– David Hein
Brose Bamberg won an offensive spectacle with GIESSEN 46ers while HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim picked up a crucial win over Mitteldeutscher BC in the fight against relegation. And in the fight for the playoff spots, Telekom Baskets Bonn and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg secured big victories.
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:
Bamberg take offensive spectacle at Giessen
Cup winners Brose Bamberg continued to play well in the league as they won an offensive spectacle at GIESSEN 46ers 97-90 for their fifth straight win. The game was close until Bamberg used a 29-19 third quarter to gather some breathing room and the lead was extended to 17 points in the fourth quarter. Augustine Rubit picked up a season-high 25 points to go with 5 rebounds while Tyrese Rice had 19 points and 5 assists and Elias Harris scored 14 points as Bamberg improved to 15-5. Giessen saw their two-game winning streak end despite John Bryant picking up 28 points, 10 rebounds and 4 assists and David Bell scoring 16 points. Giessen are now 11-11.
Crailsheim gain huge win over MBC in relegation battle
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim picked up a huge victory in the battle against relegation by beating Mitteldeutscher BC 87-82 on the road. MBC led by 14 points in the first quarter but Crailsheim pulled away in the fourth quarter to go up by 13 points and hold on for the win - the team’s second straight. Dewayne Russell led the way with 17 points, 4 assists and 3 steals, Frank Turner had 14 points and Joshcka Ferner scored 13 points in 6 minutes in the second half as Crailsheim grabbed 15 steals and turned the ball over only 11 times to improve to 5-16. For MBC, Hans Brase had career highs with 18 points and 9 rebounds while Tremmell Darden picked up 17 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals and Jovan Novak added 11 points, 5 rebounds and 14 assists in the loss. MBC dropped to 4-17 in 17th place.
Berlin win again in Frankfurt - just like Cup semi-final
ALBA BERLIN got a victory at FRAPORT SKYLINERS - just like in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup Pokal - by winning 99-86. Frankfurt led by 10 points in the second quarter but watched as Berlin pulled away in the third quarter. Peyton Siva paced Berlin with 18 points and 9 assists, Martin Hermannsson had 16 points and 4 assists, Joshiko Saibou scored 15 points and Derrick Walton chipped in 5 points and 5 assists in his easyCredit BBL debut. Berlin turned the ball over just 7 times and made up for a 46-20 deficit on rebounding by hitting 58 percent of their shots including 56 percent (14-of-25) from long range. Berlin have now won four straight to move to 15-4. Frankfurt had Leon Kratzer pick up career highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds while Jason Clark had 13 points and 4 assists and Quantez Robertson added 13 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists. But it was not enough as Frankfurt have lost three straight and dropped to 7-13.
DiLeo hits game-winner as Bonn win big battle over Ulm in playoff fight
Telekom Baskets Bonn celebrated carnival in style with a thrilling 78-76 victory at home over ratiopharm ulm with TJ DiLeo’s late game-winner sending the 6,000 fans - costumes and all - into a wild party. Just like every year, the game on carnival Saturday had an extra flair. And it went back and forth with 7 points being the biggest lead and DiLeo won the game with his score with 2.7 seconds left to play. Josh Mayo scored 19 points as Bonn’s only player in double figures though DiLeo had 8 points,10 assists and the game-winner. Bonn, who saw Charles Jackson pick up 5 points in 13 minutes in his first game since November 18, have now won three strai-ght - and their second of the week - to move to 11-10 while Ulm fell to 11-10 with their third loss in the last four games. Both are in a three-way tie at 11-10 while four teams are either 11-11 or 10-11 in the battle for the post-season. Ulm, who were missing Per Günther, Ra’Shad James, Katin Reinhardt and Isaac Fotu, were paced by Ismet Akpinar with 17 points and 5 rebounds off the bench.
Bonn beat Bremerhaven at home in Round 17 makeup game
Telekom Baskets Bonn used a big first quarter to cruise to a comfortable 108-75 victory at home over Eisbären Bremerhaven in a makeup game from Round 17. Bonn out-scored last-placed Bremerhaven 41-13 in the first 10 minutes, just missing the record for most points in a quarter since the digital collection of data in 1998-99 of 42. Six Bonn players scored in double figures, paced by Oliver Hanlan’s 15 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists. Jarelle Reischel had 14 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists and Julian Jasinski added a career high 10 points for Bonn, who improved to 10-10. Bremerhaven dropped their 15th straight game to fall to 3-18 despite Adrian Breitlauch and Darious Moten both scoring 14 points.
Panaggio steps down as head coach, stays on as sports director, names Mai new coach
Eisbären Bremerhaven have a new head coach as Michael Mai is the new man in charge of the last placed team in the league. The 44-year-old Mai moves up a seat from assistant coach to head man after replacing Dan Panaggio, who stepped down after the team’s 108-75 loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn. Panaggio, who lost all 10 games as the head coach successor to Arne Woltmann, will however remain on with the club as sports director.
First quarter carries Bayern to win over Bremerhaven
A strong first quarter was enough to carry league leaders FC Bayern Munich to a 91-80 home victory over Eisbären Bremerhaven, who lost their first game under new coach Michael Mai. Bayern led 27-14 after 10 minutes and saw Bremerhaven cut the gap to four points in the second quarter but were never threatened the rest of the way. Petteri Koponen had 15 points and Nihad Djedovic picked up 14 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals as Bayern returned to their winning ways after losing their final game before the national team break to improve to 20-1. Bremerhaven were paced by Elston Turner’s 19 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and Darnell Jackson scored 15 points, but their losing streak extended to 16 games at 3-19.
Oldenburg pick up road win as Jenkins not enough for hosts Jena
EWE Baskets Oldenburg came back from the national team break and victory over FC Bayern Munich with a big 83-80 win on the road over Science City Jena. Oldenburg led nearly the entire game and were up by as many as 14 points and still led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter before Jena came back and Julius Jenkins missed a three-pointer in the waning seconds to fail tying the game. Will Cummings collected 22 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists, Rickey Paulding had 20 points and 5 rebounds and Rasid Mahalbasic picked up 13 points, 5 rebounds, 7 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in the win, which was Oldenburg’s fourth in a row for a 17-4 record. Jenkins tallied 26 points including 19 points in the second half against his former team but they were not enough as Jena have lost two in a row and fell to 5-16. Jena’s Immanuel McElroy played in his 500th German league game, making him just the second player to reach that mark since the digital data collection starting from 1998-99, joining Alex’s King, who has 537 games. McElroy had 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in the game.
Bayreuth win at home over Jena in Round 2 makeup game
medi bayreuth snapped a six-game losing streak by knocking off Science City Jena 103-78 at home in a Round 2 makeup game. Jena led by 14 points in the first half but Bayreuth turned the game around with a 32-13 third quarter. Eric Mika collected 23 points and 6 rebounds, De’Mon Brooks had 20 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals, Kyan Anderson chipped in 9 points and 10 assists and Bastian Doreth added 4 points, 1 rebound 1 steal in his 250th game in the easyCredit BBL. Bayreuth improved to 9-11 in the fight to make the playoffs. Jena had Ronald Roberts pick up 16 points and 6 rebounds and Reggie Williams scored 15 points in the loss, which snapped a two-game winning streak and dropped Jena to 5-15.
Ludwigsburg win wild one in Bayreuth
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg picked up an important victory in the battle for the playoffs as they won a wild one 109-81 at medi bayreuth. Ludwigsburg led by 21 points in the first quarter and the lead was 29-10 after 10 minutes. But Bayreuth responded with a 28-12 second quarter and evened the game early in the second half. But Ludwigsburg pulled away in a third quarter which saw 68 points scored - 39-29 for Ludwigsburg - the most combined points in a single quarter this season. Kelan Martin led the way with 23 points, 3 rebounds and 4 steals while Jordon Crawford had 17 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists for Ludwigsburg, who turned the ball over just 10 times and made 15-of-26 three-pointers for 58 percent. Ludwigsburg have won two of their last three games to move to 11-10. Bayreuth had Eric Mika pick p 17 points and 6 rebounds and Kassius Robertson had 16 points and 4 assists, but they were not enough as Bayreuth dropped to 10-11.
Braunschweig snap losing streak with home win over Würzburg
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig returned to their winning ways by using a big fourth quarter in grabbing an 87-78 home victory over s.Oliver Würzburg in a big game of challengers for the playoffs. Würzburg led by 11 points in the third quarter but the hosts grabbed the fourth quarter 35-19 to improve to 11-11 after having lost three straight and five of their last six. Brayon Blake scored 19 points, DeAndre Lansdowne had 18 points, Christian Sengfelder added 16 points and Thomas Klepeisz scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter as Braunschweig committed just 8 turnovers in winning their eighth straight home game. Würzburg got 24 points and 7 rebounds from Xavier Cooks and Cameron Wells scored 15 points, but Denis Wucherer’s team dropped their second straight to fall to 10-11.
Vechta get back to winning ways with victory at Göttingen
RASTA Vechta returned to their winning ways with an 82-79 road victory over BG Göttingen. Vechta led by 17 points in the third quarter but Göttingen evened it in the fourth quarter. But Vechta tallied on three straight possessions and Mihajlo Andric missed a potential game-tying three-pointer for Göttingen. Austin Hollins collect 20 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals, Seth Hinrichs had 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals and TJ Bray added 7 points, 9 assists and 4 steals for Vechta, who came up with 12 steals in forcing 20 Göttingen turnovers while giving it up just 10 times. Vechta have now won seven straight road games to move to 16-6 in third place. Darius Carter paced Göttingen with 13 points and 6 rebounds while Michael Stockton had 12 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. Göttingen did hit 13-of-26 three-pointers for 50 percent but they lost their fourth straight to fall to 7-15.
Vechta add former Berlin and Ludwigsburg big man Clint Chapman
RASTA Vechta added reinforcements down low for their playoffs push as they brought in Clint Chapman, who has played this season with ALBA BERLIN and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. The 29-year-old Chapman, who signed a deal until the end of the season, was needed after it was clear that Tyrone Nash would miss a number of weeks with arthroscopic knee surgery.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honor for Round 22 goes to John Bryant and his outstanding showing for GIESSEN 46ers against Brose Bamberg. Bryant collected 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting and 6-of-7 free throws with 10 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal for an efficiency of 29 in the loss to Bamberg. It could have been even better but the big man had 6 turnovers.
German Top Five of the Week
G: TJ DiLeo, Telekom Baskets Bonn
DiLeo is becoming a regular in the Top Five and he had two more strong games. Against Eisbären Bremerhaven he had 4 points, 6 assists and 1 steal and then followed that up with 8 points, 2 rebounds, 10 assists and 1 steal versus ratiopharm ulm.
G: Maodo Lo, FC Bayern Munich
Lo played a major role in Bayern’s comfortable win over Eisbären Bremerhaven with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws, 2 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
F: Joschka Ferner, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Ferner scored a season-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting within six minutes in the second half to help Crailsheim with a huge win over Mitteldeutscher BC.
F: Hans Brase, Mitteldeutscher BC
Brase had a career night in the loss to HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim with a career-high 18 points including 4 three-pointers and a career-high 9 rebounds to go with 1 assist and 1 block for a 25 efficiency.
F: Leon Kratzer, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Kratzer came up with the best performance of his young career with career highs of 14 points and 13 rebounds to go with 1 block and an efficiency of 26 in 20 minutes off the bench against ALBA BERLIN.
Young Guns
Richard Freudenberg, 20, SF, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Freudenberg scored 12 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 1 assist in 21:20 minutes against ALBA BERLIN
Julian Jasinksi, 22, PF, Telekokm Baskets Bonn
Jasinski is bordering on old for the Young Guns section at 22 years of age, but he needed to be mentioned this week for his performance against Eisbären Bremerhaven with a career high 10 points while also picking up 1 rebound in 16 minutes.
Franz Wagner, 17, SF, ALBA BERLIN
Wagner was very productive in 7:56 minutes against FRAPORT SKYLINERS with 1 point on 0-of-2 shooting and 1-of-2 free throws, 1 rebound, 1 assist, 2 steals and 1 block.
Olinde Watch
Louis Olinde continues to work hard on doing the little things for Brose Bamberg as the 20-year-old had 2 points on 1-of-3 shots but picked up 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 blocks in 13:32 minutes against GIESSEN 46ers.
Germany finish second in FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying
Germany finished up their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers campaign in second place in their group after picking up losses at Israel and at home against Greece in the final window. Henrik Rödl’s team lost 81-77 in Tel Aviv and still had chances of winning Group L but fell 69-63 to Greece at home in Bamberg. The draw for China 2019 will be held on March 16.
