TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
VS 
BEYOND AMAZING!
ratiopharm Ulm vs Ewe Baskets Oldenburg
Saturday April 12, 2008 7pm
Sportszentrum Kuhberg Ulm, Germany
Few fans will ever forget the fantastic finish of ratiopharm Ulm's first meeting with Ewe Baskets Oldenburg from earlier this season. With the slimmest chance to win, in need of a miracle, Emeka Erege's "rainbow" halfcourt buzzer beater remains a highlight for ratiopharm Ulm and a nightmare for Oldenburg. As the vision of Erege's shot lingers, the two teams meet again Saturday night, this time in the heat of the playoff race at Sportszentrum Kuhberg. Ulm happily reflects on winning the "unwinnable game" in Oldenburg while riding momentum from victories in 5 of their last 6 games and despite the bad memories, Oldenburg enters Sportszentrum Kuhberg as the Bundesliga's hottest team on an 8 game win streak. With Ulm fighting for the final playoff spot and Oldenburg battling for home court in playoff position, intensity will be high at tipoff. As two hot teams tip off Saturday, both will have flashbacks to the amazing ending of their first game. And Saturday night basketball fans find out what happens beyond amazing!
ratiopharm Ulm All Star Jeff Gibbs powers his team in the paint and is reaching for new heights down the stretch!
Both ratioparm Ulm and Ewe Baskets Oldenburg have much left to play for. Bundesliga Game Day 29 provides the teams with a rematch from the exciting early season contest which featured an amazing ending. Saturday, the focus shifts to the seasons ending and both ratiopharm Ulm and Ewe Baskets Oldenburg are focused to finish their respective seasons strong. After narrowly missing the playoffs last season, Oldenburg is poised for a strong postseason position with hope of home court advanatage in the first round with a fourth place finish. Meanwhile, Ulm aims to finish the season strong as they chase the 8th and final playoff place. With 5 games remaining, Ulm has work to do to overcome Bremerhaven, Koln and Braunschweig, but the team is working extremely hard reaching for the next step.
Ulm point guard Dru Joyce has been among the best rookie guards in the Bundesliga this season!
Last season Ulm and Oldenburg split two meetings with both teams protecting their home court. ratiopharm Ulm earned their first Bundesliga win with a 91-77 victory at Sportszentrum Kuhberg over the slow starting Thunderbirds. After reinforcing their squad and getting healthy, veteran head coach Don Beck and his Oldenburg team made a playoff push late in the season and collected a 90-78 home win over Ulm January 20th at Ewe Arena. For game summaries from 2006-2007, click the links below:
October 11, 2006 ratiopharm Ulm 91 Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 77
January 20, 2007 Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 90 ratiopharm Ulm 78
Ewe Baskets Oldenburg enter Saturdays contest with ratiopharm Ulm at 18-10 and Predrag Krunic's team is the hottest in the Bundesliga having won 8 striaght games. In the season opener October 7th, a hardfought 57-55 road loss at JAKO Arena against defending German Champ and Euroleague team brose Baskets Bamberg, Oldenburg stormed back to fall just short. The team bounced back with three straight wins beating the Deutsche Bank Skyliners 76-65 in their home opener at Ewe Arena October 12th, winning in Bonn 74-69 October 14th and topping Walter Tigers Tubingen 81-63 October 19th at home. Two nights later in Braunschweig, a Phantoms buzzer beater edged Oldenburg 78-76 dropping the Thunderbirds to 3-2. Oldenburg returned home for a 75-70 victory over EnBW Ludwigsburg October 27th improving to 4-2. Artland Dragons beat Oldenburg 84-75 November 3rd at Artland Arena but the Thunderbirds responded with back to back wins over the Giessen 46ers 88-85 November 10th and November 16th 76-68 in Gottingen. At 6-3, Oldenburg dropped two games against excellent competition 79-65 to ALBA Berlin at Ewe Arena November 24th and 75-71 Saturday December 1 at Rheinenergie Dome in Koln. Then, December 9th, Ulm stunned Oldenburg with Emeka Erege's miracle halfcourt buzzer beater in the amazing 73-72 Ulm win.
click here for complete Ulm @ Oldenburg December 9th Game Summary!
Emeka Erege and Ulm celebrate the captains miracle halfcourt game winner in Oldenburg earlier this season!
download Emeka's Game Winning Shot in Oldenburg
http://www.basketball-ulm.com/dload/video/Goldener_Wurf.wmv
Emeka's Shot on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pS65YvExG3E
But after the difficult Ulm loss, Oldenburg showed character and bounced back with 4 straight wins to improve to 10-6. Oldenburg beat Trier 74-67 in Trier December 15th, edged northern rival Eisbaren Bremerhaven 74-70 December 22nd, topped digibu Baskets Paderborn 82-75 January 6th and won 68-52 in Jena January 12th. Bayer Leverkusen snapped their streak with a 91-68 score January 27th. Oldenburg lost their next two at home to Bamberg 71-67 Febuary 3rd and in Frankfurt 91-77 to the Deutsche Bank Skyliners Febuary 10th. At 10-9 Oldenburg lost for the last time to date Febuary 13th 89-72 at MaxSchmellinghalle to ALBA Berlin. Since that game, the Thunderbirds have been flying high winning 8 straight games and rising to fifth in the Bundesliga standings. The run tipped off with an 86-72 home win over Telekom Baskets Bonn Febuary 17th at Ewe Arena. Febuary 23rd, Oldenburg beat Tubingen 83-78 at Tubignen Arena. March 1st Oldenburg returned home to beat NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig 80-67 at Ewe Arena. March 9th, Oldenburg beat EnBW Ludwigsburg 99-91 in overtime at Rundsporthalle in Ludwigsburg. March 14th, Oldenburg captured an impressive 83-63 home win over powerful Artland Dragons. The next week, March 22nd, Oldenburg beat LTi Giessen 46ers 83-76 in Giessen. March 29th the win streak stretched to 7 with a strong 88-68 home win over BG74 Gottingen at Ewe Arena and last game Oldenburg squeezed past Koln 99ers 82-80 at home to earn their 8th win in a row. The Thunderbirds 8 game win streak is a clear indication of their playoff potential and Oldenburg enters Saturdays game in Ulm hungry for the home court advantage in the Bundesliga playoffs. Currently, the fourth playoff place is held by 19-9 brose Baskets Bamberg.
ratiopharm Ulm sharpshooter EJ Gallup is focused for a strong finish to the season!
Oldenburg's team had such change from last season that it simply took the roster a while to blend together. Since their team developed from the early season, Oldenburg has played excellent basketball as evidenced by their current 8 game win streak. The team begins with floor general Jason Gardner, a former Arizona Wildcat who is a fantastic talent. After his excellent all star season in Bonn, Gardner's move to Oldenburg has given the Thunderbirds instant respect. Jason has averaged 13ppg 2.6reb and 4.3ast with the Thunderbirds. Gardner has a knack for making big plays and his execution and ability late game is a big advantage for Oldenburg. Along with Gardner, former University of Missouri wing Rickey Paulding has been an impact player for Oldenburg. An All Star selection this season, Paulding currently averages 12.6ppg and shoots 38% from three and 74% from the foul line. Paulding scores in a variety of ways including one on one drives, excellence in transition, aggressive cuts and post ups. With Gardner and Paulding providing a tough combination on the perimeter, versatile forward Jasmin Perkovic has been a go to guy inside for Oldenburg. Producing 13.1ppg 6reb, Perkovic has been outstanding at times for the Thunderbirds and is a difficult matchup for opponents. Complementing these three key players are talented perimeter players Branimir Longin, Miladin Pekovic and Branislav Raikovica. Intelligent, skillful and experienced, Longin (11.5ppg 3.2reb 39% three) and Pekovic (7.8ppg 2reb 38% three) provide a constant perimeter threat and play well using screens. It was Longin's missed layup at the last seconds which gave Ulm hope and set the stage for Erege's miralce game winner. Since that game, Longin has raised his average from 9.1ppg to 11.5ppg and been a big boost to the Oldenburg attack in the win streak. Raikovica is a skilled combo guard who can play point allowing Gardner the opportunity to move to shooting guard and emphasize his scoring. In the post, Oldenburg dealt with a setback earlier this season when projected primary pivot man Dan McKlintock was injured. After missing a majority of the year, McKlintock has returned and averaged 5.4ppg 1.9reb in 14 games played. It is no surprise that since McKlintock's return and improving physical condition, Oldenburg has found their rhythm and risen up the standings. Big man Milan Majstorovic contributes 6.1ppg 5.1reb and physical post defense. Oldenburg added former NBA big man Ruben Boumtje Boumtje who spent last season with ALBA Berlin in the Bundesliga. The former Georgetown Hoya big man has produced 5.1ppg 4.9reb and added tough defense in the middle for Oldenburgl. Finally, lone holdover from last seasons Thunderbird roster, Daniel Stauch is a physical competitive post man with excellent three point shooting touch. Stauch has scored 4.4ppg on 36% three point shooting off the Oldenburg bench this year. It was Strauch's key 10 points off the bench which helped push Oldenburg to their win last weekend over Koln. Collectively, this quality roster has shown signs of excellent potential and Oldenburg fans are excited about their team. In the last two months, that potential has been realized and turned Oldenburg into the hottest team in the Bundesliga!
Ulm's Romeo Travis has made a tremendous impact on his new team and helped seal Sundays win in Jena!
But Oldenburg is not the only hot team on the floor Saturday in Ulm. Winners of 5 of their last six games, ratiopharm Ulm enters Saturdays game against Oldenbug with a 14-15 record. After dropping last Fridays home game against Bremerhaven, Ulm bounced back with a big road win Sunday in Jena keeping playoff hopes alive. Ulm needs big wins down the stretch over the last five games to claim the 8th and final playoff spot in the Bundesliga post season. Bremerhaven hosts Leverkusen while Braunschweig visit Ludwigsburg and Koln 99ers host Paderborn in other games of interest. Bremerhaven holds the advantage with 5 games to play.
wins losses games remaining
8 Eisbaren Bremerhaven 15-13 3H 3A
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9 Koln 99ers 14-14 3H 3A
10 NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig 14-14 2H 4A
11 ratiopharm Ulm 14-15 3H 2A
12 EnBW Ludwigsburg 12-16 3H 3A
Veteran post man Bryan Lucas has his sights set on a strong finish and helping Ulm reach the next level!
Of note, Ulm holds the tie breaker against Bremerhaven, Koln while Braunschweig and Ludwigsburg hold tie breakers over Ulm. Certainly, ratiopharm Ulm's five game stretch run playoff push will be filled with excitement!
ratiopharm Ulm Center Sean Finn has played a strong second half of the year and been a key part of Ulm's progress within the season!
ratiopharm Ulm has overcome the loss of injured point guard Kyle Bailey and captain Emeka Erege with excellent effort from the entire team. Rookie point guard Dru Joyce has been outstanding for Ulm since taking the reigns as the starting playmaker when Bailey was injured. The consistent development of center Sean Finn has boosted the Ulm team on both ends of the floor and rookie wing Sebastian Betz has helped offset the loss of Erege for several stretches throughout the season. Unfortunately, after his amazing halfcourt buzzer beating game winner in Oldenburg, the Ulm captain Emeka Erege will miss the rematch against the Thunderbirds as he rehabs his injured knee. Ulm's addition of talented forward Romeo Travis has also been a boost to the team in recent weeks and the versatile swing man has made a tremendously positive impact on his new team. Consistent production from All Stars Jeff Gibbs and Konrad Wysocki remains a key for Ulm's success along. Hardworking veteran post man Bryan Lucas has been a spark over several games for Ulm and sharpshooting EJ Gallup is focused to finish the season strong with his exciting play. Dependable Florian Mobius and Jan Sprunken are also ready to contribute at a moments notice. Together, the Ulm team has won 5 of 6 games and remains focused on making the next steps in their improvement as they fight for the 8th and final playoff spot. Both ratioparm Ulm and Ewe Baskets Oldenburg have worked through alot this season. And both teams have much left to play for.
ratiopharm Ulm wing Sebastian Betz has been a boost to his team on both ends of the floor in recent games!
On December 9th, the first meeting between Ulm and Oldenburg ended with an amazing halfcourt shot. Saturday, in the heat of a playoff push, Ulm and Oldenburg find out what happens after amazing. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
LAST OF THE THUNDERBIRDS!
3pt Shooting power forward Daniel Hain is the lone holdover from last seasons Oldenburg team. New Head Coach Predrag Krunic has assembled a strong team with excellent talent and experience. Of note, Krunic coached in Bonn successfully a few seasons ago and his first move was to bring in top PG Jason Gardner, a star for Bonn last year. Interestingly, former Head Coach Don Beck was hired in Bree Belgium and took with him former Oldenburg players All Star C D'or Fischer and terrific guard Deron Perkins.
BIG NAMES, BIG GAMES!
As Ewe Baskets Oldenburg enter Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm Saturday, the team brings with them several big name talents with excellent NCAA careers. Jason Gardner was a star PG for Arizona, Rickey Paulding a star forward for Missouri and Ruben Boumtje Boumtje starred at Georgetown and played in the NBA. Certainly the players will be fun for Sportszentrum Kuhberg fans to watch!
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain made miracle shot last game but will not play
Romeo Travis: making excellent impact on Ulm team!
Jeff Gibbs: Ulm's All Star faces Jasmin Perkovic in exciting matchup!
Bryan Lucas: experience and skill are key for Ulm success!!
Konrad Wysocki: energy and versatility has been a key for Ulm all year!
Dru Joyce: excellent young PG leading Ulm to wins in 5 of last 6 games!
Florian Mobius: steady forward always ready to help from bench
EJ Gallup: Ulm sharpshooter is focused for strong play down stretch!
Sean Finn: strong play in post strengthens Ulm on both ends!
Sebastian Betz: young Ulm wing been a key in recent games!!
Jan Sprunken: veteran shooter is terrific team player!
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Oldenburg, Germany
Main Sponsor: Ewe
Home Court: EWE Arena
website: www.ewe-baskets.de
2006-2007: 18-16 9th place
Offense: Following last years 9th place finish, Oldenburg welcomes new head coach Predrag Krunic for the 2007-2008 season. Completely cleaning house, Krunic added three American players and 5 new European players to the team. PG Jason Gardner is a key addition after an outstanding season with Bonn. Expect Gardner to once again be among the top playmakers in the league. Athletic wing Rickey Paulding joins the Thunderbirds and looks to make an impact. C Dan McKlintock was a go to scorer in France and should carry the same role in Oldenburg. Serbian wings Branislav Ratkovic and Mladin Pekovic join Oldenburg after success with BC Mega Ishrana last season and power forward Jasmin Pekovic is a key player for the teams frontcourt. Branimir Longin brings Spanish ACB experience to Oldenburg and Germans Daniel Hain (Hertener Lowen) and Daniel Strauch, a three point shooting big man, complete the team. Krunic's excellent coaching work in Bonn sets the table for a successful return to the Bundesliga in Oldenburg and this roster looks to be exactly the tools he needs to return the Thunderbirds to the playoffs!
Defense: Building the team and then working through the systems on offense and defense was a major focus for Oldenburg this preseason as head coach Predrag Krunic brought together 10 new faces. Look for Oldenburg to play a different style in 2007-2008 and once Krunic has had some time with his team, Thunderbird fans can expect this unique blend of players to produce a winner.
GM:
Head Coach: Predrag Krunic
Players:
Jason Gardner: outstanding PG runs Oldenburg this season
Branislav Ratkovic: Serbian Shooting G/BC Mega Ishrana
Rickey Paulding: former Missouri Tiger joins Thunderbirds
Milan Majstorovic: 6'10 Serbian C played in Spain ACB
Dan McKlintock: excellent big man now healthy
Ruben Boumtje Boumtje: C solidifies post with McKlintock out
Jasmin Perkovic: powerful Croatian 4man/skilled
Mladin Pekovic: Serbian swing man/BC Mega Ishrana
Branimir Longin: Croatian wing from Spainish ACB
Daniel Hain: young German wing from Hertener Lowen
Mirko Anastasov: young German post/played in Nordlingen
Daniel Strauch: spot shooting/rebounding German post
