What a week in the easyCredit BBL as we witnessed Otis Livingston drop a season-high 42 points in helping Würzburg Baskets extend their winning streak to seven games while also seeing Tremmell Darden replace Derrick “Daddy Cool” Taylor as the oldest player in the league since the start of data collection in 1998. The week also was highlighted by MLP Academics Heidelberg firing their head coach Joonas Iisalo.
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:
Würzburg win in OT over Tübingen in Livingston-Jackson shootout
Würzburg Baskets just cannot lose as they needed overtime but still prevailed 107-101 at Tigers Tübingen for their seventh straight win as Otis Livingston set a new league season best mark with 42 points in the win, overcoming Jhivvan Jackson’s 31 points. Tübingen led for much more of the game but it was still close with 14 lead changes and 9 ties. Würzburg rallied from 9 points down in the fourth quarter with Livingston’s two free throws with 33 seconds left forcing overtime. Livington added 12 points in the extra session including a three-pointer and four free throws in the final 36 seconds to grab the win. Würzburg have jumped to fourth place with a 10-4 record and Tübingen fell to 4-11 with their third loss in a row. Würzburg shot 57.5 percent on two-pointers and made 28 free throws compared to 19 made foul shots by Tübingen. Besides Livingston, Würzburg had Owen Klassen and Collin Welp both score 14 points and Isaiah Washington picked up 13 points and 12 rebounds. Jimmy Boeheim added 21 points in the loss.
Crailsheim snap losing skid with historic Darden against Wolves
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim snapped a four-game losing streak and handed over last place to MLP Academics Heidelberg thanks to an 87-76 home win over SYNTAINICS MBC with Tremmell Darden setting the record as the oldest player in the league since 1998. The game was tight for the first 22 minutes before Crailsheim went on runs of 11-2 and 10-1 to take control and move to 3-12 and drop the guests to 4-11 after a fourth straight loss. Crailsheim overcame 20 turnovers by shooting 75.0 percent on two-pointers and holding SYNTAINICS MBC to 21.9 percent on three-pointers. Brandon Childress hit 5 three-pointers in scoring 30 points, Galin Smith had 14 points and Leo Westermann added 13 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Darden chipped in 2 points, 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Stephon Jelks scored 16 points and Johnathan Stove added 15 points in the loss.
Darden passes “Daddy Cool” as league’s oldest player since 1998
A league record was set in HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim’s home victory over SYNTAINICS MBC as Tremmell Darden became the oldest player in league history since the start of data collection in 1998. Crailsheim’s latest signing Darden debuted with the team at 42 years and 20 days to eclipse the previous mark from Derrick Taylor as “Daddy Cool” was 41 years, 7 months and 3 days in his final game. Karim Aw, Horst Schmitz and George Evans are the only other players who played at age 40 in the league since 1998.
Vechta win again on the road, keep Heidelberg reeling
RASTA Vechta collected their third straight victory and their third road win in a row as they rolled to a 113-76 victory over MLP Academics Heidelberg, who have now lost seven consecutive games. Vechta blew the game open with a 23-5 run early in the second half in moving to 10-5 including 4-3 on the road and Heidelberg fell to 2-13. Vechta shot 62.1 percent from the field including 67.7 percent on two-pointers and 57.1 percent on three-pointers while Heidelberg shot just 39.1 percent for the game. Vechta also dominated the glass 46-22 which helped result in a 13-2 advantage in second chance points. Joschka Ferner drained 6 three-pointers for 20 points - both career highs - to pace seven Vechta in double figures with Tommy Kuhse collecting 17 points, 4 rebounds and 12 assists and Richmond Arirguzoh adding 17 points. Elias Lasisi paced Heidelberg with 15 points and Josh Gray chipped in 10 points and 10 assists.
Heidelberg fire Iisalo after seventh straight loss
MLP Academics Heidelberg management had seen enough and fired head coach Joonas Iisalo following the team’s seventh straight loss and 13th in 15 games. Iisalo could not guide his team to a home victory as the club is still waiting for a win at the SNP Dome with a 0-8 record. The 38-year-old Finnish coach was in his second season with Heidelberg, but the team conceded 70 points in the second half of their latest loss - a 113-76 home blowout against RASTA Vechta. Heidelberg and Iisalo had signed a two-year extension until 2026 in September. Iisalo’s assistant Hylke van der Zweep will lead the team until a new coach is found for the last place club.
Bamberg drop 64 points in second half, send Berlin to another loss
Bamberg Baskets scored 64 points in the second half as they snapped a three-game losing streak with a 97-77 home win over slumping ALBA BERLIN. The guests raced ahead by 14 points in the first 5 minutes and still led by 8 points at halftime. Bamberg fought back into the lead and then blew the game open with a 16-3 run in the final quarter. That gave Bamberg a 6-9 record and Berlin suffered their third loss in the last five league games for an 8-4 record. Berlin shot just 33.3 percent on two-pointers and were out-scored 40-12 in the paint, and Bamberg committed only 8 turnovers. Zach Copeland collected 24 points and 5 assists to pace Bamberg, who had Adrian Nelson score 18 points and Filip Stanic add 6 points and 11 rebounds. Sterling Brown had 21 points to lead Berlin and Matt Thomas scored 14 points in the loss.
Yebo scores season high 27, Chemnitz return to winning with strong defense
NINERS Chemnitz returned to their winning ways after losing to ALBA BERLIN as they used a tough defense to beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 85-66 and remain perfect at home. Chemnitz went on a 13-0 run spanning the second and third quarters to grab a 12-point lead and moved to 13-2 - and 8-0 at home - with Ludwigsburg falling to 9-6. Chemnitz, who were playing without DeAndre Lansdowne as the team leader was in the United States for his mother’s funeral, held Ludwigsburg to just 30.1 percent shooting including 20.0 percent from long range. Kevin Yebo was a force for Chemnitz with a season high 27 points and 7 rebounds while Jeff Garrett had 14 points and 9 rebounds and Kaza Kajami-Keane added 11 points and 11 assists. Jayvon Graves picked up 15 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals for Ludwigsburg.
Jallow carries Ulm past Göttingen to stay on Chemnitz’s heels
ratiopharm ulm remained right on the heels of league leaders NINERS Chemnitz by flipping the script in the final 12 minutes for a 100-90 victory at BG Göttingen thanks to an outstanding showing by Karim Jallow for a fourth straight win. Ulm opened a 12-point lead early in the second quarter with the reigning champs losing the lead and trailing by eight points. Ulm went on a 14-2 run spanning the final two quarters and just pulled away in the fourth quarter to move to 12-3 and Göttingen dropped to 3-10. Ulm forced 20 Göttingen turnovers and out-scored the hosts 54-40 in the paint. Jallow scored 17 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter to lead Ulm with Trevion Williams collecting 16 points, 12 rebounds and 7 assists and LJ Figueroa added 15 points. Karlins Silins was Göttingen’s top scorer with 21 points, Fedor Zugic had 20 points and Zach Ensminger added 10 points and 6 assists in the defeat.
Bayern fend off Rostock for sixth straight victory
FC Bayern Munich roll on in the Bundesliga as they fended off ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 91-85 for their sixth straight victory. Bayern blew the doors open to take a 16-point lead after just 6 minutes and controlled the game throughout. Rostock managed to make it close in the final minute but Bayern moved to 10-3 and Rostock’s record fell to 6-8. Bayern made 22-of-30 free throws compared to 7-of-8 for Rostock. Carsen Edwards and Devin Booker both scored 14 points and Sylvain Francisco had 13 points for the winners. Tyler Nelson paced Rostock with 17 points and Wes Clark came off the bench with 10 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists.
Hamburg use third quarter to beat Braunschweig
Veolia Towers Hamburg used a big third quarter to continue their strong run with an 81-72 home victory over Basketball Löwen Braunschweig. The guests led by 10 points in the second quarter but watched Hamburg go on a 15-0 run to go ahead. The hosts led by 9 points at the end of the third quarter and never let the game out of control to move to 9-5 with a fourth win in the last five games, and Braunschweig dropped to 6-10. Braunschweig shot only 33.3 percent from long range. Aljami Durham scored 20 points as Hamburg’s top scorer, Aleksander Dziewa had 14 points and Nico Brauner added 12 points. TJ Crockett and Ahmaad Rorie both tallied 14 points in the loss.
Balanced Bonn overwhelmed Oldenburg for third straight win
Telekom Baskets Bonn remained on a roll as they produced a balanced effort in beating EWE Baskets Oldenburg 108-83 on the road. Oldenburg led by 12 points late in the second quarter but lost control of the game as Bonn took the third quarter 30-14. It was Bonn’s third straight win after losing three in a row for a 10-6 record while Oldenburg have slumped to three consecutive losses and a 6-9 record. Bonn shot 60.3 percent for the game including 54.8 percent on three-pointers and committed only 7 turnovers. Savion Flagg and Noah Kirkwood both scored 21 points and combined for 10 rebounds, 10 assists and 6 steals and Glynn Watson added 20 points as six Bonn players scored in double figures. Geno Crandall came off the Oldenburg bench to lead the team with 22 points and 6 assists and Chaundee Brown added 17 points.
Player of the Week
Otis Livingston helping Würzburg Baskets extend their winning streak to seven games earned him Player of the Week for Round 15 as he scored league season best 42 points on 15-of-22 shots and 8-of-8 free throws to go with 2 rebounds and 4 assists for an efficiency of 35 against Tigers Tübingen.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Zach Ensminger, BG Göttingen
Ensminger played a strong game in a loss to his former club ratiopharm ulm with 10 points, 3 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 block.
F: Joschka Ferner, RASTA Vechta
Ferner had a career night as he set new personal marks with 20 points and 6 three-pointers to go with 4 rebounds in a win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow was a scoring force against BG Göttingen with 25 points while also contributing 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals.
C: Filip Stanic, Bamberg Baskets
It was hard not to take Stanic since he played a major role in Bamberg surprising ALBA BERLIN with 6 points, 11 rebounds and 3 assists.
C: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo tallied a season high 27 points to go with 7 rebounds and 1 assist against MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
Young Guns
Leo Schoormann, 21, SG, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann started against Telekom Baskets Bonn and scored 10 points on 3-of-5 shots (2/4 threes) and 2-of-4 free throws and also had 1 rebound, 2 assists and 1 steal in 26:02 minutes.
Sananda Fru, 20, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Fru scored a season-high 10 points on 3-of-6 shots (0/1 threes) and 4-of-5 free throws along with 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals and 4 blocks in 23:27 minutes against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Timo Lanmüller, 22, PG, Tigers Tübingen
Lanmüller played 21:33 minutes in a start against Würzburg Baskets and scored 3 points on 1-of-5 shots (0/3 threes) and 1-of-2 free throws and added 2 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal.
Germans Abroad
Isaiah Hartenstein is having one of the best stretches of his career in the NBA as the 25-year-old center scored 8 points and grabbed 19 rebounds to go with 4 steals and 2 blocks for the New York Knicks against the Washington Wizards. Two games earlier he picked up 10 points, 20 rebounds and 5 blocks versus the Chicago Bulls and tallying 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks against Philadelphia. For the season, Hartenstein is averaging 6.6 points, 7.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks.
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On the Road
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Nächster Doppelspieltag: Titelverteidiger Real Madrid beim Ex-Trainer Pablo Laso in München / Berlin in Mailand bei den Weltmeistern Lo & Voigtmann
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