight Finals
ALBA BERLIN remained undefeated in the #playoffsbaby as they beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 73-67 on the road to finish a 3-0 sweep and return to the Finals with a chance to win a third straight title. The game was tight for the first half before Berlin took control with a 22-4 run to lead by 12 points. The reigning champs fought off any comeback in the fourth quarter, not letting Ludwigsburg closer than four points the rest of the way. Berlin, who have won their last 17 games and will be playing in the Finals for a fifth straight time, survived 19 turnovers as they dominated the glass 47-30 including 17 offensive rebounds, leading to a 22-1 advantage in second chance points. Ludwigsburg also made just 4-of-29 three-pointers (13.8 percent). Ben Lammers led the way with 11 points and 7 rebounds and Tamir Blatt scored 10 points. Justin Simon was Ludwigsburg’s leading scorer with 16 points and Tremmell Darden had 13 points while Berlin held Jonah Radebaugh to 11 points on 5-of-15 shooting.
John Patrick leaves Ludwigsburg - likely for Japan
After being eliminated from the playoffs, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg are looking for a new head coach after John Patrick announced he will be leaving the club. The German-American coached Ludwigsburg for nearly 10 years and guided them to the 2019-20 German league finals - the club’s best achievement in Germany. He also took the team to two Basketball Champions League Final Fours. Patrick is expected to coach next season in Japan with rumors speculating he will take over the Chiba Jets. Ludwigsburg have not named his successor but Josh King is expected to take over from Patrick.
Raoul Korner takes over as Hamburg head coach
Hamburg Towers have found their successor to Pedro Calles as they signed Raoul Korner to a two-year contract. The 48-year-old Korner knows the German league well, having coached Basketball Löwen Braunschweig from 2013-16 and medi bayreuth from 2016-22. The Austrian also has experience coaching internationally as he guided Bayreuth in the Basketball Champions league and FIBA Europe Cup.
Frankfurt awarded wild card for 2022-23
The easyCredit BBL will have 18 teams for the 2022-23 season as FRAPORT SKYLINERS was awarded a wild card for the up-coming campaign. Frankfurt, who had been relegated after finishing 17th in the 2021-22 season, received unanimous support by the league’s clubs - also because they were the only bidder for the wild card.
Oldenburg, 6,523 fans say farewell to Paulding
Emotions filled the night in Oldenburg on June 4 as EWE Baskets Oldenburg and a crowd of 6,523 fans celebrated the retirement of Rickey Paulding and bid farewell to the legend. The special night at the EWE Arena included a fun-fill farewell game, videos with unforgettable scenes from Paulding’s career as well as many interviews, closing with a special ceremony in which his No. 23 jersey was hoisted to the rafters. Among those who played in the game were Ruben Boumtje Boumtje, Julius Jenkins, Marko Scekic, Milan Majstorovic, Dominic Lockhart, Jan Niklas Wimberg, Derrick Allen and Philipp Schwethelm. Paulding’s oldest son Tre Paulding also entered the game in the final quarter. Also a part of the ceremonial farewell was Mladen Drijencic, who coached the team from 2015 to 2022. The fans gave the coach, who had served in the club since 2010, a standing ovation that lasted multiple minutes.
Heckman, Bamberg agree to extension until 2024
Brose Bamberg and Patrick Heckmann will remain together until at least 2024 as the sides agreed on a two-year contract extension. If he fulfils the deal he would have played seven years with Bamberg. Heckmann needed foot surgery this past season and only played 18 games.
Würzburg add Besselink, Bryce, Whittaker, assistant coach Key leaves for Bremerhaven
s.Oliver Würzburg have had a busy week as they announced the additions of Max Besselink, C.J. Bryce and Stanley Whittaker while also bidding farewell to assistant coach Steven Key. The 20-year-old Finn Besselink signed a three-year contract with Würzburg after playing last season with BC Nokia in his homeland. The 25-year-old Bryce comes to Würzburg on a one-year deal after dominating in the Hungarian first division with Nyiregyhaza. The 27-year-old point guard Whittaker penned a two-year contract as he stays in Germany and arrives from second division ProA side PS Karlsruhe Lions, where he averaged 22.3 points as the league’s top scorer as well as third-best passer with 6.6 assists. The club also announced a departure as assistant coach Key is leaving after four years and will become the head coach at ProA side Eisbären Bremerhaven.
Jaren Lewis stays on with Crailsheim
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim kept an important part of their 2021-22 roster as Jaren Lewis will remain with the team. The 25-year-old, who scored 13.1 points and a grabbed a team-high 5.8 rebounds, last season signed a one-year contract plus an option for this the second season.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
Three rounds of #playoffsbaby games means three Player of the Week awards to hand out. For the Game 3s, the winner was Michael Kessens from Telekom Baskets Bonn as he scored 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 8 rebounds and 1 steal for an efficiency of 23 against FC Bayern Munich. Game 4’s top performer was Jeremy Morgan of Bonn as he poured in 16 points on 6-of-11 shots and 1-of-2 free throws and also had 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals for a 22 efficiency against Bayern. And the top performance for Game 5 was Parker Jackson-Cartwright as the league MVP scored 25 points on 9-of-17 shots and 3-of-3 free throws and also tallied 4 rebounds and 10 assists for an efficiency of 25 - albeit in a loss to Bayern.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Karsten Tadda, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Tadda makes this list alone because of his season-saving block of Nick Weiler-Babb in Game 3 in which he tallied 3 points against FC Bayern Munich. In Game 4, Tadda went scoreless but had 4 rebounds and 2 assists and then hit 4 three-pointers in scoring 12 points with 2 rebounds in Game 5.
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst did not do much in Games 3 and 4 - 5 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist; and 3 points, 1 rebound and 3 assists, respectively - but he played a big role in Bayern’s Game 5 win over Telekom Baskets Bonn with 3 three-pointers for 11 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
C: Michael Kessens, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Kessens was great in Bonn’s two wins over FC Bayern Munich as he had 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 steal in Game 3 and then 12 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist in Game 4. In Game 5, the big man had 8 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
C: Johannes Thiemann, ALBA BERLIN
Thiemann was once again solid in his one game against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as he collected 9 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists.
C: Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
JoWoBo tallied 6 points, 10 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in his team’s Game 3 loss to ALBA BERLIN.
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Nachberichte
Wieder ein Auswärtssieg: Bayern gewinnen Spiel fünf in Bonn mit 87:74 / Berlin wartet in Final-Neuauflage
Vorberichte
Die Giganten aus Berlin und München machen den Meistertitel erneut unter sich aus
Pfiff der Woche
