The 2024-25 easyCredit BBL season is about to tip off and here is a special preview, breaking down the numerous returns to the Bundesliga as well as the total of eight new head coaches. Many of the big names from last season stayed in Germany though they moved to new clubs. And the league once again promises big things from talented youngsters - both Germans and top notch prospects from across Europe.
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:
Welcome back to the easyCredit BBL
This season sees a number of returns to the easyCredit BBL - both with play-ers and coaches. Gordon Herbert (aka Golden Herbert, as we call him in Germany), John Patrick and Martin Schiller all come back to German club basketball - more on them later. Speaking of coaches returning, Bamberg Baskets welcomed back a familiar face with Anton Gavel leaving ratiopharm ulm to take over in Freak City, where he won four league crowns and three cups as a player. SKYLINERS’ promotion not only brings the former league champs back to the easyCredit BBL but head coach Denis Wucherer is also back in the league, having last coached in the German top flight in 2023 with Würzburg Baskets.
From a player’s standpoint, Johannes Voigtmann and Oscar Da Silva come back to their homeland with FC Bayern Munich after eight and two years away, respectively. Gavin Schilling and Arnas Velicka both make their return to Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and Justin Simon heads back to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. Australian guard Will McDowell White is back in Germany with ALBA BERLIN, while German 2006-born playmaker Roy Krupnikas joins RASTA Vechta after one season in France. And Garai Zeeb is another returnee - going from PS Karlsruhe back to Frankfurt, where he played from 2015 to 2019. Also coming back to the league are Vechta’s Justin Robinson (formerly with Bamberg), ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES’ Aigars Skele (ex-Würzburg) and Veolia Towers Hamburg forward Jordan Barnett (formerly with Vechta and Giessen).
Big names stay in Germany, but move elsewhere
The easyCredit BBL over the past few years has seen a number of their biggest stars leave the league for other countries. This past off-season has seen some exit Germany but some top names did stay in the country, just moving to different addresses. Kevin Yebo and Trevion Williams were two of the league’s greatest players last season and they remained in the country, going from NINERS Chemnitz to FC Bayern Munich and from ratiopharm ulm to ALBA BERLIN, respectively. The league’s leading scorer Jhivvan Jackson moved from Tigers Tübingen to Würzburg Baskets; Nelson Weidemann left Bayern for Ulm; Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann headed to MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg from Veolia Towers Hamburg, from where Will Christmas left and landed at Chemnitz. In addition, Mateo Seric will be playing for MLP Academics Heidelberg, who lost Justin Jaworski, one of the main leaders for EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
New man in charge
Don’t be surprised if you watch a game early this season and wonder who the coach is on the sidelines. A total of eight clubs swapped head coaches this off-season. Reigning champs FC Bayern Munich brought in successful German national team playcaller Gordie Herbert, ratiopharm ulm signed Ty Harrelson, who came from RASTA Vechta after Anton Gavel went to Bamberg Baskets. And Martin Schiller took the reins in Vechta. MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg saw the return of John Patrick, SYNTAINICS MBC hired Latvian Janis Gailitis, ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES decided on Polish coach Przemyslaw Frasunkiewicz and Finnish head coach Danny Jansson went from relegated Tübingen Tigers to MLP Academics Heidelberg.
Hometown heroes
Fans of many of the easyCredit BBL teams will have a real hometown hero to cheer on as nine clubs feature players born in their city. ALBA BERLIN have the quartet of 2022-23 Best German U22 player Malte Delow, Tim Schneider, Jonas Mattisseck and Elias Rapieque; Baskets Bamberg have the legendary Karsten Tadda; Paul Zipser and Niklas Würzner both call MLP Academics Heidelberg their hometown club; and FC Bayern Munich star Oscar Da Silva was born in the southern German metropolis. In addition, NINERS Chemnitz have Jonas Richter, RASTA Vechta have Luc van Slooten Vechta and there are Würzburg Baskets’ Julius Böhmer and BG Göttingen’s Janis Jünemann. In addition, ratiopharm ulm’s Nico Bretzel was born in Ulm and grew up in nearby Oberfahlheim.
Youngsters on the move
Some of the off-season moves also made headlines because they were signings of young German talents. The 2020-21 NBBL MVP Benny Schröder is back in Germany as the 21-year-old signed a three-year deal with Basketball Löwen Braunschweig after two years in colleges in the United States. Speaking of Braunschweig, Martin Kalu arrived in Dennis Schröder’s team on loan from FC Bayern Munich hoping to make a step forward in his development. The 22-year-old Elias Baggette went from HAKRO Merlins Crailshiem to ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. RASTA Vechta are a top address for young talents as well and 20-year-old Justin Onyejiaka penned a three-year contract with Vechta, returning to the club after two years with SKYLINERS. Vechta also saw 19-year-old Linus Ruf join the club, coming over from ALBA BERLIN.
Germany still attracting young talent
And the German league continues to attract top youngsters from across the continent. ratiopharm ulm will hand the keys to 18-year-old Israeli point guard Ben Saraf and the club also signed talented Danish forward Frederik Erichsen. Basketball Löwen Braunschweig brought in 22-year-old Slovenian prospect Luka Scuka, who had been playing at Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana while Veolia Towers Hamburg added on loan Hungarian talent Zsombor Maronka.
Heidelberg becoming Tigers 2.0?
Don’t be surprised if Tigers Tübingen fans throw their support this season behind MLP Academics Heidelberg after their own club was relegated after one season back in the easyCredit BBL. You see, much of the Tübingen team have reunited in Heidelberg. Head coach Danny Jansson left Tigers and signed with Academics and brought with him assistant coach Carlo Finetti. Mateo Seric and Erol Ersek both played the last three seasons for Jansson in Tübinen and are now in Heidelberg while Bakary Dibba played two campaigns in Tübingen and now calls Heidelberg home and Ryan Mikesell was with Tübingen for one-plus season.
Twins separated for first time in basketball
December 15, 2024 will be a special day in the Tischler basketball family as MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg host NINERS Chemnitz. That game will feature Nicholas Tischler of Chemnitz versus his twin brother Brandon Tischler of Ludwigsburg. The brothers have played together since 2017 at Baunach and Braunschweig but went separate ways this off-season.
New look, new name
Every season there is a change or two in the names or looks of the clubs and this one is no exception. Telekom Baskets Bonn have a new logo while Frankfurt’s team will be known simply as SKYLINERS for the first time since the 1999-2000 season, and then there is FIT/One Würzburg Baskets.
Germany playing in Europe
A total of 10 Bundesliga clubs are playing in pan-European competitions this season. FC Bayern Munich and ALBA BERLIN are in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague; ratiopharm ulm and Veolia Towers Hamburg will compete in the BKT EuroCup; Telekom Baskets Bonn, FIT/One Würzburg Baskets, RASTA Vechta and NINERS Chemnitz are all in the Basketball Champions League; and Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg both will be playing in the FIBA Europe Cup.
722 games for Germany
The 30 German internationals playing in the easyCredit BBL have collected a combined 722 appearances for Deutschland. The current leader among those players is world champion Johannes Voigtmann with 119 while his FC Bayern Munich teammate Niels Giffey is right behind him at 118. Bayern’s German core have an impressive 387 total caps for the country: Andi Obst (77), Elias Harris (36), Nick Weiler-Babb (22) and Oscar Da Silva (15). The rest of the German internationals in the league total 335 combined appearances.
Men’s and women’s in first division
Three easyCredit BBL clubs - ALBA BERLIN, BG Göttingen and SYNTAINICS MBC - have teams that are playing in Germany’s first division in men’s basketball as well as women’s basketball.
Rostock lose in German Cup first round to Crailsheim, seven Bundesliga teams advance
The First round of the BBL Cup took place with HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim the only ProA team to reach the Round of 16 of the competition as they beat ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 79-77. Crailsheim, who were relegated from the easyCredit BBL last season, were joined by seven Bundesliga teams to advance to the final 16 of the competition where they will next face ALBA BERLIN. MLP Academics Heidelberg were the only team to beat a fellow Bundesliga team, knocking off Veolia Towers Hamburg 96-89. BG Göttingen defeated Phoenix Hagen 83-80 and SKYLINERS fought off VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Triers 71-68 as the closest games in the first round. The Round of 16 games will be played on October 12 and 13.
More German national team success
German basketball had another great summer on the international stage. One year after winning the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023, Germany reached the Semi-Finals of the 2024 Olympics while the women reached the Quarter-Finals in their first ever Olympics. Germany took bronze in the Paralympics in men’s wheelchair basketball and the women won Olympic gold in 3x3 basketball. In addition, Germany’s men were crowned 3x3 U23 world champions. Germany also claimed their first-ever title at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024.
