Don’t look now but VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier are leading the standings in the easyCredit BBL as the promoted side’s magical start to the season continued with another win. Veolia Towers Hamburg are at the other end of the spectrum with now 13 straight losses to start the season. And Alijah Comithier hit a last-second game-winner for 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 (Taking The Charge) brings you up-to-date in German basketball – the easyCredit BBL short and sweet:
Trier lead standings despite losing 15-point lead, 28 turnovers at Heidelberg
VET CONCEPTS Gladiators Trier grabbed the top spot in the league after an 80-76 victory at MLP Academics Heidelberg in a game in which they wasted a 15-point lead and committed 28 turnovers. Trier dominated the first quarter and the lead extended to 15 points early in the second period. The guests remained in front until Heidelberg briefly took the lead with 6 minutes to go. But Trier scored nine straight points and grabbed the win for a 6-1 record with Heidelberg falling to 1-6. Jordan Roland paced Trier with 20 points while Urald King and Marten Linßen both added 10 points. Michael Weathers had 20 points in the loss.
Reed released from Hamburg, signs with Heidelberg
Eric Reed was released by Veolia Towers Hamburg but immediately found a new club in the Bundesliga, signing on with MLP Academics Heidelberg. Reed originally joined Hamburg in the off-season from Belgian club Kortrijk Spurs but was then let go after 11 games. Heidelberg needed a replacement at guard after Michael Flowers left the club for Lithuania.
Braunschweig win cellar-dweller showdown, Hamburg still winless
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig prevailed in the cellar-dweller showdown with Veolia Towers Hamburg with an 85-73 win at home as the guests are still looking for their first victory of the season. Hamburg fought back from a double-digit deficit and were only down two early in the third quarter but Braunschweig went on a 10-0 run to decide the game. Braunschweig improved to 2-5 while Hamburg dropped to 0-6 in the league and 0-13 overall. Grant Sherfield had 16 points and David N’Guessan added 15 points and 9 rebounds. LJ Thorpe’s 19 points and 6 assists were not enough in the loss.
Comithier’s game-winner gives Bonn home win, keeps Ulm slumping
Telekom Baskets Bonn secured a tight 81-79 home victory over slumping ratiopharm ulm thanks to Alijah Comithier’s last second game-winner. Ulm built an 11-point lead in the first quarter but were down in the second quarter and trailed by nine points early in the second half. The game was close the rest of the way until Comithier’s heroic floater with 0.3 seconds to go. Bonn improved to 4-3 while Ulm continue a free-fall with a 3-4 record including four straight defeats. Tylan Birts scored 20 points and Grayson Murphy collected 13 points and 11 assists. Christian Sengfelder top-scored for Ulm with 15 points.
Berlin’s sixth straight win topple Wolves from first place
ALBA BERLIN continued their strong run of play as they took down previously standings leaders SYNTAINICS MBC 88-80 at home for their sixth consecutive win in all competitions. Berlin trailed most of the first half but took control of game with a 24-15 third quarter and moved to 4-2 with Wolves losing a second straight game for a 5-2 mark. Martin Hermannsson, who hit two big three-pointers in crunch time, scored 19 points with 10 assists and Jack Kayil and Justin Bean both had 16 points in the win. Khyri Thomas poured in 16 points and Jure Planinic picked up 10 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.
Berlin add O’Connell to replace Ellis
ALBA BERLIN have filled in the departure of Boogie Ellis by signing Alex O’Connell until the end of the season. O’Connell had most recently played in the NBA G-League for the Westchester Knicks. This is the 26-year-old’s second stint in Europe as he played with Umana Reyer Venice in 2023-24. Ellis left Berlin after just six games to join EuroLeague side Dubai.
Jena win first-ever Bundesliga showdown with fellow former East German side Chemnitz
History was made in Jena as Science City Jena grabbed an 85-72 home victory over NINERS Chemnitz in the first-ever Bundesliga showdown against the fellow former East German foe. Chemnitz stormed away to a 18-point lead in the first quarter but the guests were already behind early in the second half. Chemnitz did have a four-point lead with under 6 minutes to play only to see Jena reel off a 9-1 surge to win going away. Jena jumped to a 3-3 record and Chemnitz fell to 4-3. Eric Washington paced five Jena players in double figures with 14 points and 9 assists and Tavian Dunn-Martin added 13 points. Amadou Sow totaled 16 points and 12 rebounds and Ty Brewer had 15 points in the loss.
Frankfurt beat Bamberg, remain perfect on road
SKYLINERS remained the only undefeated team on the road in the Bundesliga as they beat BMA365 Bamberg Baskets 80-77. Frankfurt built an 18-point lead in the second quarter but found themselves down early in the second half. Once the guests reclaimed the lead they never gave it up the rest of the way. Frankfurt have won two in a row for a 4-3 record, including a 4-0 mark at home. Bamberg had their three-game winning streak - including the German Cup - snapped to drop to 3-3. Jaedon Le Dee dominated the game with 20 points and 21 rebounds and Isaiah Swope had 12 points and 6 assists. Cobe Williams (26 points) and Ibi Watson (25 points) combined for 51 points.
Ludwigsburg win slugfest with Oldenburg at home
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg prevailed in a defensive slugfest with EWE Baskets Oldenburg by winning 65-59 at home. Oldenburg jumped ahead by nine points in the first quarter and the rest of the game was close until Elijah Hughes’ three-pointer opened a nine-point gap with 53 seconds left for a nine-point advantage. Ludwigsburg have won three in a row for a 4-2 record while Oldenburg have yet to win on the road with a 1-6 record. Traveon Buchanan scored 15 points for Ludwigsburg and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann had 8 points and 10 rebounds. Chris Clemons had 11 points in the loss.
Bayern get revenge on Vechta on road
FC Bayern Munich exacted some revenge on RASTA Vechta with a 77-74 road victory over the team that defeated them twice in the league last season. Vechta fell behind by 10 points in the opening minutes but built a 13-point lead midway through the third quarter. Bayern raced back into the game and led by seven points with 9 minutes to go. And Kamar Baldwin’s floater with 10 seconds to go was the dagger. Bayern have won two straight for a 5-1 mark and Vechta are 2-4 after three consecutive losses. Justinian Jessup and Baldwin both scored 15 points and Oscar da Silva added 13 points for the winners. Alonzo Verge scored 22 points in the loss.
Rostock hand Würzburg first home loss
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES picked up back-to-back wins after beating Fitness First Würzburg Baskets 75-63 on the road, handing Würzburg their first home loss of the season. The game was close late in the first half until the guests raced away with a 13-2 run spanning the halftime. Rostock pushed their record to 3-3 and Würzburg fell to 5-2. Lukasz Kolenda paced Rostock with 17 points and Kassim Nicholson had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Marcus Carr scored 17 points in a losing effort.
Rostock’s Owen Klassen gets German passport
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES got some good news personnel-wise when veteran big man Owen Klassen received a German passport. The 34-year-old Canadian was naturalized along with his daughter Mathilda. Klassen has lived nearly 10 years in Germany, playing nine seasons in the easyCredit BBL. His daughter was born in Braunschweig. His wife Page is in the process of getting the German passport as well.
Player of the Week
The top performance this week goes to Jaedon Le Dee of SKYLINERS as his efficiency of 28 came in the win over BMA365 Bamberg Baskets for the Player of the Week honor. The center scored 20 points on 9 of 19 shots and 2 of 5 free throws while grabbing 21 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Jack Kayil, ALBA BERLIN
Kayil collected 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal against SYNTAINICS MBC.
G: Radii Caisin, SKYLINERS
Caisin played a big role in Frankfurt’s win over BMA365 Bamberg Baskets with 10 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals.
F: Oscar da Silva, FC Bayern Munich
Da Silva collected 13 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in Bayern’s win over RASTA Vechta.
C: Marten Linßen, VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier
Linßen tallied 10 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in the win over MLP Academics Heidelberg.
C: Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
WoBo had 8 points, 10 rebounds and 1 assist in the team’s win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Young Guns
Christian Skladanowski, 20, SF, Fitness First Würzburg Baskets
Skladanowski started against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES and played 21:48 minutes, collecting 4 points on 1 of 3 shots (0/1 threes) and 2 of 2 free throws, 5 rebounds and 1 assist.
Teo Milicic, 17, PG, ratiopharm ulm
Milicic has already become a part of the rotation as the 17-year-old guard played 6:34 minutes against Telekom Baskets Bonn and scored 4 points on 2 of 2 shooting to go with 1 rebound.
Nikola Tomic, 20, SG, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Tomic appeared in his second league game, playing 1:37 minutes but did not collect any stats against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Germans Abroad
Christian Anderson had a monster opening game of the college season with Texas Tech University with 34 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 4 steals against Lindenwood.
