The week’s supposed top showdown between FC Bayern Munich and MLP Academics Heidelberg turned out to be a blowout as Bayern showed Heidelberg they still have work to do to get to the next level. The week of action also saw ratiopharm ulm nearly blow a big lead before winning against the league’s hottest team ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES. ALBA BERLIN meanwhile finally won back-to-back games in the league for the first time this season.
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:
Bayern give Heidelberg no chance in top showdown
FC Bayern Munich gave MLP Academics Heidelberg no chance with an 87-59 blowout of a top four showdown. The Heidelberg home game was moved to the SAP Arena in nearby Mannheim and drew 14,713 fans. But Bayern, who were coming off the road loss to ALBA BERLIN, put the game to bed in the second quarter with a 27-12 frame for a 49-24 halftime lead. Bayern have won four of their last five for a 10-4 record while Heidelberg have now dropped two of three and have a 9-5 record. Bayern shot 57 percent for the game including 46 percent from long range and held Heidelberg to just 34 percent from the floor. Devin Booker and Niels Giffey both scored 14 points and combined for 8 rebounds and 5 assists while Carsen Edwards added 13 points in the win. Erol Ersek was Heidelberg’s leading scorer with 12 points and Michael Weathers had 11 points and 7 assists.
Incredible 98.99 percent capacity for Round 16 games
The easyCredit BBL fans definitely turned out for Round 16 games as the arenas around the league were filled to an amazing 98.99 percent capacity. Six of the eight games were sold out - the record-setting game for Heidelberg (14,713 spectators), Oldenburg (6,200), Frankfurt (5,002), Ludwigsburg (4,000), Hamburg (3,400) and Vechta (3,140). And there weren’t too many empty seats in Ulm (5,675 of 6,000) and last placed Göttingen (3,313 of 3,447). All told, 100 percent capacity would have been 45,892 and 45,433 showed up. That makes up 98.99 percent. Massive thanks to the basketball community.
Here an overview:
| Club: | Capacity: | Spectators: |
| Heidelberg | 14,713 | Sold out |
| Oldenburg | 6,200 | Sold out |
| Frankfurt | 5,002 | Sold out |
| Ludwigsburg | 4,000 | Sold out |
| Hamburg | 3,400 | Sold out |
| Vechta | 3,140 | Sold out |
| Ulm | 6,000 | 5,675 |
| Göttingen | 3,447 | 3,313 |
| Insgesamt: | 45,892 | 45,433 |
Ulm nearly blow 26-point lead, stop Rostock three-game win streak
Rostock ratiopharm ulm slowed down the hottest team in the league as they barely fended off ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES 82-72 at home for a third straight victory. Ulm built a 26-point lead in the third quarter but watched as Rostock got as close as three points in the closing minutes. Ulm prevailed though to improve to 10-4 with a 6-1 home record. Rostock came into the game with a league-best three-game winning streak but fell to 7-8. Ulm held Rostock to just 38 percent shooting for the game and made 18 of 20 free throws while the guests converted only 13 of 23 from the foul line. Justinian Jessup scored 15 points, Marcio Santos had 14 points, Ben Saraf collected 13 points, 4 rebounds and 4 assists and Karim Jallow tallied a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. D’Shawn Schwartz led Rostock with 23 points, Robin Amaize scored 16 points and Elias Baggette added 12 points and 4 assists, but the league’s second leading scorer Bryce Hamilton was held to just 4 points.
Berlin rout Frankfurt for first back-to-back wins this season in league ALBA BERLIN collected back-to-back victories in the league for the first time this season as they routed SKYLINERS 75-61 on the road. Berlin raced ahead 15-2 and never trailed with Frankfurt unable to even threaten the result in the fourth quarter. Berlin improved to 6-8 and Frankfurt are 3-12 after four straight losses. Frankfurt could not handle the ball with 26 turnovers and Berlin turned 16 offensive rebounds into 19 second chance points compared to 8 for the hosts. Matt Thomas hit 4 three-pointers in scoring 25 points as the only ALBA player in double figures with Yanni Wetzell and Tim Schneider both tallying 9 points. Einaras Tubutis had 14 points and Jordan Theodore collected 13 points and 8 assists in the loss.
Berlin add German-Swiss center Kessens
ALBA BERLIN added some reinforcements for the post as they signed German-Swiss big man Michael Kessens. The 33-year-old center joins the team until the end of the season to help make up for the departure of Trevion Williams, who left for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Kessens arrives from Paris Basketball and has played six years in the Bundesliga, the last two at Telekom Baskets Bonn with whom he won the Basketball Champions League. Kessens helped Paris to the BKT EuroCup crown last season.
Braunschweig offense rolls past Göttingen, returns to winning ways
Basketball Löwen Braunschweig bounced back from their loss to Telekom Baskets Bonn by rolling past last placed BG Göttingen 107-86 for their third straight road win. Braunshweig pulled away with a 31-15 second quarter for a 9-5 record with their seventh win in the last six games. Göttingen have dropped five in a row for a 1-12 mark. Braunschweig shot 58 percent for the game including 39 percent on three-pointers while out-scoring Göttingen 26-6 in fast break points. TJ Crockett paced seven Braunschweig players in double figures with 16 points while Barra Njie and Sanada Fru both had 15 points and 4 rebounds and Luka Scuka added 11 points and 8 rebounds. Jimmy Boeheim tallied 22 points and 10 rebounds, Tra Holder scored 19 points and Kostja Mushidi picked up 17 points.
73 points from Konontsuk, Crandall, Schoormann carry Oldenburg past Würzburg
EWE Baskets Oldenburg remained a force at home as they received a monster performance from a trio of leaders in a 96-85 victory over FIT/One Würzburg Baskets. After a tight first half, Würzburg built an 11 point lead early in the third quarter but Oldenburg went on a 43-20 run spanning the final two frames for the comfortable win. Oldenburg improved to 7-8 with a 7-1 mark at the EWE Arena while Würzburg have lost two of their last three games for a 9-5 mark. Oldenburg committed only 7 turnovers and made 23 of 29 free throws compared to 12 of 21 from the foul line for Würzburg. Artur Konontsuk poured in 30 points, Geno Crandall collected 26 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and 5 steals and Len Schoormann tallied 17 points in the win. Mike Lewis and Jhivvan Jackson both scored 22 points while 18-year-old Hannes Steinbach set career highs with 17 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists.
Würzburg add former Göttingen forward Dawkins to help replace injured Seljaas
FIT/One Würzburg Baskets have made a move to help fill in for the injured star forward Zac Seljaas as they signed forward Aubrey Dawkins until the end of the season. The 29-year-old Dawkins recently played with Nizhny Novgorod in Russia. The American knows the Bundesliga from playing with BG Göttingen in 2020-21.
Ludwigsburg score season-high 92 points in blowout of Bamberg
MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg set a new season high in points as they blew out Bamberg Baskets 92-73 at home to snap a two-game losing skid. Ludwigsburg started taking control in the second quarter and never looked back for a 9-7 record and Bamberg have fallen to 6-9 after three straight losses. Ludwigsburg committed only 8 turnovers and held Bamberg to just 44 percent shooting on two-pointers. Ezra Manjon paced five Ludwigsburg players in double figures with 17 points, Joel Scott had 16 points and Yorman Polas Bartolo had 15 points and 7 rebounds. Filip Stanic led Bamberg with 12 points and Ibrahim Watson-Boye added 11 points.
Hamburg down Bonn for back-to-back wins
Veolia Towers Hamburg used a big fourth quarter run to defeat Telekom Baskets Bonn 91-84 at home for back-to-back wins for just the second time this season in the league - following Rounds 10 and 11. Neither team could really gain control of the game and it was tied two minutes into the fourth quarter when Hamburg went on a 17-7 run to grab the win. Hamburg’s second straight victory gave them a 6-8 record while Bonn are 8-7 after having won three of the last four. Hamburg shot 52 percent for the game including 62 percent on two-pointers while Bonn were held to 39 percent from the floor. Brae Ivey scored 17 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 steals while Jaizec Lottie and Johnathan Stove both scored 15 points. Phlandrous Fleming and Darius McGhee both scored 17 points and Thomas Kennedy had 13 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
Towers add intriguing 3x3 star prospect Giessmann on loan, part ways with Kennedy
Veolia Towers Hamburg added one of the most interesting basketball talents in world basketball as they brought in Fabian Giessmann on loan. The 19-year-old plays with St. Pauli and is a world star in 3x3 basketball, claiming the title at the FIBA 3x3 U23 World Cup 2024, FIBA 3x3 U18 World Cup 2023 and FIBA 3x3 U17 Europe Cup 2022. His first game in the BKT EuroCup during the week against Umana Reyer Venice was Giessmann’s first-ever official game of 5x5 basketball. Hamburg also decided to part ways with guard Keondre Kennedy after 14 games. The 24-year-old had not been part of the roster since the end of December.
Vechta use fourth quarter run to knock off Wolves
RASTA Vechta carried a big fourth quarter run to get past SYNTAINICS MBC 87-79 at home. The guests pulled out to a 10-point lead in the third quarter and led for the first half of the final frame before Vechta mounted a 13-0 run to win the game. Vechta have won two of three games for a 7-6 record while Wolves have dropped three straight and are 7-8. Vechta overcame shooting just 39 percent for the game by committing only 11 turnovers and making 31 of 42 free throws compared to only 13 of 21 for the guests. Brandon Randolph scored 21 points, Joel Aminu picked up 17 points and 6 assists and Joschka Ferner added 11 points. Michael Devoe scored 25 points off the Weißenfels bench and Tyren Johnson had 20 points in the loss.
Player of the Week
The top performance for Round 16 came from Geno Crandall of EWE Baskets Oldenburg, who takes Player of the Week honors for his efficiency of 31 against FIT/One Würzburg. Crandall scored 26 points on 8 of 19 shots (2/9 threes) and 8 of 10 free throws to go with 7 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals and 2 turnovers.
German Top Five of the Week
G: Len Schoormann, EWE Baskets Oldenburg
Schoormann collected 17 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals in a victory over FIT/One Würzburg Baskets.
G: Joel Aminu, RASTA Vechta
Aminu poured in 17 points with 4 three-pointers and added 6 assists and 2 steals against SYNTAINICS MBC.
F: Karim Jallow, ratiopharm ulm
Jallow played a major role in Ulm’s win over ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 2 assists.
F: Robin Amaize, ROSTOCK SEAWOLVES
Amaize had a big game with 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals against ratiopharm ulm but they were not enough for a win.
F: Hannes Steinbach, FIT/One Würzburg
Steinbach had by far the biggest game of his career as the 18-year-old set career highs of 17 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists and 34 minutes against EWE Baskets Oldenburg. Steinbach also added 1 block.
Young Guns
Fabian Giessmann, 19, SF, Veolia Towers Hamburg
Giessmann’s past success in 3x3 basketball was mentioned earlier in the news and he had a strong debut in the Bundesliga with 4 points on 2 of 2 shots and 5 rebounds in just 7:03 minutes against Telekom Baskets Bonn.
Janis Jünemann, 19, C, BG Göttingen
Jünemann had a career performance against Basketball Löwen Braunschweig as the 19-year-old center set career highs with 23:08 minutes, 10 points (5 of 7 shots and 0 of 2 free throws) 7 rebounds and 2 assists while also picking up 1 steal.
Sananda Fru, 21, PF, Basketball Löwen Braunschweig
Fru had a strong game in Braunschweig’s win over BG Göttingen with 15 points on 5 of 6 shots and 5 of 6 free throws, 4 rebounds and 1 block in 19:51 minutes.
Germans Abroad
This week we look at the NCAA Division 2 and highlight Nic Welp - the younger brother of Collin Welp of BG Göttingen and son of former German national team star Christian Welp. Nic is playing for California State University at San Bernardino and he scored a season high 23 points with 4 three-pointers to go with 13 rebounds and 2 blocks against Humboldt State. For the season, Welp is averaging 6.4 points with 37 percent three-point shooting and 5.8 rebounds. He moved to CSUSB after three seasons at Western Washington University - also in Division 2 - where last year he averaged 10.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists.
