TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
@
THE DERBY!
ratiopharm Ulm @ Walter Tigers Tubingen
Wednesday December 30th, 2009 8pm
Paul Horn Arena Tubingen, Germany
Every game against a rival is something special. No matter the league, the records or the roster changes, rivalries bring out the best from one another. Wednesday night, ratiopharm Ulm travels to Paul Horn Arena in Tubingen for the next exciting chapter in the traditional rivalry between the two teams. Sharing the same German State of Baden-Wurtemburg and seperated by less than one hours drive, the rivalry between Ulm and Tubingen has developed over decades and now stands as one of the best rivalries in the Bundesliga. As with every 'Derby', Wednesday nights game is a big game for both teams and is a special game anticipated by fans from both sides. Every game against a rival is something special. No game between rivals is ordinary. That means something extra-ordinary every time Ulm and Tubingen meet!
ratiopharm Ulm is ready for 'The Derby' Wednesday night in Tubingen.
click here for regio-tv report
Ulm power forward Christian Burns and teammates durng a timeout on the floor.
Every Baden Wurtemburg Derby between ratiopharm Ulm and Walter Tigers Tubingen is special. The Beko Bundesliga features several excellent rivalries, but the Derby between Ulm and Tubingen ranks among the top. Not only are the games important for the teams and fans, but both cities take pride in beating each other. As with every great rivalry, games between ratiopharm Ulm and Walter Tigers Tubingen are more about emotion and intensity and less about records or statistics. All involved will give their all and games are a complete 40 minute basketball battle that often have a tendancy to go unsettled without overtime.
ratiopharm Ulm point guard Austen Rowland
Tubingen's 2009-2010 season tipped off with an overtime home loss to surprising 'Aufsteiger' MBC 95-91 October 9th and a second road loss in Bamberg 84-75 October 12th. Tubingen returned home for their first victory of the season beating Hagen 84-72 October 16th but were blown out in Frankfurt 98-66 October 18th. The Tigers bounced back beating Bundesliga power ALBA Berlin 70-66 at home in Tubingen October 23rd. A four game losing streak followed with Tubingen losing to Bremerhaven 97-71 at home October 30th, lost on the road in Gottingen 79-64 November 1st, dropped a tight 66-63 decision to rival EnBW Ludwigsburg November 7th and fell in Braunschweig 70-69 November 19th. The Tigers picked up their third win November 21st beating Paderborn at home 93-81 and followed it up with their first road win of the season beating Dusseldorf 65-55 November 25th. At 4-7, Tubingen has gone 2-3 over their last five including a loss at Trier 86-78 November 29th, a December 5th home win over Giessen 105-97, a road loss in Oldenburg 87-61 December 13th, another road loss in Bonn 80-70 December 20th and a terrific home win 83-80 over Artland December 23rd. Records aside, Wednesday nights Derby game against Ulm will be the biggest game on the schedule for both teams.
ratiopharm Ulm's Rocky Trice is focused for the Derby!
Tubingen's roster features experienced Bundesliga talent and quality players. Head coach Igor Perovic, a former Tiger point guard in his first season taking over Tubingen, has put together a strong rotation. Most prominent in this Baden Wurtemburg Derby will be former ratiopharm Ulm forward Romeo Travis who signed with Walter Tigers Tubingen this past off season. In his first year with Tubingen Romeo has produced 13.1ppg 6.3reb while shooting 37% from three and 79% from the foul line. A go-to player for the Tigers, Romeo will be a key figure in Wednesday nights Derby as fans from both sides will have their eyes on the Akron Ohio native. A second key addition to the Tigers, skilled veteran forward Aleksander Nadjfeji joins Tubingen after excellent seasons with ALBA Berlin, Koln and Bonn. Nadjfeji has averaged 13.2ppg 3.7reb while shooting 30% from three and 57% from the foul line. An intelligent player with crafty post moves, Nadjfeji joins Travis as two outstanding additions to the Tigers team. First year shooting guard Michael Jenkins has also made an excellent impression on the Tigers producing 14.3ppg 3.8reb 2.4ast 41% from three and 75% from the foul line. Returning from last season, veteran point guard Branislav Ratkovica leads the Tigers attack setting the table for his teammates. Ratkovica averages 9.3ppg 2.8reb 5.1ast while hitting 34% from three and 61% from the foul line. Veteran guard Jay Thomas is a solid team player and hardworking defender for Tubingen. Post man Ken Williams provides a physical inside presence and averages 8.7ppg 4.8reb for the Tigers. Sharpshooting postman Dane Watts signed with Tubingen after playing last year in Ludwigsburg and has produced 9.8ppg 4.9reb hitting 48% from three and most recently former Paderborn combo guard Steven Wright joined Tubingen bringing a new dimension to their backcourt. In 8 games, Wright has added 7.3ppg hiting 33% of his shots from beyond the arc. Rounding out the Tigers roster, big man Jufan Geiger and young Andreas Kronhardt provide depth for Tubingen.
ratiopharm Ulm wing Sebastian Betz at the foul line with former teammate Romeo Travis.
This preseason, Ulm and Tubingen met twice splitting games as both prepared for the 2009-2010 year. Ulm dropped a tight game to Tubingen at home in the Fritz & Macziol Cup. Then, completing their preseason, Ulm went into Tubingen's old Uhlandhalle and picked up a tight 84-81 road win. As expected the two preseason games went down to the wire and featured excellent competition for exhibition games.
In the October 2nd game, ratiopharm Ulm completed their 2009 preseason with an exciting 84-81 road win over rival Walter Tigers Tubingen at Uhlandhalle in Tubingen. Coleman Collins was in top form scoring a game high 25 points with 8 rebounds and 4 assists in the win while Rocky Trice hit several clutch baskets down the stretch as part of his excellent 21 point 7 rebound performance for Ulm. Along with the effort of Collins and Trice, rookie forward Robin Benzing added 14 points and team captain Lee Humphrey returned to action hitting 4 threes for 12 points 3 assists.
click here for 10-2-09 Ulm @ Tubingen preseason Game Summary!
click for Preseason 2009 Fritz & Macziol Cup 2009 Summary!
Click for Preseason 2009 Fritz & Macziol Cup Preview!
ratiopharm Ulm's Coleman Collins was outstanding in the preseason against Tubingen.
In 2008-2009, Ulm and Tubingen split Derby games with each team winning on the opponents home floor.
ratiopharm Ulm and Walter Tigers Tubingen have a long history of fantastic games in their Baden Wurtemburg Derby. Saturday night April 4, 2009 98-95 overtime win for Tubingen at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm added the next exciting story to the traditional South German rivalry. ratiopharm Ulm's strong second quarter sparked by Sebastian Betz' energizing threes pushed the hosts to a halftime lead before Tubingen's second half comeback slowly trimmed the margin as Tiger big men Michael Haynes and Rasko Katic keyed the Tubingen attack. With 29 seconds remaining and the Derby even at 77, Ulm used their final timeout to set their strategy for the last play. A big Jeff Gibbs bucket gave Ulm a 79-77 lead with 7 seconds on the clock, but Tubingen's Branislav Ratkovica raced the length of the floor and slipped a crafty pass to Katic who tied the score just before the buzzer. In overtime, big baskets from Haynes and Tiger point guard Jermaine Anderson pushed Tubingen to a 91-84 advantage before Ulm stormed back behind scores from Jeff Gibbs, Keith Triplett and Dan Fitzgerald. A Lee Humphrey three point shot pulled Ulm within one at 95-94 with 42 seconds to play, but in the end Ulm's comeback attempt came up short. The exciting 98-95 overtime game was a fantastic example of the classic Baden Wurtemburg Derby and featured outstanding effort from both teams. Ulm was in position to win but it was Tubingen who took the intense overtime victory in a game filled with thrilling Derby Drama!
click for 4-4-09 Ulm v Tubingen Baden Wurtemburg Derby Game Summary!
ratiopharm Ulm's Lee Humphrey in action at Tubingen in 2008-2009.
Earlier last year, ratiopharm Ulm won for the third straight season in Tubingen Arena, beating Walter Tigers Tubingen 84-77 Saturday night November 29th, 2008 in this seasons first edition of the Baden-Wurtemburg Derby. Powered by 400 loud orange-vested fans, Ulm overcame the loss of center Sean Finn to an early ankle injury with a strong team effort. Point guard Dru Joyce topscored with a season-best 25 point performance while Lee Humphrey drilled 5 three pointers on his way to 22 and Romeo Travis added a solid 21 point 11 rebound double double including a cool 9 of 10 from the foul line. While the team production on the floor was excellent, ratiopharm Ulm fans helped energize their team with tremendous enthusiasm inspiring the team to celebrate with the fans after the final buzzer. Earning their third straight win, ratiopharm Ulm's exciting road win over rival Tubingen was simply FAN-tastic!
Click for 11-29-08 Ulm @ Tubingen Baden-Wurtemburg Derby Game Summary!
ratiopharm Ulm storms the stands taking their 'Baden-Wurtemburg Derby' victory celebration to the fans Saturday night November 29th, 2008 at Tubingen Arena.
In the 2007-2008 season ratiopharm Ulm beat Tubingen twice in Bundesliga play. Ulm understood the meaning of Wednesday night April 23rd, 2008 Baden-Wurtemburg Derby against rival Walter Tigers Tubingen. Focused like the eye of the tiger, ratiopharm Ulm opened the first quarter on fire hitting 5 three pointers and used excellent transition basketball to build a 41-25 first half lead. But as with any excellent rivalry between archenemies, winning requires a complete 40 minute game. After a strong Tubingen comeback and 63-61 Tiger lead with seven minutes to play, ratiopharm Ulm responded to finish the game on a 17-7 run with big baskets from Jeff Gibbs, Dru Joyce and EJ Gallup to seal the win.
Click for complete Ulm @ Tubingen 4-23-08 Game Summary!
ratiopharm Ulm fans energized their team with loud crowd support during the 2007-2008 season in Tubingen.
January 5th, 2008 Walter Tigers Tubingen pushed to a 57-52 lead before finishing the third quarter up 61-58. A 10-0 Ulm run sparked by Bryan Lucas and EJ Gallup turned momentum in the fourth, but as with any great rivalry, Tubingen battled to the end. Ulm's All Star small forward Konrad Wysocki left the game due to a back injury in the first quarter but returned to inspire his team down the stretch in a special moment at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. Ulm's emotional win was celebrated by fans enthusiastically.
Click for Ulm v Tubingen Game Summary from January 5, 2008
Tracking the Ulm-Tubingen rivalry, recent games since 2003-2004 season have added to the competitive history between the two teams. Last season, Ulm and Tubingen split their first two official games since both teams returned to the Bundesliga. Both teams won on their opponents home floor in 2006-2007. In the final game of last season, Ulm's Bryan Lucas led the way with 16 points while EJ Gallup drilled 5 of 9 threes to drop 15 points. Jeff Gibbs added 10 points 12 rebounds for Ulm. Overall, Ulm shot 42% from the floor, 52% (12-23) from the foul line and 32% (9-28) from three. For Tubingen, AJ Moye topscored with 30 points while C Rasko Katic added 22 points 15 rebounds. As a team Tubingen hit 58% from the floor, and (54%) 7-13 from three. A key factor for the Tigers was their offensive production in the paint where they made 67% of their shots 23-34. Interestingly, Ulm also had 34 attempts in the lane but converted 18 (53%). Tubingen also outrebounded Ulm 44-35. Click the links below for Game Summaries from recent Ulm v Tubingen rivalry games:
2007-2008 Preseason Fritz & Macziol Cup
2006-2007 May 12th Game Summary
2006-2007 January 14th Game Summary
In 2004-2005 Tubingen played in the Bundesliga while Ulm remained in the 2.Bundesliga South. The two teams met only in the preseason at Ulm's Fritz & Macziol Classic. In 2005-2006, ratiopharm Ulm enjoyed their 2.Bundesliga South Championship season while Tubingen battled in the Bundesliga. Again, the two teams met only in the preseason at Ulm's Fritz & Macziol Cup. For the record, the Tigers captured the Ulm tournament title both preseasons.
2003-2004 saw the two teams battle head-to-head throughout the 2.Bundesliga South season as both chased the league championship. Tubingen was the favorite and the early season Double-overtime win in Ulm gave them the upper hand of playing the season in the lead. Meanwhile, ratiopharm Ulm hunted Tubingen for the remainder of the season and set up a second season-definining game in Tubingen in early March. Again, as that game tipped off, a second instant classic was born. After terrific resiliency in coming back twice, it was ratiopharm Ulm who had a chance to steal a win on the road. Tied 70-70 with last seconds ticking down, Ulm captain Emeka Erege found himself open on the right wing. Unfortunately, Emeka's three point look went halfway in and rimmed out sending the game to over time --- fitting for the season after their October Double-OT duel. Tubingen surged ahead early in the extra session before another outstanding Ulm comeback. Finally, in overtime, tied 84-84, Ulm executed an endline inbound play to score with under ten seconds to play. A defelected pass resulted in a loose ball scramble which led to officials calling Erege for his 5th foul. Emeka became Ulm's tragic hero --- scoring 30 points in an unbelieveable effort, the team saw the first glimpse of their captain's "Warriors heart". But Ulm was forced to watch Tubingen's Sebastian Maio walk the entire length of the floor to the foul line for two winning free throws with 2 seconds left in overtime. The 86-84 road loss was the second heartbreaker for the young Ulm team against Tubingen. The scars of 2003-2004 became 5 points and three overtimes. These classic games added to the tremendous history of the Ulm-Tubingen rivalry.
ratiopharm Ulm rookie forward Robin Benzing is focused for his first official Baden Wurtemburg Derby!
Wednesday nights game at Paul Horn Arena in Tubingen already sold out and fans from both teams will bring extra intensity to the tribune. As with every excellent rivalry, there is no love lost on or off the floor. Click on the following two links for clips from the Tubingen fan block chanting against Ulm:
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=oyIhJySvE-w
http://de.youtube.com/watch?v=mLZqxFuaKqA
Certainly, both teams are ready. And so are the fans! The Baden Wurtemburg Derby Atmosphere between ratiopharm Ulm and Walter Tigers Tubingen is extra special because of the intensity from the fans!
ratiopharm Ulm point guard Per Gunther enjoyed one of his best games of the season last year making a start against Tubignen at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm.
Looking to build on their big Christmas game win over Ewe Baskets Oldenburg, ratiopharm Ulm sets their sights on the next challenge in the Baden Wurtemburg Derby against rival Walter Tigers Tubingen. 400 Ulm fans will make the trip south-west to Tubingen and three rowdy fan busses will bring their 'Orange Power' support. Certainly, Wednesday nights Derby is a highlight of the season for both ratiopharm Ulm and Walter Tigers Tubingen. For basketball fans in the region, it's not only a Derby. Ulm against Tubingen is THE DERBY!
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action this season on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
ALL STAR DAY 2009-2010
ratiopharm Ulm placed two players in the top five vote getters for the South team at Beko Bundesliga All Star day 2009-2010 January 23rd, 2010 at Telekom Dome in Bonn. Robin Benzing led the South voting with 37.5% while Per Gunther picked up a solid 21.9% for fifth. Also representing ratiopharm Ulm, Rocky Trice will take part in the Slam Dunk contest.
Team Nord
1. Rickey Paulding (EWE Baskets Oldenburg, SF, 41,8 %)
2. Julius Jenkins (ALBA Berlin, SG, 38,4 %)
3. Heiko Schaffartzik (New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig, PG, 34,6 %)
4. Jeff Gibbs (Eisbären Bremerhaven, PF, 31,4 %)
5. Ruben Boumtje Boumtje (EWE Baskets Oldenburg, C, 21,3 %)
6. Adam Chubb (ALBA Berlin, C, 13,7 %)
7. Steffen Hamann (ALBA Berlin, PG, 13,6 %)
8. Immanuel McElroy (ALBA Berlin, SG, 11,7 %)
9. Je’Kel Foster (EWE Baskets Oldenburg, PG, 11,2 %)
9. Rodney Buford (Eisbären Bremerhaven, SG, 11,2 %).
Team Süd
1. Robin Benzing (ratiopharm Ulm, SF, 37,5 %)
2. Tim Ohlbrecht (Telekom Baskets Bonn, C, 32,2 %)
3. Chris Ensminger (Telekom Baskets Bonn, C, 26,6 %)
4. Jared Jordan (Telekom Baskets Bonn, PG, 22,2 %)
5. Per Günther (ratiopharm Ulm, PG, 21,9 %)
6. Casey Jacobsen (Brose Baskets, SG, 21,4 %)
7. Bryce Taylor (Telekom Baskets Bonn, SG, 19,0 %)
8. Koko Archibong (GIANTS Düsseldorf, SF, 18,7 %),
9. Derrick Allen (DEUTSCHE BANK SKYLINERS, PF, 14,3 %)
10. Aleksandar Nadjfeji (WALTER Tigers Tübingen, PF, 12,7 %).
Ulm Roster
Lee Humphrey: sharpshooter hit 5 of 8 threes in Tubingen last year
Rocky Trice: Ulm impact player ready for Derby in Tubingen
Christian Burns: Ulm power forward ready for Derby Challenge
Coleman Collins: enjoyed terrific games in preseason v Tigers
Robin Benzing: rookie F ready for first Baden Wurtemburg Derby!
John Bryant: has helped improve Ulm team defense with hardwork
Kevin Kanaskie: rookie PG started preseason win in Tubingen
Sebastian Betz: returned from hamstring injury v Oldenburg
Per Gunther: focused for next game against rival Tigers
Christian Grosse: knows tradition of Baden Wurtemburg Derby!
Austen Rowland: sparked Ulm's attack since returning to team!
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Tubingen, Germany
Main Sponsor: Walter
Home Court: TüArena
website: www.walter-tigers.de
2007-2008: 10-24 15th place Bundesliga
2008-2009: 14-20 14th place Bundesliga
Offense: Tubingen features a solid rotation led by experienced players including PG Branislav Ratkovica, talented forward Romeo Travis, crafty scorer Aleksander Nadjfeji, physical post man Ken Williams and sharpshooting post man Dane Watts. All will have important roles with the team. Hardworking team player Jay Thomas also has improved his game year by year. First year shooting guard Michael Jenkins is an excellent perimeter scorer and former Paderborn combo guard Steven Wright has been a solid recent addition to the backcourt. The Tigers feature good inside-out balance with the post up inside presence of Nadjfeji and Travis along with the three point threat of Jenkins and Watts. Ratkovica is excellent in ballscreens and in transition.
Defense: Tubingen enjoys physical post players with good size and experienced team defenders. More experienced than last seasons Tubingen team, this years Tiger squad plays a tough man to man defense and will mix in zones, presses and random traps into their game plan.
GM: Robert Wintermantel
Head Coach: Igor Perovic
Players:
Branislav Ratkovica: hardworking PG enjoying strong season
Ken Williams: athletic lefty post man from Ole miss
Jay Thomas: excellent perimeter D/team player
Michael Jenkins: skillful first year shooting guard
Romeo Travis: talented former Ulm forward
Aleksander Nadjfeji: excellent veteran front court player
Dane Watts: sharpshooting post man averaging 9.8pt 4.9reb 48% 3's
Steven Wright: recently added former Paderborn combo guard.
Jufan Geiger: big, backup post man
Andreas Kronhardt: young bench player
