TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
@
AUFSTEIGER KRIEG II!
ratiopharm Ulm @ Paderborn
Sunday Febuary 25, 2007 5pm
Gerry-Webber-Stadion Paderborn, Germany
ratiopharm Ulm and Paderborn share many similarities. While Ulm won the 2.Bundesliga South last season, Paderborn was busy winning the 2.Bundesliga North. Both teams stress a hardworking, team oriented approach. Now, after 21 games in the Bundesliga, both ratiopharm Ulm and Paderborn can take pride in their "Rookie" performance in which both have earned respect in their new league. Meeting for the first time, in a game billed as "Aufsteiger Krieg", Ulm captured the first victory 87-74. Sunday, live on Premiere TV, these two teams meet head to head in a second "Aufsteiger Krieg" at Gerry-Webber-Stadion in Paderborn.
F Florian Mobius boosted his team with a terrific effort off the bench in Ulm's upset win over Koln. Mobius and teammates now set their sights on a tough road win at Paderborn.
With 21 Bundesliga games under their belt, both ratiopharm Ulm and Paderborn have proven themselves. Opponents know both "Aufsteigers" will compete. Both newcomers have established themselves solidly in their first seasons with the big boys and as the season heads into the stretch run both Ulm and Paderborn have surpassed early season expectations. Demonstrating a hardnosed, team-oriented style, Ulm and Paderborn have been positive additions to the Bundesliga.
Ulm PG Austen Rowland shakes and bakes in transition.
Paderborn enters Sundays' game 9-12 for the year. Led by skilled point guard Tim Black (13.3ppg 3reb 3ast 34%3pt), a crafty playmaker with speed, Paderborn has been a strong home court team this season. Featuring a fantastic home crowd, Paderborn fans should be even more enthusiastic as the game will be their first appearance on Premiere TV this season. Leading Paderborn in scoring, lefty scoring guard Sergerio Gipson (14.4ppg 4.1reb 4ast 32%3pt) hits tough shots and can carry his team offensively. At the small forward, shooter Steve Esterkamp (11pt 2.8reb 1.4ast 36%3pt) adds perimeter accuarcy and toughness to his team. At the power forward spot Marius Nolte (6.7ppg 4.6reb) brings physical presence to the paint with his bluecollar work ethic. In the pivot, C Jordan Collins (9.5pt 5.5reb 30%3pt) is a "Rasheed Wallace" type big man who can score inside or stick the three. Maybe the most explosive player on the Paderborn roster comes off the bench --- swing man Reggie Golson (11.8ppg 4.8reb) can score off the dribble or by drilling outside shots. Physical backup big man Mark Patton (6.7ppg 4.6reb) adds energy and toughness to the team and smooth combo G Lamar Hurd (4.3ppg 3.3reb) provides depth after filling in effectively for injured Tim Black earlier this season. Team players Daniel Lieneka, Martin Duggan and Christoph Hackenech round out the Paderborn roster.
ULM G Jonathan Levy led Ulm's offensive attack in the win over Koln and played well against Paderborn at home.
Following a strong 3-1 start, Paderborn suffered through two different 4 game losing streaks earlier this year. Recently, they have found their form winning 4 of their last 6 games including home blowout wins over Trier 70-57 Wednesday Febuary 14th and over Artland Dragons Saturday 77-52 January 20th. Overcoming their early season injrury problems, Paderborn is clearly coming together.
C Bryan Lucas has been excellent for his team since Christmas. Lucas missed the first meeting against Paderborn with a calf muscle injury.
Meanwhile, ratiopharm Ulm has also shown improvement this season. Entering Sundays road game at 10-11, Ulm rides the momentum of their upset win over Rheinenergie Koln last Saturday. Strong teamwork and competitiveness have been trademarks of the Ulm style of play which has made the team extremely interesting for German basketball fans. In fact, while Sunday's live Premiere telecast will be Paderborn's first, it will be ratiopharm Ulm's fourth live game of the season. Certainly the excitement about the head to head "Aufsteiger Krieg" is multiplied this weekend.
Ulm C Maksym Shtein started against Paderborn in October and was strong in the lane. Here, Max swoops over Paderborns Jordan Collins for a hook shot.
Making this game interesting, the head to head matchups at several positions will be extremely competitive. At the point, Ulm's Austen Rowland meets Paderborn's Tim Black for the first time in game action. Both playmakers set the tempo for their teams and can create for their teammates. At the shooting guard, Ulm's Jonathan Levy battles Paderborn's Sergerio Gipson. Both athletic guards are left handed and multi-skilled as each lead their respective teams in scoring. Small forward Emeka Erege goes against Paderborn's Steve Esterkamp in an interesting contrast. Esterkamp's size and perimeter shooting ability make him a key for Paderborn and Erege's defensive prowess will be challenged. At power forward, ratiopharm Ulm All Star Jeff Gibbs prepares himself for the physical defense of Marius Nolte, an energy player for Paderborn. Finally, at center, Ulm's Bryan Lucas will face Paderborn's Jordan Collins for the first time this season after Lucas missed the first meeting between the teams with a calf injury. From the bench, Ulm's Konrad Wysocki, Maksym Shtein, Christian Grosse, Ian Young and Jan Sprunken all add firepower to the attack. On the other bench, Paderborn Head Coach Doug Spradley turns to scoring forward Reggie Golson, steady Lamar Hurd and physical Mark Patton. Without question, the "Aufsteiger Krieg" boils down to these individual battles.
ULM PF Jeff Gibbs played extremely well for Ulm despite Paderborns extra-attention on defense.
As with every ratiopharm Ulm television game, all the action can be seen live at the Xinedome movie theatre in Ulm. Fans unable to make the long road trip north to Paderborn with the team to see the game in person, are now able to enjoy all the exciting ratiopharm Ulm basketball action live on the movie theatre screens of Xinedome Sunday evening.
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
FIRST TIME
For players on both teams, Sundays game will be the first time to meet an opponent. First for Ulm, C Bryan Lucas will be in the starting lineup against Paderborn after missing the October matchup at Sportszentrum Kuhberg with a leg injury. In the Paderborn lineup, star guard Tim Black missed several games in the early season with injury. Now healthy, Black faces ratiopharm Ulm for the first time.
AROUND MY WAY
For Ulm PG Austen Rowland and Paderborn C Jordan Collins, Sundays game might remind them of past pick up ball in Washington DC. Both players grew up playing with and against each other in high school and AAU.
NEW BUILDING!
Both ratiopharm Ulm and Paderborn are aiming to build new basketball arenas in the future. At this point, both Ulm and Paderborn play home games in old-school gyms. A new building in both cities would be a huge boost for the future of each organization.
BUILD YOUR TEAM
After winning the 2.Bundesliga and earning the right to move up into the Bundesliga, organizations face difficult decisions about how to upgrade their roster in order to compete. While Ulm and Paderborn have many silimalrities, there are also a few slight differences. One, being the approach to building their team. In Ulm, 9 players were re-signed from the 2.Bundesliga South championship team and currently play 70% of minutes. Meanwhile, in Paderborn 4 players returned and have played 38% of their minutes --- of course injury to star G Tim Black would add to their numbers. Nevertheless, both teams have enjoyed surprising success establishing themselves in the Bundesliga as "Aufsteigers".
Follow all the fastbreaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain ready to lead this weekend!
Jonathan Levy: outstanding game in upset win over Koeln
Jeff Gibbs: ready for challenge from Paderborn front line
Austen Rowland: Ulm floor general continues positive strides
Bryan Lucas: missed first meeting v Paderborn/strong in post
Konrad Wysocki: energy for Ulm off the bench/key to team depth
Maksym Shtein: started first meeting v Paderborn
Christian Grosse: ready to help team with perimeter accuracy!
Florian Mobius: key post sub for Ulm/big minutes v Koeln
Jan Sprunken: ready to contribute/paderborn near Munster home
Ian Young : combo G looks to attack in minutes
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Paderborn, Germany
Main Sponsor:
Home Court: Sportzentrum Maspernplatz
website: www.paderborn-baskets.de
2005-2006: 2.Bundesliga North Champions
Offense: After last seasons perfect 30-0 march to the 2.Bundesliga North championship, the only thing Paderborn lost was their main sponsor. Aside from this setback, Paderborn has built a solid team formed around returning PG Tim Black and excellent wing Steve Esterkamp. Scoring F Reggie Golson should be an impact player and G Sergerio Gipson and C Jordan Collins will be counted on heavily. Mark Patton from Marshall U was added to the team in September. Suffering an injury in the preseason, Tim Black will be sidelined several weeks and Lamar Hurd was added as an injury replacement.
Defense: While Paderborn was a dominant force in the 2.Bundesliga North, Head Coach Doug Spradley and his team face similar challenges to ratiopharm Ulm as "aufsteigers". Every game will be a challenge, but the team can play without pressure and compete to stay in the league.
GM:
Head Coach: Doug Spradley
Players:
Tim Black : top PG talent/returned from injury to be a playmaker!
Steve Esterkamp: multiskilled wing is key for Paderborn/11ppg
Sergerio Gipson: leading scorer 14.4ppg 4.1reb 4ast
Reggie Golson: scoring 3/4 instant offense at both spots
Jordan Collins: 6'11 big man/ former NC State shotblocker/9.5pt
Mark Patton: banger/physical 4 man/
Marius Nolte: physical starting post player/6.7pt 4.6reb
Daniel Lienke: helped Paderborn win a championship
Christoph Hackenesch: helped Paderborn to a title
Chrisian Becker: helped Paderborn win a championship
Martin Duggen: helped Paderborn win a championship
Lamar Hurd: added as replacement for Black/ solid and athletic
