The new BBL season starts tonight.To mark this occasion, SPOX highlighted the changes and opportunities of all 18 teams.Especially at the top, a lot has happened and a hot fight for the German championship can be expected.
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Eleventh place, as in the previous season, is likely to remain a utopia in the university city this time.With Center Darius Carter and Guard Leon Williams, only two last season’s rotation players are available.Coach Johan Roijakkers is also aware of the severity of the goal to maintain class retention.
The new Point Guard, Michael Stockton, who played in Ludwigsburg two years ago, will help here.The construction and son of NBA legend John Stockton is by far the best player in BG’s ranks.Otherwise there are some question marks.Dominic Lockhart, Stephan Haukohl and Dennis Kramer were hungry German players, but they have not yet been able to prove that they can play a bigger role in a BBL club.
In the summer, things were remarkably quiet at the polar bears after rank twelve last year.Quincy Diggs, a top performer, left the Northern Lights, but otherwise the squad was largely held together.Point guard and leader Jordan Hulls will pull the strings in the new season.
As a scorer, Johnny Berhanemeskel was put at his side with Johnny Berhanemeskel.The US-American last played in the second Spanish league and is therefore a real bag of wonders.If it strikes, the polar bears might also be able to sniff towards playoffs, otherwise it will be another year without any major fears of relegation.
Last year, the Thuringians were still a step up, but the goal hasn’t changed in the second year either.It’s about pure survival, more than class retention is not expected.The mission will be lacking above all Marcos Knight, who as a guard posed many problems for the opposing defences.
There will be a lot of responsibility on the shoulders of the seasoned players Julius Jenkins, Immanuel McElroy and Derrick Allen, who will lead the many young players to BBL.However, early class retention should not be planned this time.
Resurrected from cheap beer, this could be the slogan of rising star Erfurt, who were still in Gotha in the penultimate season.But the Rockets no longer have much to do with the ProA team.Only three promotion heroes are still in the squad.Former Bamberg manager Wolfgang Heyder relies on young Germans such as sniper Andreas Obst, who came from Gießen.
Instead, BBL-experienced Germans were recruited with Jan-Niklas Wimberg, Johannes Richter and Daniel Schmidt.In general, however, the squad is very thinly staffed, especially in the large positions.It smells like a relegation fight until the last matchday.
BBL returns to Weißenfels.Led by Marcus Hatten, Sergio Kerusch and Djordje Pantelic, the MBC managed to rise again.The trio could be held, but Kerusch is missing indefinitely due to his cancer.But with Malte Schwarz and Marc Liyanage two well-known faces wear the jersey of the wolf pack again.
With a small budget, even in Central Germany it will only be about survival.After all, Forward Djordje Drenovac showed good approaches in the preparation and could compensate Kerusch’s missing scoring to a large extent.Otherwise, it looks pretty bad with offensive power, so the MBC has to define itself by strong defense to win enough games.
There’s not much left of last season’s team.Top scorer Syshawn Pierre (15 points, 7.9 rebounds) went to Italy, followed by Geoffry Groselle, Jamal Boykin and Carlos Medlock.After all, Scott Eatherton’s (Göttingen) engagement was a real coup.
All in all, however, the squad is again very thin, so coach Frank Menz will probably bet on a very small rotation.The foreigners have little experience in Germany, but they are undoubtedly of high quality.The lions will hang down again, but in the end they will keep the class sovereign.
When it comes to relegation fight, the Tigers from Tübingen are always there.But maybe not this year?Assist king Jared Jordan was an important player and Ryan Brooks, a BBL-tested two-man, was called in.Barry Stewart also remained true to the Tigers.
In the German positions, the squad was turned to the left and all German positions were newly filled.Guard Robert Zinn and Center Philipp Heyden came from the ProA, while Sid-Marlon Theis (Braunschweig) and Mathis Mönnighoff (Göttingen) already have some experience.
Page 1: The fight for class retention
Page 2: Playoff Candidates
Page 3: Candidates for the title