The week’s most anticipated showdown was the final game of the weekend but reigning champions ALBA BERLIN rolled to a comfortable win over league debutants ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES, who also had been undefeated coming into the game. This week also featured the domestic season debuts of Elias Harris and Isaac Bonga for FC Bayern Munich while Brose Bamberg remained the only team without a victory after ratiopharm ulm, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and NINERS Chemnitz all celebrated their first win.
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 show class in second half, hand Rostock first loss
ALBA BERLIN showed their class as the reigning champions dominated the second half in ending the fairytale season start for debutants ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES with a 104-70 win on the road. Berlin were ahead most of the first half by as many as 10 points but blew the game open with 58 points in the second half and holding Rostock to 34 points in the final 20 minutes. Berlin jumped to 5-0 and Rostock fell to 4-1. Berlin ruled inside with a 54-28 rebound advantage and 62 points in the paint compared to 26 for the underdogs. Berlin also scored 28 fast break points. Yanni Wetzell came off the bench to lead Berlin with 19 points and 7 rebounds while Louis Olinde totalled 16 points, 7 rebounds and 2 blocks and Yovel Zoosman scored 13 points. Tyler Nelson led Rostock with 13 points and JeQuan Lewis picked up 12 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists in the loss.
McCullum carries Hamburg past Bamberg, ex-champs still winless
Veolia Hamburg Towers extended their winning streak to four games as they beat Brose Bamberg 76-66 on the road to continue the former champions’ nightmare season start. The game was tight for about 38 minutes - with Bamberg taking a brief 9-point lead in the second quarter - before Hamburg scored the final seven points to secure the win. Hamburg moved to 4-1 while Bamberg are the only winless team at 0-5 in last place. Hamburg held Bamberg to just 33.8 shooting including 5-of-31 (16.1 percent) on three-pointers. Kendale McCullum collected 26 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for Hamburg and Yoeli Childs picked up 11 points and 8 rebounds. Justin Wright-Foreman and Christian Sengfelder both scored 15 points in the loss.
Bamberg announce departure of leading scorer Wright-Foreman
Brose Bamberg took the first major action to stop their poor start to the season as they announced the departure of Justin Wright-Foreman. The team said that talks about contract termination are on-going with the team’s leading scorer, who has poured in 15.4 points a game. Bamberg are the league’s only winless team at 0-5 in last place.
Bayern cruise past Crailsheim in domestic debuts for Harris, Bonga
FC Bayern Munich bounced back from their overtime loss to Veolia Hamburg Towers with a dominant 88-77 victory over HARKO Merlins Crailsheim as Bayern saw the league season debuts of German stars Elias Harris and Isaac Bonga. Bayern grabbed a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back in moving to 4-1 with Crailsheim losing their third straight for a 1-4 mark. Bayern dominated the glass 41-24 with 13 offensive rebounds, leading to an 18-4 advantage in second chance points. Bayern also made 20-of-25 free throws compared to just 7-of-9 for Crailsheim, who were without head coach Sebastian Gleim due to a Corona infection. Andi Obst drained 6 three-pointers for 25 points while Harris collected 21 points and 8 rebounds and Bonga chipped in 6 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists in his debut. Arunas Mikalauskas led Crailsheim with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists while Edon Maxhuni added 12 points and 7 assists.
Dos Santos, big fourth quarter give Ulm first win
ratiopharm ulm grabbed their first domestic victory of the season as they carried a big performance from Yago dos Santos and a strong fourth quarter to an 88-73 win over medi bayreuth. The game went back and forth until the hosts took control with the first 10 points of the final frame, which they claimed 24-11 to improve to 1-4 while Bayreuth fell to 2-3. Ulm forced Bayreuth into 19 turnovers while holding the guests to just 43.1 percent shooting, including 31.0 percent on three-pointers. Dos Santos had totalled 16 points in his first four league games, but the 23-year-old Brazilian broke out with 22 points, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Ahmed Hill scored 13 points to lead Bayreuth.
Braunschweig waste big leads, fend off Frankfurt for first win
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig wasted two big leads but barely fended off FRAPORT SKYLINERS 61-59 on the road for their first victory of the season. Braunschweig built a 10-point lead in the first quarter and extended the cushion to 16 points in the second quarter. Frankfurt tied the game late in the third quarter and fell behind again by 13 points with 4 minutes to go. Braunschweig watched Frankfurt go on a 14-2 surge to get within 60-59 on JJ Frazier’s three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left. David Krämer split two free throws with 4.7 seconds to play and Frazier missed a final shot at the buzzer. Both teams are now 1-4. Braunschweig made just 38.3 percent of their shots but held Frankfurt to just 28.6 percent from the field. Krämer finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds and Jilson Bango collected 13 points and 10 rebounds for Braunschweig. Frazier was Frankfurt’s leading scorer with 17 points and the Lithuania duo of Martinis Geben and Einaras Tubutis combined for 16 points and 19 rebounds.
Bonn still perfect after balanced win over Göttingen
Telekom Baskets Bonn remained perfect in the league as they used a balanced performance in a 94-85 home victory over BG Göttingen. Bonn built an 18-point in the second quarter but Göttingen fought back and were down just six points when Jeremy Morgan hit a dagger three-pointer with 20 seconds to play. Bonn improved to 4-0 and Göttingen fell to 2-2. Bonn hit 48.2 percent from three-point range and Göttingen were even better at 54.2 percent, but the guests converted on just 42.9 percent of their two-pointers. Morgan finished with 23 points as one of six Bonn players in double figures and TJ Shorts had 15 points and 8 assists. Harald Frey was Göttingen’s top scorer with 22 points.
Ely heroics help Heidelberg overcome Oldenburg in OT
MLP Academics Heidelberg put their fans through a roller-coaster of emotions as they wasted a big lead and needed overtime to beat EWE Baskets Oldenburg 102-94 at home. Heidelberg led by 10 points after the first quarter and extended the lead to 19 points in the second frame. The second half was all Oldenburg, who took the third quarter 34-20 and even built at 7-point advantage in the fourth quarter. DeWayne Russell hit a floater with 0.7 seconds left to give Oldenburg the lead in regulation but Shyron Ely drained a jumper at the buzzer to force overtime. Heidelberg scored five straight points in the extra session and went 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final 22 seconds. Heidelberg moved to 2-2 and Oldenburg saw their record go to 3-2. Heidelberg were unstoppable on two-pointers, converting 77.1 percent while Oldenburg made just 45.2 percent on two-pointers. Akeem Vargas collected 16 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists and Eric Washington picked up 16 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists and 2 steals in the win. Russell paced Oldenburg with 23 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 steals and Trey Drechsel added 18 points and 7 rebounds.
Hubb steps up late, Ludwigsburg perfect on road, Würzburg winless at home
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg survived a back-and-forth battle in securing an 89-86 victory at Würzburg Baskets. Ludwigsburg grabbed an 11-point lead early in the second quarter but the rest of the game went back and forth with 11 lead changes and eight ties. Würzburg led by three points with 2 minutes led when Prentiss Hubb stepped up with a three-pointer and three-point play followed by 3-of-4 free throws in the final 8 seconds. Ludwigsburg moved to 4-1 including a perfect 3-0 on the road while Würzburg are 2-3 with a 0-3 mark at home. Ludwigsburg snatched 17 offensive rebounds compared to 9 for Würzburg and turned that into a 19-6 advantage in second chance points. Justin Johnson led the way for the winners with 21 points and 9 rebounds while Hubb collected 17 points, 4 rebounds and 11 assists and Shonn Miller scored 16 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. Stanley Whittaker was Würzburg’s top scorer with 21 points to go with 7 assist and Cameron Hunt tallied 18 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals.
Chemnitz down SYNTAINICS MBC for first win of season
NINERS Chemnitz collected their first victory of the season as they defeated SYNTAINICS MBC 98-89 at home. Chemnitz trailed most of the first half - by as many as nine points - but took the third quarter 28-19 to grab the win and move to 1-2 with SYNTAINICS MBC dropping to 1-3. The Chemnitz defense conceded just 4-of-16 three-pointers for 25.0 percent. Arnas Velicka carried Chemnitz with 19 points and 7 assists off the bench while Jonas Richter scored 16 points. Martin Breunig paced the guests with 19 points and 7 rebounds and Lamont Jones scored 18 points.
Player of the Week
Elias Harris had a great easyCredit BBL debut for FC Bayern Munich as the German veteran took home Player of the Week honors with an efficiency of 29 against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. Harris scored 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 6-of-6 free throws and also had 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block.
https://twitter.com/FCBBasketball/status/1586779487676538880?s=20&t=q3X2vzVe1XLSbHg6a4ayuw
German Top Five of the Week
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Krämer led Braunschweig to their first win of the season with 17 points and 6 rebounds against FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich
Obst poured in 25 points with 6 three-pointers and also picked up 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal versus HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
F: Akeem Vargas, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Vargas was Heidelberg’s leading scorer in the win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg with 16 points, and he also had 7 rebounds and 3 assists.
F: Jonas Richter, NINERS Chemnitz
Richter collected 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in Chemnitz’s win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Elias Harris, FC Bayern Munich
Yeah, yeah, two Bayern players? But how can you not put Obst in the Top Five with his showing and Harris took Player of the Week honors as he tallied 21 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in his league season debut against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim.
Young Guns
Luc van Slooten, 20, SF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Van Slooten finally had another productive offensive game as he scored 8 points on 2-of-2 shooting (1-1 threes) and 3-of-5 free throws - six points more than he scored in his previous three games. The 20-year-old also had 2 rebounds and 3 assists in 23:46 minutes against FRAPORT SKYLINERS.
Elias Rapieque, 18, PG, ALBA BERLIN
Berlin continue to bring youngsters onto the court and Rapieque played 3:53 minutes against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES - his second game after he played in the playoffs last season vs Brose Bamberg. The 18-year-old scored 6 points on 3-of-6 shots (0-1 threes) and grabbed 1 rebound.
Lukas Herzog, 21, PG, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Herzog continues to have a solid first season away from MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as the 21-year-old scored 5 points on 2-of-4 shots (1-3 threes) and had 3 rebounds in 12:59 minutes against EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
Germans Abroad
Eduard Roschnafsky made the interesting jump this off-season in moving back to Romania powerhouse U-BT Cluj Napoca. The 19-year-old big man started playing basketball at Cluj and is the son of Cluj legend Bruno Roschnafsky. Eduard went to Germany in 2018 and came up in the Science City Jena system and also played for the NINERS Chemnitz and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg youth ranks. Roschnafsky has been given more and more chances so far with Cluj. Roschnafsky scored 12 points with 2 three-pointers and had 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 16 minutes against Sibiu. He also played 1 minute in his 7DAYS EuroCup debut against Cedevita Olimpija Ljubljana.
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