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MLP Academics Heidelberg
MLP Academics Heidelberg
League	Basketball Bundesliga
Founded	1952; 72 years ago
History	TB Heidelberg ; (1947–1953); USC Heidelberg; (1953–2012); MLP Academics Heidelberg; (2012–present)
Arena	SNP Dome
Capacity	5,000
Location	Heidelberg, Germany
Team colors	Navy, White, Gold;
Head coach	Ingo Freyer
Championships	13 German Championships; 2 German Cups; 1 ProA
Website	mlp-academics-heidelberg.de
Home	Away

USC Heidelberg, for sponsorship reasons named MLP Academics Heidelberg, is a professional basketball club from Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The club's men's senior team currently plays in the German first division Basketball Bundesliga since its promotion in 2021.^[1] The team has won thirteen German championships in its history, the last being in 1977.

History

A Triumphant Legacy

The team was dominant in the 1950s and 1960s, as well as in the West German Basketball League, winning a total of 9 German championships (1957–1962, 1966, 1973, 1977).

In the 2020–21 season, Heidelberg won its first-ever ProA championship and gained promotion to the first level Basketball Bundesliga (BBL).^[1]

Return to the Basketball Bundesliga (2021–present)

Heidelberg finished the 2021–22 Basketball Bundesliga season with 11 wins and 23 losses in 15th place out of 18, after surprisingly winning their first three Bundesliga games. With that cushion, the underdog was always able to stay out of the relegation spots despite the losing streak that followed.

Despite the success in 2021–22, Heidelberg changed its head coach for the 2022/23 season and brought in six new players.

Branislav Ignjatovic had served as head coach for eight years. In 2022, the Finish head coach Joonas Iisalo then took over.^[2] He came from Telekom Baskets Bonn, where he assisted his brother Tuomas as an assistant coach. The brothers' team had taken Bonn from a medium power to second place and qualified for the playoff semifinals. The Iisalos' tactics were known for a lot of passing.

As in the promotion season, the goal for the second year was to stay in the league, according to general manager Matthias Lautenschläger.^[2]

Brekkott Chapman joined the Japanese team Koshigaya Alphas. Robert Lowery and Kelvin Martin left Heidelberg without a new team. Albert Kuppe, Phillipp Heyden and Courtney Stockard ended their professional careers. Kuppe cited mental and physical reasons for his decision.^[3] Kuppe's departure was a surprise, which is why Leon Friederici, who was actually scheduled to leave,^[2] returned to the team.

For the 2022/23 season, Tim Coleman (32), who last played for the Crailsheim Merlins in 2021, joined Heidelberg.^[2]

Huddle in January 2023.

Eric Washington came from Niners Chemnitz as Heidelberg's new floor general. As playmaker he would "create opportunities, especially in transition, after blocks and from isolation" and "play defensively with commitment and passion," said new Heidelberg head coach Joonas Iisalo.

Further, Lukas Herzog joined Heidelberg from MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg. In Ludwigsburg, the youngster had been known for his work ethic and defense. Both qualities let him accumulate many minutes there.

With Akeem Vargas, Heidelberg acquired the former captain of BG Göttingen. Vargas returned to play in his hometown of Heidelberg.

The new recruit Elias Lasisi had already played with the then assistant coach Joonas Iisalo for Crailsheim.

Another recruit was Power forward De'jon Davis (24). Niklas Würzner's contract was extended until 2024.^[2]

In July 2023, Shyron "Shy" Ely left the team at age 36. He had played his first game for the Academics in 2013. Overall, he had played a total of 215 games for the club. His jersey number 5 would not be issued in the next five years, the club announced. "It's fair to say that a special era is coming to an end. Shy has shaped this club like no other in recent club history," said managing director Matthias Lautenschläger.^[4]

Names

TB Heidelberg (1947–1953)
USC Heidelberg (1953–present)
MLP Academics Heidelberg (2012–present)

Arenas

Outside view of the SNP Dome

During the majority of the club's existence, Heidelberg played at the Olympiastützpunkt Rhein-Neckar, where it was based from 1972. In 2021, the club entered the newly built SNP Dome, which has a capacity of 5,000 spectators. On 25 March 2021, the inaugural game in the arena was played against the Eisbären Bremerhaven.

In late December 2022, Heidelberg played against FC Bayern Munich in the nearby SAP Arena (Mannheim), where the team drew a record crow of 10,454 visitors. For each ticket sold, a donation was made to the Courage Foundation for the support of chronically ill children.^[5]

Players

Current roster

Note: Flags indicate national team eligibility at FIBA-sanctioned events. Players may hold other non-FIBA nationality not displayed.

MLP Academics Heidelberg roster

Players

Coaches

Pos.	No.	Name	Ht.	Wt.	Age
SF	0	Coleman, Tim	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	95 kg (209 lb)	29 – (1995-01-04)4 January 1995
C	1	Whaley, Isaiah	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	102 kg (225 lb)	26 – (1998-03-26)26 March 1998
PG	2	Würzner, Niklas	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	30 – (1994-02-02)2 February 1994
PG	4	Childs, Elijah	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	104 kg (229 lb)	25 – (1999-01-10)10 January 1999
SG	6	Lasisi, Elias	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	80 kg (176 lb)	32 – (1992-01-09)9 January 1992
SF	7	Rietsch, Evan	1.97 m (6 ft 6 in)	90 kg (198 lb)	19 – (2005-01-14)14 January 2005
SG	8	Schally, Samuel	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	85 kg (187 lb)	19 – (2004-05-27)27 May 2004
F	9	Zipser, Paul	2.03 m (6 ft 8 in)	105 kg (231 lb)	30 – (1994-02-18)18 February 1994
SF	10	Kesteloot, Vincent	2.00 m (6 ft 7 in)	95 kg (209 lb)	29 – (1995-03-23)23 March 1995
SG	11	Vargas, Akeem (C)	1.92 m (6 ft 4 in)	90 kg (198 lb)	33 – (1990-04-29)29 April 1990
SF	14	Kigab, Abu	2.01 m (6 ft 7 in)	100 kg (220 lb)	25 – (1998-11-03)3 November 1998
C	15	Keßen, Marcel	2.07 m (6 ft 9 in)	109 kg (240 lb)	27 – (1997-01-02)2 January 1997
G	25	Jaworski, Justin	1.90 m (6 ft 3 in)	89 kg (196 lb)	24 – (1999-06-21)21 June 1999
SF	30	Carroll, Jeffrey	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	99 kg (218 lb)	29 – (1994-11-06)6 November 1994
PG	44	Hundt, Bennet	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	73 kg (161 lb)	25 – (1998-08-20)20 August 1998

Head coach

Ingo Freyer

Assistant coach(es)

Hylke van der Zweep
Serena Benavente

Legend

(C) Team captain
Injured

Roster

Updated: March 22, 2024

Depth chart

Pos.	Starting 5	Bench 1	Bench 2	Bench 3
C	Isaiah Whaley	Marcel Keßen
PF	Jeffrey Carroll	Paul Zipser		Vincent Kesteloot
SF	Elias Lasisi	Abu Kigab		Tim Coleman
SG	Justin Jaworski	Akeem Vargas
PG	Elijah Childs	Bennet Hundt	Niklas Würzner

Retired numbers

MLP Academics Heidelberg retired numbers
No	Nat.	Player	Position	Tenure	Date retired	Ref
5		Shyron Ely	SG	2013–2014, 2015–2023	29 July 2023	^[4]

Notable players

To appear in this section a player must have played at least two seasons for the club AND either:

– 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.