The 2021-22 easyCredit BBL season is about to tip off and here is a team-by-team breakdown of all 18 clubs - starting with two-time reigning champs ALBA BERLIN and going to promoted side MLP Academics Heidelberg. Autor: David Hein
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:
Which teams will challenge for the title? Who will fight to avoid relegation?
The first edition of Weekly News for the 2021-22 season takes a look at all 18 easyCredit BBL clubs and provides a quick insight into what the outlook is for the year. The teams will be listed in order of final rankings from last season.
ALBA BERLIN: One era ends, can the champs - with reigning MVP - three-peat?
Adios Aito … viva Israel. The legendary Aito Garcia Reneses is officially on sabbatical and hands the head coaching reins to Israel Gonzalez. It seems only fitting that two of the biggest future stars of Israel - as in the country - arrive in the German capital to start the new era (Tamir Blatt and Yovel Zoosman). Oh, wait, ALBA also added the reigning MVP Jaleen Smith too. Man, can they make up for those early-season center injuries and complete the three-peat?
FC Bayern Munich: Year two of Trinchieri … are Bayern even better?
FC Bayern Munich reloaded and have given head coach Andrea Trinchieri a new toolbox of toys to play with (Othello Hunter, Darrun Hilliard, Deshaun Thomas and Andi Obst are just some of the bigger names). This year’s version of the team may be even more versatile and feature more weapons offensively in clutch situations. There is still just as much pressure to win titles in Germany - defend the cup and end two-year title drought - plus the team is hungry to repeat the success from the EuroLeague last season when it became the first German club to reach the playoffs.
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg: Not just the domestic league … how does the team find itself
One of the advantages Ludwigsburg had last season was they were playing solely in the easyCredit BBL and not in any European club competition. That will change this season with the team playing in the Basketball Champions League. How will the team handle the additional travel and games? And how quickly can head coach John Patrick find the group of players he wants to play his style of play? Oh, and there are higher expectations after reaching the finals of the 2020 Final Tournament and then winning the regular season in 2020-21.
ratiopharm ulm: Can Ulm give Per a fun farewell tour? Lakovic will need to work magic with youngsters
ratiopharm ulm’s 2021-22 season will be the last go-around for Per Günther - season No. 13 for the team captain - but the storyline will be how head coach Jaka Lakovic can get his young team to play, especially top names like Fedor Zugic, Philipp Herkenhoff, Karim Jallow and the three former NBA players Cristiano Felicio (258 NBA games), Jaron Blossomgame (27) and Semaj Christon (66). Ulm will once again be in the 7DAYS EuroCup, where Lakovic hopes to challenge to advance from the regular season and get his team ready to make the playoffs domestically.
EWE Baskets Oldenburg: Rickey is back … but otherwise not much else
Rickey Paulding (38 years) just keeps going … but not much else from EWE Baskets Oldenburg’s team from last season is back and instead some youth was injected with the signings of Bennet Hundt (22, Bamberg), Alen Pjanic (24, Giessen) und Tai Odiase (25, Göttingen). And head coach Mladen Drijenic will have the new arrivals playing a more up-tempo style of ball. Oldenburg are regulars in the playoffs, and this group has the pieces to challenge for another deep run in the post-season.
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim: Can Gleim continue Crailsheim magic?
Crailsheim saw head coach Tuomas Iisalo leave in favor of Telekom Baskets Bonn and replaced him with Sebastian Gleim from FRAPORT SKYLINERS. The biggest storyline is can Gleim continue the club’s upward trend. The core of German players is back and TJ Shorts will have to shine in major ways. The team will also have the additional burden of playing on the international stage for the first time - in the FIBA Europe Cup.
Hamburg Towers: Year two of Calles era … can Towers continue climb?
Hamburg saw an immediate impact of the Calles Effect as head coach Pedro Calles guided the team to the playoffs in his first season with the club after working his magic with RASTA Vechta. Hamburg have been re-shaped around the trio of Max DiLeo, Justus Hollatz and Maik Kotsar, but the expectations remain high as the new arrivals will be out to prove themselves on the international stage as well as Hamburg debut in the EuroCup.
Brose Bamberg: New look Bamberg will be hungry
Bamberg have changed the face of the team in a major way - really just keeping the core of German players. And one major difference from last year’s team is that many of them still have a lot to prove on the European stage. Bamberg will be fighting in the qualifiers to reach the Basketball Champions League, where they last season performed very strongly when healthy but got hit by injuries. The team is definitely a playoff one in the German league and with the late signing of point guard Frankie Ferrari Bamberg already decided the unofficial competition about the best sounding name in the league.
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig: Next former Ulm assistant to coach young Lions
The departure of Pete Strobl was followed by the arrival of Jesus Ramirez as new head coach - after Pete Strobl the next former ratiopharm ulm assistant to take over at Braunschweig – and the two german national players Robin Amaize and David Krämer from Munich. The team’s philosophy once again will be to give lots of playing time to young German players - the most intriguing of the bunch being Luc van Slooten - and letting them develop. If a lot of things go right, Braunschweig could be a challenger for a playoff spot.
medi bayreuth: Goal is the playoffs for more-experienced group
Bayreuth have missed the playoffs the last three seasons and snapping that streak is the number one goal for the 2021-22 campaign. As opposed to previous seasons, Bayreuth this year locked up two experienced guards in Cameron Wells and Marcus Thornton who will give Raoul Korner’s team the foundation they need to get to the post-season.
FRAPORT SKYLINERS: New coach still has youngsters … and Tez
Frankfurt has been synonymous with young German players and Quantez Robertson for years now. That has not changed despite the hiring of Spanish head coach Diego Ocampo. Robertson will still be the rock of the team and youngsters like Len Schoormann and Bruno Vrcic are part of a strong young talented German core, although both are injured for the next couple of weeks. Once again, not having European games will help the team develop and possibly reach the post-season.
BG Göttingen: Year two with Coach Moors should be better than last season
Göttingen were hoping they got the better of what was almost a coaching swap when Johan Rojakkers left for Brose Bamberg and Roel Moors came in from Bamberg. Göttingen finished 11th in 2020-21 and the team is hoping to finish better than last season - and challenge for the playoffs. For that to happen, all of the team’s new additions will have to produce to their maximum. But Göttingen seem to have too much potential to be relegated
Telekom Baskets Bonn: Iisalo must right ship, challenge for playoffs
Bonn have missed the playoffs the last two seasons and club management have brought in Tuomas Iisalo to right the ship and get them back into the post-season. Iisalo of course was the magic-making head coach at HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim, but Bonn have more history and reputation and pressure connected. The Finnish coach has a completely new team and getting them on board quickly would be ideal as to not lose ground on other playoff-orientated teams.
NINERS Chemnitz: More of the same as from last season
Chemnitz pulled some big surprises last season and those buzzer beating victories over Brose Bamberg (video) and FC Bayern Munich (video) really helped them avoid relegation in their easyCredit BBL debut. Head coach Rodrigo Pastore definitely will have a more experienced team this season with the likes of Gerald Robinson, Frantz Massenat and Darion Atkins. The team also features strong German talent, so it would not be a surprise at all this season if Chemnitz avoid relegation with some more big wins.
SYNTAINICS MBC: Goal is to avoid the drop with very interesting team
MBC go into the season looking to once again avoid relegation and will do so with a familiar face as Igor Jovovic returns to the club he served as head coach from 2016 to 2018 - during which time he got MBC back up to the easyCredit BBL. MBC will not be listed in many observers’ notebooks of teams that can reach the playoffs, but they will be an interesting watch. They have a couple of talented German youngsters (Radii Caisin, Evans Rapieque and Vincent Friederici) as well as Behnam Yakhchali, an ultra-experienced Iranian national team guard, who played at the Olympics in Tokyo and other exciting pieces.
s.Oliver Würzburg: Challenge for a spot in the playoffs
Würzburg were in the fight for the playoffs for three straight seasons from 2017 to 2020 but had nothing to show for it and then slumped to 16th place last season. Head coach Denis Wucherer has formed a very international and high IQ team, very interesting is the unusual South American influence with Chilean center Nicolas Carvacho and point guard Luciano Parodi from Uruguay. Anyway: This team should be closer to playing for a spot in the post-season than having to battle against the drop.
JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers: Giessen look to take next step with Strobl
Giessen were awarded a wild card to stay in the easyCredit BBL and the club is ready to make sure the investment was worthwhile. They brought in Pete Strobl, who made a name at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig for giving young Germans a chance. While that most likely will be the case in Giessen as well, Strobl has a group off leaders - John Bryant, Kyan Anderson and Brayon Blake - who could actually challenge for a spot in the playoffs.
MLP Academics Heidelberg: Can the promoted team avoid relegation?
Heidelberg go into the 2021-22 season as the leading candidate to be relegated to ProA after the season. Head coach Branislav Ignjatovic hopes he and his team can avoid the drop. The club actually has a lot of history, winning nine German championships and two German Cups. But the last hardware dates back to 1978. Heidelberg do have some strong names on the team - including Robert Lowery, Brekkott Chapman and Phillipp Heyden - but are they enough to survive?
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