TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
VS
ULM BATTLES BRAUNSCHWEIG!
ratiopharm Ulm vs New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig
Saturday Febuary 2, 2008 7pm
Sportszentrum Kuhberg Ulm, Germany
With one half of the Bundesliga season schedule played out, rematches begin this weekend as ratiopharm Ulm hosts NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. After losses, both teams look to get back on track with important mid-season wins ensuring high-intensity and excitement in Ulm's first home game since the All Star Break. Featuring a recent history of tight games, Ulm and Braunschweig are ready for a basketball battle Saturday!.
Ulm's Jeff Gibbs and Braunschweig's Kyle Visser are ready to tip off Saturdays rematch at Sportszentrum Kuhberg!
Since the new year, ratiopharm Ulm has worked through the absence of starting point guard Kyle Bailey with a tremendous team effort and strong determination. After topping rival Walter Tigers Tubingen at home January 5th, Ulm won on the road over Trier in the German Cup before falling to Frankfurt and Bonn in games that Sandwiched the All Star Break. The respectable 2-2 mark has helped the team treadwater despite dropping places in the Bundesliga standings with the last two losses. Braunschweig also has met adversity in the new year losing three straight games in 2008. Setting up this weekends game with high-intensity, both Ulm and Braunschweig are focused to return to their winning ways.
Ulm's Konrad Wysocki has been terrific this year playing an All Star season. The Ulm Energizer has also been tough playing through pain.
Earlier this year, in the season opener for both teams, NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig used a strong fourth quarter to edge ratiopharm Ulm 75-70 at Volkswagonhalle in Braunschweig. Both teams have enjoyed highpoints and highlight wins in the first half of the year. For instance, while Ulm beat ALBA Berlin at home, Braunschweig topped Bamberg. Certainly the two teams have been among the pleasant surprises in Bundesliga circles this year. After recent back to back losses in Ulm and a three game losing streak in Braunschweig, Saturdays game has all the makings of a fantastic duel.
Click here for Opening game summary from October 6th Ulm at Braunschweig matchup.
Click here for Ulm at Braunschweig Photo Gallery!
Ulm captain Emeka Erege goes to the basket strong in last seasons home game against Braunschweig.
Following the season opening matchup which saw the Phantoms top Ulm 75-70, Braunschweig earned a back to back win on the road at Trier 83-78 October 12th. That Sunday the Phantoms lost at home to Bremerhaven 91-72 October 14th but bounced back winning 62-56 in Jena October 18th and at home 78-76 over Ewe Baskets Oldenburg October 21st to improve to 4-1. Thursday October 25th digibu Baskets Paderborn beat Braunschweig 67-59 in Paderborn and November 3rd the Phantoms captured their signature win to this point in the 2007-2008 season beating reigning German champion brose Baskets Bamberg 65-54 at Volkswagonhalle. Deutsche Bank Skyliners edged Braunschweig 83-73 November 11th but Head Coach Emir Mutapcic and his team bounced back to beat Telekom Bonn 73-63 November 18th at home. Braunscwhieg topped Walter Tigers Tubingen 62-54 November 24th at Tubingen Arena and improved to 7-3. A 75-50 home loss December 1 to Bayer Leverkusen was followed with an 86-75 home win over EnBW Ludwigsburg December 8th. At 8-4, Braunschweig traveled to Artland where the Dragons hammered them 88-66 December 14th. Bouncing back before Christmas break, Braunschweig beat LTi Giessen 46ers 78-66 and enjoyed the Holidays with a strong 9-5 mark. However, 2008 has opened with three straight losses for the Phantoms. First, Braunschweig lost 71-65 in Koln January 5th. Next, the Phantoms fell 88-83 at home to BG74 Gottingen December 16th. Finally, last week, in a terrific game against first place ALBA Berlin, the Phantoms suffered a hardfought 75-72 defeat. With high hopes for a strong season and expectations of playoff, the pressure will certainly be on Braunchweig Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. Last season, the Phantoms haunted Ulm, edging the hosts in a tight 83-80 game in Ulm. Jeff Gibbs was phenomenal in the game scoring 29 points with 9 rebounds. Ulm bounced back and beat Braunschweig 85-74 in Overtime March 28th.
Click here for Ulm @ Braunschweig Game Summary March 28th, 2007
Click here for Ulm v Braunschweig Game Summary November 11, 2006
Certainly the recent meetings between Ulm and Braunschweig have been hotly contested basketball battles. Splitting last seasons series 1-1, Ulm looks to defend their home court against the hardcharging Phantoms who aim to get back on track. The action inside Sportszentrum Kuhberg will definitely be hot!
Ulm's Dru Joyce challenges Braunschweig's Domonic Jones in the season opener. Joyce has been excellent filling in for injured starter Kyle Bailey and will likely battle Jones once again Saturday at Sportszentrum Kuhberg.
While the competition on the court will be heated and intense, Saturdays meeting holds special meaning as well. Former Ulm guard Jonathan Levy will make his return to Sportszentrum Kuhberg where he was a central figure in helping ratiopharm Ulm win the 2.Bundesliga South championship in 2005-2006 and where he played a major part in helping Ulm establish themselves in the Bundesliga last season. A popular teammate and fan favorite, there should be a nice reception waiting the former Ulm high-flyer. Adding to the evening, Jono's family (mother Marvina, Father Ronald) and wife Niki will all see the action as part of their visit.
Jonathan Levy was a major part of Ulm success over the last two seasons!
This season, Jono's role has become more defensive oriented in the Phantoms system, but he has played the most minutes on the Braunschweig squad and produced 10.1ppg 3.9reb per game. Head Coach Emir Mutapcic is an excellent coach with outstanding experience. Recently, "Mucki" exteneded his contract in Braunschweig and aims to take the team to levels like his former times winning Bundesliga Championships with ALBA Berlin. This season, new GM Oliver Braun has created a quick turnaround bringing in a talented lineup filled with explosive athletes. Along with Levy's athleticism, former Karlsruhe PG Domonic Jones has enjoyed his move north averaging 10.6ppg 2.4reb 2.2ast including burying several big baskets for his Braunschweig team. It was Dom's late bucket that sealed the upset win over Bamberg and the former Karlsruhe All Star has made a strong impact with the Phantoms. Most likely the most potent perimeter scoring threat on the Braunschweig team, talented wing John Allen produces 11.6ppg 5.5reb 3.4ast. Throw rookie PG Stephen Wright and his 7.4ppg 3.2reb 2.8ast into the mix and Braunschweig boasts one of the most athletic and deepest backcourts in the Bundesliga. While the defensive pressure, closing speed and mobility of the Phantom defenders causes problems for opponents on the outside, inside, four Phantoms protect the paint and power for points in the lane. Former Wake Forest big man Kyle Visser has established himself as a top caliber big man scoring 10.5ppg 5.1reb while providing a go-to inside scoring option. Complementing Visser perfectly, Bundesliga All Star forward Andrew Drevo is a sharpshooting post man who scores a team best 13.9ppg with 6.8reb and 40% three point accuracy. Drevo, a rookie from Nebraska, also shoots an exceptional 89% from the foul line for the year. Phantoms post depth comes in the form of big man Anthony Coleman (4.6ppg 3.1reb) and Jason Cain (3.7ppg 3.1reb). Coleman is a versatile big man who has a nice shooting touch from the perimeter. Meanwhile, Cain adds energy and grit to the inside game. Braunschweig players Nikita Khartchenkov, Flavio Stuckeman and Peter Fehse see limited minutes for their team. Extremely athletic, with high-talent and a deep bench, Braunschweig aims to battle for a playoff place and after their three game losing streak are off pace.
Ulm's Florian Mobius battles Braunschweig's Jason Cain for position in the season opener at Volkswagonhalle in Braunschweig. Both players provide quality depth for their teams.
After back to back losses, ratiopharm Ulm also looks to get back on track. Taking many positives from the last two performances (losing to 87-83 to Frankfurt and 82-77 at Bonn), Ulm looks to take the next steps on both ends of the floor. Braunschweig provides a similar challenge as the last two opponents Frankfurt and Bonn. Ulm remains without starting PG Kyle Bailey who continues to make progress with his injured thumb. This week Kyle removed his cast and began the next phase of his rehabilitation. Pressed into action, Ulm's backup QB Dru Joyce has been excellent starting since the New Year. The young playmaker has been a difference-maker in the Ulm lineup and the Ulm attack has not missed a beat on the surface. However, the lack of depth missing a key part such as KB has been a factor and put pressure on the Ulm squad. In the face of the challenge, the Ulm players have performed admirably and earned a 2-2 record over the 4 games without their starting point. Without question the Ulm power attack of All Star forward Jeff Gibbs and Konrad Wysocki along with post man Bryan Lucas will continue to drive the team. Recently, Wysocki's heart and determination have been admirable as he has played through a bad back against Tubingen and a bone chip discovered in his lower leg at the all star break. Certainly, the effort and committment demonstrated by the Ulm players has been a key to success. Ulm's EJ Gallup gives Ulm the perimeter threat needed to spread the floor and has also been effective in double-duty as a secondary point guard since Bailey's injury. The Ulm bench will also remain a key as captain Emeka Erege, big man Sean Finn, rookie wing Sebastian Betz and veterans Jan Sprunken and Florian Mobius play important parts to team success. The chemistry and teamwork has strengthened Ulm throughout the season and has helped them battle through injury and adversity at different times during the year. Saturday night against Braunschweig, Ulm aims to protect their home court and earn their next win.
With two teams hungry to get back on track, a history of tight results and Jonathan Levy's return to Sportszentrum Kuhberg, Saturday nights matchup between Ulm and Braunschweig gives fans alot to look forward too. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
WELCOME BACK JONO!
When ratiopharm Ulm faces the Phantoms from Braunschweig this Saturday in Ulm, the spotlight will be on Phantom guard Jonathan Levy who will return to Sportszentrum Kuhberg for the first time since moving to Braunschweig this off season. Levy was a major part of Ulm's success over the last two seasons and fans will certainly receive Jono with a warm welcome. Jono's family will be in attendance adding to the special occassion!
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DRAFT PICK
Braunschweig big man Peter Fehse, the second round draft pick of the Seattle Supersonics in 2001, is out indefinitely with an injury and will not play Saturday against Ulm. As an injury replacement, the Phantoms have added former University of Virginia F Jason Cain to the rotation.
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain led the team with 7 boards in Bonn
Kyle Bailey: removed cast from thumb this week! closing in on return!
Jeff Gibbs: 29pt 9reb at home v Braunschweig last season!
Bryan Lucas: leading Ulm scoring with 14.7ppg
Konrad Wysocki: all star F playing through bone chip in leg
Dru Joyce: excellent job as fill-in PG for Ulm team!
Florian Mobius: providing quality depth for Ulm frontcourt
EJ Gallup: looks forward to next game against Phantoms
Sean Finn: big man gave Ulm excellent min off bench in Bonn!
Sebastian Betz: young sharpshooter hit 2 threes v Braunschweig in Oct
Jan Sprunken: veteran wing gives team perimeter depth
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Braunschweig, Germany
Main Sponsor: BS Energy
Home Court: Volkswagenhalle
website: www.BS-ENERGY-Basketball.de
2006-2007: 13-21 14th place
Offense: With 8 new players, Head Coach Emir Mutapcic has plenty of team building to do in the preseason but he also has much to work with. The phantoms new backcourt of Domonic Jones (karlsruhe) and Jonathan Levy (ulm) brings Bundeslgia experience and outstanding athleticism. Scoring guard John Allen has been impressive in the preseason and shot 46% from 3 in Israel last year. The go to post scorer is Kyle Visser who features excellent post moves in the paint. He is complemented by skilled perimeter shooting big man Andrew Drevo and depth is provided by big men Anthony Collins and recently added Jason Cain. Rookie Combo Guard Steven Wright should also make an impact throughtout the year.
Defense: Coach Mutapic emphasizes a strong man to man defense and will often use his zones on sideline or endline situation. With his current roster, the Phantoms will have outstanding athleticism on the defensive perimeter and big, strong players in the defensive post. Overall, the roster renovation looks impressive and Braunschweig basketball fans could see their team return to the playoffs.
GM: Norbert Volling
Head Coach: Emir Mutapic
Players:
Jonathan Levy: electrifying athlete/excellent defender
Domonic Jones: athletic PG joins Phantoms from Karlsruhe
John Allen: talented 1 on 1 scoring wing
Kyle Visser: go to scorer in the post/ skilled big man
Anthony Coleman: versatile and athletic post
Andrew Drevo: excellent shooting/passing big man
Steven Wright: rookie combo g can be impact for phantoms
Jorge Schmidt: steady on Braunschweig roster
Flavio Stuckemann: returns to Braunschweig
Peter Fehse: 2nd Round drft pick of Sonics in 2001
Jason Cain: U of Virginia F injury replacement for Fehse
Nikhita Khartchenkov: athletic young wing
Tony Graz: prospect
