TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
Mountain Climbing by the Alps!!
Ulm splits two Preseason Games in Austria!
For ratiopharm Ulm, this season is like climbing a mountain --- a slow, lengthy journey that takes time, effort and persistance. After last year's fantastic 29-1 2.Bundesliga South championship and "Aufstieg" into the first division, the team must work and develop and improve as they grow into a Bundesliga team. With that in mind, this weeks adventure into Austria is symbolic for the Ulm team who must prepare to climb the mountain to their team goals of staying in the Bundesliga.
ratiopharm Ulm's preseason road trip into Austria was a success on and off the floor with two excellent exhibition games along with quality team-building experiences off the floor over the three days near the Alps. Traveling with the complete roster for the first time in the preseason, the return of point guard Martin Thuesen from the Danish National team and Jeff Gibbs from a slight knee injury had the Ulmers clicking on all cylinders. During Monday's travel day, the team made a pit stop at "Hochseil", a high-rope adventure park east of Salzburg. After several hours of fun and personal challenges, the team completed their journey to Kapfenburg for an evening practice and team dinner at the Sporthotel Kapfenburg. Starting their "back to back" strong, Ulm beat the Kapfenburg Bulls 83-63 Tuesday night. Driving after the game to Gmunden, a beautiful Austrian town on the "Traunsee", the Ulm team was able to enjoy the opportunity to "Connect" on and off the floor. Wednesday night in Gmunden, Ulm jumped on the Austrian Champs leading 50-38 at the half and 60-55 after three. A strong Swans 4th quarter evened the action and set the stage for a fantastic preseason finish. Clutch free throws from DeTeri Mayes and Tyler Newton helped Gmunden and a late Jonathan Levy three provided excitement, but in the end the Swans squeaked past ratiopharm Ulm 80-79 in an excellent preseason contest.
Taylorhoops.com Preseason Game Summary
ULM @ Kapfenburg
83 
63
ratiopharm Ulm at Superfund Kapfenburg Bulls
Tuesday night September 19, 2006
6pm tip at
Sporthalle Walfersam in Kapfenburg, Austria
Playing for the first time this preseason with a complete roster, ratiopharm Ulm ran to an impressive 83-63 road win over the Superfund Kapfenburg Bulls at Sporthalle Walfersam in Kapfenburg, Austria Tuesday night. Jonathan Levy led a balanced Ulm attack with 15 points on 6 for 8 floor shooting including 3 of 5 from three point range. Ulm opened up an early lead with an intense defensive game plan and quick transition game. Missing an American after sending guard Chris Jordan home, Kapfenburg forward Jason Forrestal and point guard Damir Zeleznik worked hard to trim the deficit. Solid Ulm execution and strong contributions from Jeff Gibbs and Konrad Wysocki opened a commanding halftime lead. But from the beginning of the 3rd quarter, the Bulls worked to get back into the game. Forrestal and guard Shawn Ray scored while the Ulm attack missed a beat. Climbing closer, Kapfenburg trimmed the deficit to 58-52 after three. Challenged and searching for an answer, Jonathan Levy stepped up to ignite a game-clinching run with two threeballs early in the 4th. The big buckets lit a 25-11 Ulm finish to seal the win. Along with the clutch Levy threes, Ulm's transition game and strong defensive work should be acknowledged. At the final buzzer, Ulm owned an 83-63 victory over one of the strongest teams in Austria. Point guard Austen Rowland also was impressive adding 14 points 5 assists and 3 steals with 5 of 7 shooting. Konrad Wysocki sparked Ulm off the bench with a well-rounded outing scoring 13 points with 6 boards while hitting 5 of his 8 shots and 2 of 5 threes. Returning to action after resting a slight knee injury, power forward Jeff Gibbs provided 11 points 4 boards to the win. Big men Bryan Lucas and Maksym Shtein added 8 points apiece while Christian Grosse scored 7 and Emeka Erege 6. Off the bench Jan Sprunken drilled a 3. Making his preseason Ulm debut after a strong stint with the Danish National team, Martin Thuesen pitched in 3 assists and 3 rebounds while Florian Mobius grabbed 3 boards of his own.
Taylorhoops.com Preseason Game Summary
ULM @ GMUNDEN
80 79
ratiopharm Ulm at Gmunden Swans
Wednesday night September 20, 2006
7pm tip in Gmunden, Austria
ratiopharm Ulm challenged the reigning Austrian Champs, the Gmunden Swans in what turned out to be a fantastic preseason game Wednesday night in Gmunden Austria. For the second consecutive night, ratiopharm Ulm started like lightning, striking fast for an early lead. Intensity and aggressive defensive effort led to transition opportunities. Just as in Kapfenburg, Ulm defense triggered offense and point guard Austen Rowland demonstrated outstanding floor leadership. Bryan Lucas scored the first 4 points for Ulm with a strong start in his old Austrian stomping grounds. Despite two early fouls on Jonathan Levy, the Ulm rotation stayed solid and received quality contributions from every player. Building a double digit lead, Ulm was in command early before a last second halfcourt buzzer beater sunk by Swan guard Florian Schoeninger cutting the lead after one quarter to 24-20 Ulm. Levy returned to the floor playing intelligently with two fouls in the second quarter. During the first 20 minutes, Ulm forward Emeka Erege was outstanding defending Gmunden All Star guard DeTeri Mayes forcing difficult shots. Behind a powerful performance from Jeff Gibbs, Ulm outscored the Swans 26-18 in the second to take a 50-38 lead into the halftime lockerroon. Gmunden fought back outscoring Ulm 17-10 in a physical, intense third quarter. Ulm held a 60-55 advantage after three quarters. A technical foul on Ulm bgi man Bryan Lucas helped Gmunden pull closer and then DeTeri Mayes spearheaded the Swan comeback with a big three pointer to tie the game at 71 with three minutes to play. The final minutes provided both teams excellent opportunity to prepare for their seasons ahead. Ulm forced two important turnovers, but gave the ball right back to Gmunden with turnovers of their own. Ulm defense worked for two clutch defensive stops, but in the end failed to secure the needed loose ball rebounds that gave Gmunden extra opportunity. Offensively, Ulm attacked well and gave themselves quality opportunities. Bryan Lucas hit a key free throw and then a big bucket to even the game at 76 with just over a minute to play. Unfortunately, the turnovers and lack of rebounds put Ulm's back against the wall. Down 4 with 6 seconds to play, Jonathan Levy buried a big-time NBA-deep left wing three to pull Ulm within one at 80-79. Unfortunately, when the ball was inbounded, officials ruled Ulm players did not foul the Swan ballhandler and the clock expired on the excellent preseason game. Levy led Ulm scoring with 16 points while Jeff Gibbs worked for 14. Austen Rowland added 13 and Bryan Lucas, Maksym Shtein and Konrad Wysocki each finished with 9 points. Emeka Erege (6) and Florian Mobius (3) were the only other Ulm scorers. DeTeri Mayes led the Swans with 20 and Tyler Newton added 15.
The road trip into Austria became an important part of ratiopharm Ulm's team building this preseason. The two exhibition games gave Ulm the opportunity to play as a complete unit for the first time and demonstrated their progress tactically and together. The teams vision and focus remains on opening night in Frankfurt Germany October 1st. Clearly, this preseason road trip to Austria helped the ratiopharm Ulm team understand what it means to "climb mountains" on and off the floor. Up next for ratiopharm Ulm is their rematch road game against Bundesliga rival Ludwigsburg 7:30pm at Rundsporthalle in Ludwigsburg.
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
