TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
VS 
ULM HOSTS BREITENGUSSBACH IN SESAON FINALE!
An exciting season of 2.Bundesliga South basketball comes to a close for ratiopharm Ulm Saturday night at Sportszentrum Kuhberg with a 7pm tipoff against Breitengussbach. Not only the final game of the 2004-2005 season, Saturday night will be the final game for Ulm's outstanding team player Tobi Waitzinger who moves into a new-dual role with BBC Neu Ulm next season.
Ulm's Tobi Waitzinger
Tobi Waitzinger has been one of the key personalities of Ulm basketball and given his all to the team. Over his career, Tobi's contributions to the organization have come in countless ways on and off the floor. Certainly one of the all-time best "team players" in Ulm, Waitzinger enjoyed several seasons with ratiopharm Ulm helping the team to the top of the league. Tobi's personal highlights over the last two years include a 7 point 5 rebound performance in his first 2.Bundesliga start at Ansbach April 17th, 2004 and a 9 point night April 16th this season against the Crailsheim Merlins.
Next season, Tobi will assume an important role with Ulm's farm team BBC Neu Ulm Outlaws as General Manager. He will work closely with Ulm GM Thomas Stoll with responsibility to develop the Neu Ulm team on and off the floor. Waitzinger will remain an active player for the Neu Ulm team adding much needed experience to further help develop the young prospects from the organization.
Tobi has worked extremely hard to rehab an injured calf muscle to be ready for Saturday's home finale against Breitengussbach. In the final seconds of Ulm's 94-87 home win over the Crailsheim Merlins two weekends ago, Waitzinger came up lame after pulling a muscle in his calf. Keeping him out of action last week at Langen, Tobi worked hard with Ulm physip Andi Lacher to be ready for his final game at Sportszentrum Kuhberg this weekend. For Tobi and for Ulm, the game has special meaning.
For Breitengussbach, the season is safe after last weekends 72-64 win over MTV Kronberg which kept the Bamberg farm team in the league. Americans Tim Frost and Paul Haynes are the main targets for Breitengussbach's young talent. Frost, a former Utah Ute center, is a skilled inside scorer with soft shooting touch from the outside that averages an impressive 19.2ppg and 11reb. Haynes, a crafty lefthanded scorer, goes for 18.6ppg and 5.9reb from his forward spot and compliments Frost well. Shooting guard Henrik Gese provides excellent leadership and uses his high release point to drill contested jump shots on the regular --- a three point threat, Gese leads Breitengussbach from behind the arc as well. Talented young post prospect Andreas Saller has re-established himself this season averaging 11.8ppg with 6.2reb. Young big men Max Weber and Bernd Endres add active bodies that run the floor and rebound while young point guards Felix Ferner and Sajmen Hauer run the show. Ferner is an excellent defender who pressures the ballhandler full court while Hauer has the ballskills to create his own shots and loves to use ballscreens. Finally, perimeter sub Phillip Schumm is an active cutter and aggressive defender when on the floor. First year Head Coach Derrick Taylor, a Bundesliga legend as a player and current assistant for Bamberg, has done a fine job developing the youngsters in Breitengussbach and keeping the team in the league. At 10-19, Breitengussbach will continue to provide an excellent platform for Bamberg's player development program.
Meanwhile, ratiopharm Ulm returns to action one week after sending the "Sensational Six" to Langen for a respectable 81-69 loss. Playing short handed, Ulm players did a fantastic job executing the teams defensive game plan, but simply did not shoot well enough to overcome their slim margin for error and win. Saturday's game against Breitengussbach will be better with the return of Tobi Waitzinger upping Ulm's depth to 7, but the team must shoot the ball better from the perimeter and find ways to get some scoring. Shaheen Holloway, Ulm's lone ballhandler, led the team in scoring against Langen with 19 points and both big men Maksym Shtein (15pt 12reb) and Fannar Olafsson (11pt 10reb) posted double doubles against the Giraffes. For Fannar, it was his second consecutive double double. Ulm has overcome their adversity from injuries exceptionally well and looks to finish the season on a positive note.
Saturday's result from the Ulm-Breitengussbach game could also impact the 2.Bundesliga South's relegation race. Provided Bayern Munich and Ehingen both win and Crailsheim wins over Nurnberg, an Ulm win would send Humana Ehingen into the 3rd division while a Breitengussbach victory would relegate Bayern Munich.
Unbeaten at home, Ulm is 14-0 at Sportszentrum Kuhberg and enters Saturday nights game against Breitengussbach as the only team with a chance to go undefeated at home during this 2.Bundesliga South season. Locked into a second place finish, ratiopharm Ulm looks to enjoy the season finale and a basketball celebration with their fans. Capping a strong season with a home win in Tobi Waitzinger's send-off game would be the perfect close to Ulm's exciting season.
Thank you for following all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com !
GO ULM!
MIKE T
6 SHAHEEN HOLLOWAY Ulm will rely heavily on their playmaker
10 EMEKA EREGE Ulm needs scoring from excellent wing
14 FLORIAN MOBIUS shot 3-12 in Langen playing 3 spot
15 MAKSYM SHTEIN 15pt 12reb in Langen/ good matchup vs Frost
5 FANNAR OLAFSSON back to back double doubles and hardwork
13 TOBI WAITZINGER returning from calf injury for his Ulm finale
18 BENNI GULDE young G hit big shot in Langen and contributed
11 PETER HEIZER
7 CHRISTIAN GROSSE
8 KENNY PRICE
9 ANTOINE SINCLAIR
12 MICHAEL NIEBLING
15 TIM FROST former Utah Ute C having strong year 19.2ppg 11r
13 PAUL HAYNES athletic scoring wing 18.6ppg 5.9reb/39%3pt
14 ANDREAS SALLER athletic young post/top prospect/11.8ppg 6r
5 HENRIK GESE solid shooting 2guard/leader/12.4ppg/3pt threat
12 MAX WEBER hardworking young post/7.5ppg 2reb/ runs floor
8 FELIX FERNER active young point/ 6.2ppg 3.7ast/ defends hard
10 SAJMEN HAUER skilled young point/6.5ppg 2.4ast 36%3pt
4 BERND ENDRES hardworking, active young post/runs + rebounds
6 PHILLIP SCHUMM perimeter sub/ active cutter/2.9ppg 1.4reb
