There is a new leader atop the easyCredit BBL standings as Telekom Baskets Bonn went to number one after ALBA BERLIN fell at home in a big showdown with FC Bayern Munich. The week in action also saw the legendary Dirk Nowitzki in Hamburg to watch the Veolia Towers Hamburg take on Brose Bamberg.
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:
Hunter stands out, Bayern beat Berlin again, end winning streak
FC Bayern Munich defeated ALBA BERLIN for the second time within two weeks with a hard-fought 76-71 road victory to snap Berlin’s 12 game winning streak in the league. Bayern knocked off Berlin in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup Semi-Finals on February 18 in Oldenburg and then won again in the German capital. It was the 12th time in the last 14 league or playoff games where the road team won. Berlin built a nine-point lead in the first quarter but trailed in the second quarter. The game was tied at halftime and neither team scored for nearly 4 minutes before Bayern led for almost the rest of the game. Berlin pushed ahead briefly 66-64 and it was tied 71-71 before DJ Seeley’s dagger three-pointer with 26 seconds left and Isaac Bonga iced the game with two free throws with 14 seconds remaining. Bayern improved to 15-6 after bouncing back from the loss to Veolia Towers Hamburg. Berlin fell to 18-2 and in second place in the league as Bonn are 20-2. Bayern shot 57.1 percent on two-pointers and forced Berlin into 46.2 percent from close range as well as 21 turnovers. Othello Hunter poured in a season-high 24 points off the bench while fellow reserves DJ Seeley and Corey Walden added 17 and 11 points respectively. The Bayern starting five combined for just 19 points - though Isaac Bonga had 6 points and 12 rebounds. Jaleen Smith led Berlin in scoring with 14 points and Maodo Lo and Johannes Thiemann both had 12 points in the loss.
Bonn take over first place with easy win at Frankfurt
The easyCredit BBL standings have a new leader as Telekom Baskets Bonn took over the top spot after easing past FRAPORT SKYLINERS 88-61 on the road. Frankfurt were up for the entire first quarter before Bonn took the lead and then pulled away for good in the fourth quarter. Bonn top the league with a 20-2 record after 7 consecutive wins while Frankfurt have dropped five in a row and sit at 5-17. Bonn’s defense was superb as Frankfurt shot just 36.8 percent for the game including 25.6 percent from long range. Collin Malcolm came off the Bonn bench for a team-high 16 points with new addition Javontae Hawkins scoring 12 points and T.J. Shorts tallying 11 points, 4 rebounds and 6 assists. Lukas Wank was Frankfurt’s top scorer with 14 points and Joshua Obiesie had 11 points with 4 assists.
Shorts show carries Bonn past Crailsheim in Round 29 game
Telekom Baskets Bonn extended their winning streak to six games as they rolled past HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 101-83 in a Round 29 game. Bonn jumped ahead by double figures in the first quarter and never looked back in pulling to 19-2 while Crailsheim have dropped five in a row for a 7-14 record. Bonn made 19-of-26 free throws compared to 8-of-9 for Crailsheim, who also forced just 10 Bonn turnovers. TJ Shorts had a monster double-double of 17 points and 15 assists while Sebastian Herrera scored 12 points. Edon Maxhuni scored 19 points off the bench to lead Crailsheim.
Bonn bring back Javontae Hawkins
Telekom Baskets Bonn acted just before the end of the transfer window by strengthening their team with Javontae Hawkins. The 29-year-old American played for Bonn last season and helped the team reach the playoffs. Hawkins signed until the end of the season and will be a replacement for the injured Jeremy Morgan. Hawkins comes to Bonn from playing with Limoges CSP in France. He averaged 15.6 points and 3.6 rebounds in 28 games last season.
Nowitzki in Hamburg to watch Bamberg win fourth straight
Brose Bamberg continued their push to challenge for the playoffs as they beat Veolia Towers Hamburg 88-83 on the road for a fourth straight win with Dirk Nowitzki among the fans in Hamburg. Bamberg led the first quarter and Hamburg were up for most of the middle two periods before Kevin Wohlrath hit the deciding three-pointer with 73 seconds to play. Bamberg improved to 11-11 and Hamburg fell to 8-14 after having won their previous two games. Hamburg were held to just 30.4 percent from long range and Bamberg made 4 more three-pointers and 7 more free throws than the hosts. Patrick Miller led the way for Bamberg with 19 points and 8 assists with Solomon Young scoring 15 points and Wohlrath adding 13 points and 6 rebounds. New addition Jordan Davis led Hamburg with 20 points with Yoeli Childs picking up 17 points and 10 rebounds and Lukas Meisner scoring 12 points with 4 rebounds.
McCullum leaves Hamburg, Towers add Jordan Davis
Veolia Towers Hamburg made a player swap in their backcourt as Kendale McCullum was allowed to leave and the club signed guard Jordan Davis. McCullum signed with Lithuanian side Rytas Vilnius, and his replacement will be Davis, who pens a deal until the end of the season. Davis played three seasons in the Spanish ACB.
Ulm grab spot in playoffs with big victory at Würzburg
ratiopharm ulm’s months of playing good basketball have finally paid off as they pulled into the playoffs ranks with a big 82-62 road victory over direct post-season challenger Würzburg Baskets. Würzburg opened a 10-point lead in the first quarter and Ulm bounced back with a 27-11 second quarter before starting the second half with a 20-5 run for a 23-point cushion. Ulm jumped to 11-11 with 6 wins in the last 7 games since a home loss to Würzburg in mid-January. Würzburg have the same record. Würzburg committed 18 turnovers and Ulm turned that into a 17-0 advantage in fastbreak points. And the guests shot 73.1 percent on two-pointers. Bruno Caboclo tallied 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocks for the winners with Yago dos Santos picking up 16 points and 4 assists and Juan Nunez chipping in 11 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Stanley Whittaker had 19 points in the loss.
SYNTAINICS MBC down Rostock at home, remain closer to playoffs than relegation
SYNTAINICS MBC remained closer to the playoffs than the relegation with a 102-78 home victory over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. SYNTAINICS MBC led by as many as 11 points in the first quarter and it was still a 13-point cushion at the break. They mounted a 30-17 third quarter to grab their third win in the last four games for a 9-12 record and Rostock fell to 10-12 with their third loss in the last four contests. The home side committed only 10 turnovers and shot 71.9 percent on two-pointers. Kostja Mushidi was top scorer for the winners with 17 points while Kris Clyburn, Charles Callison and John Bryant all added 15 points. JeQuan Lewis led Rostock with 22 points and 6 assists.
Braunschweig snap losing skid, Chemnitz facing pressure for playoffs
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig snapped a three-game losing streak by grabbing an 83-73 road victory over NINERS Chemnitz, who now face pressure in the fight for the playoffs. Chemnitz led most of the first quarter before Braunschweig took over the game with a 28-9 second quarter. That gave the guests a 6-16 record and Chemnitz has now lost three straight for a 10-10 record - outside the playoffs ranks but with two games in hand over other post-season challengers. Braunschweig controlled the rebounding 39-27 and shot 61.5 percent on 2-pointers. David Krämer came off the Braunschweig bench for 18 points and Divine Myles also had 18 points to go with 6 assists. Arnas Velicka tallied 13 points and 9 assists and Mindaugas Susinskas added 12 points.
Oldenburg bounce back from Cup final loss, Crailsheim freefalling
EWE Baskets Oldenburg bounced back from their loss to FC Bayern Munich in the MagentaSport BBL German Cup final by fighting past HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim 94-86 at home. Oldenburg led by double figures in the first quarter and the lead was down to one point early in the second half before the hosts pulled away again. The win was Oldenburg’s fourth in the last five games for a 14-7 mark while Crailsheim’s freefall continued with a sixth straight loss for a 7-15 record. Oldenburg shot 63.4 percent on two-pointers to make the difference. DeWayne Russell put on a show with 34 points on 24 shots to go with 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals. Tanner Leissner added 16 points and Trey Drechsel scored 14 points. James Batemon was Crailsheim’s leading scorer with 26 points off the bench.
Crailsheim’s German youngster Vrcic out for season
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim had bad news for their fans as they announced that Bruno Vrcic will be out for the rest of the season after the wing suffered a knee injury.
Ludwigsburg win 4th straight to stay in fight for home court advantage
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg remained alive in the fight for home court advantage in the playoffs by racing away from MLP Academics Heidelberg 111-87 at home for their fourth win in a row. Ludwigsburg led the entire first half before blowing the game open with a 20-2 start to the third quarter to improve to 13-7 with Heidelberg dropping to 7-15 after a fifth straight defeat. Ludwigsburg committed only 5 turnovers while out-rebounding Heidelberg 42-32 and holding the guests to 29.2 percent from long range. Yorman Polas Bartolo paced Ludwigsburg with 18 points, Shonn Miller had 16 points and Jhonathan Dunn and Prentiss Hubb combined for 26 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. Tim Coleman pound in 26 points in the loss.
Ludwigsburg strengthen post with New Zealand big man Waardenburg
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg brought in reinforcements for the low post as they signed Sam Waardenburg. The 24-year-old New Zealand native played previously for Cairns Taipans in the Australian NBL and collected 11.3 points and 5.6 rebounds. Waardenburg will serve as a replacement for the injured Jeff Roberson.
Heidelberg bring in Australian McVeigh, let De’Jon Davis go
MLP Academics Heidelberg made a late change to their roster as they added Australian Jack McVeigh. The 2.03 meter forward arrives in Europe after having played in the Australian NBL for the Tasmania Jack Jumpers and signed until the end of the season. Heidelberg at the same time announced the departure of De’Jon Davis, who had averaged 9.1 points and 3.7 rebounds in 15 games.
Frankfurt pen deal with center Cooke Jr.
FRAPORT SKYLINERS decided to add a big man to their rotation for the final stretch and inked Derek Cooke Jr. until the end of the season. The 31-year-old American had played for Treviso in Italy and will help Frankfurt in rebounding. The center knows the easyCredit BBL as he played in 2021 with Brose Bamberg
Bayreuth bring in reinforcements with Livingston from Crailsheim
medi bayreuth brought in reinforcements for their fight against relegation as they signed Otis Livingston away from HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. The 26-year-old point guard signed with Bayreuth until the end of the season
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week award for Round 22 heads to DeWayne Russell for his outstanding performance for EWE Baskets Oldenburg against HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim. The guard scored 34 points on 15-of-24 shots and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 2 rebounds, 9 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 35.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Kostja Mushidi, SYNTAINICS MBC
Mushidi helped the team to a win over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES with 17 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.
G: Isaac Bonga, FC Bayern Munich
Bonga was held to just 6 points but he also picked up 12 rebounds, 3 assist and 1 steal in Bayern’s big win over ALBA BERLIN.
G: David Krämer, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Krämer hit 3 three-pointers in scoring 18 points to go with 1 rebound, 2 assist and 1 steal off the bench against NINERS Chemnitz.
F: Lukas Meisner, SF, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Meisner scored 12 points with 4 rebounds and 2 assists against Brose Bamberg.
F: Kevin Wohlrath, Brose Bamberg
Wohlrath had a strong game against Veolia Towers Hamburg with 13 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal.
Young Guns
Len Schoormann, 20, PG, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Schoormann had a solid game in Hamburg’s loss to Brose Bamberg with 11 points on 3-of-5 shooting (2/3 threes) and 3-of-3 free throws, 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 steal in 16:43 minutes.
Sananda Fru, 19, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig.
Fru picked up 3 points on 1-of-2 shooting and 1-of-2 free throws, 6 rebounds and 2 blocks in 19:23 minutes against NINERS Chemnitz.
Radii Caisin, 21, SG, SYNTAINICS MBC
Caisin was noteworthy again as he scored 10 points on 3-of-4 shots (2/2 threes) in just 4:32 minutes on the court against ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES.
Germans Abroad
The German national team locked up first place in their FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 European qualifiers as they booked two victories in the final window. Gordie Herbert’s troops beat Sweden 73-66 at home in Frankfurt and then knocked off Finland 87-81 on the road.
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