The 2021-22 season definitely has featured drama in the early going with this week’s biggest headling being Rickey Paulding’s announcement that he will retire at season’s end. On the court, NINERS Chemnitz are the Cinderella team so far with two wins in the league and a German Cup surprise over ratiopharm ulm. ALBA BERLIN for their part have bounced from their opening night loss with a revenge victory over Telekom Baskets Bonn and MLP Academics Heidelberg have surprised so far with two wins in two games.
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:
Paulding to retire after season - after 15 years with Oldenburg
The wave of retirements in the easyCredit BBL continues with one of the league’s biggest names Rickey Paulding announcing he will call it quits after the season. The 38-year-old Paulding made the announcement in an Oldenburg video, saying: “It’s been a great journey, but it’s time to move on.” Paulding will have played 15 seasons with Oldenburg - where he has meant so much to the club that they playfully nicknamed it “Pauldingburg”. He helped the club to their only league title in 2009 and the German Cup crown in 2015 and is the leading scorer in league history since the start of data collection in 1998. Alex King and Per Günther have already said the 2021-22 season will be their last ones before hanging up their sneakers, and Bryce Taylor retired from the game this week as well.
Chemnitz fairy tale continues, bounce Ulm for first cup victory
NINERS Chemnitz’s fairy tale start to the season continued as they bounced ratiopharm ulm from the Round of 16 of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup with an 87-85 victory at home. After beating EWE Baskets Oldenburg and Hamburg Towers in the league, Chemnitz now have their first ever cup victory and a spot in the Quarter-Finals. The game was back and forth throughout with 16 lead changes and nine ties until Chemnitz opened a gap with an 11-2 run. Ulm got back close as Cristiano Felicio’s put-back dunk trimmed it to two points with 3.4 seconds left. But Ulm could not foul Chemnitz and the surprise was complete. Ulm struggled shooting the ball as they hit just 39.1 percent from the field - failing to take advantage of 17 offensive rebounds - and Chemnitz hit 50.9 percent of their shots. Darion Atkins paced Chemnitz with 19 points and 8 rebounds, Nelson Weidemann scored 15 points and Gerald Robinson and Frantz Massenat combined for 12 points and 10 assists. Ulm’s top man was Jaron Blossomgame with 22 points while Semaj Christon had 15 points and 5 assists, and Felicio ended with 15 points, 14 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.
Chemnitz pull off next surprise, win at Hamburg in Round 2
NINERS Chemnitz pulled off their second surprise in as many games as they defeated Hamburg Towers 90-82 on the road. After knocking off EWE Baskets Oldenburg in Round 1, Chemnitz was in a back-and-forth battle with Hamburg as the game had 11 lead changes and 12 ties and the final difference of eight points was the biggest lead of the game. Chemnitz veterans Darion Atkins and Frantz Massenat came up big late, combining for the team’s final 14 points in the last 5 minutes. Chemnitz improved to 2-0 and Hamburg fell to 0-2. Chemnitz shot 54.1 percent for the game and held Hamburg to just 38.6 percent from the field as the hosts could not take advantage of 19 offensive rebounds with just 10 second chance points. Atkins paced Chemnitz with 17 points and 9 rebounds, Nelson Weidemann was outstanding with 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals and Massenat added 10 points and 9 assists. Caleb Homesley was Hamburg’s top scorer with 22 points and Maik Kotsar had 10 points and 8 rebounds
Berlin get revenge over Bonn in overtime to reach cup quarters
ALBA BERLIN exacted some revenge by beating Telekom Baskets Bonn 83-80 in overtime to reach the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup. Bonn, who beat Berlin in the regular season opener, led for much of the game, but Maodo Lo hit a long three-pointer before Luke Sikma went Dirk Nowitzki style with a one-leg jumper with 3.8 seconds to play to send the game to overtime. Berlin were just a bit more effective in the extra period to advance. Berlin crashed the glass hard to win the rebound battle 50- 35 which ended up being needed as the hosts turned the ball over 18 times and forced only seven Bonn turnovers. Yovel Zoosman scored 20 points, Jaleen Smith collected 16 points and 6 rebounds and Sikma tallied 13 points, 14 rebounds and 4 assists. Parker Jackson-Cartwright scored 26 points with 9 assists and both Justin Gorham (12 points and 11 rebounds) and Leon Kratzer (11 and 10) had double-doubles in the loss.
Berlin bounce back, roll past Frankfurt in Round 2
Reigning champions ALBA BERLIN bounced back from their season-opening loss to roll past FRAPORT SKYLINERS 101-63 at home. Berlin led 27-15 after 10 minutes and it wasn’t close the rest of the way as Berlin moved to 1-1 while Frankfurt wait for their first win after two losses. Berlin made it rain from long range, hitting 18-of-34 triples for 52.9 percent while forcing Frankfurt into 22 turnovers and holding them to just 20.0 percent from long range. Marcus Eriksson hit 5 three-pointers for 21 points to lead Berlin while Ben Lammers had 16 points and 5 rebounds and Tamir Blatt tallied 12 points and 10 assists. Lorenz Brenneke paced Frankfurt with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals against his former team with Quantez Robertson chipping in 10 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals.
Berlin bring in Da Silva on three-year deal
ALBA BERLIN added a major piece to their present and future as they signed German big man Oscar Da Silva away from MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg on a three-year contract. The 23-year-old Da Silva had signed a one-plus-two contract with Ludwigsburg in the off-season, but Berlin bought him out of the deal. Berlin desperately need help in the center position as the team is still missing injured big men Christ Koumadje and Johannes Thiemann.
Heidelberg shock Ludwigsburg at home in Round 2 for second win
Don’t tell MLP Academics Heidelberg they are relegation candidates number one as the promoted team moved to 2-0 after shocking MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 73-67 at home. Heidelberg led nearly the entire game save for a couple of seconds in the first quarter and Ludwigsburg were never able to challenge in the fourth quarter. Heidelberg’s first home victory in 36 years in Germany’s top flight dropped Ludwigsburg to 1-1. Heidelberg took the battle of the glass 42-31 and limited the guests to just 37.5 percent shooting. Heidelberg also converted 22-of-27 free throws compared to just 9-of-14 for Ludwigsburg. Jordan Geist led the way with 23 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists, Shyron Ely had 17 points and 8 rebounds and Brekkott Chapman pitched in 8 points and 12 rebounds. Jordan Hulls paced the losing side with 17 points and Yoeli Childs added 13 points and 6 rebounds.
Bonn with miracle comeback, Bowlin nets game winner over Ulm in Round 2
Telekom Baskets Bonn fought back from 14 points down in the fourth quarter and Skyler Bowlin made the game-winning three-pointer with 5.5 seconds left in a 76-73 home victory over ratiopharm ulm. Ulm built a 16-point second quarter lead and the margin was still 14 points - 67-53 - with 8 minutes to play. But Bowlin hit three three-pointers to help Bonn knot the game 71-71. Bowlin was left open once again in the closing seconds and the veteran made his career-best eighth triple to end with 27 points. Bonn moved to 2-0 and Ulm fell to 1-1. Take away Bowlin’s 8-of-13 performance from downtown and the rest of Bonn’s players were a nightmarish 2-of-33 on three-pointers (6.1 percent). But Bonn grabbed a massive 32 offensive rebounds to set a new league record since the start of digital data collection in 1998. Bonn overwhelmingly won the rebound battle 46-29 and also forced Ulm into 19 turnovers. Besides Bowlin, Parker Jackson-Cartwright collected 16 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists and Justin Gorham had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Semaj Christon picked up 17 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists in the loss, Justin Simon had 15 points and Cristiano Felicio contributed 13 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks.
Crailsheim prevail in cup overtime slugfest with Ludwigsburg
HAKRO Crailsheim Merlins survived a defensive slugfest with MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg to win 65-63 at home in overtime to reach the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup. There were 15 lead changes and 9 ties with seven points being the biggest margin in the game with neither team scoring in the final 53 seconds of regulation. Crailsheim’s Jaren Lewis hit a three-pointer with 13 seconds left to secure the win. Crailsheim may have looked ugly in hitting just 31.4 percent from the field but Ludwigsburg connected on just 26.0 percent. TJ Shorts flirted with a triple-double with 20 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists while Jared Savage had 13 points and 7 rebounds and Lewis ended with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Yorman Polas Bartolo was Ludwigsburg’s top scorer with 13 points and 9 rebounds and Justin Simon had 10 points and 11 rebounds for his new team.
Simon leaves Ulm, lands with Ludwigsburg
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg did not have to wait long to find a replacement for the departed Oscar Da Silva as they signed Justin Simon until the end of the season. Simon had signed a six-week contract with ratiopharm ulm but was expendable when Karim Jallow made his season debut for Ulm. Simon collected 13.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals in two games for Ulm.
Frankfurt oust Oldenburg at home for first win, reach cup quarters
FRAPORT SKYLINERS picked up their first win of the season as they knocked off EWE Baskets Oldenburg 75-67 to reach the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup. Oldenburg led by 10 points late in the third quarter but the cushion vanished midway through the final frame as Frankfurt put together a 12-2 run spanning the third and fourth quarters, and Brancou Badio had two big scores in the final 2 minutes. Oldenburg connected on just 37.1 percent from the field and watched as Frankfurt scored 44 points in the paint compared to just 28. Len Schoormann had a great season debut with 17 points, Rasheed Moore scored 14 points and Quantez Robertson collected 9 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists in the win. Max Heidegger paced Oldenburg with 15 points, and Michal Michalak and Rickey Paulding both had 10 points.
Bamberg come back, beat Giessen at home in Round 2 on Prewitt game-winner
Brose Bamberg rallied back from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit to stay perfect on the young season with an 89-87 home victory over JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers as Omar Prewitt hit the game-winner just before the buzzer. Bamberg had led for most of the first three quarters but watched Giessen use a 12-0 run to build a 14-point lead with 7 minutes remaining. Bamberg got the Freak City fans behind them and came back to move to 2-0 while Giessen fell to 1-1. Bamberg committed only 8 turnovers and made 21-of-29 free throws to just 9-of-13 for Giessen. Prewitt had 32 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists while Christian Sengfelder scored 13 points, Justin Robinson picked up 12 points and 11 assists and Patrick Heckmann had 11 points. Brayon Blake paced Giessen with 18 points and Rawle Alkins scored 17 points.
Bayern too strong for Bamberg at home in German Cup
FC Bayern Munich advanced to the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup with a comfortable 98-77 win at home over Brose Bamberg. Bayern dominated the second half, giving up just 32 points in the final 20 minutes. Bayern shot the lights out, hitting 62.1 percent for the game including 15-of-24 or 62.5 percent from long range. Bamberg shot a respectable 49.1 percent from the field but it wasn’t enough as they could only force 12 Bayern turnovers. Ognjen Jaramaz poured in 26 points and Corey Walden scored 25 points - with both being a perfect 6-of-6 on three-pointers - to lead Bayern. Omar Prewitt scored 15 points for Bamberg, who also got 13 points from Martinas Geben and Christian Sengfelder had 12 points.
MBC win Round 2 overtime thriller at Braunschweig
SYNTAINICS MBC picked up their first win of the season as they prevailed in an overtime thriller 106-101 at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig in Round 2. Braunschweig raced away in the second quarter for a 15-point lead but the cushion was gone in the third quarter and the final frame was tight throughout. Jakub Garbacz got a shooter’s bounce on a three-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to send the game to overtime. MBC kept their nerves down the stretch with six of six free throws in the final 41 seconds of the extra session. All told there were 22 lead changes and 12 ties and both teams moved to 1-1. MBC shot an unheard of 70.0 percent on 2-pointers as Chris Coffey scored 31 points with 8 rebounds, Goran Huskic tallied 21 points, 12 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals and Nikola Rebic had 18 points and 5 assists. Braunschweig was led by Robin Amaize with 25 points while David Krämer scored 21 points, Martin Peterka had 20 points and Owen Klassen added 11 points and 9 rebounds.
Braunschweig run away from Göttingen at home to reach cup quarters
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig used a big second half run to pull away from BG Göttingen 97-77 at home to reach the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup. Göttingen did have a 10-point lead early in the second quarter but the hosts erased that immediately. The game remained tight in the third quarter until Braunschweig put together an 18-0 run spanning the final two frames to lead 73-59 and decide the game. Braunschweig won the battle of the glass 39-29 on top of shooting 54.2 percent from the field and holding Göttingen to just 41.2 percent. Robin Amaize paced Braunschweig with 25 points, Tookie Brown had 15 points, David Krämer scored 12 points and Ondrej Sehnal chipped in 8 points and 9 assists. Göttingen’s leading scorer was Zack Bryant with 12 points and Stephen Brown had 10 points and 7 assists.
Oldenburg grab first win of season, down Crailsheim at home in Round 2
EWE Baskets Oldenburg grabbed their first win of the season as they downed HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 82-79 at home in an exciting game. Both teams blew 11-point leads going into a tight fourth quarter with Tai Odiase converting a three-point play for the final scoring with 48 seconds to play as both teams moved to 1-1. The only significant difference in team stats was Oldenburg hitting 57.9 percent on 2-pointers compared to 50.0 percent for Crailsheim. Odiase paced Oldenburg with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Max Heidegger had 16 points and 7 assists and Rickey Paulding chipped in 14 points. Jaren Lewis was Crailsheim’s leading scorer with 23 points with Maurice Stuckey scoring 19 points and TJ Shorts adding 15 points, 5 assists and 3 steals in the loss.
Würzburg beat MBC in first home game in German Cup history
s.Oliver Würzburg advanced to the Quarter-Finals of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup as they beat SYNTAINICS MBC in their first cup home game in club history. The score was 26-17 after 10 minutes and Würzburg never looked back. Würzburg dished out 25 assists in hitting 56.7 percent from the field and MBC was slowed to just 39.7 percent shooting. Würzburg had six players in double figures, led by Nicolas Carvacho with 18 points and 7 rebounds. William Buford picked up 17 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists and Cameron Hunt had 13 points, 6 rebounds and 4 steals. Jamel Morris and Nikola Rebic both had 17 points in the loss.
Bayreuth and Hamburg to complete German Cup quarter-finals field
The final Round of 16 of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup will take place on Tuesday, October 5 as medi bayreuth host Hamburg Towers.
Bryce Taylor retires after 13 years and 392 games
Bryce Taylor will probably never forget his 35th birthday as he took that occasion to announce his retirement from basketball. Taylor played 12 of his 13 seasons as a professional in Germany, starting in 2009. He played for Telekom Baskets Bonn, ALBA BERLIN, Artland Dragons, FC Bayern Munich, Brose Bamberg and most recently Hamburg Towers. He won the German league title with Bayern in 2014 and the German Cup crown in 2019 with Bamberg. Taylor received a German passport during his time at Bamberg, during which he also suffered a long-term Achilles tendon injury, which kept him from playing a bigger role in his final years. All told, Taylor averaged 9.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 392 games in Germany.
Players of the Week(s)
With two sets of games this week - the easyCredit BBL Round 2 and the Round of 16 of the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup - there are two Player of the Week honors to hand out. Chris Coffey of SYNTAINICS was outstanding against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig with a 38 efficiency thanks to 31 points on 14-of-16 shooting and 1-of-1 free throws, 8 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals - just ahead of teammate Goran Huskic, whose 21 points, 12 rebounds and 8 assists gave him an efficiency of 37. The Player of the Week from the German Cup Round of 16 was Corey Walden, who collected 25 points on 8-of-8 shooting - including 6 three-pointers - and 3-of-3 free throws, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 32.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Nelson Weidemann, NINERS Chemnitz
Weidemann has been outstanding thus far this season in his new chance with Chemnitz and he had two fantastic games for two more wins. In the league against Hamburg Towers, Weidemann picked up 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. He then collected 15 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in Chemnitz’s German Cup win over ratiopharm ulm.
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Krämer makes this team again after two more strong games. He tallied 21 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals against SYNTAINICS MBC in the league and then had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals against BG Göttingen in the German Cup.
G: Maurice Stuckey, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Crailsheim fell to EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the league but Stuckey did all he could with 19 points and 3 three-pointers, 1 rebound and 1 steal. In Crailsheim’s win over Ludwigsburg in the German Cup, he had 6 points and 5 rebounds.
G: Robin Amaize, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Amaize continues to have a great start to the season with two more fantastic outings. Against SYNTAINICS MBC in the league, he picked 25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. The guard then had 25 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in the German Cup win over BG Göttingen.
C: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder remains one of the best big men in the league as he had 13 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals against JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers and then tallied 12 points and 2 rebounds against FC Bayern Munich in the German Cup.
Young Guns
Len Schoormann, 19, PG, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Schoormann had a fantastic debut to the season as the 19-year-old scored 17 points on 5-of-12 shooting and 6-of-6 free throws and had 3 rebounds and 1 steal with just one turnover in 25:16 minutes against EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the MagentaSport BBL Pokal German Cup.
Brandon Tischler, 21, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Tischler flashed some of his talent as he had 8 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist in 14:21 minutes against SYNTAINICS MBC in the league. He followed that with 5 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 17:19 minutes versus BG Göttingen in Braunschweig’s win in the German Cup.
Lorenz Brenneke, 21, PF, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Brenneke has blossomed early on in his new surroundings as he collected 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 22:33 minutes against his former team ALBA BERLIN in the league. The big man then had 9 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal versus EWE Baskets Oldenburg in the German Cup.
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Vorberichte
Bayreuth und Hamburg kämpfen ums letzte Viertelfinal-Ticket
Nachberichte
Heiße Hände bis zum Ende: München schießt Bamberg mit 98:77 aus dem Pokal / Jaramaz und Walden überragend
Nachberichte
