– David Hein
ALBA BERLIN will get a chance to defend their title at the MagentaSport BBL German Cup as they reached the TOP FOUR by knocking off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. Berlin continued to win in the easyCredit BBL as well but still trail MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and EWE Baskets Oldenburg. The week saw EWE Baskets Oldenburg extend their deal with head coach Mladen Drijencic until 2023. Will Voigt meanwhile returned as head coach for Telekom Baskets Bonn and s.Oliver Würzburg saw some youngsters get some good minutes - with some great production.
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:
Berlin brush by Braunschweig, secure cup Top Four spot
Reigning champions ALBA BERLIN secured a spot in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup TOP FOUR by defeating Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 103-63 at home in a makeup Group A game. Berlin saw the return of head coach Aito Garcia Reneses from his Covid-19 self-isolation though he served only as assistant to Israel Gonzalez Nunez. Three days after the teams faced off in the easyCredit BBL, Berlin took over the game with a 30-13 third quarter to improve to 2-0 and locking up first place despite a remaining game against EWE Baskets Oldenburg with Braunschweig dropping to 1-2. Berlin shot 57.1 percent from the field and held Braunschweig to just 37.3 percent. Maodo Lo led the way with 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals, Tim Schneider had 16 points and 6 rebounds and Louis Olinde added 10 points and 6 rebounds for the winners. Gavin Schilling paced Braunschweig with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists, Martin Peterka scored 13 points and Karim Jallow chipped in 12 points and 4 rebounds. The matchups for the Top Four are Berlin versus BG Göttingen and ratiopharm ulm against FC Bayern Munich.
Crailsheim spoil Voigt’s return to Bonn
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim spoiled the return to Telekom Baskets Bonn of head coach Will Voigt with a 93-84 road victory. Crailsheim gave up most of a 15-point lead but held off Bonn in the fourth quarter for a 12-2 record while Bonn dropped to 3-10 as Voigt was starting his second stint with the team. Crailsheim shot 53.2 percent for the game and limited Bonn to 46.2 percent shooting. Trae Bell-Haynes continued his MVP-caliber season with 25 of his 27 points in the second half to go with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. Tim Coleman scored 16 points and Bogdan Radosavljevic added 13 points and 10 rebounds in the win. Chris Babb paced Bonn with 18 points and 4 assists, Strahinja Micovic had 15 points and 5 rebounds and TJ DiLeo picked up 15 points, 2 rebounds and 3 assists.
Bonn bring back Voigt as head coach
Telekom Baskets Bonn have brought back a familiar face as their new head coach as they signed Will Voigt to a deal until the end of the season. The 44-year-old took over from Thomas Päch as Bonn’s head coach last season in February 2020 but only served a couple of games as playcaller because the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak. The American and Bonn could not agree on terms to stay on.
Berlin remain undefeated at home with win over Würzburg
ALBA BERLIN remained perfect at home this season in the league with a strong 99-85 victory over s.Oliver Würzburg, who came to the German capital as one of the best road teams. Berlin took over the game with a 26-16 third quarter for their sixth straight win and a 10-1 record - 7-0 at home - while Würzburg fell to 5-8 with a 5-3 road record. Berlin took the rebound battle 40 to 27 and shot 60.6 percent on two-pointers. Luke Sikma flirted with a triple-double with 16 points, 9 rebounds and 7 assists while Simone Fontecchio scored 16 points, Johannes Thiemann had 14 points and Peyton Siva had 13 points and 9 assists. Jonas Weitzel scored a career-high 20 points to go with 1 rebound and 2 steals for the 22-year-old German to lead Würzburg while Cameron Hunt had 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals. And 19-year-old Julius Böhmer scored his first points in his easyCredit BBL career - and finished with 10 points.
Ludwigsburg continue winning ways at MBC
League leaders MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg extended their winning streak to 11 games as they took care of business with a 93-80 road victory at SYNTAINICS MBC. Ludwigsburg took the second and third quarters with a combined 55-31 score to move to 13-1 while MBC have lost four of their last five for a 5-8 record. Ludwigsburg forced 19 MBC turnovers and Barry Brown carried the scoring load with 21 points. Jaleen Smith picked up 19 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists and Yorman Polas Bartolo contributed 14 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. MBC could not take advantage of an outstanding Roko Rogic with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists and Quinton Hooker collected 20 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists.
Bayern too much for Bayreuth at home
FC Bayern Munich were too much for medi bayreuth as they picked up a 98-78 home win. Bayern took over the game at the end of the third quarter and won for the third straight time for a 10-2 record while Bayreuth are 4-10 after four straight defeats. Bayern committed only 10 turnovers and shot 56.5 percent from the field including 53.8 percent on threes. Wade Baldwin led the way with 17 points and 8 assists, Nick Weiler-Babb added 16 points, DJ Seeley picked up 15 points and 5 assists and JaJuan Johnson contributed 15 points 7 rebounds. Frank Barley and Osvaldas Olisevicius both scored 18 points for Bayreuth.
Oldenburg roll by Giessen on road to keep pace with Ludwigsburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg continue to stay on the heals of league leaders MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as they rolled to a 97-82 victory at JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers. Oldenburg took over the game with a 29-12 third quarter for their eight straight win and a 12-2 record while Giessen have lost four consecutive games for a 2-12 record. Oldenburg drained 12-of-24 for 50.0 percent on threes compared to 6-of-23 for 26.1 percent for Giessen. Nathan Boothe led the way with 16 points, Rickey Paulding had 15 points, Rasid Mahalbasic picked up 12 points and 8 rebounds and Braydon Hobbs chipped in 10 points, 5 assists and 3 blocks for the winners. John Bryant starred for Giessen with 19 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks while Jonathan Stark had 13 points.
Oldenburg extend deal with Drijencic until 2023
EWE Baskets Oldenburg extended their commitment to head coach Mladen Drijencic by locking up the 55-year-old until the end of the 2022-23 season. Drijencic has coached the team since March 2015 and helped Oldenburg to the 2015 MagentaSport BBL German Cup crown.
Bamberg pick up much-needed home win over Braunschweig
Brose Bamberg picked up a much-needed victory as they defeated Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 98-84 at home. Bamberg took the third quarter 27-16 to grab the win and move to 6-8 after having lost five of their last six while Braunschweig have dropped five straight for a 4-7 mark. Bamberg committed only 9 turnovers and shot 53.7 percent from the field and held Braunschweig to 45.6 percent. Bamberg had six players in double figures, led by Devon Hall with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists while Michele Vitali scored 15 points and Bennet Hundt picked up 15 points, 2 rebounds and 5 assists. Karim Jallow collected 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss while Bryon Allen scored 17 points and Lukas Meisner had 16 points and 8 rebounds.
Vechta win third straight, down Göttingen in OT on road
Things have taken a turn for RASTA Vechta as they knocked off BG Göttingen 102-90 in overtime on the road for their third straight win. Göttingen led by 15 points in the beginning of the second half but Vechta got back into the game with a 13-0 run. Josh Young forced overtime with one of two free throws with 23 seconds left and then buried two three-pointers in the extra session as Vechta have improved to 3-11. Göttingen have now dropped three in a row and are 3-10. Vechta drained 15-of-31 threes for 48.4 percent compared to 7-of-30 or 23.3 percent for Göttingen. Jean Salumu was Vechta’s main weapon with 22 points while Young had 18 points and 7 assists, Jesse Hunt added 13 points and 5 rebounds and Stefan Peno tallied 12 points and 9 assists. Luke Nelson scored a game-high 23 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists while Aubrey Dawkins poured in 21 points, Tai Odiase chipped in 12 points, 12 rebounds and 3 blocks and Deishaun Booker added 6 points, 12 assists and 2 steals in the loss.
Göttingen add Latvian international Lomazs
BG Göttingen picked up some reinforcements for the wing as they added Rihards Lomazs on a contract until 2022. The 24-year-old Latvian international played earlier this season with EuroLeague side ASVEL Villeurbanne.
Hamburg stay on course with home victory over Frankfurt
Hamburg Towers remain in the fight for the playoff spots as they rolled to a 98-70 home victory over FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Hamburg led 31-18 after 10 minutes and never looked back for their third win in the last four games for a 9-4 record while Frankfurt have dropped two straight for a 5-8 mark. Hamburg dished out 29 assists and shot 61.4 percent from the field including 53.3 percent from long range and forced 19 Frankfurt turnovers. Kam Taylor did some of everything with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks while Terry Allen had 19 points and 5 rebounds and Maik Kotsar picked up 16 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists in the win. Matt Mobley’s 18 points were not enough with Jon Axel Gudmundsson scoring 15 points and Rasheed Moore adding 14 points.
Ulm blow out Chemnitz at home
ratiopharm ulm coasted to an easy victory as they knocked off NINERS Chemnitz 102-63 at home. Ulm led 23-8 after 10 minutes and it was never close the rest of the way in moving to 8-5 and Chemnitz fell to 4-9. Ulm committed only 9 turnovers and shot 59.3 percent compared to 22 turnovers and 43.1 percent for Chemnitz. Dylan Osetkowski led the way with 21 points, Troy Caupain had 18 points, 4 assists and 5 steals and Andi Obst contributed 14 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals. Jonas Richter was Chemnitz’s leading scorer with 13 points with Malte Ziegenhagen and Joe Lawson both scoring 11 points.
Player of the Week
This week’s honor goes to Kam Taylor of Hamburg Towers as he collected an efficiency of 38 in the team’s win over FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Taylor scored 20 points on 8-of-9 shots including 4-of-5 three-pointers to go with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Maodo Lo, ALBA BERLIN
Lo played a major role in Berlin getting two victories this week. He had 16 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals in the German Cup win over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and then picked up 10 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals against s.Oliver Würzburg.
G: Andi Obst, ratiopharm ulm
Obst was one of Ulm’s top players in their win over NINERS Chemnitz with 14 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals.
F: Karim Jallow, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Jallow couldn’t keep Braunschweig from losing two games despite two solid performances. He had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in the German Cup loss to ALBA BERLIN and then collected 18 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal against Brose Bamberg.
C: Bogdan Radosavljevic, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Radosavljevic had a big game against Telekom Baskets Bonn as he tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds.
C: Jonas Weitzel, s.Oliver Würzburg
We have a new name in this segment as Weitzel blew away his career high with 20 points to go with 1 rebound and 2 steals against ALBA BERLIN. The 22-year-old, who started the game, scored 2 points in two games last season and had picked up 19 points in his previous eight games this season.
Young Guns
Julius Böhmer, 19, PG and Elijah Ndi, 16, SF, s.Oliver Würzburg
Two new names on this list as Würzburg head coach Denis Wucherer gave some minutes to his youngsters. The 19-year-old Böhmer was playing his fourth game and scored his first career points, picking up 10 points on 4-of-5 shots and 1 steal in 13:04 minutes. The 16-year-old Ndi made his easyCredit BBL debut, scoring 2 points on 1-of-1 shooting and dishing out 1 assist in 5:07 minutes.
Kilian Binapfl, 21, SG, Telekom Baskets Bonn
Binapfl scored a career-high 6 points on 3-of-4 shooting to go with 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 15:30 minutes against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
Jordan Samare, 19, PF, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Samare played his first game of the season and he collected 2 points on 1-of-1 shots and 2 rebounds in 3:58 minutes against Hamburg Towers. He appeared in two games last season.
Hollatz Check
Justus Hollatz played a big role in Hamburg Towers’ win over FRAPORT SKYLINERS, coming off the bench for 5 points on 2-of-6 shots, including 0-of-3 on three-pointers, and 1-of-2 free throws. He also collected 1 rebound, 5 assists, 1 steal and 1 turnover in 20:36 minutes.
21:18 nach den ersten zehn Minuten gegen die @BBLoewenBS. Maodo Lô mit sechs Punkten und einem And 1 bereits gut drauf! Live bei #MagentaSport. pic.twitter.com/OL69MMBAiy
— ALBA BERLIN (@albaberlin) January 20, 2021
Job Interview
We will be posting this new video segment on the Weekly News - even though it’s in German. This should be reason enough to learn some Deutsch.
Four possible debutants for German national team in final bubble
Four easyCredit BBL players could possibly make their debuts in the German senior national team next month as head coach Henrik Rödl nominated 17 players for the final window of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers. Bjarne Kraushaar, Len Schoormann, Justus Hollatz and Jonas Richter all hope they can head to Podgorica for the gams against Great Britain and Montenegro and play for their country for the first time. The window will see captain Robin Benzing earn his 150th cap for Germany. The other nominated players are Bennet Hundt, Ismet Akpinar, Joshua Obiesie, Andreas Obst, Kenneth Ogbe, Dominic Lockhart, Karim Jallow, Lukas Meisner, Christian Sengfelder, Jan Niklas Wimberg, Andreas Seiferth and Leon Kratzer.
Germans Abroad
Shaqtin The Fool is one of the most popular blooper segments in the NBA, and Dennis Schröder and Daniel Theis both made it into the video this week. Enjoy!
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