The regular season is now done and all the decisions have been made - even the awards with Otis Livingston II of Würzburg taking home the Most Valuable Player award. On the court, the biggest showdown was between the top two teams and ALBA BERLIN shocked FC Bayern Munich in a comeback for the ages. The last team to reach the Play-Ins was Veolia Towers Hamburg while HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim have joined Tigers Tübingen in being relegated from the easyCredit BBL.
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:
Würzburg star Livingston named 2023-24 MVP, Best Offensive Player
The end of the regular season also means award season and the top honor goes to Otis Livingston II as the Würzburg Baskets star was named the 2023-24 season Most Valuable Player. Livingston found out he had won the MVP award during a video call with his father, who is a well-known sports reporter for CBS in the United States. Both were very emotional when Livingston’s father told him the news. The 27-year-old Livingston was a clear choice in the voting of team captains, team assistant coaches and media representatives, taking 52 percent of the votes. Tommy Kuhse of RASTA Vechta got the second-most votes at 25 percent and NINERS Chemnitz’s German big man Kevin Yebo received 23 percent of the votes. In the voting for Best Offensive Player, Livingston received 74 percent of the followed by Kuhse with 17 percent and Yebo with 9 percent.
State of each team going after regular season
And there you have it … the 2023-24 regular season is complete and the post-season is ready to start. The final week saw ALBA BERLIN come back and shock FC Bayern Munich, who were still able to take first place. NINERS Chemnitz and ratiopharm ulm will host their first playoff series as well while Telekom Baskets Bonn will take on MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg and EWE Baskets Oldenburg face Veolia Towers Hamburg in the Play-Ins. Joining Tigers Tübingen in being relegated to ProA are HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. Here is a look back at Rounds 33 and 34 team by team - according to the final league standings.
Bayern collapse at Berlin, sandwich two wins around loss
FC Bayern Munich picked up two victories in Rounds 33 and 34 but the final week of the Regular Season will have a bitter aftertaste after they collapsed in losing to ALBA BERLIN in a Round 10 make-up game. Bayern started the week with a tight 85-80 win at MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as Serge Ibaka paced the team with 20 points and Devin Booker added 13 points and 7 rebounds. In the big mid-week showdown against Berlin, Bayern managed just 5 points in the fourth quarter and watched Berlin finish the game on an 18-0 run over the final 6:27 minutes to lost 59-53. Danko Brankovic scored 10 points as Bayern’s only player in double figures. Bayern rebounded in fine fashion with a 101-73 home win over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES, pulling away for good in the third quarter. Andi Obst had 18 points to pace five players in double figures including Sylvain Francisco with 16 points and Isaac Bonga with 14 points and 6 rebounds. Bayern finished the regular season in first place with a 28-6 record and have home court advantage throughout the playoffs starting with the second team from the Play-Ins.
Berlin drop 18-0 run to shock Bayern, ease to two other wins
ALBA BERLIN will go into the playoffs on a high note as they pulled off a massive comeback win at home over FC Bayern Munich to go along with two comfortable victories in the final week of action. The week started with a 90-69 home win over Telekom Baskets Bonn with a 30-12 second quarter. Sterling Brown came off the bench and scored 22 points while Matt Thomas had 14 points and Martin Hermannsson chipped in 13 points and 4 assists. Berlin followed that with a great answer to their 77-53 Round 32 loss at Bayern by coming back from 12 points down in the fourth quarter and using an 18-0 run to close the game for a 59-53 home victory in a Round 10 make-up game. Berlin, who gave up just 5 points in the fourth quarter, had Sterling Brown pick up 11 points and 7 rebounds as the only player in double figures. In the regular season finale against relegation threatened HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, Berlin lost a 13-point first quarter lead and nearly blew a 13-point fourth quarter advantage but finished the game on a 17-0 run over the final 4:28 minutes in a 103-83 road win. Thomas was the top scorer with 21 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists while Justin Bean had 16 points and 13 rebounds and Hermannsson added 15 points and 8 assists. Berlin finished the regular season in second place with a 27-7 record and will face in the playoffs the winner of the 7-8 Play-Ins game.
Chemnitz go into playoffs on high note with two home wins
NINERS Chemnitz will go into the playoffs as the third seed with a 26-8 record after finishing the final week with two home victories. Chemnitz had a big second quarter run to take control and beat Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 82-68. Ousman Krubally led the way with 18 points and DeAndre Lansdowne had 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Chemnitz then sent a message to fellow playoffs side Würzburg Baskets with a 79-66 home win. Chemnitz reeled off a 18-0 run late in the second quarter and rolled to the win. Wes van Beck scored 17 points, Aher Uguak had 15 points and 5 assists and Kevin Yebo added 12 points and 6 rebounds. In the opening round of the playoffs, Chemnitz will take on RASTA Vechta.
Chemnitz playcaller Pastore named Coach of the Year
NINERS Chemnitz have been one of the top teams all season and the head coach of the FIBA Europe Cup champions Rodrigo Pastore was rewarded for his work with the Coach of the Year award. The team captains, team assistant coaches and media representatives gave the 51-year-old Argentinian playcaller 67 percent of the vote followed by Sasa Filipowksi of Würzburg Baskets with 26 percent and RASTA Vechta’s Ty Harrelson with 7 percent.
Ulm locked up final home court advantage spot with two more wins
Reigning champions ratiopharm ulm will go into the playoffs with home court advantage as they finished the regular season in fourth place and a 24-10 record thanks to two victories in the final week. Ulm pulled away late in the second quarter against EWE Baskets Oldenburg and never let them back into the game in a 91-74 home win. Justinian Jessup had 20 points and Karim Jallow and Trevion Williams both scored 12 points. In the final game against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, Ulm lost a 16-point lead but delivered in the end for a 77-72 road victory. Trevion Williams collected 14 points and 11 rebounds and LJ Figueroa added 14 points. Ulm will take on Würzburg Baskets in the first round of the playoffs.
Würzburg miss chance for home court advantage with final week split
Würzburg Baskets missed out on a chance for home court advantage in the opening round of the playoffs as they only managed a split of the final two rounds of games for a 24-10 record in fifth place. Würzburg extended their winning streak to four games with a 98-84 home win over MLP Academics Heidelberg. Otis Livingston collected 21 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists, Javon Bess had 17 points and 8 rebounds and Darius Perry added 16 points. But Würzburg could not finish the regular season with a big win as they fell 79-66 at NINERS Chemnitz with the hosts gaining control with a 18-0 second quarter run. Perry was the top scorer with 15 points while Livingston was held to 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting. Würzburg will take on ratiopharm ulm in the first round of the playoffs.
Würzburg ace Bess named Best Defensive Player
Another Würzburg Baskets player collected season hardware as Javon Bess was voted as the Best Defensive Player. He received 64 percent of the vote from team captains, team assistant coaches and media representatives, finishing ahead of Nick Weiler-Babb of FC Bayern Munich with 22 percent and Jilson Bango of Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and Serge Ibaka of Bayern who both had 14 percent of the votes.
Vechta secure direct playoffs with split in final week
Promoted side RASTA Vechta locked up a direct spot in the playoffs with a split of the final week’s action for a 21-13 record. Vechta scored just 9 points in the third quarter of a 94-65 blowout loss at Bamberg Baskets. Ryan Schwieger scored 14 points and Joel Aminu and Chip Flanagan both had 10 points while Tommy Kuhse was held to just 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Despite the loss, Vechta were secured sixth place. The final game turned into a positive blowout with a 24-10 first quarter ending in a 98-69 home win over SYNTAINICS MBC. Tanner Groves scored 20 points and Schwieger, Joschka Ferner and Wes Iwundu all had 12 points. Vechta will be taking on NINERS Chemnitz in the playoffs.
Bonn will host Play-Ins game after winning one of two games
Telekom Baskets Bonn will host the 7-8 Play-Ins game as they finished the regular season with a split of the final week of action for a 20-14 record in seventh place. Bonn were no match for ALBA BERLIN, who took the second quarter and won 90-69 in the capital. Harald Frey collected 23 points and 7 assists but they were not enough. Bonn rebounded in strong fashion with an 87-60 win at home over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg with a 49-24 second half. Christian Sengfelder had a team-high 13 points and Glynn Watson and Noah Kirkwood both scored 11 points and combined for 7 rebounds and 9 assists. Bonn and Ludwigsburg will face off again in the Play-Ins game with the winner advancing to face ALBA BERLIN in the opening round of the playoffs. The loser will have another chance to reach the playoffs with a home game against either EWE Baskets Oldenburg or Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Ludwigsburg drop two games, get rematch with Bonn in Play-Ins
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg stumbled to the finish line of the regular season in losing both games of the final week for a four-game losing streak but will have a chance for revenge straight away in the Play-Ins. Ludwigsburg held tough with FC Bayern Munich but could not pull it through with an 85-80 home loss. Jayvon Graves came off the bench for 21 points and Jeff Roberson added 18 points in the loss. The final game saw Ludwigsburg give up a 49-24 second half in an 87-60 loss at Telekom Baskets Bonn. Desure Buie scored 14 points and Silas Melson had 13 points. Ludwigsburg finished in eighth place with an 18-16 record and will travel to Bonn for the 7-8 Play-Ins game.
Oldenburg split two games, will host 9-10 Play-Ins game
EWE Baskets Oldenburg picked up a split of games in the final week of the season and finished in ninth place with an 18-6 record, meaning they will host the 9-10 Play-Ins game. Oldenburg grabbed 24 offensive rebounds but they did not help as ratiopharm ulm pulled away in the second quarter in a 91-74 road loss. Brekkott Chapman had 13 points and Len Schoormann and DeWayne Russell both scored 10 points in the loss. Oldenburg will go into the Play-Ins on a positive after beating Bamberg Baskets 107-84 at home as the hosts took the third quarter 36-20. Chapman had 25 points and 8 rebounds, Russell added 20 points and 6 assists and Chaundee Brown chipped in 17 points.
Hamburg grab two wins, secure final spot in Play-Ins
Veolia Towers Hamburg secured the final spot in the Play-Ins as they grabbed two victories in the final week of the season for a 17-17 mark in 10th place. Hamburg took the third quarter 28-16 and knocked off already-relegated Tigers Tübingen 93-78. VJ King paced the team with 19 points and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann scored 15 points. Hamburg then gave up just 8 points in the first quarter and 9 points in the third quarter in a 79-66 home win over BG Göttingen. Will Christmas poured in 18 points and Mark Hughes had 14 points. Hamburg will play EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the 9-10 Play-Ins with the winner taking on the loser of the 7-8 Play-Ins for the final spot in the playoffs.
Bamberg miss out on playoffs for second straight season
After a stretch of 21 seasons of making the playoffs, the nine-time German champions Bamberg Baskets have now missed the post-season in back-to-back seasons after failing to secure a spot in the Play-Ins with only a split of games in the final week of action for a 15-19 record. Bamberg allowed just 20 points in the second half of a 94-65 blowout of RASTA Vechta as they held Vechta star Tommy Kuhse to just 9 points on 3-of-14 shooting. Adrian Nelson scored 23 points, Trey Woodbury had 20 points and Zach Copeland collected 16 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists. Bamberg could not keep their hopes alive though as they lost 107-84 at EWE Baskets Oldenburg, dropping the third quarter 36-20. Copeland and Nelson both had 19 points in the loss.
Braunschweig drop final two games, fifth straight season without playoffs
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig were unable to use their faint chances of reaching the Play-Ins as they lost both games in the final week for a 15-19 record and now five straight seasons without reaching the playoffs. After three straight wins in front of team boss Dennis Schröder, Braunschweig had a bad second quarter and lost 82-68 at NINERS Chemnitz. Barra Nije was the team’s top scorer with 15 points and Nicholas Tischler added 14 points and 8 rebounds. In the season finale, Braunschweig fought back from 16 points down and took the lead but Ulm finished stronger in the clutch in a 77-72 home loss. Brandon Tischler led the way with 21 points and 7 rebounds and Jilson Bango had 17 points and 6 rebounds.
Wolves lock up 13th place, best finish since 2014-15
SYNTAINICS MBC split their final two games of the season and finished with an 11-23 record for 13th place - the best placing in the standings since 2014-15, when they were in 12th place. The last six years in the easyCredit BBL, the team finished either 15th or 16th. SYNTAINICS MBC gave up most of their 16-point lead on BG Göttingen but ended up winning 92-88 on the road. Johnathan Stove was the top scorer with 21 points and Charles Callison added 17 points. Predrag Krunic’s team could not finish the season with a final win as they lost the first quarter 24-10 in falling 98-69 at RASTA Vechta. Stove was again the top weapon with 25 points and Chris-Ebou Ndow added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
Göttingen drop final two games, finish in 14th place
BG Göttingen were already safe from relegation going into the final week of action and the team slumped to the finish line with two more losses for a 10-24 record in 14th place - the team’s worst result since taking 14th place in 2018-19. Göttingen came back from 16 points to make things interesting but could not finish the rally in a 92-88 loss at home to SYNTAINICS MBC. Umoja Gibson had 20 points and 9 assists and Bodie Hume picked up 18 points and 7 rebounds. In the final game of the season at Veolia Towers Hamburg, Göttingen scored only 8 points in the first quarter and 9 points in the third period in a 79-66 loss. Zach Ensminger scored 19 points and Karlin Silins added 16 points and 7 rebounds.
Rostock stave off relegation, will play a third straight season in top flight
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES had to sweat out the final week of the season to see if they could avoid relegation and despite two losses they finished with a 9-25 record and 15th place and will play a third straight season in the easyCredit BBL. Rostock scored only 5 points in the second quarter of an 85-70 loss to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim despite Derrick Alston scoring 18 points. Rostock then watched FC Bayern Munich take the fourth quarter 29-9 in losing the final game of the season 101-73 on the road. Tyler Nelson scored 20 points to lead the team.
Ingo Freyer saves third straight club from relegation, Heidelberg will stay in league
MLP Academics Heidelberg have staved off relegation and will play their fourth straight season in the easyCredit BBL as head coach Ingo Freyer saved a club from the drop for the third consecutive season as a late-season arrival. Heidelberg split the two games in the final week for a 9-25 record in 16th place. They lost 98-84 at Würzburg Baskets despite Isaiah Whaley and Abu Kigab both scoring 18 points. In the final game, Heidelberg pulled away from last-placed Tigers Tübingen in the second quarter and won 93-78 at home. Elijah Childs had a great game with 25 points and 8 rebounds and Justin Jaworski scored 22 points. Heidelberg are the third club in three years where Freyer arrived late in the season and helped avoid relegation following EWE Baskets Oldenburg and SYNTAINICS MBC.
Crailsheim relegated despite split, return to ProA after six seasons
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim failed to avoid relegation from the easyCredit BBL and will return to the ProA after six seasons in the top flight. Crailsheim postponed the inevitable with a win in Round 33 but could not get another victory and finished 17th with an 8-26 record. Crailsheim snapped a three-game losing streak by beating ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 85-70 on the road to stay alive. Keandre Cook scored 18 points off the bench and Tremmell Darden added 14 points and 7 rebounds. In the final game of the season at home against ALBA BERLIN, Crailsheim fought back from 13 points down but gave up a 17-0 run to finish game with a 103-83 loss. Cook had 25 points and 5 assists in a losing effort.
Tübingen bid farewell to easyCredit BBL unable to snap losing skid
Tigers Tübingen went into the final week of action already knowing they would be relegated, but the team was unable to end the season on a high note and end their long losing streak. Tübingen dropped their final 11 games and finished their first season back in the top flight with a 6-28 record. In the club’s final home game of the season, Tübingen’s third quarter problems continued with a 28-16 frame in losing 93-78 against Veolia Towers Hamburg despite Frank Gaines hitting 6 three-pointers for 20 points. In the final game at MLP Academics Heidelberg, Tübingen fell behind in the second quarter and never could fight back in losing 93-78. Kriss Helmanis paced the team with 16 points and 9 rebounds and Mateo Seric added 13 points.
Player(s) of the Week(s)
The final week of the Regular Season had two round of games which means two Player of the Week awards to hand out. Justinian Jessup took the honors for Round 33 as he came off the ratiopharm ulm bench and scored 20 points on 5-of-7 shots and 8-of-8 free throws to go with 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals and 1 block for an efficiency of 31 against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The top performer for Round 34 was Elijah Childs of MLP Academics Heidelberg who collected 25 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals for an efficiency of 33 against Tigers Tübingen.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Len Schoormann, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann had two solid games for Oldenburg, starting with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals against ratiopharm Ulm. The young guard was limited to 2 points against Bamberg Baskets but he had 1 rebound, 6 assists and 3 steals.
G: Zach Ensminger, BG Göttingen
Ensminger collected 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals against SYNTAINICS MBC and finished the season by scoring 19 points with 3 three-pointers, 4 rebounds and 1 assist against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
F: Brandon Tischler, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Tischler had two excellent games - though both came in losses. Against NINERS Chemnitz, he collected 11 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and he tallied 21 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the final game of the season against ratiopharm ulm.
F: Lukas Meisner, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Meisner finished the regular season with two strong performances. He scored 12 points with 3 three-pointers to go with 4 rebounds and 1 steal against Tigers Tübingen and then had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assist and 1 steal versus BG Göttingen.
C: Filip Stanic, Bamberg Baskets
Stanic finished his season with two more strong performances. He had 8 points, 15 rebounds and 3 assists against RASTA Vechta and then collected 12 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in a loss to EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Young Guns
Elias Rapieque, 20, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Rapieque scored 5 points on 1-of-1 shooting and 3-of-4 free throws to go with 1 rebound and 1 assist in 10:00 minutes against Telekom Baskets Bonn. He then had 2 points on 1-of-1 shots, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 12:02 minutes versus HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
Gian Aydinoglu, 20, PG, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Aydinoglu played 13:19 minutes against ratiopharm ulm and had 1 point on 0-of-2 shots (0/1 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws, 1 rebound and 2 assists. He played 53 seconds against NINERS Chemnitz and missed his only shot.
Kaya Bayram, 20, PG, RASTA Vechta
Bayram played in the final game of the season and made his seventh appearance in the league, picking up 3 points on 1-of-3 on three-pointers, 1 assist and 1 steal in 7:29 minutes against SYNTAINICS MBC.
YOUNG RASTA DRAGONS finally break through with first U19 NBBL title
YOUNG RASTA DRAGONS finally broke through and won their first U19 NBBL title as they blew out Baskets Juniors Oldenburg 89-54 in the Final of the RSM Ebner Stolz Jugend-TOP4 in Berlin. Joshua Bonga and Karl Bühner both scored 16 points, TOP4 MVP Jack Kayil scored 13 points with 6 rebounds and 6 assists and freshly crowned easyCredit BBL Best U22 German Player Johann Grünloh added 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. Dragons - a cooperation between RASTA Vechta and Artland Dragons - had lost to ALBA BERLIN in the last two NBBL Finals as well as the title game in 2018. Dragons defeated FC Bayern Munich 78-71 in the Semi-Finals and Oldenburg - who were making their NBBL TOP4 debut - knocked off Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg 81-74 in their Semi-Finals.
Baskets Juniors Oldenburg claim first U16 JBBL crown in first Top Four
The champions of Germany’s U16 JBBL were TOP4 debutants Baskets Juniors Oldenburg, who fended off three-time JBBL champions ALBA BERLIN 74-72. Djordje Klaric, the son of Oldenburg sports director and JBBL Rookie of the Year for the season, poured in 28 points while Yanu Slingerland flirted with a triple-double with 22 points, 18 rebounds and 8 steals. In the Semi-Finals, Oldenburg defeated Porsche BBA Ludwigsburg 82-66 - with Slingerland tallying 27 points and 12 rebounds and Klaric scoring 23 points - while Berlin prevailed against ratiopharm academia Ulm 86-83.
Germans Abroad
You don’t think there is a reason to watch the late season action in the Italian third division Serie B? Well, BPC Virtus Cassino has a German connection as Hamburg native Moreaux Melkisedek has become a walking double-double machine. The 27-year-old went to college in the United Kingdom and United States and returned to Germany in 2021 to play for Phoenix Hagen in the ProA and played in the second division for Giants Düsseldorf last season. Melkisedek is averaging 16.2 points and 7.9 rebounds for Cassino and over his last 11 games is averaging 21.4 points and 11.0 rebounds with eight double-doubles.
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