Hopefully everyone who celebrated Christmas had a pleasant holiday. The easyCredit BBL certainly had plenty of presents in the two rounds of action, topped by Würzburg Baskets twice rallying from double-digit deficits in the fourth quarter for two wins. NINERS Chemnitz meanwhile just keep rolling with their winning streak now at 12 games. And ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES surprised Telekom Baskets Bonn.
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:
Comeback kids: Würzburg twice rally from double-digit deficits in 4th
Würzburg Baskets are the second-hottest team in the league - behind leaders NINERS Chemnitz - with a five-game winning streak after twice rallying from double-digit fourth quarter deficits for two victories. Sasa Filipovski’s team trailed by 10 points to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim in the final frame but raced back for a 98-96 road victory. Isaiah Washington scored 21 points and Otis Livingston picked up 20 points and 6 rebounds against Crailsheim. Würzburg then lost a 14-point first quarter lead at Bamberg Baskets and trailed by 11 points with 7:30 minutes to play before going on a 19-0 run and grab an 83-78 victory. Livingston had 24 points and 6 assists, Collin Welp scored 15 points and Washington added 14 points and 7 rebounds. Würzburg have jumped to fifth place with the second-longest current win streak in the league.
Chemnitz win streak reaches 12 games
NINERS Chemnitz just cannot be stopped as they grabbed two more victories to extend their winning streak to 12 games. Chemnitz first survived a thriller 81-80 at RASTA Vechta thanks to Wes van Beck’s three-pointer with 6 seconds left. DeAndre Lansdowne led the way with 22 points and Kevin Yebo had 17 points and 6 rebounds. Things were less dramatic for Chemnitz’s 12 straight win as Yebo had 20 points and 8 rebounds and Jeff Garrett picked up 16 points and 11 rebounds in a 95-67 blowout of HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim for a 12-1 record.
Rostock surprise Bonn for third straight win, move into play-in ranks
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES moved into the play-in ranks of the standings as they surprised Telekom Baskets Bonn 98-92 for their third straight win. Derrick Alston scored 22 points and Wes Clark added 13 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists off the bench in helping Rostock move to 6-6.
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Göttingen win first road game - in another overtime
BG Göttingen hope to finally be finding their form as they beat MLP Academics Heidelberg 113-109 in overtime for their first road victory and their second win in three games. The win, which was especially important since Heidelberg are also at the lower end of the standings, was also another overtime game for Göttingen, who have played three double overtime games this season including in the BBL German Cup. Bodie Hume paced Göttingen with 24 points and 9 rebounds, Umoja Gibson had 21 points and 9 assists and Karlins Silins added 16 points and 13 rebounds in helping the team move to 3-8.
Braunschweig rally to beat Ludwigsburg on Rorie game-winner
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig fought back from 13 points down to knock off MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 83-82 thanks to Ahmaad Rorie’s game-winner. Rorie hit a layup with 0.8 seconds left and finished with 18 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists in helping Braunschweig win their second game in the last three for a 5-8 record. TJ Crockett scored 13 points and Jilson Bango added 8 points, 10 rebounds and 2 blocks.
Ulm rebound from Bayern loss with home win over Heidelberg
Reigning champions ratiopharm ulm only had one league game over the Christmas holidays - they also played in the EuroCup on December 26 - and Trevion Williams collected 18 points and 8 rebounds and Thomas Klepeisz had 10 points and 10 assists to guide the team to a 98-89 win over MLP Academics Heidelberg. Despite a stretch of two losses in three games, Ulm remain in second place behind NINERS Chemnitz with a 9-3 record after rebounding from their league loss to FC Bayern Munich.
Vechta can’t knock off Chemnitz, roll past Wolves
RASTA Vechta narrowly missed out knocking off NINERS Chemnitz but did grab at least one victory by rolling past SYNTAINICS MBC to keep pace with teams fighting for an automatic spot in the playoffs. Vechta went back and forth at home with Chemnitz with 14 lead changes and 13 ties before Wes van Beck’s three-pointer with 6 seconds left resulted in an 81-80 loss for Vechta. Tommy Kuhse scored 22 points and Wes Iwundu added 16 points. Vechta responded with a dominant 100-74 win at SYNTAINICS MBC with Kuhse leading the way with 22 points and 11 assists and Xeyrius Williams chipped in 16 points and 6 rebounds. Vechta improved to 8-5 with a 3-3 mark on the road.
Bonn struggles continue, only get split against northern German teams
Telekom Baskets Bonn continued their struggles in the league as they only managed a split against two northern German teams. Bonn snapped a three-game losing streak by beating Veolia Towers Hamburg at home 108-94 - thanks to Glynn Watson and Brian Fobbs combining for 36 points, 8 rebounds, 14 assists and 3 steals. Bonn dropped their next game as they lost 98-92 at ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES to fall to 8-6 in the standings. Watson had 22 points and 6 assists and Sam Griesel scored a career high 17 points in the loss.
Bayern take care of Tübingen early for fourth straight win
FC Bayern Munich took care of business early and rolled to a comfortable 96-74 victor over Tigers Tübingen in their one game to extend their winning streak to four games. Sylvain Francisco led the way with 20 points and Vladimir Lucic picked up 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists as Bayern moved to 8-3 in third place.
Graves helps Ludwigsburg to split, stay among direct playoff spots
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained among the top six teams in the league as they split two games - losing at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and then winning at home over EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Jayvon Graves had 22 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists but the rest of the starters combined for only 26 points in an 83-82 loss at Braunschweig - losing on a layup with 0.8 seconds left. Graves then poured in 27 points with 4 assists and got enough help otherwise in a 104-80 home win over Oldenburg for a 8-5 record.
Oldenburg snap 5-game losing skid, then lose at Ludwigsburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg managed just one victory in the two games over the holidays but at least the team snapped a five-game losing streak. DeWayne Russell collected 19 points and 9 assists and Kenneth Ogbe had 16 points and 6 rebounds in an 89-71 win at SYNTAINICS MBC for Oldenburg’s first win since November 4. Pedro Calles’ team couldn’t grab a second straight win as they fell 104-80 at MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg for a 6-7 record. Chaudee Brown led Oldenburg with 17 points off the bench.
Oldenburg to miss guards DiLeo and Manning after surgeries
EWE Baskets Oldenburg will have to make due without two of their guards for some time as both Max DiLeo and Charles Manning require surgeries. DiLeo will soon undergo a hip operation and miss a number of weeks, and Manning is expected to miss months after a foot operation.
Tübingen win second straight home game, then blown out by Bayern
Tigers Tübingen had a mixed bag of results in two home games, first beating Bamberg Baskets for their second straight home victory and then being blown out by FC Bayern Munich. Tübingen gave up a 13-point fourth quarter lead but managed to knock off Bamberg 99-92. Jimmy Boeheim scored 18 points, Mateo Seric had 17 points and Jhivvan Jackson contributed 15 points and 7 assists. Tübingen had no chance against Bayern, falling behind by 15 points after 10 minutes and losing 96-74 to drop to 4-9. Seric scored 12 points to lead the way.
Tübingen extend with Coach Jansson until 2025
Tigers Tübingen gave their head coach Daniel Jansson a vote of confidence and extended his contract one year until 2025. The 44-year-old Finn has coached Tübingen since 2020 and helped the club reach the first division last season. His contract is valid next season for both the easyCredit BBL and the second division ProA.
Hamburg can’t keep up with Bonn, see strong run end
Veolia Towers Hamburg were unable to keep up with Telekom Baskets Bonn and ended up losing 108-94 on the road to see their strong run of results come to an end. Hamburg had won six of their last seven games but 45 combined points from VJ King and Will Christmas were not enough to win. The loss drops Hamburg’s record to 7-5.
Crailsheim can’t hold lead in loss to Würzburg, rolled by Chemnitz
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim missed a golden chance for a victory but could not hold a late lead at home against Würzburg Baskets and ended up losing their second game of the holiday week. Crailsheim came back from 12 points down in the first quarter and led by 10 points in the fourth quarter but lost at home 98-96 to Würzburg. Keandre Cook scored 22 points and Brandon Childress added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Crailsheim did not really challenge NINERS Chemnitz in the next game, losing 95-67 for a third straight loss and a 2-11 record. Cook had 16 points in the loss.
Bamberg positive roll ends, drop two games
Bamberg Baskets saw their positive roll end as they lost both games after having won four of the last five games. Bamberg wasted a 30-point effort from Zach Copeland in a 99-92 loss at Tigers Tübingen. In Bamberg’s second game, they rallied from 14 points down and led by 11 points in the fourth quarter but lost 83-78 at home to Würzburg Baskets. Trey Woodbury was top scorer with 15 points off the bench as Bamberg dropped to 5-8.
Heidelberg drop two more games, losing skid at 5 games
MLP Academics Heidelberg just cannot get a victory with two more defeats in watching their losing streak extend to five games. Heidelberg fell apart in the second half against ratiopharm ulm and lost 98-89 on the road despite Vincent Kesteloot scoring 22 points. Joonas Iisalo’s team then failed to hold a 12-point third quarter lead and ended up losing 113-109 in overtime at home to BG Göttingen for a 2-11 record - including 0-7 at home. Josh Gray tallied 22 points, 6 rebounds and 12 assists and both Isaiah Whaley and Kesteloot had 19 points.
Wolves blown out twice at home
SYNTAINICS MBC lost ground in the race for the play-in spots with two blow out home losses. Stephon Jelks scored 19 points and Chris-Ebou Ndow added 15 points in an 89-71 loss against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Diante Baldwin picked up 18 points in SYNTAINICS MBC’s 100-74 defeat against RASTA Vechta, which dropped the club’s record to 4-9.
No games for Berlin
The only team to not play in the league over the Christmas holiday was ALBA BERLIN, who last played on December 17 and will next face a major showdown on December 31 at home against NINERS Chemnitz.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
The two rounds of games meant two Players of the Week to hand out. For Round 12 the winner was Glynn Watson as the point guard dominated for Telekom Baskets Bonn against Veolia Towers Hamburg. He scored 29 points on 10-of-18 shots and 4-of-4 free throws to go with 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 32. Tommy Kuhse of RASTA Vechta took the honors for Round 13 with an efficiency of 37 against SYNTAINICS MBC. He collected 22 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 4-of-5 free throws, 5 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals.
German Top Five of the Week
F: Kenneth Ogbe, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Ogbe had a strong week as he collected 16 points with 3 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 2 steals against SYNTAINICS MBC and then tallied 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals versus MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
F: Paul Zipser, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Zipser had two of his best games of the season - albeit in two losses. He collected 11 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals against ratiopharm ulm and then had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 1 block versus BG Göttingen. Zipser had scored 9 points total in his pervious five games.
F: Collin Welp, Würzburg Baskets
Welp put together the best week of his young career as he first scored a career high in points and then matched it the next game. Welp scored 15 points with 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 1 block against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and then tallied 15 points and 2 rebounds versus Bamberg Baskets. Welp has scored 41 points in his last three games.
F: Mateo Seric, Tigers Tübingen
Seric scored 17 points with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals against Bamberg Baskets and followed that with a team-high 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block versus FC Bayern Munich.
C: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo returns to the Top Five again with another strong week. The big man produced 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal versus RASTA Vechta and then collected 20 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assists in a win over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
Young Guns
Leo Schoormann, 21, SG, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann continues to produce in the absence of Oldenburg’s guards and the 21-year-old had two solid performances. Against SYNTAINICS MBC, he had 8 points on 2-of-7 shooting (2/5 threes) and 2-of-2 free throws, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 21:47 minutes. Schoormann then scored 8 points on 2-of-8 shots (2/5 threes) and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 3 rebounds and 2 assists against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Johann Grühloh, 18, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünloh came off the bench against NINERS Chemnitz and contributed 10 points on perfect 3-of-3 shots and 4-of-4 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 3 blocks in 23:24 minutes. Grünloh was back in the starting lineup against SYNTAINICS MBC and he had 9 points on 4-of-5 shots and 1-of-2 free throws, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 3 blocks.
Elias Baggette, 21, PG, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Baggette had two strong performances in two losses. He scored 13 points on 5-of-9 shots (1/1 threes) and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 1 rebound and 2 assists in 21:02 minutes against Würzburg Baskets. Against the league leaders NINERS Chemnitz, the 21-year-old playmaker collected 4 points on 1-of-6 shots (1/2 threes) and 1-of-4 free throws, career highs of 6 rebounds and 9 assists along with 1 steal in 23:29 minutes.
Bayern to host German BBL Cup TOP FOUR on February 17-18
FC Bayern Munich was named as the host club for the TOP FOUR of the German BBL Cup on February 17-18, 2024. The reigning cup champions Bayern, who hosted the TOP FOUR in 2021, will take on Bamberg Baskets in the first game followed by ALBA BERLIN versus ratiopharm ulm. The title game will be on February 18.
Germans Abroad
Caisin Radii spent the last two seasons trying to make a breakthrough at SYNTAINICS MBC and now the 22-year-old shooting guard is playing in Austria in the first division for BC Raiffeisen Flyers Wels. The former Vechta, Ludwigsburg and Crailsheim prospect has scored 15 points in each of the last two games, playing at least 30 minutes in each of them while also combining for 16 rebounds, 2 assists and 5 steals while shooting 2-of-7 from long range. For the season, Radii is averaging 10.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.5 steals and shooting 27.5 percent from long range.
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