TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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ULM MEETS NORDLINGEN SATURDAY NIGHT!
ratiopharm Ulm travels north to nearby Nordlingen Saturday night for their second exhibition game of the 2006 preseason and the two friendly organizations look forward to their "friendly game" --- establishing a cooperation after last season, Ulm and Nordlingen are now friendlier than ever. Tipoff time at Hermann-Kessler-Halle in Rieser Sportpark is set for 7:30pm Central Europe time. Both teams prepare for the 2006-2007 with veteran teams aiming for high basketball goals. Ulm has set their sights on establishing themselves in the Bundesliga while Nordlingen is working toward the upper level of 2.Bundesliga for the future. Certainly Saturday's preseason game will be a preview of all the exciting basketball action for both teams this year.
Ulm forward Konrad Wysocki has enjoyed a terrific start to the preseason. ratiopharm Ulm travels north to Nordlingen Saturday night.
Saturday September 2nd, 2006
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ratiopharm Ulm takes on nearby Nordlingen Saturday night in preseason German basketball. Traveling just over an hour north to the unique historical city, Ulm looks to build on their pre-season opening 97-59 victory in Kirchheim last Tuesday. Preparing for the challenges in the Bundesliga, Nordlingen's veteran, well-coached team will provide an excellent test for ratiopharm Ulm.
JONO gave the Nordlingen fans a few highlights in Ulm's 107
Nordlingen basketball fans always bring enthusiasm to support their home team, but this season could prove to be a special year for the blue and white Eagles. Nordlingen returns 4 starters and has added a key big man in preparation for the competitive 2.Bundesliga South season. Although Nordlingen finished 8th with a 14-16 record, head coach Zoltan Nagy's team recorded impressive upset home wins over league runner up Jena and Chemnitz. Even more impressive, Nordlingen was able to overcome several injuries to their players which caused them to miss significant parts of the season. But that was 2005-2006.
Entering the new season, Nordlingen and fans have much reason for optimism. A healthy team could lead to more results like the impressive upsets over Jena and Chemnitz. Returning backcourt starters Cedric Brook and Mario Probst offer a solid backcourt that complements one another well. Brooks was a defensive menace for opponents and ranked among the league leaders in steals during his rookie year in Germany last season. The athletic combo guard also averaged 18ppg on the offensive end. Probst missed a majority of the early season via injury but returned for his steady, solid hard-nosed play to finish the year. The two provide a fire-and-ice complement for each other in the guard spot. A key acquisition for Nordlingen came mid-season last year when the team picked up Canadian 3man Tony McCrory who sparked the Nordlingen offensive attack with his versatility and talent. McCrory should be among the top offensive players in the 2.Bundesliga South this season. Nordlingen also returns effective inside scoring big man Kevin Hanson who led the team in scoring by percentage points over Brooks last year. A crafty, jump-hooking center, Hanson has progressed steadily in his career and enters his 3rd season in the 2.Bundesliga South as a top 5 big man. Last seasons starting 4 man, Mario Matic, a hardworking, physical veteran also returns but will likely come off the bench behind newly signed front court player Robert Dill, a former teammate of Hanson 2 seasons ago with Langen. Dill, a deep shooting big man who can block shots, played last season with Weiden before financial problems doomed the team. Dill upgrades the Nordlingen big men adding depth, skill and versatility. With the team's experience playing together and a healthy roster, expect a quality season from Nordlingen! Last seasons results were one-sided, but both games proved to be solid matchups:
January 29, 2006 ratiopharm Ulm 107 Nordlingen 83
October 3, 2005 ratiopharm Ulm 106 Nordlingen 63
Nordlingen G Cedric Brooks!
Last January in Nordlingen, the last visit to Hermann-Kessler-Halle, ratiopharm Ulm hit 12 of 23 (52%) three pointers on the evening and drilled 40 of 62 (64%) from the floor to earn a 107-83 win. The team combined for 18 assists led by point guard Martin Thuesen's five. On an evening which every Ulm player scored, Jonathan Levy led the way with 24 points on 7 of 9 three point shooting followed by Jeff Gibbs' 19 point 15 rebound double-double. Emeka Erege's near perfect 6-6 from the field 4-5 from the foul line resulted in 16 points and Konrad Wysocki played extremely well for Ulm adding 12 points on 4-5 from the floor. Maksym Shtein added 9 points and both Ulm point guards Martin Thuesen and Christian Grosse scored 8 points apiece. Nordlingen was led by former athletic forward Dominique Klein who topscored with 23 points 8 rebounds. Tony McCrory added 18 points and Center Kevin Hanson was solid with 16 points 7 rebounds. Cedric Brooks contributed 11 points and 4 steals in the loss. Nordlingen shot 42% from the floor and 38% from the three point line for the game
Nordlingen F Tony McCrory!
Saturday night in Nordlingen, both teams are expected to be undermanned as Ulm will likely rest starters Emeka Erege and Austen Rowland for the final few days before a return to action early next week. Nordlingen center Kevin Hanson is also expected to miss the game with a minor injury.
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
SCOUTING REPORTS
Emeka Erege: Ulm Captain resting slight muscle pull; likely out
Jonathan Levy: 16pt 8ast in Kirchheim Tues/ 7 of 9 threes last visit to Nord.
Jeff Gibbs: 17pt 8reb in Kirchheim/
Bryan Lucas: perfect 7-7 from floor for 16pt in Ulm debut
Maksym Shtein: 12pts and 2 threes in Ulm win over Kirchheim
Austen Rowland: likely to miss game with return to action Monday
Christian Grosse: PG minutes helping him develop this preseason
Florian Mobius: Ulm veteran working hard and playing well
Jan Sprunken: 11pt in Kirchheim/ looks to continue key contributions
Konrad Wysocki: team best 19pt in Kirchheim and great preseason work!
Martin Theusen:starting PG Danish National team; qualifiers next 3 weeks.
Cedric Brooks 6'1 super athletic scoring combo guard/ 18.3ppg
Mario Probst 6'1 skilled point/3pt shooter/team leader 34% 3pt 7.3ppg
Kevin Hanson 6'10 C scoring big man/19.4ppg 8.9reb/ likely to miss game
Tony McCrory 6'4 SF versatile/playmaker/14.1ppg/ aggressive
Robert Dill 6'10 C new shooting big man/ improves team/ Weiden last yr
Mario Matic 6'8 PF physical and aggressive/hardworking 4/6.6ppg 6.5reb
