TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
VS 
ULM-PADERBORN
REMATCH IN GERMAN CUP!
German Cup Sweet 16
ratiopharm Ulm vs digibu Baskets Paderborn
Friday Febuary 8, 2008 815pm
Sportszentrum Kuhberg Ulm, Germany
In 2005-2006 ratiopharm Ulm won the 2.Bundesliga South Championship earning promotion into the Bundesliga. That same season in the 2.Bundesliga North, digibu Baskets Paderborn dominated their league earning the right to move up into Germany's top division. "Aufsteigers" at the same time, ratiopharm Ulm and digibu Baskets Paderborn will forever be linked together like brothers in the history of German basketball. And since their arrival in the Bundesliga, matchups between these two teams have sparked a rivalry. After splitting two games last season with each protecting home court, digibu Baskets Paderborn hammered ratiopharm Ulm in Sportszentrum Kuhberg earlier this season to take an upper hand. Friday night, with a German Cup Elite Eight reservation on the line, is the rematch!
ratiopharm Ulm captain Emeka Erege and his teammates are excited about the rematch against Paderborn in Friday's German Cup Sweet 16 game!
The German Cup is a multi-division season-long competition played in rounds with a winner advancing. In earlier rounds, Pro B and Pro A teams competed with the lower seeded team hosting the favorite. As the Bundesliga teams entered the competition, the international competitors in the Bundesliga received byes while the non-playoff teams and non-international playing Bundesliga squads received their matchups through a league conducted draw. Earlier ratiopharm Ulm won on the road in Trier while Paderborn beat strong Pro A team soba Dragons Rhondorf. Along with ratiopharm Ulm hosting digibu Baskets Paderborn, other Sweet 16 German Cup matchups include:
Wednesday Febuary 6th
Bayer Leverkusen @ Cuxhaven Bascats (ProA) 7:30pm tip
Koln 99ers @ ALBA Berlin 7:30pm
Artland Dragons @ Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 8pm tip
Thursday Febuary 7th
Science City Jena @ EnBW Ludwigsburg 8:15pm tip
Wednesday Febuary 13th
Deutsche Bank Skyliners @ Eisbaren Bremerhaven 730pm
Thursday Febuary 14th
LTi Giessen v Walter Tigers Tubingen 815pm
Wednesday Febuary 27th
brose Baskets Bamberg @ NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig 7pm
Ulm
Last season, Ulm advanced to the Elite Eight game before losing to rival EnBW Ludwigsburg. Along the way, Ulm topped Kaiserslautern and won in Giessen in the Sweet 16. Friday's home Cup game will be the first since the 2005-2006 2.Bundesliga South season when Ulm hosted both games against BBC Bayreuth before losing to rival Jena in early round of competition.
The matchup between Ulm and Paderborn has provided exciting basketball for Bundesliga fans. Paderborn has clearly had the better of the last two meetings winning big at home last Febuary before winning convincingly at Sportszentrum Kuhberg earlier this year. Click the links below for recent game recaps of Ulm v Paderborn:
Sunday December 16, 2007 Game Summary
Febuary 25th Game Summary
October 20th Game Summary
With a German Cup Elite Eight ticket up for grabs, both ratiopharm Ulm and digibu Baskets Paderborn will be ready Friday night.
ratiopharm Ulm post man Bryan Lucas has his eyes set on a strong performance against Paderborn Friday night!
Under the direction of Head Coach Doug Spradley, Paderborn is a well-organized, hard-fighting team. No team in the Bundesliga faced more adversity on and off the floor than this tough-minded Paderborn team. If it was not injury to Steve Esterkamp or Malik Moore, it was off court family problems at home which forced the team to adjust their lineup. Certainly, Coach Spradley and staff and team battled through their challenges well and are primed for a solid second half. Their perimeter play and transition game can be among the best in the Bundesliga featuring tremendous ballskilled guards in All Star Tim Black (21.8ppg 2.4reb 4.3ast 41% three) and his partner in crime Malik Moore (11.7ppg 3.7reb 2.9ast 34%three). Black is an attacking scorer and has demonstrated "clutch" ability throughout this season. His heart and effort make him comparable to Paderborn's Allen Iverson. Meanwhile, Moore adds talent and versatility providing defenses matchup problems. When the two attacking guards breakdown the defense, veteran shooter Steve Esterkamp (11.3ppg 2.5reb 2.1ast 29% three) makes opponents pay from beyond the arc. An active cutter who can post and rebound, Esterkamp has a quick trigger and his healthy return from injury had alot to do with Paderborn's midseason surge. On the block, big man Greg Jenkins (10.1ppg 6.9reb) has overcome family challenges (his son has been sick in New York City) to play a strong season. Forward Nathan Peavy (9ppg 4.1reb 44% three) was the main weapon in Paderborns win over Ulm topscoring with 25 points on an outstanding evening for the former Miami University-Ohio product. A talented inside-outside player, Peavy has been a key for Paderborn success. Along with Peavy, wing Jason Edwin (5.4ppg 2reb 24% three) has made a difference off the Paderborn bench. In fact, Edwin sank three clutch free throws to help Paderborn seal an important home win over Gottingen earlier this year. Next to Edwin, Billy Ray McDaniel (4.8ppg 3.9reb 30%three) provides Paderborn versatility at the forward position off the bench. Youngster Thomas Gajda sees some minutes in the front court. As a unit, Paderborn is happy to be healthy and to be together after all of the adversity they faced earlier this year.
Ulm sharpshooter EJ Gallup scored 16 points against Paderborn back in December.
Meanwhile, ratiopharm Ulm aims for a better performance than the last time they met Paderborn, back on December 16th when digibu baskets came into Sportszentrum Kuhberg and won convincingly 106-81. The most points Ulm has allowed at home in the Bundesliga and only the second time Ulm allowed over 100 points in a Bundesliga game, Ulm's defense must meed the challenge for Ulm to succeed. In the last meeting, Bryan Lucas topscored with 19 points while Konrad Wysocki added 17 points 9 boards and EJ Gallup chipped in 16 for Ulm. Certainly, Ulm's Sportszentrum Kuhberg crowd can help their team as a Sixth man home court advantage in the rematch!
Ulm wing Sebastian Betz continues to make excellent progress as a rookie!
Ulm heads into the weekend patiently waiting for a green light from Doctors to the return of starting point guard Kyle Bailey. Checked earlier this week, Kyles thumb was not ready for full contact and he will continue his rehab to come back as fast as possible. The team has been without the Fairbanks Alaska native since New Years and gone 2-3 including last rounds German Cup road win at Trier. His presence has been visibly missed particularly in the last two games in Bonn and against Braunschweig.
Ulm's Dru Joyce has gained outstanding experience and done a terrific job leading the team while Kyle Bailey recovers from his thumb fracture!
For Sportszentrum Kuhberg fans and ratiopharm Ulm, Friday night's German Cup game will be an exciting rematch against digibu Baskets Paderborn. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
BBL.TV!
ratiopharm Ulm's game against digibu Baskets Paderborn can be seen live on BBL.TV Friday 8:15pm Febuary 8th.
EMEKA'S BUZZER BEATER ON YOU TUBE!
Basketball fans from all over the world can re-live the magic of Emeka Erege's amazing halfcourt buzzer beating game winner from Oldenburg Sunday on YOUTUBE. Go to www.youtube.com and search "BBL 2007/08: Ulm - Oldenburg Buzzerbeater"
100 POINTS AGAINST
In December 16ths game against Paderborn, Ulm allowed 106 points, the most their defense ever surrendered at home in the Bundesliga. Ulm also allowed 101 points on the road to EnBW Ludwigsburg in last seasons Elite Eight German Cup game.
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain leading by example for his team!!
Kyle Bailey: working hard on his rehab to comeback
Jeff Gibbs: powerforward ready for challenge of German Cup!
Bryan Lucas: 19pt last game against Paderborn Dec 16th
Konrad Wysocki: 23pt 16reb in hardfought loss to Braunschweig
Dru Joyce: rookie PG doing excellent job filling in for KB!
Florian Mobius: steady post sub provides depth from bench
EJ Gallup: excellent matchup against Malik Moore
Sean Finn: Ulm big man ready to battle Paderborn posts in the paint
Sebastian Betz: rookie wing making progress and improvement
Jan Sprunken: veteran wing perimeter threat off bench
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Paderborn, Germany
Main Sponsor:
Home Court: Sportzentrum Maspernplatz
website: www.paderborn-baskets.de
2006-2007: 16-18 11th place Bundesliga
Offense: Like ratiopharm Ulm, Paderborn rose to the Bundesliga last season and immediately established themselves as a competitive team. Now in the second season, the challenge is to continue to grow and develop within the league. Paderborn successfully played with a small lineup at times last season and will feature guards Tim Black, Steve Esterkamp and Malik Moore this year. Fans can expect big things from Moore who has been a top player in US minor leagues the last few seasons. Jason Edwin comes off a fantastic summer playing for his home country Virgin Islands and will be a key addition to Paderborn this season. Nathan Peavy and big man Anthony Washington also will make a significant impact. Although Washington begins the season dealing with an injury, when he returns, the big man from Portland State will bolster the Paderborn block on both ends. Rookie Forwards Greg Jenkins, Nathan Peavy and Billy McDaniel all look to add positives to the Paderborn team.
Defense: 6 new faces mean adjustments to the team and Head Coach Doug Spradley will work tirelessly to help his team move forward. The post depth looks to be better this season. When Washington returns, his size in combination with Nolte's physical presence should improve Paderborn's defensive post play. Overall, expect the solid, fundamental Paderborn team to take steps forward throughout the season.
GM:
Head Coach: Doug Spradley
Players:
Tim Black : top PG talent healthy to start this season
Steve Esterkamp: multiskilled wing is key for Paderborn
Malik Moore: excellent scoring G should spark new team
Jason Edwin: terrific summer playing with Virgin Islands!
Anthony Washington: big post presence injured to start yr
Greg Jenkins: rookie F late preseason addition from Iona
Billy McDaniel: rookie F from Arkansas-Monticello
Nathan Peavy: rookie F from Miami Ohio
Matthias Finke: adds depth
Marius Nolte: hardworking physical 4 man/ key part of team
Christoph Hackenesch: adds depth
Chrisian Becker: adds depth
