TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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ALL GOOD THINGS COME IN THREE!
ratiopharm Ulm @ ALBA Berlin
German Cup Elite Eight
Wednesday March 19, 2008 8:15pm
MaxSchmellinghalle Berlin, Germany
At the start of the 2007-2008 Bundesliga basketball season few fans would believe ratiopharm Ulm could beat German power ALBA Berlin. October 27th at Sportszentrum Kuhberg, ratiopharm Ulm captured a sensational 92-90 upset home win over ALBA. While exciting, no one gave Ulm a chance to go into historic MaxSchmellinghalle and win in Berlin. March 8th, Ulm engineered a second upset over ALBA winning 94-90 in Berlin. Wednesday night, the stage is set --- with a German Cup Top 4 ticket to Hamburg on the line, ratiopharm Ulm returns to Berlin for a third game against ALBA. Beating ALBA Berlin three times in one season might seem impossible, but there is an old German adage that "All Good things come in Three". Wednesday night at Max Schmellinghalle, ratiopharm Ulm goes for the 'Hat Trick' against ALBA Berlin.
Wednesday night in the German Cup Elite Eight, ratiopharm Ulm goes for the Hat Trick against ALBA Berlin in the Mecca of German Basketball, MaxSchmellinghalle.
The German Cup tournament has unfolded with exciting results all over the country. Wednesday night March 19th, three of the four quarterfinal games will be played in the Elite Eight round. Along with the 8:15pm ratiopharm Ulm at ALBA Berlin contest, cinderella Pro A team Cuxhaven Bas-cats host local Bundesliga team Eisbaren Bremerhaven at 7:30pm and Walter Tigers Tubingen host EnBW Ludwigsburg for a 7:30pm tip. The fourth quarterfinal game will be played March 26th when Artland Dragons host brose Baskets Bamberg in a fantastic rematch of last seasons Bundeslgia final. Winners from the four Elite Eight quarterfinal games punch tickets to the Top 4 Tournament at Colorline Arena in Hamburg on the weekend of May 3rd and 4th and is a must-see for Bundesliga basketball fans!
Ulm's road to the German Cup Elite Eight started with a 73-68 road win at Trier Thursday night January 10th. In the next round, Ulm topped digibu Baskets Paderborn 82-79 Friday Febuary 8th. Meanwhile, in the same Sweet 16 round, ALBA Berlin hammered Koln 89-56 Wednesday Febuary 6th. Both teams will take the MaxSchmellinghalle floor Wednesday with one goal in mind --- win and advance!
Ulm's Dru Joyce will lead the attack against ALBA Berlin in the German Cup Elite Eight matchup!
Considering Bundesliga history, ALBA Berlin could be viewed like such successful NBA organizations as the LA Lakers or Boston Celtics. Berlin is a perneial winner with long championship tradition and plenty of banners casting shadows down from the rafters of historic MaxSchmellinghalle. A first class organization and Bundesliga power, the teams goal is to return to championship form, something that has eluded them since the Wendell Alexis era ended in 2003. But with a title in mind, ALBA Berlin started this season with a strong 4-1 record. After opening with a tough 78-72 road win at Artland Arena, in a game which helped them start the season positively where last years playoffs ended in disappointment. Next, the Berliners beat the Giessen 46ers 93-54 at home October 10th before topping Gottingen 102-85 on October 16th. However, in the Gottingen game, head coach Luka Pavicevic was given two technical fouls for arguing with officials and kicked out of the game. Fined from the league, the ALBA head coach also served a suspension the next week against Leverkusen. Unexpectedly, ALBA fell in Leverkusen 83-67 October 19th but bounced back with a big 78-59 win over Koln 99ers on October 21st. Ulm upset ALBA Berlin 92-90 October 27th dropping ALBA to 4-2. Motivated by the early season road losses in Leverkusen and Ulm, ALBA reeled off 7 straight wins rising to 11-2. Berlin topped Trier 92-81 October 31st and beat Bremerhaven 70-69 November 11th on an amazing last second layin by Julius Jenkins. ALBA topped Science City Jena 80-64 November 17th before beating Oldenburg 79-65 at Ewe Arena November 24th. digibu Baskets Paderborn gave ALBA all they could handle in an entertaining 93-91 Berlin win December 1st at MaxSchmellinghalle. At 9-2, ALBA went into Nurnberg Arena and hammered reigning German Champs brose Baskets Bamberg 80-60 in a showcase game December 8th. ALBA topped Deutsche Bank Skyliners 74-64 December 13th to improve to 11-2. Just before Christmas, on December 22nd, Telekom Baskets Bonn snapped the ALBA win streak with an 86-76 win at Hardtberghalle in Bonn. Head Coach Luka Pavicevic and his team were battling atop the Bundesliga standings over Christmas break and opened the new year with back to back home wins beating EnBW Ludwigsburg 90-87 January 5th and topping Walter Tigers Tubingen 91-86 January 12th at MaxSchmellinghalle. Berlin won a tight game over NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig January 26th taking a 75-72 decision at Volkswagonhalle. At 14-3, ALBA went head to head with Artland Dragons in another Bundesliga showcase game. Just like ALBA went into Artland to open the season with a hardfought road win, this time, Artland went into ALBA and won 76-68 Febuary 3rd. Berlin bounced back with a 77-64 road win Febuary 9th over LTi Giessen and kept rolling with an 89-75 home win over Oldenburg Febuary 13th followed by a 70-66 road victory at Lokhalle over BG74 Gottingen Febuary 16th. Febuary 23rd, Bayer Leverkusen edged ALBA with a 93-90 comeback win and March 1st ALBA went into Rheinenergie Dome to emerge with an 80-78 in the classic Bundesliga duel against the Koln 99ers. Ulm upset ALBA 94-90 March 8th but Berlin bounced back with an exciting 100-99 overtime road win over Trier on the strength of a last second Patrick Femerling tip in. Now 19-6, ALBA is even with league leaders Artland and Leverkusen with wins but has one more loss. Without question, the Berliners are in the mix for a Bundesliga championship. Not only has Berlins season been terrific in the Bundesliga, the Albatross have enjoyed a quality run in the ULEB Cup. Competing in Group A, ALBA earned a competitve 4-6 record against tough competition of DKV Joventut (9-1), Turk Telekom (9-1), KK Bosna (4-6), Siauliai (4-6) and UK's Guildford Heat. An excellent representative for Bundesliga Basketball in Europe, ALBA Berlin is well known for winning basketball. For ALBA Berlin, their sights are set on raising another banner to hallowed heights in historic MaxSchmellinghalle. The German Cup gives the Albatross another opportunity to do just that.
Ulm's Sean Finn has been excellent his last two games including a 15 point 5 rebound effort against ALBA Berlin.
Wednesday nights German Cup matchup between Ulm and ALBA Berlin draws intensity from the two meetings this season. Against the odds, ratiopharm Ulm has swept ALBA in the two Bundesliga regular season games. March 8th, ratiopharm Ulm went into MaxSchmellinghalle and emerged against long odds with a hardfought 94-90 upset win. A terrific team effort, Ulm's offense made big plays while the defense recorded important stops. The Game Day 23 win marked the first time ratiopharm Ulm had ever won at MaxSchmellinghalle and gives the team tremendous confidence heading into Wednesdays German Cup Elite Eight.
Click here for complete Ulm @ ALBA Game Summary 3-8-08
Ulm's amazing 92-90 upset win over ALBA Berlin at Sportszentrum Kuhberg earlier this season was the first time in team history the German power fell in Ulm. An outstanding team performance led to a memorable win for the Ulm organization and helped to spark early season success.
Click here for complete Ulm v ALBA Game Summary 10-27-07
Last season, ratiopharm Ulm dropped two decisions to ALBA Berlin, losing 88-67 Saturday October 7, 2006 at Sportszentrum Kuhberg and falling 73-64 at Max Schmellinghalle in Berlin Febuary 4th, 2007.
Click here for complete Ulm @ ALBA Flashback
Click here for complete Ulm vs ALBA Flashback
After completing 2006-2007 with a 28-6 first place finish, Berlin was swept in the first round of the playoffs by last seasons cinderella Artland squad. ALBA won 7 straight Bundesliga Titles from 1997 through 2003 in the fantastic Wendell Alexis Era. Although the team has maintained their high level of success, their trophy cabinet remains the same but they do hope there is much room for more hardware this year. As the season enters March, ALBA is moving in the right direction to challenge for another championship and Wednesday provides opportunity for further steps toward the Cup.
Jeff Gibbs scores inside against ALBA Berlin in March 8th win!
ALBA Head Coach Luka Pavicevic has built a top caliber team in his first season with Berlin. All star game MVP Julius Jenkins is their go-to guy averaging 18.4ppg 2.7reb 2.8ast on 43% three point shooting. A tremendous scorer with great quickness and shooting touch, Jenkins has been a fantastic story seeing his career rise from Nurnberg in the 2.Bundesliga South to elite levels in Europe. Backcourt partner and fellow All Star, point guard Bobby Brown (14.8ppg 2.9reb 3.6ast 35% from three) also is a terrific playmaker with excellent ballskills and creative ability. Brown has enjoyed some outstanding games in the second half of the season and his play is a key for the Berlin team. Small forward Dijon Thompson (11.7ppg 7.2reb 2.1ast 35% from three) is a versatile scorer with a smooth game. Post player Patrick Femerling, the 7 foot German National team center, produces 11.6ppg 5.1reb earning all star recognition earlier this winter. At the four spot, Goran Nikolic (10ppg 4.8reb 55% three) is a dead-eye shooter who stretches defenses with precision. Nikolic made several big baskets down the stretch against Ulm earlier this season. Key players from the ALBA Berlin bench include Dragan Dojcin (5.3ppg 3.1reb 35% three) who has overcome early season injury to contribute as an intelligent player on the floor, Mladin Pantic (3ppg 1.5reb) who adds a physical toughness to the team in the paint as a backup post, and Aleksandar Rasic (4.5ppg 46% three) who is a talented young guard providing quality depth from the bench. Young talents Philip Zwiener and injured prospects Nicolai Simon and Oskar Fassler are stars of the future. German National team guard Johannes Herbert is currently working through rehabilitation of his knee injury and is on track for a return by the pre-Olympic qualification tournament this summer. Recently, with the financial turmoil in Koln, topstars Immanuel McElroy (7.3ppg 4.1reb 2.7ast) and Aleksander Nadjfeji (11.8ppg 3.8reb), migrated from the 99ers to Berlin. Their addition loads up the ALBA roster with fantastic depth, talent level and experience. Without question, Berlin has their sights set on a Bundesliga championship and the Albatross will be a major player in the upcoming postseason.
Ulm's Bryan Lucas shot the lights out against ALBA Berlin drilling a perfect 5 for 5 from three to topscore with 21 points!
For ratiopharm Ulm, Wednesday nights German Cup game is also fantastic opportunity. Sparked by their fantastic upset win in Berlin, Ulm earned an 84-61 home win Saturday night against Koln. With momentum from back to back wins and confidence from the two upsets earlier this season, ratiopharm Ulm enters Wednesdays game with tremendous determination. Even more positives come from the addition of new forward Romeo Travis who scored 7 points with 3 boards and 2 assists in his Ulm debut and most importantly, the positive vote from Ulm and Neu Ulm city councils for a new Arena. Wednesday nights Elite Eight German Cup game could provide ratiopharm Ulm and fans tremendous "March Madness"!
Ulm's newest addition, forward Romeo Travis, gave his new team a big boost in the win over Koln. Romeo is excited for the challenge ahead in the German Cup against ALBA Berlin .
ratiopharm Ulm players made big plays in the March 8th win over Berlin led by Bryan Lucas who drilled a perfect 5 for 5 from the three point arc in topscoring with 21 points. Sean Finn also played a terrific game with a perfect 7 for 7 from the floor adding 15 points to the win. Dru Joyce scored 11 points with 8 assists and sealed the game with his two clutch free throws. Of course, Ulm capitalized on their bounces as EJ Gallup completed a 6 point play late in the third quarter igniting and Ulm comeback. With Jeff Gibbs and Konrad Wysocki ready to roll and an excited bench strengthened by versatile Romeo Travis, ratiopharm Ulm looks to make their German Cup dreams come true Wednesday night at MaxSchmellinghalle.
Ulm All Star Forward Konrad Wysocki absorbs knowledge from injured Captain Emeka Erege as rookie Sebastian Betz learns.
Wednesday nights game will be shown live by BBL.TV on www.sportdigital.tv. After two upset wins over ALBA Berlin earlier this season, the two teams clash in a David v Goliath matchup in the Elite 8 of the German Cup. Thriving on their chance, Ulm aims to make good on the old German saying that "All Good things come in Three".
Wednesday night at the Mecca of German Basketball, in the shadow of Berlin's championship banners, ratiopharm Ulm aims for a third upset and ticket to the Top 4. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
ANOTHER INJURY FOR EMEKA!
ratiopharm Ulm captain Emeka Erege suffered another injury making his season officially....injury riddled. After dealing with a severe ankle sprain and a pulled leg muscle, Erege slightly ruptured a tendon in his knee and will be sidelined for 4-6 weeks. Ulm hopes their leader can return to full strength and get back into the lineup before the season ends.
BUNDESLIGA BEST!
ratiopharm Ulm meets one of the elite teams in the Bundesliga Saturday as ALBA Berlin visits Sportszentrum Kuhberg. ALBA won the German Championship 7 straight seasons from 1997 through 2003, captured the German Cup 1997, 1999, 2002 and 2003 and even won the Korac Cup in 1995.
TAYLOR FAMILY IN THE HOUSE
Enjoying a fun trip to Germany, the Taylor family will travel with the ratiopharm Ulm team for the German Cup Elite Eight matchup in Berlin. Along with the exciting on court action, Berlin will provide many sightseeing opportunities and fun off the floor as well. For the Taylor family, Wednesdays road trip to Berlin will be fun.
www.bbl.tv
Wednesday nights German Cup Elite Eight game between Ulm and ALBA will be shown live on www.sportdigital.tv by BBL.TV . Tip off time is 8:15pm German time. basketball fans all over the world can watch Bundesliga basketball live online with www.sportdigital.tv and BBL.TV .
FROM NURNBERG TO BERLIN!
Ulm's opponent ALBA Berlin features one of the top guards in the Bundesliga in Julius Jenkins. Ulm fans will remember Jenkins from his time excelling with Nurnberg in the 2.Bundesliga South. After joining the team midway through the 2003-2004 season, Jenkins was the MVP of the 2.Bundesliga South in 2004-2005 leading Nurnberg to the title and Aufsteig. Moving on to Bree in Belgium, Julius joined ALBA Berlin last season in 2006-2007 and is now one of the most electrifying scorers in the Bundesliga.
ALL STARS ON THE FLOOR !!
Wednesday night at MaxSchmellinghalle, when Ulm visits ALBA Berlin in the German Cup, plenty of Bundesliga all stars will be on the floor. From Ulm, forwards Jeff Gibbs and Konrad Wysocki represented the South all star team back in January at Mannheim. Meanwhile, ALBA's Julius Jenkins, Bobby Brown and Patrick Femerling played for the North team which was coached by ALBA boss Luka Pavicevic. Jenkins won the All Star game MVP award while EJ Gallup took home the 3pt title. Injured Berlin forward Aleksandar Nadjfeji represented Koln 99ers in the game before moving to ALBA almost one month ago. Certainly, fans will have plenty of outstanding players to watch when the two teams meet Saturday night.
FORMER TEAMMATES!
Ulm's Jeff Gibbs and Giessen's Nicolai Simon played together for 2.Bundesliga South squad Ehingen.
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain back on IR with knee injury
Jeff Gibbs: Ulm's All Star ready for challenge with top Berlin big men
Bryan Lucas: keyed Ulm upset win in Berlin with 5 for 5 threes!
Konrad Wysocki: continues fantastic individual season with Ulm!
Dru Joyce: back in starting lineup ready for big Berlin challenge
Florian Mobius: reliable post sub adds depth to Ulm frontcourt!
EJ Gallup: made big shots including 6pt play last trip to ALBA!
Sean Finn: topscored v koln with 13pt
Sebastian Betz: young wing enters rotation replacing injured Erege
Jan Sprunken: ready for minutes from Ulm bench
Kyle Bailey: remains out of action with injured thumb
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Berlin, Germany
Main Sponsor: ALBA
Home Court: Max Schmelling Arena
website: www.albaberlin.de
2006-2007: 28-6 1st place
Playoffs: lost to Artland 3-0 in 1st Round
ULEB Cup: 4th place (4-6) in Group C, lost to Real Madrid (ESP) in the 1/8 Finals
Offense: In the mold of legendary head coach Svetislav Pesic, ALBA management handpicked Luka Pavicevic to replace Henrik Rodl this offseason. Certainly Pesic will bring a new style to ALBA who finished first last regular season but exited from the playoffs early. A roster change followed and only a few players return from last seasons rotation. Jullius Jenkins will be a go to scoring guard and Joe Herbert took the next step this summer with the German national team. German National team C Patrick Femerling also returns to the Bundesliga in the ALBA frontcourt. Top American big men Michael Bradley (former 76ers C) and DiJon Thompson will be counted on as impact players. Unfortunately, top PG Goran Jeterin injured his knee in the preseason ending his year early.
Defense: One of the best defensive teams year in and year out, ALBA features excellent size this season with 7 foot big men Michael Bradley and Patrick Femerling. Expect ALBA to continue with their tradition of outstanding team defense and remain a title contender this season.
GM: Robert Mayer / Henning Harnisch / Carsten Rühl
Head Coach: Luka Pavicevic
Players:
Goran Jeterin: injured knee in preseason/not on roster
Julius Jenkins: scoring combo G all star game MVP
Joe Herbert: rehabbing knee injury
DiJon Thompson: super skilled forward/smooth and talented
Immanuel McElroy: relentless wing a steal from Koln
Aleksandar Nadjfeji: all star F picked up from Koln
Dragan Dojcin: talented 4 man from Panionios Athen
Bobby Brown: all star PG a prime time player for ALBA
Mladin Pantic: physical backup big man/strong in lane
Goran Nikolic: another excellent 4 from Madrid
Patrick Femerling: German National team C
Aleksandar Rasic: talented young guard from bench
Oskar Fasler: young player injured in preseason
Nicolai Simon: young PG joins ALBA from Ehingen
Yannick Evans: returns to ALBA after stint away
