This week had two big games and they both were eye-opening as ratiopharm ulm snapped FC Bayern Basketball’s 13-game winning streak and ALBA BERLIN rallied to beat VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier. The week also saw more turmoil for SYNTAINICS MBC as the team fired head coach Marco Ramondino and replaced him in the interim with Silvano Poropat.
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:
Ulm end Bayern’s winning streak in repeat of last year’s Finals
ratiopharm ulm gained a boost of confidence in an important time of the season by knocking off FC Bayern Basketball 79-62 to snap the league leaders’ 13-game winning streak. Neither team could pull away until Ulm took control with a 19-7 fourth quarter for a 10-8 record as they face the final two weeks of the EuroCup regular season. Bayern fell to 16-2 and will look to start a new winning streak. Christopher Ludlum scored 16 points, Tobias Jensen had 15 points and Justus Simon added 13 points. Justinian Jessup was Bayern’s leading scorer with 14 points off the bench as the starters scored only 28 points.
Ulm add reinforcements in the low post with Dominican big man Soriano
ratiopharm ulm added reinforcements in the low post with the signing of Dominican Republic center Joel Soriano. The 26-year-old big man joins Ulm on a contract until the end of the season after coming from Spanish top flight side Zaragoza. Soriano is the second Dominican international to play with Ulm following LJ Figueroa.
Berlin rally from 15-point deficit, beat Trier in top showdown
ALBA BERLIN and VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier lived up to their top billing of Round 18 as Berlin fought back from 15 points down on the road to knock off Trier with a 99-92 victory. Trier led the entire first half and were up by 15 points near the end of the second quarter. Berlin fought back and tied the game after three quarters and decided the game with an 8-2 run in the final frame. Berlin have won four in a row and seven of the last eight games for a 13-5 record while Trier fell to 11-6 after having won their previous three games. Jack Kayil paced Berlin with 24 points, Justin Bean had 16 points and Martin Hermannsson picked up 15 points. Jordan Roland scored 26 points and Steven Ashworth added 14 points and 11 assists in a losing effort.
Turbulent week with Wolves sees Ramondino and Krause departures, return of Poropat
The turbulence around SYNTAINICS MBC will not die down as this week saw the club part ways with head coach Marco Ramondino as well as managing director Konstantin Krause. After losing seven straight games, Wolves replaced Ramondino in the interim with current sports director Silvano Poropat, who returns to play calling after last coaching the team in May 2021.
Clemons sparks comeback for Oldenburg over Wolves in Poropat return
Two teams going in different directions and EWE Baskets Oldenburg rallied from 18 points down to beat SYNTAINICS MBC 90-84 on the road as the hosts lost their eighth straight game despite the return of Silvano Poropat to the sidelines. Wolves led 28-15 after 10 minutes and extended the lead to 18 points midway through the second quarter before collapsing. Despite losing the third quarter 29-18, the hosts still led and they were even up 84-83 with 101 seconds to go. But Chris Clemons scored the final seven points of the game as Oldenburg have won seven of eight games for an 8-10 record and Weißenfels are 7-11. Clemons hit 7 three-pointers in scoring 28 points and Kyle Lofton added 14 points and 4 assists in the win. Jure Planinic had 19 points in the loss.
Hamburg roll on for third straight win, Chemnitz drop fifth straight
Veolia Towers Hamburg just keep rolling as they extended their winning streak to three games - five games including two straight in the BKT EuroCup - after defeating NINERS Chemnitz 86-69 at home. Chemnitz built a 10-point lead in the second quarter but were losing 40-37 at halftime. And Hamburg put together a 26-13 third quarter to grab the win and improve to 5-10. Chemnitz’s freefall continued with their fifth straight loss for a 7-11 record. Devon Daniels scored 25 points and LJ Thorpe added 13 points for the winners. Kevin Yebo had 15 points, 10 rebounds and 3 steals and Kostja Mushidid added 15 points in the loss.
Frankfurt nearly waste 27-point lead, send Vechta to fifth straight loss
SKYLINERS nearly wasted a 27-point lead but managed to hold on for a 98-95 road victory over RASTA Vechta to give the hosts a fifth straight loss. Frankfurt led 31-15 after 10 minutes and the score was 58-36 at the break. The lead grew to 27 points but a 34-17 fourth quarter got the hosts within one point with 41 seconds remaining. Will Christmas came through for the guests and threw down a dunk and added two free throws to win the game. Frankfurt won back-to-back games for a 9-9 record and Vechta fell to 6-12. Till Pape knocked down 5 three-pointers in scoring 23 points and Ryan Hawkins added 20 points. Philipp Herkenhoff knocked down 6 three-pointers in scoring 21 points.
Hot Heidelberg grab big win at Braunschweig in relegation battle
MLP Academics Heidelberg picked up a big victory in their fight against relegation by beating Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 99-94 on the road for a third straight win. Heidelberg took a 10-point lead late in the first half but found themselves down four points in the fourth quarter. Heidelberg found the answers to come back and improved to 5-13 while Braunschweig dropped to 4-14 after a sixth loss in a row. DJ Horne led Heidelberg with 28 points while Marcel Keßen had 21 points off the bench and Ryan Mikesell added 16 points, 6 rebounds and 9 assists. Grant Sherfield poured in 32 points and David NGuessan added 20 points and 11 rebounds in the defeat.
Bamberg finish sweep of struggling Würzburg
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets completed a sweep of fellow Franconia side Fitness First Würzburg Baskets with a 98-80 road victory sending the hosts to a third straight loss. After a tight first half, Bamberg took control of the game with a 29-18 third quarter for a third win in the last four games and a 10-8 record and Würzburg dropped to 11-7. Cobe Williams paced four Bamberg players in scoring figures with 20 points and Richard Balint had 17 points. Davion Mintz scored 22 points and Brae Ivey added 20 points in the loss.
Bamberg down Vechta in Round 2 make-up
BMA365 Bamberg Baskets picked up a midweek win as they try to stay in the race for the playoffs, beating RASTA Vechta 96-86 at home in a Round 2 make-up game. The game was tight until Bamberg scored seven straight points in the closing minutes to open an 11-point gap. Bamberg have won two of three games for a 9-8 record while Vechta have lost four in a row for a 6-11 mark. Isi Watson scored 28 points and Cobe Williams had 19 points in the win. Tommy Kuhse collected 24 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists in a losing effort.
Bonn stop Rostock win streak eight days after losing to Seawolves at home
Telekom Baskets Bonn didn’t have to wait long to get their revenge from losing at home to ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES as they won 88-86 on the road just eight days later. Rostock, who won 81-77 in Bonn on January 23, opened a 10-point lead in the opening frame but then watched Bonn take a 15-point cushion in the third quarter. The final stanza was close with Bonn up 87-81 with 73 seconds to play. Rostock picked up the next five points and Alijah Comithier made one of two free throws for Bonn with 15 seconds. TJ Crockett had a chance to tie the game with two free throws with 2.1 seconds to play but missed both. Bonn have won two of three games for an 11-8 record in another close game - the last five games have been decided by five points or fewer. Rostock fell to 9-8 in snapping a four-game winning streak. Tylan Birte paced Bonn with 16 points and Alijah Comithier and Jeff Garrett both had 13 points. D’Shawn Schwartz scored 22 points in the loss.
Rostock extend with head coach Frasunkiewicz until 2028
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES gave their head coach Przemyslaw Frasunkiewicz a vote of confidence by extending their expiring contract with the Polish playcaller until 2028. The 47-year-old arrived in Rostock in 2024.
13-0 close gives Ludwigsburg win in Jena
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg closed the game on a 13-0 run to grab an 84-75 road victory over Science City Jena. The game was close and Jena were ahead 75-71 with 4:37 minutes to go in the game. But the hosts did not score the rest of the game and Ludwigsburg reeled off the final 13 points - Stef Smith scoring 7 of those points. Ludwigsburg have won four of their last five games for a 10-7 record and Jena had won two straight but dropped to 7-10. Smith finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists in the win and Yorman Polas Bartolo chipped in 13 points. Keith Braxton had 21 points in the loss.
Player of the Week
The top honors this week goes to David NGuessan of Basketball Löwen Braunschweig, who had an efficiency of 30 in a loss to MLP Academics Heidelberg. The center scored 20 points on 5 of 7 shooting and 10 of 11 free throws to go along with 11 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Jack Kayil, ALBA BERLIN
Kayil had a big game in Berlin’s comeback against VET-CONCEPT Gladiators Trier with 24 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal.
F: Christian Sengfelder, ratiopharm ulm
Sengfelder had a major part in Ulm’s win over FC Bayern Basketball with 13 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist.
F: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo produced 15 points, 10 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 steals and 2 blocks but they were not enough in a loss to Veolia Towers Hamburg.
F: Till Pape, SKYLINERS
Pape had a big game in Frankfurt’s win over RASTA Vechta with 23 points with 5 three-pointers, 2 assists and 1 steal.
C: Tibor Pleiß, RASTA Vechta
Pleiß and Vechta lost two games this week but the big man was outstanding both times. He had 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal against his former team BMA365 Bamberg Baskets. Pleiß then collected 16 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block versus SKYLINERS.
Young Guns
Alec Anigbata, 21, SF, ratiopharm ulm
Anigbata helped Ulm beat his former club FC Bayern Basketball as he started and played 26:00 minutes, registering 7 points on 3 of 4 shots (1/2 threes) and 2 assists.
Julis Baumer, 19, PG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Baumer played 21:50 minutes against Science City Jena and collected 8 points on 3 of 3 shooting (2/2 threes), 1 assist and 2 steals
Adrian Petkovic, 21, PG, BMA365 Bamberg Baskets
Petkovic played 6:32 minutes and had 2 points 1 of 4 shooting (0/3 threes), 1 assist and 1 steal against RASTA Vechta. He then missed his only shot in 2:06 minutes against Fitness First Würzburg Baskets.
Germans Abroad
Ben Defty has excelled all season with Boston University as the Berlin big man is averaging 14.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.6 blocks. Defty, who played for TuS Lichterfelde, Berlin Braves Baskets and TKS 49ers Eintracht Stahnsdorf, has collected six double-doubles most recently tallying 10 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks against Bucknell. This is the 20-year-old 7 footer’s second season with Boston.
