An exciting Round 23 in the easyCredit BBL as RASTA Vechta shocked first placed FC Bayern Munich with a thrilling comeback win in overtime. The loss allowed NINERS Chemnitz to pass Bayern back into first place. There was also a bombshell rumor with ratiopharm ulm head coach Anton Gavel being linked to Bamberg Baskets - his former club where he won plenty of hardware as a player. The week also saw Vechta lock up top talent Johann Grünloh on a professional contract.
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:
Vechta rallies from 19 points down, shock Bayern in OT to end win streak
RASTA Vechta became the first German team to hand FC Bayern Munich a home loss as the promoted side rallied from 19 points for a thrilling 90-88 overtime victory to snap Bayern’s 14-game winning streak. Bayern went on a 19-3 run in the second quarter and built a 19-point lead and were up 18 with 3 minutes left in the third quarter. Vechta punched back with a 15-0 spurt to pull ahead and after back and forth, Vladimir Lucic forced overtime with a score with 13 seconds left. In the extra session, Joel Aminu scored two baskets and then Joschka Ferner hit a triple for a 90-84 lead. Vechta have won four of six changes for a 15-8 record and Bayern dropped behind NINERS Chemnitz into second place in the league with an 18-4 record. Vechta shot 48.6 percent from the field and held Bayern hit just 42.5 percent. Chip Flanigan led five Vechta scorers in double figures with 17 points, Ferner and Ryan Schwieger both had 15 points. Carsen Edwards scored 18 points and Sylvain Francisco and Leandro Bolmaro both scored 15 points.
Vechta lock up top talent Grünloh for numerous years
RASTA Vechta managed a major coup as they signed a professional contract with top talent Johann Grünloh. The club did not announce the exact terms of the contract, saying only it has a “possible duration of numerous years”. The 18-year-old has been outstanding this season in his easyCredit BBL debut with 7.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in nearly 20 minutes per game. Grünloh had drawn interest from numerous clubs.
Chemnitz too strong for Crailsheim, reclaim first place
NINERS Chemnitz showed their class with a 97-82 road victory over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim and reclaimed first place after FC Bayern Munich lost. The game was close and Crailsheim were leading midway through the third quarter when Chemnitz went on a 17-1 run and improved to 19-4 with five wins in the last six games. Crailsheim lost a fourth straight to drop to 4-19. Crailsheim committed 23 turnovers and shot just 46.7 percent on two-pointers. Wesley van Beck came off the bench for 24 points, DeAndre Lansdowne and Kevin Yebo both had 14 points and Kaza Kajami-Keane flirted with a triple-double with 13 points, 8 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals. Keandre Cook was Crailsheim’s leading scorer with 16 points.
Ulm’s title winning coach Gavel linked to Bamberg for next season
Could Anton Gavel be on the move in the off-season? The head coach of the reigning champions ratiopharm ulm has been linked to Bamberg Baskets. The 39-year-old coach played from 2009 to 2014 with Bamberg, winning four German league crowns as well as three German Cup titles. The Bamberg team is currently coached by Arne Woltmann, who was the assistant for Oren Amiel and then jumped positions after Amiel was fired in middle February.
Ulm bounce back to beat Göttingen at home
ratiopharm ulm bounced back from their loss last week to NINERS Chemnitz by beating BG Göttingen 91-78 at home with a big second half. Ulm lost a 10-point first quarter lead and trailed just before the break but used a 13-0 run in the third quarter to take control. The reigning champions moved to 15-8 and Göttingen lost their third game in the last four for a 7-15 record. Ulm dominated inside with a 44-27 rebound advantage and scored 62 points in the paint to 32 for Göttingen. Trevion Williams was outstanding with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists with Juan Nunez picking up 20 points and 5 assists and Karim Jallow chipping in 13 points and 7 rebounds. David DeJulius was Göttingen’s top scorer with 16 points.
Ulm sign shooter Jessup for playoffs fight
Reigning champions ratiopharm ulm reacted to the long-term absence of Dakota Mathias and signed shooter Justinian Jessup. The 25-year-old American played earlier this season with the New Zealand Breakers but himself has come back from an injury.
Heidelberg beat Bonn to finally grab first home win, snap six-game skid
MLP Academics Heidelberg finally celebrated their first home victory of the season as they downed Telekom Baskets Bonn 92-87 to snap a six-game losing streak. Heidelberg built a 17-point lead in the first half and lost the entire advantage with Bonn tying the game with 2 minutes to go. The guests did not score the rest of the game and Elijah Childs scored four of the final six points. Heidelberg’s record moved to 4-19 - and 1-11 at home - and Bonn fell to 14-10. Bonn were limited to just 27.6 percent on three-pointers. Justin Jaworski led Heidelberg with 21 points, Isaiah Whaley had 17 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists and Childs had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Thomas Kennedy was Bonn’s top scorer with 20 points and 10 rebounds and Harald Frey picked up 18 points and 7 assists.
Tübingen get crucial win over Wolves in relegation battle
Tigers Tübingen gained a crucial victory in their fight against relegation as they beat SYNTAINICS MBC 88-78 at home to snap a four-game losing streak. Tübingen raced away with a 16-0 surge early in the second half and moved to 6-17 and SYNTAINICS MBC lost their fifth of six games for a 7-16 mark. Tübingen shot 45.5 percent on three-pointers and the guests were held to 28.0 percent from the outside. Mateo Seric top-scored for Tübingen with 19 points and 6 rebounds and Erol Ersek added 13 points. Charles Callison scored 22 points with 6 assists and Martin Breunig had 19 points and 5 rebounds.
Seljaas sinks 30 points in Würzburg win in Oldenburg
Würzburg Baskets kept pressure on the top three in the league as they cursed to a comfortable 96-76 victory at EWE Baskets Oldenburg for their fourth win in a row. Würzburg jumped away to a 31-17 lead after 10 minutes and it wasn’t close the rest of the way. Würzburg moved to 16-6 and Oldenburg fell to 10-13 after a fourth loss in the last five games. Würzburg were hot from the outside with 15-of-30 on three-pointers while Oldenburg made just 7-of-24 (29.2 percent) from long range. Zac Seljaas hit 5 three-pointers in scoring 30 points and Otis Livingston collected 20 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 5 steals for Würzburg. DeWayne Russell and Chaundee Brown both had 12 points in the loss.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6-taqiZekg
Bamberg win third straight, back in race for play-in spots
Bamberg Baskets took a step towards the post-season with a third straight victory as they beat MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg 92-87 on the road. The game was tight throughout and Bamberg’s Zach Copeland scored five points in the final 99 seconds and Malik Johnson converted a layup with 11 seconds to decide the game. After three consecutive wins under interim head coach Arne Woltmann, Bamberg are now 10-13 and just one victory behind the final two teams in the play-ins spots, and Ludwigsburg fell to 14-9. Bamberg shot 59.5 percent on two-pointers and Ludwigsburg only hit 39.0 percent. Copeland finished with 23 points, Trey Woodbury had 21 points and EJ Onu added 13 points, 9 rebounds and 3 blocks. Jaren Lewis and Silas Melson both had 17 points off the Ludwigsburg bench.
Berlin survive road scare at Rostock, guests lose 10th straight
ALBA BERLIN avoided a road scare at ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES to pick up a 76-75 victory as Rostock lost their 10th straight game. Berlin saw their 11 point lead from the second quarter disappear and Rostock went up by 9 points after three quarters. The final period was close and Sterling Brown evened the game 75-75 with two free throws with 43 seconds left. After a Rostock turnover, Martin Hermannsson missed two foul shots but Yanni Wetzell grabbed the offensive rebound and gave Berlin the win with a free throw with 3 seconds to go. Berlin won their fifth straight game for a 15-5 record and Rostock are down to 6-16. Berlin won the battle of the glass 45-35 including a 15-7 advantage in offensive rebounds. Wetzell was Berlin’s main weapon with 16 points and 8 rebounds while Brown had 15 points. Derrick Alston’s 28 points were not enough for Rostock.
Hamburg take down Braunschweig in battle of play-in teams
Veolia Towers Hamburg registered a big victory at Basketball Löwen Braunschweig 81-70 in a battle of teams in the play-in positions. The game was close throughout with 11 lead changes before Hamburg unleashed a 16-2 run spanning the final two quarters for a 12-9 record. Braunschweig saw their five-game win streak snapped for an 11-12 mark. Hamburg overcame 23 turnovers and held Braunschweig to 28.0 percent from long range. VJ King poured in 25 points for Hamburg and Aljami Durham added 14 points. Jilson Bango was Braunschweig’s top scorer with 16 points.
Crailsheim release Brandon Childress ahead of final stretch
HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim have decided to finish off their fight against relegation without Brandon Childress. The club announced that the guard will not be part of the team for the rest of the season. Childress had been averaging 13.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week honors for Round 23 go to Zac Seljaas of Würzburg Baskets as the forward collected 30 points with 5 three-pointers, 6 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block for an efficiency of 33 in the team’s win over EWE Baskets Oldenburg.
German Top Five of the Week
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow collected 13 points 7 rebounds in Ulm’s win over BG Göttingen.
F: Joschka Ferner, RASTA Vechta
Ferner nailed 5-of-8 three-pointers in scoring 15 points with 4 assists in Vechta’s comeback win over FC Bayern Munich.
F: Mateo Seric, Tigers Tübingen
Seric led Tübingen in scoring with 19 points to go with 6 rebounds and 1 assists in a big win over SYNTAINICS MBC.
C: Filip Stanic, Bamberg Baskets
Stanic tallied 10 points, 7 rebounds and 1 steal in the win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg.
C: Kevin Yebo, NINERS Chemnitz
Yebo registered 14 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in Chemnitz’s win over HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Young Guns
Elias Baggette, 21, PG, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim
Baggette collected 9 points on 4-of-7 shots (0/1 threes) and 1-of-1 free throws, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 19:14 minutes against NINERS Chemnitz.
Johann Grünloh, 18, C, RASTA Vechta
Grünloh tallied 4 points on 2-of-2 shots, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 blocks in 17:19 minutes as starter in Vechta’s win over FC Bayern Munich.
Sananda Fru, 20, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Fru scored 2 points as he hit his only shot with 5 rebounds in 13:08 minutes against Veolia Towers Hamburg.
Germans Abroad
Radii Caisin is flourishing in his first season outside of Germany as he is starring for Austrian top flight side BC Raiffeisen Flyers Wels. The 23-year-old, who played for RASTA Vechta, MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg, HAKRO Merlins Crailsheim as well as SYNTAINICS MBC before leaving Germany this off-season, has totalled 38 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists and 10 steals in his last two games For the season, he is averaging 11.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.6 steals.
RelatedNews
News
Overtime-Sensation: Aufsteiger stoppt Bayerns 14:0-Lauf / Abstiegskampf: Erster Heimsieg nach zwölf Niederlagen / Anton Gavel nach Bamberg? / Würzburg mit Dreier-Feuerwerk
Nachberichte
Overtime-Krimi: Vechta dreht einen 19-Punkte-Rückstand und fügt den Bayern die erste Heimniederlage der Saison zu
Nachberichte
