One day after Bayern Munich stole all the headlines, two-time reigning German BBL league and German Cup champions Brose Baskets Bamberg had good and bad news. Bamberg confirmed the signing of two-time BBL MVP and former German champion Julius Jenkins but also said floor general John Goldsberry will miss up to eight months with knee surgery.
The 30-year-old guard Jenkins comes to Bamberg on a two-year contract after five years with arch rivals Alba Berlin, with whom he won the 2008 German league crown and MVP honors in 2008 and 2010.
Jenkins is the second addition to Brose following the signing of power forward/center Marcus Slaughter. That duo replaces the big two departures from Bamberg’s double title side from last season – Brian Roberts and Kyle Hines.
“We were looking for an adequate replacement for Brian Roberts and we are convinced that we found the right player in Julius Jenkins. He is very athletic, defends very well and can run the pick and roll,” said Bamberg general manager Wolfgang Heyder.
“He showed in Berlin that he is a team player which is unbelievably important for a team that wants to survive in the Euroleague. In addition, our spectators can look forward to his very attractive style of play.”
The news in Bamberg is not all good as the team said head coach Chris Fleming’s top point guard John Goldsberry will have to undergo another operation on his left knee and could miss up to eight months.
“John has been possibly our most important player over the past two years. He has always done what is needed to win games. He has won five titles in the last four seasons and him missing the entire season is of course a very bitter bill to swallow,” said Fleming.
Goldsberry will have the knee surgery in the United States and do his rehab in Germany. He had knee surgery in August 2008 and his return helped bring Bamberg back on track.
Bamberg must now find a new point guard for the up-coming season – one that the team can afford.
“This will be an extra burden on our budget. We can only spend the money that we have. How quickly we can replace him depends on the ruling from the insurance company and also how quickly we can generate new funds,” said Heyder.