NINERS Chemnitz provided another upset in their magical season as they surprised ALBA BERLIN - and that in front of fans for the first time at a home game. The week also saw John Bryant join the 5,000 point club while Hamburg Towers’ German point guard talent Justus Hollatz dished out a career-high 15 assists.
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:
With fans finally allowed, Chemnitz beat Berlin for first time, get revenge
NINERS Chemnitz continued their magical season by defeating ALBA BER-LIN for the first time in history 81-64 and that in front of fans at home for the first time this season. A crowd of 4,412 came out to the Messe Chemnitz to see the rematch of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup semi-final loss to Berlin. The guests raced away to an 11-point lead in the first quarter only to see Chemnitz pull ahead in the second quarter. Berlin temporarily led in the third quarter and it was close until Chemnitz put the game away with a 16-2 fourth quarter run. Chemnitz snapped a three-game losing streak for a 16-9 record in a season in which they have beaten FC Bayern three times, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg twice and ratiopharm ulm once - and now Berlin. The two-time reigning champs saw their six-game winning streak snapped to fall to 16-6. Berlin committed 23 turnovers and shot just 36.8 percent from the field including 22.6 percent on three-pointers. Isiaha Mike poured in 19 points for Chemnitz while Darion Atkins scored 15 points, Mindaugas Susinskas had 12 points and Nelson Weidemann collected 8 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals. Oscar da Silva was Berlin’s leading scorer with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Jaleen Smith had 14 points.
Hamburg grab big Round 24 makeup win at Chemnitz in playoffs fight
Hamburg Towers grabbed an important victory in their fight to make the playoffs as they knocked off NINERS Chemitz 89-85 on the road in a Round 24 makeup game. The game was tight throughout with six points being the biggest lead and 21 lead changes and 15 ties. Hamburg came up with three straight defensive stops and reeled off seven straight points for an 87-81 lead with 17 seconds left to improve to 13-12. Chemnitz saw their record drop to 15-9. Hamburg shot a blistering 75.0 percent on two-pointers and committed three fewer turnovers. Maik Kotsar tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds, Jaylon Brown scored 18 points, Lukas Meisner had 17 points, Robin Christen picked up 14 points and Justus Hollatz contributed 9 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals. Nelson Weidemann poured in a career high 28 points with 6 rebounds in the loss and Isiaha Mike had 13 points.
Hollatz dishes out 15 assists in Hamburg win at Heidelberg
Hamburg Towers put on an offensive show as they knocked off MLP Academics Heidelberg 100-76 on the road in a big victory in their fight for the playoffs. Hamburg pulled away in the opening minutes with a 33-13 first quarter and never were threatened in moving to 14-12 and Heidelberg fell to 9-16. Hamburg dished out 31 assists in shooting 56.1 percent for the game and Heidelberg were held to 47.1 percent from the field. Lukas Meisner scored 20 points to lead Hamburg while Maik Kotsar picked up 18 points, Jaylon Brown had 17 points and Justus Hollatz collected 11 points and a career high 15 assists. Brekkott Chapman was Heidelberg’s leading scorer with 15 points and Albert Kuppe had 12 points.
Bonn nearly waste big lead, down MBC on road
Telekom Baskets Bonn nearly wasted a huge lead but held on to defeat SYNTAINICS MBC 90-85 on the road for their fifth straight win. Bonn built a 30-point lead early in the second half and MBC trimmed it down to seven points with 3 minutes left but could not finish the comeback. Bonn improved their record to 20-7 atop the league while MBC have lost two in a row for a 9-16 mark. Bonn committed only 11 turnovers and made 22-of-34 free throws compared to 14-of-21 for MBC. Jeremy Morgan poured in 25 points, Parker Jackson-Cartwright had 15 points and 6 assists and Saulius Kulvietis added 13 points in the win. Jamel Morris paced MBC with 19 points and AJ English scored 14 points.
Bryant becomes 19th player in league history with 5,000 points
John Bryant recorded another milestone in his amazing history in the easyCredit BBL as he scored three points in SYNTAINICS MBC’s home loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn to become the 19th player in league history to score 5,000 points - and just the sixth since the start of digital data collection in 1998. The two-time former league MVP recorded the points in the final minute of the first quarter on a putback. Here the 19 players in the 5,000-point club with their point totals:
| Rang | Name | Punkte | 10 | Calvin Oldham | 5.568 |
| 1 | Mike Jackel | 10.789 | 11 | Stephan Baeck | 5.484 |
| 2 | Rickey Paulding | 7.882 | 12 | Chris Ensminger | 5.438 |
| 3 | Jarvis Walker | 6.582 | 13 | Frank Hudson | 5.388 |
| 4 | Mike Koch | 6.404 | 14 | Immanuel McElroy | 5.257 |
| 5 | Carl Brown | 6.317 | 15 | Aleksandar Nadjfeji | 5.256 |
| 6 | Julius Jenkins | 6.176 | 16 | Klaus Zander | 5.252 |
| 7 | Derrick Allen | 6.173 | 17 | Kai Nürnberger | 5.247 |
| 8 | Henning Harnisch | 6.152 | 18 | Gunther Behnke | 5.002 |
| 9 | Derrick Taylor | 5.906 | 19 | John Bryant | 5.000 |
Ulm win spoils debut of new Frankfurt head coach
ratiopharm ulm spoiled the debut of FRAPORT SKYLINERS’ new head coach Luca Dalmonte with a 61-58 road victory. Neither team was really able to pull away though Frankfurt built a nine-point lead in the fourth quarter. Ulm led by four points with a minute left before Will Cherry hit a three-pointer only to have Semaj Christon deliver the dagger jumper with 44 seconds left. Ulm grabbed their third straight win to improve to 17-7 and Frankfurt fell to 6-19. Ulm held Frankfurt to just 31.3 percent from long range. Jaron Blossomgame and Sindarius Thornwell both scored 16 points for the winners and Christon finished with 15 points. Cherry had 14 points in the loss while Jamel McLean had 12 points and 10 rebounds and Quantez Robertson picked up 11 points and 7 assists.
Frankfurt hire Luca Dalmonte as new head coach
FRAPORT SKYLINERS found a new head coach as they hired Luca Dalmonte to replace the fired Diego Ocampo. The 58-year-old Italian signed until the end of the season plus an option for next year. Dalmonte coached last se-ason at Italian Serie A side Fortitudo Bologna.
McCullum steps up in Giessen’s big home win over Oldenburg
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers secured a crucial victory in their fight against relegation as they defeated EWE Baskets Oldenburg 88-75. The game was close until the guests reeled off a 15-5 run spanning the final two quarters to improve to 6-18 and drop Oldenburg to 9-18. The hosts shot 48.4 percent for the game and held Oldenburg to just 39.1 percent. Kendale McCullum led the way with 25 points and Nuni Omot added 20 points. Tai Odiase was Oldenburg’s top scorer with 17 points, Max Heidegger scored 16 points and TJ Holyfield added 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Radebaugh leads Ludwigsburg to fifth straight win
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained in the hunt for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs as they knocked off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 90-72 at home for their fifth straight victory. Ludwigsburg built a 12-point lead in the third quarter but Braunschweig trailed by just five points in the fourth quarter before the hosts went on a 14-4 run. Ludwigsburg improved to 18-7, and Braunschweig have now lost four straight to fall to 9-16. Ludwigsburg forced Braunschweig into 22 turnovers and held them to just 39.4 percent on two-pointers. Justin Simon led the winners with 22 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 5 steals while Jonah Radebaugh collected 19 points, 8 rebounds and 9 assists and Ethan Happ contributed 11 points and 13 rebounds. Martin Peterka paced Braunschweig with 17 points, Owen Klassen had 15 points and Arturs Zagars picked up 11 points.
Oldenburg down Bayreuth in Round 14 makeup, fourth straight win
EWE Baskets Oldenburg continued their push away from the relegation zone with a 74-71 victory at medi bayreuth for their fourth straight victory. Oldenburg wasted an 11-point third quarter lead and were down in the closing minutes before Alen Pjanic’s three-pointer with 18 seconds left to make it 72-69 and Rickey Paulding’s free throws with 4 seconds to play iced it. Oldenburg improved to 9-17 and Bayreuth fell to 11-15. Oldenburg took the rebound battle 46-36 including 14 offensive rebounds and held Bayreuth to 16.7 percent on three-pointers. Max Heidegger poured in 23 points and 7 assists for Oldenburg and Paulding finished with 18 points. Terry Allen paced Bayreuth with 17 points and Sacar Anim and Andi Seiferth both scored 15 points.
Würzburg use balance to win fourth straight, Göttingen in freefall
s.Oliver Würzburg picked up a big victory in their fight to avoid relegation as they defeated BG Göttingen 89-76 for their fourth straight win - and second in a row on the road. Würzburg led 31-18 after 10 minutes and never lost control in pushing their record to 9-17 while Göttingen lost their third straight for a 14-11 mark. Würzburg shot 55.2 percent for the game and held Göttingen to just 36.8 percent from the field. Craig Moller paced seven Würzburg players in double figures with 15 points while Charles Callison had 13 points and 6 assists and Filip Stanic picked up 10 points and 9 rebounds. Stephen Brown led all scorers with 20 points and Nate Grimes picked up 16 points and 12 rebounds in the defeat.
Göttingen suffer home loss to Heidelberg in Round 19 makeup
BG Göttingen failed to hold home court as they lost 82-70 to MLP Academics Heidelberg in a Round 19 make-up game. Heidelberg took control of the game with 22-12 third quarter to improve to 9-15 while Göttingen fell to 14-10. Heidelberg committed only 11 turnovers and shot 73.7 percent on two-pointers and held Göttingen to just 40.6 percent for the game. Brekkott Chapman led the way with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Kelvin Martin scored 17 points and Max Ugrai added 16 points. Akeem Vargas and Kamar Baldwin both picked up 10 points in the loss.
Bamberg prevail at Bayreuth to stay in playoffs hunt
Brose Bamberg remained in the hunt for the playoffs as they defeated medi bayreuth 84-71 on the road. Bamberg took control of the game late in the first half and extended the lead to 20 points late in the third quarter in improving to 11-14 while Bayreuth dropped to 11-16 with their sixth straight loss. Bamberg shot 54.2 percent for the game and held Bayreuth to just 41.0 percent from the field. Christian Sengfelder was Bamberg’s leading scorer with 18 points while Akil Mitchell scored 17 points and Chris Dowe had 16 points. Martynas Sajus scored 16 points as one of five Bayreuth players in double figures including Bastian Doreth with 10 points and 8 assists.
Bayern roll past shorthanded Crailsheim at home
FC Bayern Munich picked up their sixth straight home victory as they dominated shorthanded HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 93-64. With Crailsheim missing five leading players, Bayern surged ahead 29-14 after 10 minutes and never really were challenged after that in moving to 19-16 while Crailsheim lost their third straight for a 12-10 mark. Bayern dominated the glass 43 to 24 and shot 56.7 percent from the field and held Crailsheim to just 34.4 percent for the game. Deshaun Thomas and Nihad Djedovic both scored 16 points to lead Bayern and Darrun Hilliard had 10 points. Jon Axel Gudmundsson poured in 25 points for Crailsheim and Jaren Lewis picked up 14 points.
Player of the Week
Jonah Radebaugh takes home Player of the Week for Round 27 as he flirted with a triple-double in MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg’s home win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Radebaugh scored 19 points on 5-of-12 shots and 4-of-4 free throws to go with 8 rebounds, 9 assists, 3 steals and 1 blocks for an efficiency of 32.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Justus Hollatz, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz is really picking up his game and he had two outstanding performances this week. He had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals in the Round 24 makeup game against NINERS Chemnitz and then collected 11 points, 4 rebounds, a career high 15 assists and 2 steals against MLP Academics Heidelberg.
G: Bastian Doreth, medi bayreuth
Doreth also had two strong games this week. He started with 6 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal against EWE Baskets Oldenburg in a Round 14 makeup game and then tallied 10 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 2 steals against Brose Bamberg.
G: Nelson Weidemann, NINERS Chemnitz
Three German point guards in the Top Five - nice! Weidemann was fantastic for Chemnitz against Hamburg Towers - albeit in a Round 24 makeup loss - with a career high 28 points on 5 three-pointers to go with 6 rebounds, 1 as-sist and 1 steal. Weidemann then picked up 8 points, 3 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals against ALBA BERLIN.
F: Lukas Meisner, Hamburg Towers
I know, I know - two guys from the same team, but Meisner and Justus Hollatz really both deserve points. Meisner collected 17 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist in a Round 24 makeup game against NINERS Chemnitz and then poured in 20 points with 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals against MLP Academics Heidelberg.
C: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder is just rock solid and he showed that again versus medi bayreuth with 18 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Young Guns
Luc van Slooten, 19, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
van Slooten continues to do things besides just scoring as he scored 8 points on 2-of-8 shots (1/5 threes) and 2-of-4 free throws but also had 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals in 29:09 minutes against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Hendrik Drescher, 22, C, Hamburg Towers
Drescher played 2:20 minutes in Hamburg’s win over MLP Academics Heidelberg with just one missed three-pointer. It was the 22-year-old center’s first game since playing 1:23 minutes versus MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg on September 25. Drescher played three games for his former club ALBA BERLIN during the 2017-18 season.
Rouven Kerstan, 17, PG, HARKO Merlins Crailsheim
Crailsheim’s personnel problems allowed the 17-year-old point guard Kerstan to play his first minutes in the easyCredit BBL. He scored 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting with 1 rebound and 1 steal in 4:35 minutes against FC Bayern Mu-nich.
Tischlers Watch
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig dropped their one game this week to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg - a contest in which the Tischler twins Brandon and Nicholas played a strong role. Nicholas started the game and scored 2 points on 1-of-3 shooting (0/1 threes) to go with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 20:55 minutes. Brandon played 18:17 minutes and scored 3 points on 1-of-3 shoo-ting (1/2 threes) and grabbed 6 rebounds.
German federation to retire Nowitzki’s No. 14 at FIBA EuroBasket 2022
No other German player will wear the number 14 as the German Basketball Federation announced it will retired the jersey worn by Dirk Nowitzki at the FIBA EuroBasket 2022. The ceremony will take place before the Germany-France game in Cologne on September 1. It will be the first time the DBB retires a jersey number.
Germans Abroad
Ariel Hukporti made headlines when he made the jump Down Under to play in the Australian NBL. The 19-year-old big man has been producing solidly of late with at least 10 points in a five game stretch. Since then he was held to single figures in two of his last three games but Hukporti is still averaging 7.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 15 minutes.
