As if the schedule makers knew it was coming … a week after Anton Gavel announced he would be leaving ratiopharm ulm to become head coach at Bamberg Baskets after the season, Ulm faced Bamberg in the league and Gavel guided his current team past his future team. The week also saw ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES finally win again, snapping a 13-game losing streak. And NINERS Chemnitz came up with a big win as they prepare for the start of the FIBA Europe Cup Finals.
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:
Ulm coach Gavel wins at home versus his former and future team
ratiopharm ulm remained in the running for home court advantage in the playoffs as they defeated Bamberg Baskets 106-90 at home in a game in which Ulm head coach Anton Gavel received extra attention since he will coaching Bamberg next season. The game was tight until Ulm went on a 21-3 run early in the third quarter and cruised to an 18-9 record with a third straight win and Bamberg fell to 11-16 with two losses in a row. Ulm forced 20 Bamberg turnovers and drained 17 three-pointers at a 53.1 percent clip. All five starters were among six Ulm players who scored in double figures, topped by Trevion Williams and his 26 points and 9 rebounds. Karim Jallow added 21 points and Georginho de Paula had 13 points. Zach Copeland and Filip Stanic both scored 17 points in the loss.
Rostock finally win again, beat Tübingen to snap 13-game skid
ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES can finally celebrate a victory again as they earned an important 92-75 win over Tigers Tübingen to snap a 13-game losing streak in a crucial showdown in the relegation battle. Rostock led by 14 points after 10 minutes and the advantage was 20 points as the guests moved to 7-19 and Tübingen fell to last place with a 6-21 mark after four straight losses. Rostock shot 66.7 percent on two-pointers and held Tübingen to 39.4 percent from the field. Tyler Nelson hit 5 three-pointers for 23 points and Eric Lockett added 15 points in the win. Georgios Kalaitzakis scored 14 points to lead Tübingen.
Chemnitz get ready for FIBA Europe Cup finals with defensive gem vs Bonn
NINERS Chemnitz came up with a defensive gem as they prepare for the start of the FIBA Europe Cup Finals by defeating Telekom Baskets Bonn 80-66 - the fewest points scored this season by Bonn. Chemnitz, who face Bahcesehir College in the Finals, led by 13 points midway through the second quarter but gave up most of the advantage by early in the second half. But the hosts pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 22-5 record after five wins in the last six games. Bonn had won two straight but fell to 16-11. Chemnitz out-rebounded Bonn 46-33 and out-scored Bonn 18-0 on fast break points while holding the guests to 37.1 percent shooting. Jonas Richter led Chemnitz with 16 points and 8 rebounds and Kaza Kajami-Keane had 14 points off the bench as well as the reserves out-scored Chemnitz’s starters 46 to 34. Brian Fobbs scored 21 points off Bonn’s bench as the guests’ starters were limited to 36 points.
Eight-man rotation enough, Berlin beat Ludwigsburg for 9th straight win
ALBA BERLIN were limited to an eight-man rotation because of injuries but they still defeated MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 100-91 at home for their ninth straight win in the league. Berlin went on a 16-2 run early in the second quarter and never looked back in moving to 19-5 and Ludwigsburg have now lost two straight for a 16-11 mark. ALBA shot 56.9 percent for the game including 68.1 percent on two-pointers and won the rebound battle 45-20. Sterling Brown collected 21 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists to lead Berlin, Yanni Wetzell had 18 points and Tim Schneider chipped in 8 points and 13 rebounds. Jayvon Graves had 24 points and Silas Melson scored 23 points in the loss.
Livingston dazzles with 30 points in Würzburg win at Göttingen
Würzburg Baskets remained on track for home court advantage in the playoffs by knocking off BG Göttingen 75-67 on the road thanks to MVP candidate Otis Livingston pouring in 30 points. Göttingen had the biggest lead of the game, being up 12 points midway through the second quarter. Würzburg turned the game in their favor in the third quarter and were never behind in the final frame. Göttingen had just 2 free throws in the final 2 minutes as Würzburg have won eight of nine games for a 20-7 record and Göttingen are 1-6 in their last seven contests for an 8-19 record. Würzburg out-rebounded the hosts 44-30 including 12 offensive rebounds to 3. Livingston was unstoppable with 30 points as well as 4 rebounds and 5 assists and Isaiah Washington added 13 points. Grant Anticevich and Fedor Zugic both had 13 points for Göttingen and David DeJulius chipped in 7 points and 12 assists.
Former Bamberg GM Heyder will join Würzburg
A big acquisition for the front office of Würzburg Baskets as Wolfgang Heyder will join the club as a partner alongside Christian Schenk and Steffen Liebler. The 67-year-old Heyder made a name for himself as the long-time general manager at Bamberg Baskets, leading the club to three straight doubles of league and cup crowns from 2010 to 2012. After leaving Bamberg in 2014, Heyder returned to the club and had served the last four years as youth coordinator in Bamberg before leaving the position on March 15.
Crailsheim show another sign of life in relegation battle, down Vechta
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim are not ready to give up in their fight against relegation as they defeated RASTA Vechta 102-93 at home. Vechta led by 10 points in the second quarter and were still up midway through the third quarter when Crailsheim went on a 17-2 surge to gain control of the game and were not threatened late. Crailsheim have now won two of three games for a 6-21 record but are still in the relegation spots. Vechta have dropped two straight after a three-game winning streak and fell to 17-10 - just one win more than Telekom Baskets Bonn and MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg as they try to keep the final automatic playoffs spot. Crailsheim shot 55.4 percent for the game, including 48.2 percent from long range and held Vechta to 45.3 percent shooting. Keandre Cook came off the Crailsheim bench to score 23 points and Maurice Stuckey collected 20 points on 6 three-pointers, 4 rebounds and 5 assists. Joel Aminu tallied 17 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 6 steals for Vechta and Tommy Kuhse added 16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists in the loss.
Heidelberg win first game against Hamburg thanks to 31 from Jaworski
MLP Academics Heidelberg grabbed a massive victory in their fight against relegation as they defeated Veolia Towers Hamburg 83-79 on the road for their first ever win over Hamburg in the easyCredit BBL. Hamburg, who won all five previous matchups against Heidelberg, opened a nine-point lead in the first quarter but it was tight the rest of the way with 14 lead changes and 15 ties. Hamburg led 79-78 with just under 2 minutes to go but the hosts could not score the rest of the game and Justin Jaworski iced the game with two free throws with 5 seconds remaining. Heidelberg improved to 7-20 with their fourth win in the last five games and Hamburg suffered a setback in their hopes to challenge for an automatic playoff spot in falling to 13-13 with four losses in their last five games. Hamburg however made just 4-of-19 triples for 21.1 percent. And Heidelberg made 11-of-31 three-pointers for 35.5 percent. Jaworski buried 5 three-pointers for 31 points to go with 7 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 steals in the win. Jeffrey Carroll had 18 points and 4 rebounds and Bennet Hundt scored 15 points off the bench. Aleksander Dziewa scored 23 points, Aljami Durham had 20 points and William Christmas tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Balanced Bayern breeze by Braunschweig
FC Bayern Munich went deep into their rotation and shared the wealth as they breezed by Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 91-61 to defend their spot atop the league standings. Bayern, who had 10 players play at least 14 minutes, never trailed and just gradually built the lead throughout the game, being up by 13 points at halftime and never being challenged thereafter. Bayern’s fourth straight win gives them a 22-4 record and five losses in a row have Braunschweig at 11-16 - two games behind the last spot in the play-ins. Bayern committed only 9 turnovers and shot 52.4 percent from long range and held Braunschweig to just 21.1 percent on three-pointers. Sylvain Francisco had 19 points and 7 assists off the Bayern bench and Leandro Bolmaro added 11 points for the winners. Brandon Tischler and Barra Njie were the only Braunschweig players in double figures with 11 points.
Oldenburg stave off Wolves without ill coach
EWE Baskets Oldenburg took care of business against a team behind them in the standings as they defeated SYNTAINICS MBC 95-88 at home despite not having their head coach. Assistant coaches Ferried Naciri and Franjo Borchers took over the Oldenburg coaching duties for the ill Pedro Calles. Oldenburg could never gain control of the game as a 10-point lead in the second quarter was erased by an immediate 16-0 run from the visitors for its biggest advantage of six points. Oldenburg led the entire fourth quarter and DeWayne Russell hit a big three-pointer with 1:42 minutes left to eventually decide the game. That gave Oldenburg a 13-14 record after two consecutive wins and SYNTAINICS MBC are 8-19 after three straight losses. Oldenburg shot 73.1 percent on two-pointers and made 15 triples while holding the guests to just 20.7 percent from long range. Len Schoormann drained 4 three-pointers in scoring a career high 22 points to lead Oldenburg with Artur Konontsuk picking up 18 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. Charles Callison led the guests with 21 points and 5 assists and Johnathan Stove scored 18 points.
Player of the Week
The top honor for Player of the Week for Round 27 goes to Otis Livington of Würzburg Baskets as the point guard collected 30 points on 13-of-20 shots and 2-of-2 free throws, 4 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 steals for an efficiency of 32 in a win over BG Göttingen.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Bennet Hundt, MLP Academics Heidelberg
Hundt poured in 15 points with 2 three-pointers to go with 2 rebounds in a win over Veolia Towers Hamburg.
G: Len Schoormann, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann nailed 4 three-pointers in scoring 22 points and had 1 steal in a win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Maurice Stuckey, HARKO Merlins Crailsheim
Stuckey collected 20 points on 6 three-pointers, 4 rebounds and 5 assists versus RASTA Vechta.
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow scored 21 points and had 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals versus Bamberg Baskets.
F: Jonas Richter, NINERS Chemnitz
Richter tallied 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist in Chemnitz’s win over Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Young Guns
Elias Baggette, 21, PG, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Baggette had another strong game with 8 points on 3-of-5 shooting and 2-of-2 free throws, 3 rebounds and 6 assists in 18:47 minutes as a starter against RASTA Vechta.
Jacob Patrick, 20, SG, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg
Patrick scored 11 points as he made 3-of-5 three-pointers and 2-of-2 free throws to go with 1 rebound and 1 assist in 11:20 minutes against ALBA BERLIN.
Ivan Kharchenkov, 17, SG, FC Bayern Munich
Kharchenkov played 16:00 minutes against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and scored 7 points on 3-of-4 shooting (1/1 threes) and added 1 rebound, 1 assist and 2 steals.
Germans Abroad
Joshua Obiesie has finished his season in the NBA G-League but he will still remain a German abroad. After averaging 6.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 13.3 minutes for Rio Grande Valley Vipers in the G-League, Obiesie has signed with French top flight club JDA Dijon. Two Germans - David Brembly and Joshiko Saibou - have played recently for the French club and now it’s Obiesie’s turn.
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Nachberichte
