Riesen Ludwigsburg Explained

MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg
Leagues:Basketball Bundesliga
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
Colors:Yellow, Dark Grey
President:Alexander Reil
Coach:vacant
Retired Numbers:1 (4)
Sponsor:Mieschke Hofmann und Partner
Website:mhp-riesen-ludwigsburg.de
H Body:FFDE00
H Pattern B:_blackstripes
H Shorts:FFDE00
A Body:303030
A Pattern B:_yellowbow
A Shorts:303030
3 Body:FFDE00
3 Pattern B:_blackshoulders
3 Shorts:FFDE00
3 Pattern S:_thinblacksides

BG Ludwigsburg, for sponsorship reasons MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (English: Giants Ludwigsburg<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mhp-riesen-ludwigsburg.de/english/|title=MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg|quote= RIESEN refers to the German word for Giants|access-date=5 April 2018), 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.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

The 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.[1] 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.

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

Ludwigsburg's home arena, since 2009, is Arena Ludwigsburg, later renamed the MHP Arena, after they moved from Rundsporthalle Ludwigsburg.

Naming

Partly due to sponsorship reasons, the team has known various names in its history:[2]

Honours

Domestic competitions

European competitions

Season by season

SeasonTierLeagueGerman CupEuropean competitions
1985–8622. BBL1st
1986–871Bundesliga10th
1987–881Bundesliga8th
1988–891Bundesliga6th
1989–901Bundesliga7th
1990–911Bundesliga7th
1991–921Bundesliga
1992–931Bundesliga
1993–941Bundesliga
1994–951Bundesliga
1995–961Bundesliga12th
1996–971Bundesliga14th
1997–9822. BBL5th
1998–9922. BBL2nd
1999–003Regionalliga1st
2000–0122. BBL
2001–0222. BBL
2002–031Bundesliga12th
2003–041Bundesliga13th
2004–051Bundesliga8thThird position
2005–061Bundesliga6th
2006–071Bundesliga2ndThird position
2007–081Bundesliga13thRunner-up
2008–091Bundesliga11th
2009–101Bundesliga11th
2010–111Bundesliga9th
2011–121Bundesliga16th
2012–131Bundesliga17th
2013–141Bundesliga8th
2014–151Bundesliga8th
2015–161Bundesliga6th
2016–171Bundesliga8thSemi-finalist
2017–181Bundesliga3rdQualifying roundalign=center bgcolor=#97DEFF4th
2018–191Bundesliga10thRound of 16
2019–201Bundesliga2ndRound of 16
2020–211Bundesliga3rdGroup stage
2021–221Bundesliga4thRound of 163rd
2022–231Bundesliga4thSemi-finalist
2023–241Bundesliga8thRound of 16

Players

Other notable players

- 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.

Notes and References

  1. News: Sears leads MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg to Final Four with Leg 2 win in Bayreuth. 4 April 2018. 5 April 2018. Chamionsleague.basketball.
  2. Web site: MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg. Eurobasket.com. 5 April 2018.