BG Ludwigsburg, for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (English: Giants Ludwigsburg[1]), is a professional basketball club that is based in Ludwigsburg, Germany. The club currently plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL), the first tier of basketball in Germany.
| MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Leagues | Basketball Bundesliga FIBA Europe Cup | |||
| Founded | 1960 | |||
| History | DJK Ludwigsburg 1960–1970 SpVgg 07 Ludwigsburg 1970–1987 BSG Basket Ludwigsburg 1987–2012 Riesen Ludwigsburg 2012–present | |||
| Arena | MHP Arena | |||
| Capacity | 5,325 | |||
| Location | Ludwigsburg, Germany | |||
| Team colors | Yellow, Dark Grey | |||
| Main sponsor | Mieschke Hofmann und Partner | |||
| President | Alexander Reil | |||
| Head coach | vacant | |||
| Retired numbers | 1 (4) | |||
| Website | mhp-riesen-ludwigsburg.de | |||
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Founded in 1960 as DJK Ludwigsburg, the club has been a regular in the BBL since the 1986–87 season, when the team promoted from the second division 2. Basketball Bundesliga. Between the period 1970–2012, the team was also known as SpVgg 07 Ludwigsburg and BSG Basket, before changing its name at the end of the sponsorship agreement with EnBW.
History
editThe team was founded in 1960 as the basketball section of the multi-sports club DJK Ludwigsburg. In the 1979–80 season, the team promoted for the first time to the highest tier, the Basketball Bundesliga. From 1970 until 1987, the club was known as SpVgg 07, as it was part of the multi-sports club SpVgg Ludwigsburg. In 1987, the team separated from SpVgg and was renamed BSG Basket Ludwigsburg.
In 2008, Ludwigsburg reached the German Cup Final for the first time, but lost to Artland Dragons, 60–74.
In the 2016–17 season, Ludwigsburg participated in the inaugural Basketball Champions League (BCL) season, where they were eliminated by one point on aggregate in the quarter-finals by Banvit. The campaign marked Ludwigsburg's best European performance in history, as it was the first time the team reached the knock-out phase of a European competition. In the 2017–18 season, Ludwigsburg set a new European club record when it advanced to the Final Four of the Champions League, after defeating Oldenburg and Bayreuth in the 16th round and quarter-finals.[2] This was the first time ever the club qualified for the final stage of a European tournament. Ludwigsburg lost in the semi-final to Monaco, 65–87. In the third-place game, the team lost 74–85 to UCAM Murcia, finishing fourth.
On 19 July 2019, David McCray announced his retirement and his number 4 was retired by Riesen, the first retired number in club history.[3]
The 2019–20 season was altered due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a final tournament behind closed doors in Munich, Ludwigsburg reached its first German finals ever. In the finals, it lost to Alba Berlin on aggregate in two games.
Arenas
edit
Ludwigsburg's home arena, since 2009, is Arena Ludwigsburg, later renamed the MHP Arena, after they moved from Rundsporthalle Ludwigsburg.
Naming
editPartly due to sponsorship reasons, the team has known various names in its history:[4]
- DJK Ludwigsburg (1960–1970)
- SpVgg 07 Ludwigsburg (1970–1987)
- BG Ludwigsburg (1987)
- BSG Basket Ludwigsburg (1987–2012)
- EnBW Ludwigsburg (2012)
- Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg (2012–2014)
- MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (2014–present)
Logos
edit-
Logo of Neckar Riesen Ludwigsburg (2012–2014)
Honours
editDomestic competitions
edit- Basketball Bundesliga
- Runners-up: 2019–20
- BBL-Pokal
- Runners-up: 1992, 2008
- 2. Basketball Bundesliga
- Champions: 1979-80, 1985-86, 2001-02
European competitions
editSeason by season
editPlayers
editCurrent roster
editNote: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationalities not displayed.
| MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg roster | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Updated: October 2, 2024 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Retired numbers
edit| Riesen Ludwigsburg retired numbers | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Nat. | Player | Position | Tenure | Ref. |
| 4 | David McCray | PG | 2007–2012, 2015–2019 | ||
Other notable players
edit- Set a club record or won an individual award as a professional player.
- Played at least one official international match for his senior national team at any time.
- Goran Kalamiza
- Ingo Freyer
- Karim Jallow
- Konstantin Konga
- Jens Kujawa
- Khadeen Carrington
- Siim-Sander Vene
- Shawn Huff
- Takumi Ishizaki
- Andrius Giedraitis
- Donatas Zavackas
- Povilas Čukinas
- Donatas Sabeckis
- Matthew Bryan-Amaning
- Rawle Alkins
- Jon Brockman
- Will Cherry
- Elijah Childs
- Mike King
- Walter Palmer
- Jerry Green
- Coby Karl
- D. J. Kennedy
- Marcos Knight
- Mark Montgomery
- Royce O'Neale
- Mustafa Shakur
- Jaleen Smith
- Michael Stockton
- Isaiah Whitehead
References
edit- ^ "MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg". Retrieved 5 April 2018.
RIESEN refers to the German word for Giants
) - ^ "Sears leads MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg to Final Four with Leg 2 win in Bayreuth". Chamionsleague.basketball. 4 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
- ^ a b "easyCredit – David McCray beendet seine Karriere". easycredit-bbl.de. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
- ^ "MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg". Eurobasket.com. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
External links
edit- Official website (in German)