The second relegated team is set as JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers will be sent to the ProA for next season. The easyCredit BBL will also be without two legends in 2022-23 as Rickey Paulding and Alex King both played their final games in the league. The playoffs picture is just about clear in terms of which teams will be playing as Brose Bamberg keep up their charge to make the post-season and two-time reigning champs ALBA BERLIN are mounting major pressure to grab the regular season title and home court advantage in the playoffs. More hardware was handed out as well as Telekom Baskets Bonn’s Parker Jackson-Cartwright was named Most Valuable Player, the team’s head coach Tuomas Iisalo as Coach of the Year and Justus Hollatz of Hamburg Towers named Best German Youth (U22) Player.
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:
Jackson-Cartwright named MVP
Parker Jackson-Cartwright of Telekom Baskets Bonn was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2021-22 season. PJC averaged 19.3 points, 7.4 assists and 2.0 steals for Bonn, who is challenging for the top seed in the playoffs. PJC received 62.2 percent of the votes while TJ Shorts of HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim got 13.4 percent of the vote and Kamar Baldwin of BG Göttingen, Maodo Lo and Luke Sikma both from ALBA BERLIN all got 4.9 percent of the vote.
Bonn playcaller Iisalo given Coach of the Year
Another award went to Telekom Baskets Bonn as playcaller Tuomas Iisalo was named Coach of the Year. The Finnish coach received 64.4 percent of the vote followed by Rodrigo Pastore of NINERS Chemnitz at 14.6 percent and Israel Gonzalez of ALBA BERLIN with 4.9 percent.
Hollatz repeats as Best German Youth (U22) Player
Justus Hollatz also picked up some hardware this week as the Hamburg Towers playmaker defended his title as Best German Youth (U22) Player. Hollatz averaged 7.4 points and 5.4 assists and was selected by 26.9 percent of the voters. Malte Delow of ALBA BERLIN was second with 21.7 percent of the vote and Luc van Slooten of Basketball Löwen Braunschweig was third at 14.9 percent.
Giessen relegated for second straight season
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers failed to avoid relegation for a second season and will be heading to the ProA for 2022-23. Giessen, who played in the easyCredit BBL this season on a wild card, split their two games this week to fall to 8-24 and can no longer catch SYNTAINICS MBC. Giessen scored only four points in the second quarter in losing their Round 33 game at home to NINERS Chemnitz 91-70 to seal their fate. Nuni Omot scored 17 points, Jalon Miller collected 12 points and 11 rebounds and Kendale McCullum picked up 8 points and 12 assists in the loss. Giessen acted as spoilers in Round 34 as tthey defeated BG Göttingen 90-87 on the road as the hosts battle to make the playoffs. Miller had 19 points and 7 rebounds and McCullum finished with 15 points and 7 assists as Giessen fought back from 12 points down for the win.
Paulding sent into retirement in style
Rickey Paulding was not only the face of EWE Baskets Paulding but he has long been a legend in the easyCredit BBL - and the inspiration for Pauldingburg. But the 39-year-old American has left the building. Paulding was on his farewell tour this season as he announced he would be retiring after the 2020-21 campaign. And with Oldenburg not making the playoffs, Paulding has played his last game in the league. He departs as one of the greatest to play in the league. Among the stats leaders since the start of data collection in 1998, Paulding currently ranks first in points (7,959), field goals made (2,786), three-pointers made (1,073) and efficiency (7,459); second in games played (584) and steals (539); third in free throws made (1,314); fourth in two-pointers made (1,713); sixth in total rebounds (1,957) and defensive rebounds (1,380), eighth in offensive rebounds (577); and ninth in assists (1,125) and blocks (190).
Alex King’s ends career with two Würzburg losses
Alex King was also on a farewell tour and his road to retirement ended with two losses as the league’s all-time leader in games played could not keep s.Oliver Würzburg from dropping their final two games for a 14-20 record. King picked up 5 points and 4 rebounds in Würzburg 113-87 loss at EWE Baskets Oldenburg - which was Rickey Paulding’s final home game. Desi Rodriguez paced Würzburg with 29 points and 14 rebounds and Filip Stanic collected 22 points and 17 rebounds. Würzburg didn’t have much of a chance at FC Bayern Munich either with a 92-57 defeat. Stanic had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Rodriguez finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists. In his 638th and final game - the most in the easyCredit BBL since the start of data collection in 1998 - King chipped in 8 points and 3 rebounds. Würzburg did beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 92-86 at home in a Round 30 make-up game on Tuesday. Rodriguez collected 23 points and 10 reounds and Charles Callison scored 20 points.
Berlin gaining momentum, up to second after ninth straight win
ALBA BERLIN’s push to take over first place in the easyCredit BBL gained momentum with two more victories to push their winning streak to nine games. Berlin have a 25-6 record for second place behind Telekom Baskets Bonn at 26-8 but with three games in hand. Berlin scored 56 points in the first half and didn’t let up in knocking off Hamburg Towers 96-81. Maodo Lo led the way with 17 points and Johannes Thiemann scored 15 points. The reigning champs didn’t falter in the Round 34 game against MLP Academics Heidelberg with a 110-70 blowout - leading by 11 points after 10 minutes. Louis Olinde collected 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while Yovel Zoosman had 17 points and Tamir Blatt chipped in 12 points and 10 assists. Berlin dished out a club record 36 assists.
Bonn tie record win streak, lose season finale at Chemnitz
Telekom Baskets Bonn experienced highs and lows this week as they matched their club record with an 11-game winning streak but then finished their regular season with a road loss for a 26-8 record. Bonn are currently in first place in the league but ALBA BERLIN (25-6) can still overtake them while they hold the tiebreaker over FC Bayern Munich (23-8). Bonn started the week by knocking off ratiopharm ulm 85-74 on the road to even their club record with an 11-game winning streak. Saulius Kulvietis scored 17 points and Justin Gorham had 16 points. Bonn were unable to set a new record winning streak as they lost at NINERS Chemnitz 90-68 - watching the hosts pull away in the third quarter. Javontae Hawkins scored 12 points and Karsten Tadda had 10 points in the loss.
Bamberg close to extending playoffs streak with two more wins
Brose Bamberg seem destined to make the playoffs as their late-season push saw them grab two more wins and move into eighth place in the standings. Bamberg, who haven’t missed the playoffs since the 2000-01 season, have won four of their last five games for a 17-16 record and a one-game lead over BG Göttingen and HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. Bamberg hold the tiebreaker over Göttingen but not over Crailsheim. Bamberg led by 17 points over MLP Academics Heidelburg but watched the hosts get close early in the fourth quarter before securing a 91-84 road victory. Martinas Geben scored 19 points and Akil Mitchell had 17 points in the win. In Round 34, Bamberg’s defense gave up just eight points in the third quarter in registering an 84-68 home win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Tomas Kyzlink led the way with 17 points and Chris Dowe and Omar Prewitt both scored 16 points.
Göttingen losing skid reaches five games, drop from playoff ranks
BG Göttingen picked the worst time for their longest losing streak of the season as they lost two more games for five in a row to drop out of the playoff ranks at 16-17 - one game behind Brose Bamberg, who also holds the tiebreaker over them. Göttingen dropped a critical Round 20 make-up game as they lost 86-80 at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, who are also at 16-17 right behind Bamberg. Göttingen lost control of the game in the third quarter and never could get close again despite Harald Frey scoring 25 poins and Harper Kamp picking up 18 points. Göttingen wasted a 12-point lead in their Round 34 home game against already-relegated JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers but lost 90-87. Kamp poured in 24 points with 8 rebounds and Jeremiah Martin picked up 18 points.
Crailsheim beat Göttingen, but drop next two games
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim are not making it easy on their fans as they started the week on a high but finished it on a low of two losses to slip out of the playoff ranks at 16-17 - even with BG Göttingen and one game behind Brose Bamberg. Crailsheim picked up a critical 86-80 victory over Göttingen in a Round 20 make-up game on Tuesday to actually move into eighth place - thanks to Terrell Harris scoring 20 points and Mike Caffey picking up 18 points. Crailsheim suffered a major slipup in Round 33 as they were rolled 81-70 at home against already relegated FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Harris picked up 18 points and Jaren Lewis had 13 points, 7 assists and 5 assists in the bitter loss. Crailsheim nearly made good their mis-step in coming back from a 16-point deficit at ratiopharm ulm and leading before losing 100-90 in overtime. Harris was outstanding with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists and Lewis picked up 13 points and 7 rebounds in the defeat.
With Barcelona in mind, Bayern ease past Würzburg
FC Bayern Munich avoided a slip-up in their hopes to secure home court advantage in the playoffs as they eased past s.Oliver Würzburg 92-57 as the team focuses on their Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Game 5 against FC Barcelona on Tuesday. Bayern went ahead by 11 points after 10 minutes and never looked back to improve to 23-8 in third place with three games to play. Andi Obst poured in 18 points with 5 rebounds while Jason George scored 13 points and Joshua Obiesie picked up 12 points and 5 assists.
Hamburg lock up playoffs for second straight season
Hamburg Towers locked up a spot in the playoffs for a second straight season as they split two games this week. Hamburg moved to 19-14 after a 96-81 loss at ALBA BERLIN and 101-57 blowout win at SYNTAINICS MBC. Hamburg allowed 56 points to Berlin in the first half and couldn’t get back into the game. Maik Kotsar paced the team with 16 points and 10 rebounds while Caleb Homesley scored 16 points and Justus Hollatz totalled 8 points and 10 assists. Things went much better against SYNTAINICS MBC with a 20-point lead after just 10 minutes. Trevon Bluiett scored 18 points, Kotsar had 16 points and 9 rebounds and Homesley finished with 15 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
Chemnitz grab two wins in fight for home court, snap Bonn win streak
NINERS Chemnitz’s fight for home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs got a major boost with two victories - the second being a big home win over red-hot Telekom Baskets Bonn. The two wins leave Chemnitz at 22-11 in fourth place with one game left. Chemnitz started the week by sealing the relegation fate of JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers with a 91-70 road win. Chemnitz allowed just 4 points in the second quarter while Mindaugas Susinkas scored 18 points to lead the way and Malte Ziegenhagen added 16 points. At home against Bonn, Chemnitz took over the game in the third quarter and breezed to a 90-68 win, snapping the guests’ 11-game winning streak. Susinkas once again was top scorer with 20 points and Darion Atkins had 16 points and 9 rebounds.
Ludwigsburg drop two of three ahead of BCL Final Four
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg’s chances on grabbing home court advantage in the playoffs weakened as they dropped two of their three games ahead of the Basketball Champions League Final Four. Ludwigsburg have lost three of their last five games to move to 22-11 in a tie with NINERS Chemnitz but in fifth place as both teams have one game in hand. In a Round 30 make-up game at s.Oliver Würzburg, Ludwigsburg gave up 35 fourth quarter points and lost 92-86. James Woodard scored 21 points and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann had 15 points and 12 rebounds. Ludwigsburg were cruising with an 18-point fourth quarter lead but needed to hold on to beat medi bayreuth 93-87 on the road. Justin Simon poured in 23 points and Jordan Hulls chipped in 18 points and 8 assists. Ludwigsburg’s much-vaunted defense let them down in a 102-86 home loss in Round 34 against EWE Baskets Oldenburg, who scored 55 second half points. Hulls was Ludwigsburg’s top weapon with 18 points and Jonah Radebaugh collected 16 points and 9 rebounds. Ludwigsburg will head to Spain this week and take on BAXI Manresa in the Basketball Champions League Final Four on Friday May 6 and hope to raise the trophy on Sunday May 8 in Bilbao.
Ulm can’t slow down Bonn, fend off Crailsheim in OT
ratiopharm ulm remained in the running for home court advantage in the playoffs as they at least picked up one hard-fought win. Ulm’s 1-1 week leaves them at 21-11 in sixth place but even on losses with NINERS Chemnitz and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and with an extra game in hand. Ulm could not slow down the steam train that is Telekom Baskets Bonn in an 85-74 home loss. Ulm fought back into the game after trailing by 19 points but Jaron Blossomgame’s 20 points and Sindarius Thornwell’s 17 points and 10 rebounds were not enough. In Round 34 at home against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, Ulm gave away a 16-point lead but went to overtime for a 100-90 victory. Semaj Christon scored 23 points with 6 assists and Blossomgame picked up 21 points.
Oldenburg finish season strong - including Michalak triple-double
EWE Baskets Oldenburg finished their season strong with two more victories as they won 11 of their final 16 games for a 14-20 record. Oldenburg’s high-octane offense was running on all cylinders as they blew past s.Oliver Würzburg 113-87 at home. Phil Pressey led the way with 28 points, 11 assists and 5 steals while Sebastian Herrera scored 19 points, Rickey Paulding tallied 18 points, 4 rebounds and 4 steals in his final home game and Michal Michalak collected a triple-double with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Ingo Freyer’s troops were not impressed with MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg’s defensive reputation in reversing an 11-point deficit in a 102-86 road victory. TJ Holyfield tallied 25 points and 14 rebounds, Pressey had 21 points and 7 assists and Herrera scored 15 points.
SYNTAINICS MBC avoid relegation in penultimate round
SYNTAINICS MBC avoided relegation to the ProA with a victory in the penultimate round. The team finished the season with an 11-23 record and will be playing in the easyCredit BBL for a sixth straight season. SYNTAINICS MBC scored the final 11 points of the game to knock off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 91-79. AJ English scored 20 points, Jamel Morris had 17 points and Kostja Mushidi added 16 points. In the team’s season finale, SYNTAINICS MBC fell behind by 20 points in the first quarter and ended up losing 101-57 at home to Hamburg Towers. English scored a team-high 12 points as the only player in double figures.
Frankfurt say farewell to easyCredit BBL with two wins
FRAPORT SKYLINERS at least finished their season on a high note and won their last two games before saying farewell to the easyCredit BBL. Frankfurt, who have never been relegated since starting their existance in the first division in Germany in 1999-2000, ended the season with a 9-25 record. They played spoilers to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim in Round 33 with an 81-70 road victory over the team battling to make the playoffs. Rasheed Moore scored 24 points with 7 rebounds and Marcel Ponitka had 17 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Frankfurt’s final game was a home contest and they knocked off medi bayreuth 82-70 with Ponitka scoring 14 points and Jamel McLean adding 13 points.
Braunschweig drop two more games, lose two German leaders
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig were unable to build upon their late-season momentum as they lost two road games to fall to 12-21. After having won their last two games, Braunschweig watched as SYNTAINICS MBC scored the final 11 points in a 91-79 loss. David Krämer scored a team-high 19 points while Brandon Tischler and Benedikt Turudic both had 14 points. In their Round 34 game at Brose Bamberg, Braunschweig scored just eight points in the third quarter for an 84-68 loss. Arturs Zagars scored 21 points and Owen Klassen picked up 12 points. Krämer left the game in the first quarter with a concussion and Luc van Slooten was injured later in the game.
Heidelberg losing streak reaches six games
MLP Academics Heidelberg saw their losing streak extend to six games with two losses though the team is already a secured spot in the first league next season and have an 11-22 record. Heidelberg trailed at home against Brose Bamburg by 17 points but pulled to within two points in the fourth quarter before losing 94-81 at home. Brekkott Chapman, Shyron Ely and Jordan Geist all scored 14 points in the loss. In Round 34 at ALBA BERLIN, Heidelberg were already down by 11 points after the first quarter and it wasn’t close in a 110-70 defeat. Kyan Anderson paced Heidelberg with 18 points as the only player in double figures.
Bayreuth fail to end season on high note, losing streak at 13 games
medi bayretuh failed to end their season on a high note as they dropped their last two games of 2021-22 and saw their losing streak extend to 13 games. Bayreuth, whose last win came on February 16 in Round 22 over EWE Baskets Oldenburg, finished the season with an 11-23 record. At home against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, Bayreuth trailed by 18 points in the fourth quarter but got things close and lost only 93-87. Sacar Anim led the way with 17 points, Martynas Sajus had 14 points and 7 rebounds and Kay Bruhnke finished with 13 points and 7 rebounds. Bayreuth’s season ended with an 82-70 loss at home against already-relegation FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
Two rounds of games means two Player of the Week awards to hand out this week. For Round 33, Filip Stanic of s.Oliver Würzburg takes the honors as he scored a career-high 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting and grabbed a career high 17 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 37 against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Round 34’s top player was Oldenburg’s TJ Holyfield, who poured in 25 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 4-of-5 free throws and added 14 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 1 block for an efficiency of 38 against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Justus Hollatz, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz had two strong games even though Hamburg went 1-1 this week. He picked up 8 points, 10 assists and 1 steal in a loss to ALBA BERLIN and then had 8 points, 4 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals in a win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst led Bayern in scoring against s.Oliver Würzburg with 18 points and also had 5 rebounds and 1 steal.
F: Louis Olinde, ALBA BERLIN
Olinde earns the spot from Berlin this week for two nice showings. He had 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block against Hamburg Towers. Olinde then collected 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block versus MLP Academics Heidelberg.
F: Jonas Richter, NINERS Chemnitz
Richter makes it back on this list as he collected 14 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks versus JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers and then had 15 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block against Telekom Baskets Bonn.
C: Filip Stanic, s.Oliver Würzburg
Stanic had a strong close to the season with two double-doubles. In a Round 30 make-up against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, the center had 12 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. He set career highs with 22 points and 17 rebounds to go with 3 assists and 1 steal against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. And against FC Bayern Munich, Stanic picked up 18 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist.
Young Guns
Jason George, 20, SG, FC Bayern Munich
George continues to see major minutes in the German league while Bayern fight in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague playoffs, and the 20-year-old is using his time. He scored 13 points on 5-of-7 shots (3/5 threes) with 4 rebounds and 1 steal in 26:36 minutes as a starter against s.Oliver Würzburg.
Jerry Ndhine, 19, SF, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Ndhine played in his fourth and fifth games since early March and played double digit minutes in both contests. In 11:56 minutes against s.Oliver Würzburg, the 19-year-old scored 4 points on 2-of-3 shots with 3 rebounds and 1 assist. Ndhine scored 6 points on 2-of-3 three-pointers with 3 rebounds in 14:24 minutes versus MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Elijah Ndi, 17, SF, s.Oliver Würzburg
Ndi did not get into the games against EWE Baskets Oldenburg or MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg but the 17-year-old played 19:47 minutes in the season finale against FC Bayern Munich and scored 0 points on 0-of-4 shooting (0/3 threes) with 1 rebound.
Tischlers Watch
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig lost both of their games this week but both Tischler twins Brandon and Nicholas played major minutes. In the loss to SYNTAINICS MBC, Brandon started and played 26:04 minutes and scored 14 points on 5-of-7 shots (2/4 threes) and 2-of-3 free throws to go with 5 rebounds. Nicholas played 16:37 minutes and had 3 points on 1-of-5 shooting (0/2 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws, 4 rebounds and 1 steal. In the loss against Brose Bamberg, it was Nicholas who started and scored 7 points on 3-of-8 shots (0/2 threes) and 1-of-1 free throw with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 30:52 minutes. Brandon went scoreless on 0-of-4 shooting (0/1 threes) but did collect 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in 23:27 minutes.
Germans Abroad
FC Bayern Munich is one victory from reaching the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four. A year after losing in Game 5 to AX Armani Exchange Milan in the Playoffs, Bayern forced a Game 5 against FC Barcelona by taking Game 4 at home 59-52 to even the series 2-2. Bayern will be playing Game 5 in Barcelona on Tuesday. Here the highlights of the Game 4 victory.
