What a week of action on and off the court in the easyCredit BBL. Of course the biggest league story was most likely the final matchup between two retiring legends - Per Günther and Rickey Paulding. But there was drama on the court too as Andi Obst helped FC Bayern Munich come back in magical fashion to win in overtime while both s.Oliver Würzburg and EWE Baskets Oldenburg snapped long losing streaks. Oldenburg did so with their new coach, Ingo Freyer who hopes to keep the team from being relegated.
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:
Per gets best of Rickey in likely final matchup of retiring legends
The easyCredit BBL likely saw the final matchup between of the league’s biggest legends as Per Günther and ratiopharm ulm got the best of Rickey Paulding and his EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Both players will be retiring after the season and Oldenburg would need a magical run to make the playoffs and make another showdown possible. In the 86-78 Ulm win, Günther collected 9 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists while Paulding picked up 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Günther improved to 21-24 all-time against Oldenburg in the league and cup while Paulding saw his record against Ulm fall to 27-24.
Ulm too much for Oldenburg, grab second place after sixth straight win
ratiopharm ulm jumped to second place in the easyCredit BBL as they proved too strong for EWE Baskets Oldenburg with an 86-78 home victory - in what was probably the last matchup between Ulm’s Per Günther and Rickey Paulding of Oldenburg. Ulm led nearly the entire game but their biggest lead was 10 points late in the third quarter. Oldenburg failed to score in the final 90 seconds as Ulm improved to 14-5 with their sixth straight win and Oldenburg dropped to 3-15. Ulm survived 19 turnovers thanks to winning the rebound battle 45-35 and holding Oldenburg to just 39.0 percent from the field including 21.9 percent from long range. Sindarius Thornwell collected 19 points and 13 rebounds, Semaj Christon scored 18 points, Philipp Herkenhoff picked up 16 points and 9 rebounds and Jason Blossomgame added 15 points. Martin Breunig paced Oldenburg with 15 points and Phil Pressey scored 13 points in the loss.
Oldenburg name Ingo Freyer as new head coach
EWE Baskets Oldenburg named a new head coach as they brought in Ingo Freyer. The 51-year-old playcaller replaces Alen Abaz, who was the interim coach after Oldenburg fired Mladen Drijencic. Freyer played for a number of teams in Germany including 193 games for ALBA BERLIN, with whom he won the Korac Cup in 1995. Freyer also earned 39 caps with the German national team. Freyer took over as head coach at Phoenix Hagen in 2007 and led the club to the Bundesliga in 2009. He left the club during the 2016-17 season and moved the next season to JobStairs GIESSEN 46ers, where he was fired during the 2019-20 season.
Oldenburg win Freyer debut to snap losing skid in Round 15 makeup
EWE Baskets Oldenburg celebrated the debut of new head coach Ingo Freyer by snapping an eight-game losing streak with an offensive firework in blowing out MLP Academics Heidelberg 109-73 in a Round 15 makeup game at home. Oldenburg started running away with the game in the second quarter and led 51-33 at halftime and never looked back to move to 3-14 while Heidelberg fell to 6-12. Oldenburg shot a blistering hot 61.1 percent from the field, including 76.7 percent on two-pointers while also taking the rebound battle 44-21, including 16 offensive rebounds. Michal Michalak paced six Oldenburg players in double figures with 26 points with Max Heidegger scoring 15 points, Rickey Paulding hitting for 14 points and Phil Pressey flirting with a triple-double with 6 points, 12 rebounds and 13 assists. Brekkott Chapman scored 18 points to lead Heidelberg.
Obst outstanding in magical Bayern comeback in OT win over Braunschweig
FC Bayern Munich rallied back from 10 points down in the closing minutes and ended up knocking off Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 91-82 in overtime to remain in first place. Bayern led by 12 points at halftime but watched Braunschweig take control and build a 10-point lead with 3 minutes left. Bayern came back spectacularly with a 12-0 run to take a lead - including an Andi Obst four-point play. David Krämer’s free throws ended up forcing overtime. Bayern took the momentum into the extra session and finished the game on a 12-2 run to improve to 15-4 with their fourth straight win and Braunschweig dropped to 8-11. Braunschweig shot just 43.3 percent from the field including 30.0 percent from long range. Deshaun Thomas paced Bayern with 23 points while Obst finished with 17 points, Leon Radosevic scored 16 points and Corey Walden added 11 points. Krämer poured in 22 points against his former team while Owen Klassen picked up a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds and both Tookie Brown and Luc van Slooten scored 11 points.
Bayern extend with Pesic until 2025
FC Bayern Munich and general manager Marko Pesic agreed to a contract extension until 2025. “We have big goals,” Pesic told Magentasport. If the 45-year-old fulfils the contract he will have served 14 years in the position with Bayern.
Hunt free throw snaps Würzburg 11-game losing skid
s.Oliver Würzburg finally tasted victory again by going through a rollercoaster of emotions but defeating Brose Bamberg 90-89 at home to end an 11-game losing streak. Würzburg wasted a 14-point first quarter lead and then saw a 12-point late third cushion disappear as well. The hosts trailed by four points with 78 seconds to play but Craig Moller evened the game with a layup and Cameron Hunt hit the game-winning free throw with 1.8 seconds left to finally win again and move to 4-14 with Bamberg dropping to 8-11. Würzburg dished out 27 assists while shooting 54.6 percent from the field including 45.8 percent on three-pointers and holding Bamberg to just 37.5 percent on two-pointers. Hunt and Moller both scored 21 points for Würzburg and Filip Stanic and Luciano Parodi both hit for 12 points. Bamberg got 23 points from Omar Prewitt, 22 from Justin Robinson and 19 points from Christian Sengfelder. But the rest of the team scored just 25 points.
Braunschweig pull away late to beat Würzburg at home in Round 24 game
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig used a late run to grab an 80-75 home victory over s.Oliver Würzburg in a Round 24 game that extended the guests’ losing streak to 11 games. The contest was tight throughout until Braunschweig reeled off a 9-0 surge in the final 71 seconds to improve to 8-10 while Würzburg fell to 4-13. Braunschweig forced 19 Würzburg turnovers and held the guests to just 41.3 percent from the field, including 39.4 percent on two-pointers. David Krämer poured in 22 points with Tookie Brown picking up 15 points and 9 assists, Owen Klassen collecting 13 points and 11 rebounds and Nicholas Tischler chipping in 11 points. Desi Rodriguez was Würzburg’s leading scorer with 14 points and Craig Moller added 13 points.
Sikma near-triple double leads Berlin past Bonn on road
ALBA BERLIN shrugged off their full schedule of games and knocked off Telekom Baskets Bonn 89-77 on the road thanks to an outstanding showing by Luke Sikma. Berlin took control of the game with a 10-1 run in the second quarter and were never threatened again to move to 12-5 while Bonn fell to 14-6. Bonn committed only 8 turnovers but shot just 40.6 percent from the field and lost the rebound battle 51 to 32, including 16 Berlin offensive rebounds, which led to a 17-4 advantage in second chance points. Yovel Zoosman paced five Berlin players in double figures with 18 points while Christ Komadje had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds and Luke Sikma flirted with a triple-double with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 10 assists. Parker Jackson-Cartwright had a double-double of his own for Bonn with 20 points and 10 assists and Tyson Ward had 18 points in the loss.
Bayreuth roll past Hamburg for third straight home win
medi bayreuth collected their third straight home victory by rolling past Hamburg Towers 90-71 as the guests dropped their third in a row. Bayreuth built a 20-point lead in the second quarter which Hamburg were able to trim to six points midway through the third quarter but did not challenge again as Bayreuth improved to 9-10 and Hamburg fell to 10-9. Bayreuth shot 56.7 percent from the field for the game while holding Hamburg to just 41.8 percent including 42.9 percent on two-points. Sacar Amin led Bayreuth with 22 points and 8 assists while Martynas Sajus had 21 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocks and Terry Allen added 17 points. Jaylon Brown poured in 24 points for Hamburg while Robin Christen was the only other player in double figures with 11 points.
Hamburg add Bluiett after releasing McCallum
Hamburg Towers changed up their lineup this week as they brought in Trevon Bluiett after releasing Ray McCallum. Hamburg signed the 27-year-old Bluiett until the end of the season after he most recently played with Besiktas Istanbul. The club also announced they had agreed to release McCallum after he had played 19 games for the team.
Chemnitz stay on playoffs course with win at Heidelberg
NINERS Chemnitz showed once again why they are on course for the playoffs as they beat MLP Academics Heidelberg 81-66 on the road. Heidelberg led most of the first half and were up by nine points early in the third quarter before Chemnitz took over, taking the third quarter 26-13 and improving to 13-6 with Heidelberg falling to 6-13. Chemnitz survived 20 turnovers because they held Heidelberg to just 36.7 percent from the field, including 20.0 percent from long range. Darion Atkins had 16 points and 8 rebounds with Isiaha Mike and Frantz Massenat both chipping in 12 points for the winners. Heidelberg’s leading scorer was Brekkott Chapman with 18 points and 10 rebounds and Robert Lowery added 13 points and 4 steals.
Late run carries Ludwigsburg past Frankfurt on road
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg used a big late push to pick up a hard-fought 80-71 victory at FRAPORT SKYLINERS. Frankfurt jumped ahead to a 12-point lead in the first quarter but trailed by the mid-point of the second quarter. And Ludwigsburg took the game with a 15-2 run in the fourth quarter for their fourth straight win and a 13-6 mark while Frankfurt fell to 5-12. Ludwigsburg forced 18 Frankfurt turnovers and held the hosts to just 41.8 percent from the field. Jonah Radebaugh paced Ludwigsburg with 16 points while Yorman Polas Bartolo scored 15 points and Ethan Happ picked up 13 points and 9 rebounds. Will Cherry scored 21 points and Lukas Wank added 17 points in the loss.
Ludwigsburg bring back Cotton
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg strengthened their backcourt with a familiar face as they brought back Tekele Cotton until the end of the season. The 28-year-old played for Ludwigsburg from 2015 to 2017 and returns to Germany after having played in Italy and Estonia the last four years.
Player of the Week
The top performance from Round 20 was Martynas Sajus of medi bayreuth, who was unstoppable against Hamburg Towers as he collected 21 points on 10-of-10 shooting and 1-of-3 free throws, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 4 blocks for an efficiency of 37.
German Top Five of the Week
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
What a week for Krämer as he does his best to make up for the absence of Robin Amaize. Against s.Oliver Würzburg, Krämer poured in 22 points with 5 three-pointers, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block. In the overtime loss against FC Bayern Munich, Krämer also had 22 points with 3 three-pointers, 1 rebound and 2 assists.
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
David Krämer was foiled in the loss to Bayern by his German national teammate Obst, who collected 17 points on 4 three-pointers - including a four-point play in the dying moments of regulation. Obst also had 3 rebounds and 1 assist.
F: Lukas Wank, FRAPORT SKYLINERS
Wank played very well against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as he collected 17 points on 4 three-pointers to go along with 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
F: Philipp Herkenhoff, ratiopharm ulm
Herkenhoff helped make up for a number of missing players as he scored 16 points and also chipped in 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in the win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
C: Christian Sengfelder, Brose Bamberg
Sengfelder remains one of the best players in the league as he collected 19 points on 4-of-5 three-pointers, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block in a loss to s.Oliver Würzburg.
Young Guns
Luc van Slooten, 19, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
van Slooten played well in Braunschweig’s two games this week. In the win over s.Oliver Würzburg, the 19-year-old picked up 5 points on 2-of-4 shooting (1/2 threes), 2 steals and 1 block in 16:11 minutes. In the overtime loss at FC Bayern Munich, van Slooten scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shots (3/7 threes) to go with 3 rebounds and 1 steal in 25:43 minutes.
Kay Bruhnke, 20, SG, medi bayreuth
Bruhnke helped Bayreuth to a big win over Hamburg Towers with 5 points on 2-of-4 shots (1/3 threes) while also picking up 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block in 18:25 minutes.
Justus Hollatz, 20, PG, Hamburg Towers
Hollatz collected 7 points on 3-of-7 shots (1/1 threes), 1 rebound and 4 as-sists in 23:49 minutes, but they were not enough in a loss to medi bayreuth.
Tischlers Watch
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig split two games this week, beating s.Oliver Würzburg and then wasting a big lead late and losing in overtime to FC Bayern Munich. The Tischler twin brothers both played solidly in both games with Nicholas Tischler starting both contests. Against Würzburg, he had 11 points on 4-of-6 shots (0/1 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 27:01 minutes. Nicholas then had 8 points on 3-of-7 shots (1/3 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 27:01 minutes. Brandon Tischler collected 6 points on 2-of-2 shots (1/1 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws and 1 rebound in 16:42 minutes against Würzburg. Against Bayern, Brandon picked up 1 point on 0-of-1 three-pointers and 1-of-2 free throws but did have 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in 11:42 minutes.
Germans Abroad
Marten Linssen is having a solid season for Saint Louis University. The former Bayer Giants Leverkusen youngster is averaging 8.9 points and 4.0 rebounds and most recently picked up 17 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks against Dayton. Linssen’s season high is 19 points with 8 rebounds against Stephen F Austin back in late November. Linssen played for Germany at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, when the team finished fourth.
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