TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
@ 
ROUND TWO!
ULM at Ludwigsburg Wednesday in German Cup!
ratiopharm Ulm @ EnBW Ludwigsburg
Wednesday March 21, 2007 7:30pm
Rundsporthalle Ludwigsburg, Germany
Four days after upsetting second place EnBW Ludwigsburg with a 92-81 victory at Sportszentrum Kuhberg, ratiopharm Ulm travels to Rundsporthalle in Ludwigsburg Wednesday night for "Round 2" of the "Baden-Wurtemburg Derby". With their traditional rivalry already revived, this German Cup Elite Eight matchup between Ulm and Ludwigsburg, the rematch has a ticket to the German Cup TOP FOUR tournament at Hamburg on the line. For those tickets, both teams will lay it on the line.
 |
| Captain v Captain: Emeka Erege v Nils Mittmann
|
Ulm v Ludwigsburg --- a beautiful basketball rivalry. Only 40 minutes apart in Southern Germany, the two teams have met countless times throughout their basketball histories. Both teams have been surprises this season with Ludwigsburg rising to the top of the league while ratiopharm Ulm firmly established themselves safely in the Bundesliga as an "Aufsteiger". This year, the two teams split preseason games with each team winning on the road. This Bundesliga season, the two teams split games with each team protecting homecourt. As expected with any rivalry game, records can be thrown out the window when Ulm and Ludwigsburg meet.
 |
| Ulm's Jeff Gibbs sizes up Pavelas Cukinas!
|
Wednesdays winner can book their tickets to the German Cup Top Four in Hamburg which will be played Saturday and Sunday April 28-29 at Color Line Arena. Along with the Ulm at Ludwigsburg game Wednesday night, Paderborn Baskets host Artland Dragons in another quarterfinal game. Next Wednesday March 28th, ALBA Berlin will travel to Koln and Eisbaren Bremerhaven travel to Oldenburg. The German Cup's win and advance format only adds the excitement of each game.
Click here for Elite Eight German Cup Draw
 |
| Ulm's Jonathan Levy hammers this dunk home
|
At Rundsporthalle in Ludwigsburg, matchups will be a key. Ulm post men Jeff Gibbs, Bryan Lucas, Maksym Shtein and Florian Mobius will go head to head with the talented Ludwigsburg frontcourt of Pavelas Cukinas, Nate Harris, Nils Mittmann and Michel Nascimento. In two regular season games against Ludwigsburg, Gibbs has scored 18 points with 16 rebounds and followed that outstanding performance up with last Saturdays 22 points and 13 boards. Certainly the Ulm All Star power forward will be a focus for Ludwigsburg defensively. Meanwhile, raitopharm Ulm must rise to the challenge in the paint and on the boards. On the perimeter, Ulm's Austen Rowland faces All Star point guard Jerry Green who has been enjoying a fantastic season. A quality leader and high level point guard, Green has been arguably the best guard in the Bundesliga this season. At the shooting guard, Ulm's Jonathan Levy meets Je'Kel Foster once again. Both players have the ability to carry their respective teams and this head to head matchup could determine alot offensively. At the small forward position, Ulm Captain Emeka Erege has found success this season against Ludwigsburgs Milan Goljovic. Different type players, Erege is an effort player who does many little things that mean alot for his team and his athleticism provides challenges for the sharpshooting Goljovic. Off the bench, several players from either team could emerge as a factor. Ulm's newest addition, EJ Gallup, continues his integration and veteran bench players such as Konrad Wysocki, Jan Sprunken, Florian Mobius and Christian Grosse could also be key. Athletic combo guard Ian Young also provides Ulm with a good answer for the Ludwigsburg athletes such as Gordon Scott and Jason Dourisseau. At this point, both teams know each other extremely well and the players who rise to the occassion will help their teams advance to Hamburg.
Talented big men Bryan Lucas and Pavelas Cukinas provide an exciting matchup in the post.
Saturday's upset Ulm win will certainly provide Ludwigsburg with motivation to bounce back. And winning in Ludwigsburg is no easy task as the team is 10-2 at home this season in Bundesliga play. But Ulm has played well in Ludwigsburg in the preseason and in a November 4th loss at Rundesporthalle. Last Saturday, Ulm shot 60% from the floor and drilled 6 of 13 threes in their 92-81 home win, the teams sixth consecutive victory at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. While Ulm has established solid home court form, the team looks to take the next step on the road. While Ulm has managed 3 road wins in the Bundesliga, the team is unbeaten (2-0) in the German Cup on the road and also has established a perfect mark on Wednesday night games beating Oldenburg at home October 11th, winning in Karlsruhe November 1st and earning the two road Cup wins at Kaiserslautern and in Giessen.
Ulm PG Austen Rowland scoops this shot under Ludwigsburg's Je'Kel Foster.
Of course the familiarity goes deeper between the two teams. Ulm assistant coach Rainer Bauer is a Ludwigsburg native and always looks forward to games at his home. Also, current Ulm C Maksym Shtein is a former Ludwigsburg big man and opportunities to play against his former team are always special. Meanwhile, on the Ludwigsburg roster, current EnBW captain Nils Mittmann played for Rainer Bauer and was the team captain for Ulm in 2002-2003. Mittmann played with current Ulmer players Shtein, Florian Mobius and Christian Grosse on that team.
Roll players for both teams will be key. For Ulm, Jan Sprunken #9 and for Ludwigsburg, Jason Dourisseau #24.
And now, four days after meeting head to head at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm, these two teams meet again at Rundsporthalle in Ludwigsburg in the German Cup Elite Eight for Round 2 adding the next chapter to this beautiful basketball rivalry. And with the winner advancing to the TopFour in Hamburg, Wednesday nights game could be the best "Baden-Wurtemburg Derby" yet!
A Beautiful Basketball Rivalry: Ulm v Ludwigsburg!
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
FLO'S BIRTHDAY PRESENT?
Last week, forward Florian Mobius had his contract extended for one season with ratiopharm Ulm. Friday, Flo celebrated his 28th Birthday. What a fantastic week for Flo!
LUDWIGSBURG
ratiopharm Ulm has interesting ties to the Ludwigsburg team. Aside from tradition which sparked the intense rivalry from former times, several personal ties exist between Ulm and Ludwigsburg. First, ratiopharm Ulm assistant coach Rainer Bauer was born and raised in Ludwigsburg. Second, Maksym Shtein played in Ludwigsburg 5 seasons ago and was a member of the Ludwigsburg team which won the 2.Bundesliga South an moved into the Bundesliga!
MY MAN
Ulm G Jonathan Levy and Ludwigsburg PG Jerry Green have met before. Both are consistent players in the San Francisco Pro-AM and work with the same agent, Ben Pensack from the Bay Area. Levy and Green are both California guys at heart and are representing the Golden state well in Germany.
RIVALRY
ratipharm Ulm and EnBW Ludwigsburg are very familiar to one another. Both teams have competed at the Bundesliga and 2.Bundesliga levels over the years. Seperated by no more than 100 kilometers, both teams enjoy strong basketball tradition. Clearly, fans from both teams have been waiting for the renewal of this South German Basketball Rivalry!
FORMER CAPTAIN
Ludwigsburg F Nils Mittmann is known for his hardworking, team oriented style of play. But did you know he was the captain in Ulm under current Ulm assistant and former Head Coach Rainer Bauer during his 2.Bundesliga South days! Mittmann departed Ulm after 2002-2003, played in Wurzburg 2003-2004 and has been excellent in Ludwigsburg the last two seasons.
SILVANO KNOWS!
After initially arriving as an assistant to legend Bruno Soce, Ludwigsburg Head Coach Silvano Poropat has done a terrific job with the team over the last 3 seasons. Qualifying for back to back playoff appearances, Ludwigsburg has established a solid team and this year Silvano has done his best work merging veterans with several new players for their fantastic unbeaten start. Good work Silvano and Ludwigsburg!
Follow all the fastbreaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulms' captain plays well against Ludwigsburg!
Jonathan Levy: 26pt night Saturday! exciting matchup with Je'Kel Foster!
Jeff Gibbs:22pt 13reb Saturday v Ludwigsburg
Austen Rowland: challenging head to head with Jerry Green!
Bryan Lucas: strong game Saturday 13pt 7reb
Konrad Wysocki: energy for Ulm off the bench/
Maksym Shtein:former Ludwigsburg C ready for revival of rivalry!
Christian Grosse: ready to help team with perimeter accuracy!
Florian Mobius: extended contract Thursday, celebrated Birthday Friday!
Jan Sprunken: veteran wing is outstanding team player
Ian Young: depth could be key on perimeter/matches up well with G's
EJ Gallup: continues integration with extremely positive reviews!
Bryson McKenzie: stand by American player
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Ludwigsburg, Germany
Main Sponsor: EnBW
Home Court: Rundsporthalle
website: www.enbw-ludwigsburg.de
2005-2006: 16-14 6th place
(L 1st rd playoff 0-3 Cologne)
Offense: A playoff qualifier for the last two seasons, EnBW Ludwigsburg has been a tough Bundesliga team based around hardwork and teamwork. This season the backcourt of veteran PG Jerry Green and talented newcomer Je'Kel Foster should bring excitement and talent. Milan Goljovic stretches defenses with excellent marksmenship and newly added big men Pavel Cukinas and Nate Harris should solidify the Ludwigsburg lane. With C Justin Davis rehabbing a knee injury, Ludwigsburg signed Michel Nascimento a large body with large talent from Brazil who played last year in Nymburk. Ludwigsburg bench is bolstered by hardworking forward Nils Mittman and athletic wings Jason Dourisseau and Gordon Scott.
Defense: Head Coach Silvano Poropat has led the Ludwigsburg charge to overachieve the last two seasons qualifying for the playoffs with impressive work. This seasons team could be as aggressive and as athletic as ever in Ludwigsburg. The team has size, athleticism and will likely be a favorite to make the post season three years in a row. Changing defenses and applying pressure could be keys to the Ludwigsburg efforts.
Manager: Rene Beck
Head Coach: Silvano Poropat
Players:
Jerry Green: top PG with crafty mid-lane finishes
Jason Dourisseau: athletic wing will add depth to bench
Je'Kel Foster: impact newcomer with smooth J
Milan Goljovic: big wing with soft touch
Pavel Cukinas: inside scoring threat will be go-to in post
Nate Harris: multi-skilled 4 man rookie from Utah St
Nils Mittman: hardworking team player adds fire to team
Justin Davis: C rehabbing knee injury
Gordon Scott: veteran athletic wing
Sascha Kesselring: backup big man
Michel Nascimento: talented and big/ signs from Nymburk
Achmadschah Zazai: PG from SG Braunschweig
