TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
@
ULM'S NEW RIVALRY!
RATIOPHARM ULM VISITS NORDLINGEN SATURDAY!
ratiopharm Ulm @ Nordlingen
Saturday January 10th, 2009 7:30pm
Hermann-Kessler-Halle Nordlingen, Germany
ratiopharm Ulm travels one hour north to the nice Bavarian town of Nordlingen for the first official Bundesliga Derby against first year Bundesliga team Nordlingen. Playing a terrific season as an underdog-team, the competitive Nordlingen squad features excellent athleticism and heart. With Baden-Wurtemburg Derby's against Walter Tigers Tubingen and EnBW Ludwigsburg already under their belt, ratiopharm Ulm eagerly anticipates Saturday nights 'new' rivalry against Nordlingen --- an exciting development for basketball in the region and a much-anticipated game for fans from both teams. For Ulm and Nordlingen, Saturday's 'New rivalry' is a unique beginning of a Bundesliga basketball derby!
ratiopharm Ulm center Sean Finn scores against Nordlingen this preseason. Sean returned to action Wednesday in Paderborn with 10 points.
For sure fans from both teams have had January 10th marked on their calendars as a game with tremendous interest. Not only does ratiopharm Ulm look for a strong performance in the game against Nordlingen, the team is focused to bounce back from Wednesday nights road loss in Paderborn which saw the team shoot a season low 36% from the floor. Coming off their Christmas break, Ulm's offense was stagnant and inactive resulting in lack of rhythm and poor shot selection. Watching important clips from Wednesday night's loss, Ulm players are focused to adjust their attack for more production. Entering Saturday nights game, Ulm looks forward to the Derby-atmosphere in Hermann-Kessler-halle and another game with everyone together.
ratiopharm Ulm forward Romeo Travis finishes in transition against Nordlingen this preseason!
While ratiopharm Ulm is excited about a completely healthy roster, Nordlingen faces several injury issues which will shorten their bench. Recently signed center Brian Butch injured his foot in Nordlingen's win over Bremerhaven last Sunday and is questionable for Saturday's game against Ulm. Along with the Wisconsin Badger Butch, veteran post man Avi Kazarnovsky also deals with lingering injuries which has limited his availability to 8 games.
ratiopharm Ulm floor general Dru Joyce is focused on better team-offensive production than Wednesady in Paderborn.
Nordlingen's team has enjoyed an excellent beginning in the Bundesliga. Combining a mix of last seasons top Pro A teams in Nordlingen and Cuxhaven, this year's Nordlingen roster features tremendous athleticism and a lineup that plays with heart. Motivated by all the so-called experts who gave the team little chance to stay in the Bundesliga, Nordlingen has proven people wrong with their terrific season and 7-9 record at Christmas. Confident and carrying momentum from their exciting overtime win in Bremerhaven, Nordlingen is rested and ready for Saturday's game against Ulm.
ratiopharm Ulm All Star power forward currently averages a 14.1ppg 10.1reb double double.
Nordlingen's starting lineup includes Bundesliga All Star forward Omari Westley who currently leads the Bundesliga in scoring at 17.5ppg while grabbing 6.3reb and shooting 30% from three and 70% from the foul line. Close behind Westley, shooting guard Osvaldo Jeanty currently ranks 3rd in the Bundesliga in scoring averaging 15.6ppg while hitting a Bundesliga best 50 three pointers this season. Together, Westley and Jeanty provide quality scoring punch along with the teams inside-out threat. An underrated combination compliment the two scorers as small forward Monta McGee plays with tremendous energy and point guard Danny Gibson plays with tremendous heart. Both McGee and Gibson excelled with Cuxhaven last season in Pro A and both players are extremely productive in their first Bundesliga seasons with Nordlingen. McGee is an active and mobile defender averaging 10.7ppg 8.1reb. McGee plays passing lanes and pressures the basketball well on defense and plays as an active cutter with ability to post up of face up on the perimeter. Gibson is a firey competitor producing 11.9ppg while adding 2.3reb and 2.6ast. All four key players for Nordlingen play over 32 minutes per game and will be called upon to do even more without two key players Butch and Kazarnovsky. When the two post men do not play, look for a smaller lineup from Nordlingen including hardworking Ty Shaw (4.9ppg 3.8reb) in the post. Three veterans add depth to the Nordlingen attack and hardworking wing Carl Mbassa, Derrick Lang and Joe Tesfaldet are reliable and skilled. Rounding out the roster, young players Josef Eischler will be counted on to provide depth replacing the cuurent injuries.
Ulm rookie point guard Per Gunther drives past Nordlingen's Joe Tesfaldet in the preseason.
Opening the season with a fast 3-0 start, Nordlingen beat EnBW Ludwigsburg 75-56 Saturday September 20th in the first Bundesliga game in Nordlingen, knocking off Paderborn 76-67 in overtime at Sportszentrum Maspernplatz Thursday September 25th and edging Walter Tigers Tubingen 76-73 at home in overtime October 4th. At 3-0, Nordlingen lost at home to Trier 74-68 October 11th but bounced back with an 82-75 overtime road win over brose Baskets Bamberg at JAKO Arena October 19th. But after their strong 4-1 start, Nordlingen was hit with injuries and the team dropped 6 straight games losing 69-63 at home to Braunschweig October 24th, 79-60 in Dusseldorf October 26th, falling 89-85 at home in overtime against the Deutsche Bank Skyliners November 1st, 85-78 away in Oldenburg November 8th, losing 72-42 to ALBA Berlin November 16th and finally falling 83-74 at Artland November 22nd. With a 4-7 record, Nordlingen snapped their losing streak in a hardfought 65-56 home win over LTi Giessen 46ers November 29th. Nordlingen lost the next weekend in Bonn in a lowscoring 61-54 game December 7th but responded December 13th with a 73-61 home win over Koln 99ers. In their last game before Christmas, Nordlingen traveled to Gottingen where the Violets topped them 87-80 December 20th but in their first game of 2009, Nordlingen earned an exciting 87-78 overtime road win over Eisbaren Bremerhaven on the strength of Osvaldo Jeanty's fantastic 39 point performance which included a sizzling 8 for 10 from three. At 7-9, Nordlingen's season has been a terrific success and been a source of pride for their basketball-crazy tiny Bavarian town!
Rookie forward Dan Fitzgerald is currently second in Ulm's three point shooting percentage (39%) and three point makes (31).
ratiopharm Ulm and Nordlingen have not met in an official regular season game for three seasons since Ulm's 'Aufsteig' into the Bundesliga in 2005-2006. Although their head to head matchups on the regular season schedule have taken a three year break, the teams have met every preseason and played two preseason games earlier this season. Way back on Saturday August 23rd, ratiopharm Ulm visited Hermann-Kessler-halle in Nordlingen and earned a hardfought 62-60 preseason road win. Later in the preseason's final week, Nordlingen visited Ulm's Sportszentrum Kuhberg for a scrimmage and Ulm earned a one point win thanks to Lee Humphrey's late game three pointer. As with any great local rivalry, every game is expected to close.
Click here for Complete Review of Ulm's Second Preseason week!
Ulm and Nordlingen's 2.Bundesliga South games from the 2005-2006 season were the last time the two teams met. Ulm won both games as part of their 29-1 campaign. In Ulm's trip to Hermann-Kessler-Halle, they earned a 107-83 victory. However, Nordlingen had a completely different roster and complete other team. Only Ulm's Jeff Gibbs and Emeka Erege were with the team for the wins.
Game summary January 29, 2006 ratiopharm Ulm 107 Nordlingen 83
Game summary October 3, 2005 ratiopharm Ulm 106 Nordlingen 63
A beautiful throwback German town, Nordlingen is unique because of the medival city wall that still stands to protect the old part of the city and the unusual terrain in the area. Nordlingen sits in a crater valley which resulted from a pre-historic comet impacting the earth. Along with the interesting history, Nordlingen can be described as a small German town with a big basketball heart.
On the floor, Nordlingen has been a consistent opponent for Taylorhoops.com dating all the way back to the Chemnitz 99er regionaliga Sud-Ost season of 2001-2002. Playing in the then German 3rd division, Chemnitz and Nordlingen surfaced as the leagues top two teams in a dual for an 'Aufsteig' into the 2.Bundesliga South. A fantastic late season race that resulted in a true 'championship' game the last game of the season, the 99ers topped Nordlingen 105-96 in Chemnitz earning promotion into the second division. The next season, Nordlingen followed by winning the 2002-2003 regionaliga Sud-Ost title. From 2003-2004 through 2005-2006, Ulm and Nordlingen met twice each season and once in the 2003-2004 German Cup. As a result of these on-court meetings, Nordlingen and its unique basketball-minded medival town have always held a special place with Taylorhoops.com. A positive working-cooperation exists between the organizations as well with both ratiopharm Ulm and Nordlingen teaming up to provide opportunitites for young talents in the NBBL. Several young players travel the hour plus south from Nordlingen to Ulm each week to play for Ulm's Rainer Bauer coached NBBL team. Nordlingen head coach Andreas Wagner and assistant Georg Eischler were in Las Vegas this summer with the ratiopharm Ulm staff and spent friendly time together at several showcase camps and the NBA Summer League. Certainly, the close proximity, recent history and familiarity add up to make Saturday night an exciting 'new derby'.
In the 2002 regionaliga-Sud-Ost Championship game, Chemnitz topped Nordlingen and friendships in basketball were formed. Left Braulio Hernandez shoots a pullup jumpshot as Chemnitz defenders Soren Schacht and Andreas Endig look on. Right, victory water bucket.
After a championship season in the Pro A German second division last year, Nordlingen earned a spot in the Bundesliga for 2008-2009. The tiny Bavarian town has a passion for basketball and the teams tradition is a source of pride for the people. With their teams terrific season, Nordlingen now takes pride as a Bundesliga basketball town. Saturday night, ratiopharm Ulm and Nordlingen finally meet for the first time as Bundesliga opponents in a much anticipated local derby.
ratiopharm Ulm is excited about the new rivalry Saturday night in Nordlingen!
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
final Bundesliga All Star fan voting
ratiopharm Ulm players were well represented in Bundesliga All Star Fan voting which concluded earlier this week. All Star power forward Jeff Gibbs earned his third straight trip to the Bundesliga All Star game by taking the most fan votes of any Bundesliga player beating out ALBA Berlin's Julius Jenkins for the top spot. While Jeff takes his place as a starter in the South lineup, Ulm was well represented at the other four positions as point guard Dru Joyce, shooting guard Lee Humphrey, small forward Romeo Travis and center Sean Finn all finished a popular third. Final fan voting below:
NORTH
Point Guard: 1. Jason Gardner (EWE Baskets Oldenburg, 26,54 %), 2. Steffen Hamann (ALBA Berlin, 19,43 %), 3. Kyle Bailey (BG 74 Göttingen, 9,90 %)
Shooting Guard: 1. Julius Jenkins (ALBA Berlin, 27,98 %), 2. Casey Jacobsen (ALBA Berlin, 9,59 %), 3. Immanuel McElroy (ALBA Berlin, 9,33 %)
Small Forward: 1. Rickey Paulding (EWE Baskets Oldenburg, 26,98 %), 2. Adam Hess (Artland Dragons, 21,41 %), 3. Steven Esterkamp (Paderborn Baskets, 12,22 %)
Power Forward: 1. Ansu Sesay (ALBA Berlin, 27,99 %), 2. Aleksandar Nadjfeji (ALBA Berlin, 13,34 %), 3. Chad Prewitt (Artland Dragons, 7,85 %)
Center: 1. Darius Hall (Artland Dragons, 16,10 %), 2. Darren Fenn (Artland Dragons, 14,92 %), 3. Adam Chubb (ALBA Berlin, 13,03 %)
SOUTH
Point Guard: 1. Pascal Roller (Deutsche Bank SKYLINERS, 17,79 %), 2. Heiko Schaffartzik (LTi Giessen 46ers, 11,31 %), 3. Dru Joyce (ratiopharm Ulm, 9,95 %)
Shooting Guard: 1. Brandon Woudstra (EnBW Ludwigsburg, 17,45%), 2. Demond Greene (Brose Baskets, 17,19 %), 3. Lee Humphrey (ratiopharm Ulm, 11,16 %)
Small Forward: 1. Konrad Wysocki (Deutsche Bank SKYLINERS, 21,43 %), 2. Winsome Frazier (Telekom Baskets Bonn, 14,97 %), 3. Romeo Travis (ratiopharm Ulm, 11,49 %)
Power Forward: 1. Jeff Gibbs (ratiopharm Ulm, 30,00 %), 2. Derrick Allen (Deutsche Bank SKYLINERS, 11,55 %), 3. Brandon Bowman (Telekom Baskets Bonn, 9,50 %)
Center: 1. Tim Ohlbrecht (Brose Baskets, 14,75 %), 2. Ken Johnson (Telekom Baskets Bonn, 13,31 %), 3. Sean Finn (ratiopharm Ulm, 12,78 %)
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain showing good leadership
Romeo Travis: a key matchup in game v Nordlingen
Jeff Gibbs: AllStar PF averaging 14.1ppg 10.1reb
Keith Triplett : ulm defensive ace ready for challenge v Jeanty
Lee Humphrey: sharpshooter 2nd in Bundesliga in 3pt makes (40%)
Dru Joyce: Ulm floor general T3rd in Bundesliga with 4.1ast
Per Gunther: rookie PG developing well in first Bundesliga season
Dan Fitzgerald: 2nd on team with 39% three and 31 three point makes
Sean Finn: healthy and back in lineup scored 10pt in Paderborn
Sebastian Betz: hardworking wing playing well and improving
Michael Schroeder: big man adds physical defense and rebounding
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Nordlingen, Germany
Main Sponsor:
Home Court: Hermann-Kessler-Halle
website:
www.noerdlinger-basketball.de
2007-2008: Pro A Champions
Offense: An athletic team, Nordlingen features the versatile in-out scoring from Omari Westley and terrific perimeter shooting of Osvaldo Jeanty as primary weapons. The energy and versatility of Monta McGee cutting, making plays in transition and on the offensive boards adds an underrated aspect to the offense. Crafty PG Danny Gibson pushes the ball in transition and looks to take the big shot. Recently added post man Brian Butch will give the team another option in the post and hardworking Ty Shaw scores with effort, cutting and toughness on the offensive boards. Nordlingen features an offense with backscreens and slice cuts resulting in post and perimeter options. Nordlingen has excelled this season at creating offense from their defense.
Defense: Defensively Nordlingen has demonstrated excellent effort and teamwork. Nordlingen has changed defenses effectively mixing in fullcourt denial man to man and an aggressive 1-2-2 halfcourt trap into zone. The teams athletic starting lineup (in particular McGee) play with energy and mobility making their pressure defense very effective.
GM: Jurgen Kohl
Head Coach: Andreas Wagner
Players:
Omari Westley: Bundesliga All Star from Nordlingen
Osvaldo Jeanty: 39pt night v Bremerhaven last sunday (8-10 3pt)
Danny Gibson: crafty PG looks to take big shots
Monta McGee: underrated energy player with great versatility
Ty Shaw: hardworking post man who adds toughness despite small size
Carl Mbassa: hardworking defender/also adds leadership
Joe Tesfaldet: veteran PG provides depth/ could be factor with injuries
Derrick Lang: recently added guard/ adds depth and shooting
Brian Butch: recently signed C /injured foot in Bremerhaven
Avi Kazarnovski: veteran 2.Bundesliga post man/nagged by injury
Josef Eichler: young post man gaining experience
