Trinchieri out at Bayern / Bonn, Ulm sweep into Finals / Jallow, Herkenhoff stay two years

We will have a first-time easyCredit BBL champion in the coming weeks as Telekom Baskets Bonn and ratiopharm ulm both swept their way into the Finals and now face off for their first league crown in club history. Ulm’s final win over FC Bayern Munich proved to be the final game for Bayern head coach Andrea Trinchieri - with a legendary coach rumored to be on his way to southern Germany. The week also saw Ulm extend their deals with two important German internationals Karim Jallow and Philipp Herkenhoff.

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:

Bonn or Ulm - who will win first German title?

The easyCredit BBL champion will not be named ALBA BERLIN, FC Bayern Munich or Brose Bamberg for the first time since 2009 as regular season champions Telekom Baskets Bonn and ratiopharm ulm both swept their way into the Finals. Bonn are in the Finals for the sixth time - having lost to ALBA BERLIN in 1997, 1999, 2001 and 2008 and then got defeated by EWE Baskets Oldenburg in 2009. Ulm have reached the Finals for the fourth time - losing to Berlin in 1998 and to Brose Bamberg in 2012 and 2016. Ulm were also the seventh seed in 1998 and 2016. The first game of the best-of-five showdown - for which Bonn have home court advantage - tips off on Friday June 9 at 20:30 CET in Bonn. The second game is Sunday June 11 at 18:00 CET in Bonn. The series moves to Ulm for the third game on Wednesday June 15 at 20:30 CET. A fourth game in Ulm would be Friday June 16 at 20:30 CET if needed. A decisive fifth game is scheduled for Sunday June 18 at 15:00 CET in Bonn if needed.

Ulm finish surprising sweep, into Finals for first time since 2016

ratiopharm ulm wasted no time in finishing off FC Bayern Munich as they completed the 3-0 sweep of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague side with a 104-102 overtime win at home to reach the easyCredit BBL Finals for the first time since 2016. Ulm never trailed in the first three quarters and built a 16-point lead 80-64 with 6:29 minutes to play. Bayern went on a 26-7 run and actually pulled ahead 90-87 but Brandon Paul hit a three-pointer with 8 seconds left to force the extra session. Bruno Caboclo scored on three straight possessions to start overtime and Joshua Hawley made a big jumper with 13 seconds left to secure the win. Ulm shot 50.0 percent for the game and held Bayern to just 39.7 percent from the field. Ulm out-scored Bayern 40-22 in the paint and 12-3 on second chance points. The game included 80 free throws with Ulm missing 12 of 38 foul shots (68.4 percent) and Bayern hit 35-of-42 (83.3 percent) from the charity stripe. Caboclo led the way with 22 points and 8 rebounds while fellow Brazilian Yago dos Santos collected 15 points and 6 assists, Hawley scored 13 points and Juan Nunez contributed 11 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals. Cassius Winston scored 22 points off the bench for Bayern and Andi Obst hit 5 three-pointers for 19 points in the loss.

Bonn battle through to sweep Ludwigsburg, reachfirst Finals since 2009

Telekom Baskets Bonn have booked their spot in the easyCredit BBL Finals for the first time since 2009 as they prevailed in a hard-fought 82-73 road win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg to finish the 3-0 series sweep. Ludwigsburg were short-handed at the end of the game as Yorman Polas Bartolo was forced out of the game with a calf injury midway through the second quarter. Will Cherry was ejected after two unsportsmanlike fouls with less than 2 minutes to go in the third quarter and Prentiss Hubb followed with a disqualifying foul with 70 seconds to go and Ludwigsburg down by just 4 points. The game was tight throughout with 9 points being the biggest lead - Bonn leading 26-17 midway through the second quarter. Jeremy Morgan and Javontae Hawkins hit three-pointers in a big 9-2 fourth quarter spurt to lead 69-62, and Ludwigsburg did not get closer than 4 points the rest of the way.

Bonn survived 19 turnovers thanks to shooting 61.3 percent on two-pointers and a 50-32 rebound advantage including 17 offensive rebounds. Ludwigsburg shot just 38.2 percent from the field. TJ Shorts paced Bonn with 20 points while Hawkins had 12 points, Leon Kratzer picked up 11 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks and Tyson Ward chipped in 9 points and 9 rebounds. Hubb finished with 18 points and Cherry had 17 points.

Bonn’s 25th straight win ties for second longest in German history

Telekom Baskets Bonn completed their second sweep in the playoffs and have extended their winning streak to 25 games - tying the mark for the second-longest streak in a single season in German history. Leverkusen won all 25 of their games in the 1969-70 season - regular season and playoffs. The all-time record is ratiopharm ulm, who won the first 27 games of the 2016-17 season. The longest streak in German basketball over multiple seasons is 32 wins by ALBA BERLIN with the final 8 playoff games of the 1999-2000 season and the first 24 games of the 2000-01 campaign.

Tadda undergoes surgery, out for rest of season

The hope that Karsten Tadda could return this season is now gone as the Telekom Baskets Bonn captain underwent minor back surgery and will not get back to the court this season. The 34-year-old last played in the Semi-Finals of the Basketball Champions League on May 12.

Jallow, Herkenhoff stay with Ulm for two more years

ratiopharm ulm gave their fans good news before the third game of the series against FC Bayern Munich as they announced German internationals Karim Jallow and Philipp Herkenhoff would remain with the club for two more seasons. Jallow arrived in Ulm in 2021 from Basketball Löwen Braunschweig and averaged 11.2 points and 3.7 rebounds this season. Herkenhoff also came to the club in 2021 from RASTA Vechta but he recently was out 11 months with an injury and just returned to the court.

Trinchieri bids farewell as Bayern coach, Laso rumored as new coach

FC Bayern Munich’s third game loss to ratiopharm ulm was the final game as head coach for Andrea Trinchieri, the club announced. Trinchieri arrived in Munich in 2020 and helped Bayern win the German Cup in 2021 and 2023. He also guided Bayern to the EuroLeague playoffs in 2021 and 2022 as the first German club to reach the final eight of the continental competition. Spanish coaching legend Pablo Laso is the leading rumored candidate to take over at Bayern. The 55-year-old playcaller coached at Real Madrid until 2022 when he stepped down after he suffered a heart attack.

Krunic takes over as new head coach at SYNTAINICS MBC

There will be a new head coach in 2023-24 for SYNTAINICS MBC as the club announced the signing of Predrag Krunic for the next two seasons. The 55-year-old Serbian most recently coached Kagoshima Rebinise in Japan. Krunic, who guided EWE Baskets Oldenburg to the league title in 2009, returns to Weißenfels, where he coached seven years ago. Krunic takes over as successor to Ingo Freyer, who joined the club in mid-April and helped the team avoid relegation.

Next departure at Göttingen, Bess moves to Würzburg

The next major figure in BG Göttingen’s strong 2022-23 season has left as Javon Bess followed German big man Till Pape and head coach Roel Moors in departing. While it’s unclear where Pape and Moors will be heading, Bess has signed on a two-year deal with Würzburg Baskets. Bess averaged 9.3 points and 3.5 rebounds this past season with Göttingen and was one of the best defenders in the league.

Player of the Week

The top performance of the third round of games goes to Bruno Caboclo of ratiopharm ulm, who earned Player of the Week honors for his efficiency of 25 against FC Bayern Munich. The Brazilian big man had 22 points on 6-of-11 shots and 10-of-10 free throws to go along with 8 rebounds and 3 assists.

German Top Five of the Week

G: Andi Obst, FC Bayern Munich

Obst knocked down 5 three-pointers in scoring 19 points to go with 3 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals but they were not enough in losing to ratiopharm ulm in the third game of the playoffs.

G: Isaac Bonga, FC Bayern Munich

Bonga drained 3-of-3 three-pointers in scoring 9 points and added 1 rebound and 1 assist in Bayern’s loss to ratiopharm ulm.

F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm

Jallow played a major role in Ulm beating FC Bayern Munich in the third game and completing the sweep with 12 points, 5 rebounds and 1 assist.

F: Robin Christen, ratiopharm ulm

Chisten contributed 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in Ulm’s Finals-clinching win over FC Bayern Munich.

C: Leon Kratzer, Telekom Baskets Bonn

Kratzer was a force in the middle in Bonn’s third game win over MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg with 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 blocks.

Germans Abroad

Let’s go back a couple weeks and review how Justus Hollatz finished his first season aboard with Rio Breogan in Spain. The 22-year-old poured in 17 points in his final game - second most in the season after 21 points against Real Madrid in early April. He made a season high 5 three-pointers including the game-decider in an 80-77 win over Valencia Basket. For the season, Hollatz averaged 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.3 steals in 25 minutes for Breogan.