– David Hein
RASTA Vechta picked up a strong road victory by winning at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig while ALBA BERLIN won a big away game as well at GIESSEN 46ers. Kassius Robertson meanwhile went off for an easyCredit BBL season-high 39 points for medi bayreuth. And in Germany national team news, Henrik Rödl’s team was drawn into a winnable group for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019.
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:
Vechta grab strong road win at Braunschweig
RASTA Vechta came up with another impressive victory as they went on the road to beat Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 88-85. Vechta never trailed in the game and led by as many as 11 points with five players scoring in double figures. Tyrone Nash split two free throws with 12 seconds left but DeAndre Lansdowne could not hit the potential game-tying three-pointer. Seth Hinrichs picked up 15 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Josh Young scored 15 points and TJ Bray collected 13 points, 4 rebounds and 10 assists in Vechta’s third straight win to move to 18-6 in third place. Scott Eatherton tallied 23 points and 9 rebounds, Brayon Blake scored 21 points and Lansdowne had 19 points and 8 rebounds for Braunschweig, who had assistant Steven Clauss on the sidelines as head coach Frank Menz missed the game for health reasons. Braunschweig have lost two in a row and now have a 12-12 record.
Berlin nearly give up big lead, win at Giessen
ALBA BERLIN nearly gave up a big fourth quarter lead but held on for an important 101-96 road victory over GIESSEN 46ers. Berlin never trailed and were up by 20 points in the fourth quarter before Giessen’s youngsters got the game to within five points. Derrick Walton Jr. had 17 points, 3 rebounds and 7 assists and Peyton Siva added 15 points and 3 assists in Berlin’s fifth win in the last six games to move to 16-5. John Bryant picked up 22 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists, David Bell scored 17 points and Jared Jordan chipped in 8 points and 12 assists in the loss, which was Giessen’s third straight and has them at 11-13 in 12th place.
Oldenburg dominate Ludwigsburg at home for sixth straight win
EWE Baskets Oldenburg dominated MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 100-71 at home for their sixth straight victory. Oldenburg led 33-18 after 10 minutes and the score was 63-35 at the break. Five Oldenburg players scored in double figures with Philipp Schwethelm picking up 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists, Nathan Boothe hitting for 15 points, Will Cummings adding 14 points and 7 assists and Rasid Mahalbasic chipping in 12 points, 8 rebounds and 2 blocks. Oldenburg moved to 19-4 in second place. Ludwigsburg hit just 35 percent from the field and Konsti Klein led the way with 13 points as they lost their second straight and third in four games to fall to 11-12.
Bayern rebound from Vechta loss in style against MBC
FC Bayern Munich rebounded from their loss to RASTA Vechta in strong fashion with a 92-67 victory at home over Mitteldeutscher BC. Bayern took over in the second quarter and never looked back with six players tallying double figures. Devin Booker played for the first time in the easyCredit BBL since November 25 and collected 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting and 7-of-7 free throws in just 13:23 minutes while Danilo Barthel had 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists as Bayern moved to 21-2. Bayern’s young talent Nelson Weidemann also made his easyCredit BBL debut in the game. David Brembly was MBC’s only player in double digits with 17 points as the team dropped its third in a row to fall to 4-19 in 17th place.
Robertson sets season scoring mark with 39 points in Bayreuth win over Jena
Kassius Robertson scored an easyCredit BBL season-best 39 points in leading medi bayreuth to a 96-89 victory at home over Science City Jena. Jena led by nine points in the third quarter but Bayreuth had surged ahead by nine points early in the fourth quarter and held on for the win. Robertson drained 8-of-12 three-pointers in scoring 39 points to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals. The 39 points is the most points scored in the league since Jamal Schuler went for 39 points nine years ago. And the eight three-pointers matched the best mark this season from GIESSEN 46ers’ Max Landis and Jordan Hulls of s.Oliver Würzburg. Adonis Thomas, Andi Seiferth and Gregor Hrovat each added 12 points for Bayreuth, who have won two straight and three of four to move to 12-11. Jena saw Ronald Roberts score 22 points and Dru Joyce collect 18 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, but they were not enough as their losing streak stretched to five games for a 5-19 record.
Würzburg grab big win at Frankfurt in fight for playoffs
s.Oliver Würzburg picked up a big victory in the fight for the playoffs by winning 91-77 at FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Würzburg went up by 17 points early in the third quarter and never let Frankfurt back into the game as Johannes Richter scored 17 points, Jordan Hulls had 15 points and Xavier Cooks picked up 12 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Würzburg’s second win in a row has them at 12-11 in eighth place. Frankfurt got 20 points from Quantez Robertson and Tyler Larson added 16 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, but they were not enough as they dropped to 9-13 in 13th place.
Frankfurt win at home over Jena in Round 17 make-up game
FRAPORT SKYLINERS moved their way towards the playoffs with an 83-69 victory over Science City Jena in a Round 17 make-up game. Frankfurt pulled away with a 23-12 second quarter for their second win in a row to move to 9-12. Tyler Larson picked up 18 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals while the big man duo of Leon Kratzer and Jonas Wohlfarth-Bottermann combined for 19 points, 22 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Jena dropped their fourth straight to fall to 5-18 despite Dru Joyce scoring 17 points and Immanuel McElroy’s 16 points.
Ulm win crazy one at home over Crailsheim
ratiopharm ulm won a crazy game at home over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 99-87 to snap a two-game losing skid. Ulm led 27-9 after 10 minutes and the lead was up to 20 points in the second quarter, which Crailsheim won 31-18 and eventually tied it in the third quarter. But Ulm finished the game strong thanks to a great game by Dwayne Evans with 32 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block while Ryan Thompson had 15 points as a second of five Ulm players in double figures. Ulm improved to 12-11 in seventh place. Dewayne Russell scored 17 points for Crailsheim while Frank Turner had 14 points, 3 rebounds, 8 assists and 3 steals and Joe Lawson III added 12 points and 11 rebounds in Crailsheim’s second straight loss to drop to 5-18.
Bonn keep winning, drop Göttingen at home
Telekom Baskets Bonn continue to roll in the easyCredit BBL with their fifth straight victory in beating BG Göttingen 76-68 at home. Bonn finished the game strong as Josh Mayo tallied 19 points with 5 three-pointers, Martin Breunig had 15 points and 6 rebounds and TJ DiLeo added 12 points and 5 assists. Bonn remains in sixth place at 13-10 - ahead of six teams with either 12 of 11 victories. Göttingen are not one of them as six straight losses has them at 7-17 despite Dominik Lockhart grabbing 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals.
Bamberg extend winning streak to seven games
Brose Bamberg rolled to their seventh straight victory by blasting Eisbären Bremerhaven 100-74 at home. Bamberg led by 12 points after 10 minutes and the score was 56-34 at halftime. Five Bamberg players scored in double figures, led by Cliff Alexander who had 19 points and 9 rebounds in just 17 minutes. Arnoldas Kulboka nailed 5 three-pointers in scoring 15 points and Maurice Stuckey had 14 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists as Bamberg dished 27 assists in shooting 58 percent for the game and 59 percent from the three-point line in improving to 17-5 in fourth place. Keith Benson collected 20 points and 9 rebounds in the loss, which dropped last-placed Bremerhaven to 4-20.
Players of the Week
We have joint winners of the Player of the Week as two players had an efficiency of 40. Kassius Robertson scored 39 points on 11-of-16 shooting, including 8-of-12 three-pointers and 9-of-10 free throws to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for medi bayreuth in a win over Science City Jena. Dwayne Evans matched that 40 efficiency with 32 points on 11-of-14 shots and 9-of-10 free throws, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block for ratiopharm ulm vs HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
German Top Five of the Week
G: TJ DiLeo, Telekom Baskets Bonn
DiLeo is a regular here and he makes the list again for his showing against BG Göttingen with 12 points, 1 rebound, 5 assists and 1 steal.
G: Maurice Stuckey, Brose Bamberg
Stuckey took advantage of a season-high 27 minutes to score a season-high 14 points with 4 three-pointers to go with 3 rebounds and 3 assists against Eisbären Bremerhaven.
F: Danilo Barthel, FC Bayern Munich
Barthel had a strong game against Mitteldeutscher BC with 12 points on 5-of-6 shots and 1-of-2 free throws, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block.
F: Johannes Richter, s.Oliver Würzburg
Richter got back at his former team FRAPORT SKYLINERS with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 2 assists.
C: Leon Kratzer, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Kratzer is back again with two solid showings this week. The 22-year-old big man had 7 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals against s.Oliver Würzburg after going for 10 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal against Science City Jena.
NICHT mit Danilo ⛔
— FC Bayern Basketball (@fcb_basketball) March 17, 2019
LIVE auf https://t.co/e8QibLSfIU pic.twitter.com/arVCcsalk7
Young Guns
Nelson Weidemann, 19, PG, FC Bayern Munich
Weidemann made his easyCredit BBL debut for the reigning champions and the point guard, who will turn 20 on March 25, played 11:54 minutes and missed his only field goal attempt and made 2-of-4 free throws for 2 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal against Mitteldeutscher BC.
Tim Uhlemann, 19, PF, GIESSEN 46ers
Uhlemann collected 2 points on 1-of-2 shots with 1 rebounds and 1 assist in 6:17 minutes against ALBA BERLIN. It was the 19-year-old’s first points and first rebound and second assist in his easyCredit BBL career after playing 3:40 minutes combined in his first two appearances.
Henri Drell, 18, SG, Brose Babmerg
While Arnoldas Kulboka scored 15 points, the 18-year-old Estonian talent Drell made his easyCredit BBL debut against Eisbären Bremerhaven, collecting 2 points on 1-of-3 shots, 1 rebound and 1 turnover in 13:25 minutes.
Nelsons ersten beiden BBL-Punkte // Welcome to the league, junger Mann! #Weidemann @easyCreditBBL #BBL #FCBB @FCBB_Jugend pic.twitter.com/gaH43N3IRq
— FC Bayern Basketball (@fcb_basketball) March 17, 2019
Olinde Watch
Louis Olinde played a major role in the offense for Brose Bamberg against Eisbären Bremerhaven as he scored a season-high 12 points on 5-of-8 shots - both season-best marks - to go with 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 20:23 minutes before fouling out.
Berlin coach, players pull out of ALLSTAR Day because of EuroCup semi-final
The trio of Niels Giffey, Johannes Thiemann and Luke Sikma as well as the ALBA BERLIN coaching staff around head coach Aito Garcia Reneses have pulled out of participating in the ALLSTAR Day in Trier because of travels for the EuroCup semi-finals. Berlin’s first semi-final against MoraBanc Andorra is Tuesday in Berlin while the second best-of-three series game is Friday in Andorra. The ALLSTAR Day is Saturday in Trier and a possible Game 3 would be Wednesday in Berlin. Taking over as the head coach of Team International will be Aito’s Spanish compatriot Pedro Calles and his staff from RASTA Vechta while Martin Breunig of Telekom Baskets Bonn, Philipp Schwethelm of EWE Baskets Oldenburg and De’Mon Brooks of medi bayreuth have been added to the ALLSTAR Game rosters as replacements for the Berlin trio.
LIVE-VIDEO: Es sind heute acht @NBA-Scouts in der Halle - ob die wohl diesen @louisolinde98 auf dem Zettel haben? ???? #easyCreditBBL pic.twitter.com/KsZoPxelXM
— easyCredit BBL (@easyCreditBBL) 18. März 2019
Germany get doable draw for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019
Germany have been drawn into a doable group for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 as Henrik Rödl’s team will face Dominican Republic, France and Jordan in Group G. The crossover group looks to be quite challenging with Canada, Senegal, Lithuania and Australia battling it out in Group H. All 92 games of the FIBA World Cup will be broadcast live on MagentaSport.
Bayern, Bamberg, Berlin and Würzburg still alive in Europe
Four easyCredit BBL teams are still alive in their European competitions. FC Bayern Munich stand in 11th place in the EuroLeague with a 12-14 record - just one game from a spot in the playoffs with four more rounds of games remaining in the Regular Season. Brose Bamberg are Germany’s sole representative still in the running for the Basketball Champions League title as they will face off against reigning champions AEK Athens in the Quarter-Finals - on March 27 at home and April 3 in Athens. In the EuroCup, ALBA BERLIN reached the best-of-three semi-finals and will face MoraBanc Andorra on March 19, March 22 and if necessary March 27. In the FIBA Europe Cup, s.Oliver Würzburg have reached the Quarter-Finals and will take on Bakken Bears in Denmark on Wednesday and then host the return leg on March 27.
Germans Abroad
German basketball fans looking for a connection to the NCAA Tournament can look to University of California Irvine where freshman Collin Welp, the son of the former German great Chris Welp, is one of the team leaders.
???????? Benzing: "Man, that was thrilling! We almost landed in the USA group. But the 'draw fairy' was on our side. [,...] Of course the crossover group is extremely strong, but now we want to look at our group first."#FIBAWC #DeutschlandGotGamehttps://t.co/lwqUP8kKDc
— Basketball World Cup (@FIBAWC) March 18, 2019
