With eight new additions and a new head coach, the giant Ludwigsburg will start the new season of the basketball Bundesliga. Are the giants back into the playoffs this time?
A new era begins in Ludwigsburg with the 2025/26 season. In March, the club separated from its long -time head coach John Patrick. The 57-year-old was coach of Ludwigsburg with a short interruption for over ten years. John Patrick’s separation is a turning point for the giants, explains Alexander Reil, first chairman of the association. “We start a new era,” said Reil. This is led by the new head coach Mikko Riipinen, who formally took over the office on July 1st. On September 24th (6.30pm), the giants will play their first competitive game in the first cup round at the Skyliners Frankfurt. On October third, the two clubs will meet again in the Bundesliga.
In Ludwigsburg, too, the basketball boom around the German national team is noticeable at the European Championship. “When you go to the baker, people suddenly talk about basketball, that’s not a matter of course,” says Reil. Nevertheless, there would still be a big difference between the national team and the normal league operation.
The expectations
After the separation from head coach John Patrick, the assistance coach Lars Masell temporarily took over for the rest of the 2024/25 season. But in the end, the giants only landed in eleven in the basketball Bundesliga and thus missed the move into the pre-playoffs. For the new season, the first goal is to get back to the playoffs of the basketball Bundesliga, says giant player Johannes Patrick in an interview with SWR-Sport. In the cup you also want to get as far as possible. The 23-year-old is the son of the former head coach John Patrick and has been a Ludwigsburg for six years. Alexander Reil is a little more reserved. “It is always a goal, but not a matter of course to play the playoff places,” says Reil.
The team
There is a change in Ludwigsburg. Seven players left the club. A total of eight players are new to the team. Keeshawn Kellman, Stefan Smith, Elijah Hughes, James Murray-Boyles and Tray Buchanan were hired as external newcomers. In addition, the contracts were extended by Yorman Polas Bartolo, Brandon Tischler, Johannes Patrick and Booker Coplin.
Lukas Modic, Simon Feneberg and Maxwell Dongmo Temoka are to be used to the first team from the Giants Academy in the long term. All newcomers would find their way around and leave a positive impression, explains the longest-serving giant player Johannes Patrick. In preparation, the giants won four out of five games. Only the game against the Windrose Giants was narrowly lost with 97: 101.
The king’s transfer
Alexander Reil does not want to name a single player as a royal transfer. Last but not least, the European Championships showed that it is particularly important to harmonize well in a team. In any case, Elijah Hughes, the new small forward of the giant Ludwigsburg, has plenty of experience. The 27-year-old moved from the first division club Río Breogán to the Swabians. Between 2020 and 2022, Hughes played a total of 54 games in the American professional league NBA for Utah and Portland and also had 144 competitive players for Salt Lake City, Wisconsin and Cleveland in the NBA G-League.
The trainer
Mikko Riipinen was previously coach of the BG Göttingen, who relegated from the BBL last season. The 38-year-old is also a national coach of Sweden. In the preliminary round of the European Championship, his team lost 105: 83 and later left the round of 16. Johannes Patrick is convinced of the new head coach:
He has a very good connection to us and gets the best out of us in every training session.
Johannes Patrick about the new coach Mikko Riipinen
The first impression of Mikko Riipinen is also positive Alexander Reil. However, what happens on the record is crucial at the end. Here it will also be shown how the change of coach and the change in the squad will affect the giants.
Prize on Tuesday, 23.9.2025 12:45 p.m., SWR Current
