TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
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ULM SEES SKYLINERS WEDNESDAY!
ratiopharm Ulm @ Deutsche Bank Skyliners
Wednesday Febuary 20, 2008 7:30pm
Ballsporthalle Frankfurt, Germany
Just over one month ago on January 12th, ratiopharm Ulm and Deutsche Bank Skyliners collided at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. With a focused attack and outstanding defense, Head Coach Murat Didin and his Skyliners earned a tight 87-83 victory. Wednesday night, ratiopharm Ulm will visit the Ballsporthalle on a road trip that will show them much more than the Frankfurt Skyline. Looking to bounce back from Saturdays hardfought home loss against Artland, Ulm will see a sizzling Deutsche Bank Skyliner squad who have won four straight games. Although the teams have moved in opposite directions over the last month, Wednesday night the two teams cross paths again. For ratiopharm Ulm, Wednesdays rematch will provide a challenge as tall as the Frankfurt Skyline.
And that outstanding brand of basketball is just what Ulm wants to see!
ratiopharm Ulm All Star forward Konrad Wysocki and teammates are ready to go face to face with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners Wednesday at Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt!
With their strong team performance in Saturdays home loss to top team Artland Dragons, ratiopharm Ulm looks to build on their efforts and continue the quality play on the road in Frankfurt Wednesday. Ulm's recent tough-luck losses have been extremely competitve with 4 of the teams last five defeats coming by five points or less. The hardworking Ulm team has slipped in the Bundesliga standings but they aim to get back on the winning track. Point guard Kyle Bailey missed one month with a fractured thumb but his return to form last week against Artland was a solid step in the right direction. Back to full strength, Ulm's challenge is clear. Frankfurt's impressive performance at Sportszentrum Kuhberg centered around terrific team defense and a sharply executed offense. The clutch play of point guard Pascal Roller was the decisive factor and Head Coach Murat Didin and his team have rallied for four straight wins going 4-1 since last months victory in Ulm.
Former Ulm post man Maksym Shtein has been a steady contributor to the deep Skyliner team.
ratiopharm Ulm received an outstanding effort in that home loss to the Skyliners from rookie PG Dru Joyce who spelled Kyle Bailey in the starting lineup while KB rehabilitated his injured thumb. The Akron native stepped up his game and responded with several blue chip performances for Ulm including a stat-sheet stuffing 20 point 6 rebound 7 assist night against Frankfurt. EJ Gallup drilled 4 threes to add 16 points but the tough Frankfurt defense limited Ulm to 39% shooting while Skyliners sank 51% of their own looks in the win. Frankfurt demonstrated their high-level potential in Ulm and sealed the road victory with clutch baskets from Pascal Roller, Jimmy McKinney and perfect free throw shooting down the stretch. Without question, Frankfurt's impressive performance on both ends of the floor against Ulm raises the bar high for the rematch Wednesday night.
Click here for Ulm v Frankfurt Game Summary from January 12th, 2008
Ulm's rookie PG Dru Joyce was excellent in last months meeting with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners scoring 20 points with 6 rebounds and 7 assists.
But Ulm raised their level of play last game against Artland and aim for consistency. The excellent defensive effort from the squad put them in position for an upset that fell just short Saturday afternoon. Offensively, the return of a healthy Kyle Bailey and emergance of post man Sean Finn has improved the attack. A key for Ulm in Wednesday's rematch will be the production from inside players Jeff Gibbs, Konrad Wysocki and Bryan Lucas. After the first Ulm-Frankfurt game, the Ulm post players face a tough challenge from the Frankfurt team defense Wednesday night.
ratiopharm Ulm's Jeff Gibbs and Deutsche Bank Skyliners Derrick Allen will be a must-see matchup in Wednesdays game at Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt.
Every Ulm-Skyliner game has been a challenging basketball battle. Last season Ulm and Frankfurt split two games with each team winning on their home floor. This season, with the road win at Sportszentrum Kuhberg, the Skyliners took the upper hand. The initial meeting was Ulm's first Bundesliga game since their return last October. After controlling play and leading for 39 minutes, Eric Chatfield's buzzer beater stole the win in a fantastic finish as Frankfurt took a 73-72 victory. Later, at Sportszentrum Kuhberg, Ulm outlasted the powerful Skyliners in an exciting overtime game. The competitive 87-83 road win for Frankfurt January 12th in Ulm set the tone for the new season. Using these three games as example, Wednesdays rematch should add to the competitive history between the two teams. Click the links below for Game Summaries from recent Ulm v Frankfurt rivalry games:
2006-2007 January 20th Game Summary
2006-2007 October 1st Game Summary
Ulm's Bryan Lucas finishes strong inside against Frankfurt last month. The Ulm frontcourt faces a big challenge against the tough Skyliner defense.
Wednesday's game is the first opportunity for Ulm to revisit the Ballsporthalle, the site of their heartbreaking loss in their first Bundesliga action since the Aufstieg. In that game, Ulm captain Emeka Erege stepped to the line to seal the victory but rimmed out two free throws giving former Frankfurt guard Eric Chatfield the chance to steal the win with a buzzer-beating three. Certainly, ratiopharm Ulm's veteran players aim to get those skeletons out of the closet with Wednesdays game.
ratiopharm Ulm's captain Emeka Erege is excited about the next chance to play at Ballsporthalle in Frankfurt.
2007-2008 has been a season of streaks for the Skyliners. After tipping off the year with a 68-64 home win over Science City Jena October 7th. A string of three straight losses (at Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 76-65 October 12th, at brose Baskets Bamberg 88-51 October 19th and home to Bayer Leverkusen 91-73 October 21st) was followed by three straight wins (topping Telekom Bonn 76-65 October 28th, over Walter Tigers Tubingen 78-70 November 3rd and NewYorker Phantoms Braunschweig 83-73 November 11th). November 17th EnBW Ludwigsburg stopped the Skyliners win streak 94-71 but Frankfurt bounced back with a big 74-63 home win over Artland Dragons November 25th and followed that with an exciting 80-77 road win over local rival Giessen 46ers December 1st. 8 days later, BG74 Gottingen went into BallSporthalle in Frankfurt and beat the Skyliners 77-60 before ALBA Berlin (74-64 December 15th) and Koln (90-86 December 22nd) added two more losses to the Frankfurt file. After the holiday break, Skyliners were strong in Bremerhaven beating the Eisbaren 85-76 January 6th. Since beating ratiopharm Ulm 87-83 on Saturday January 12th at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm, the Skyliners have put together another impressive streak rising into a solid playoff place. After losing 73-67 at home to Paderborn January 18th, Frankfurt beat Trier 72-54 January 26th, won in Jena 90-71 Febuary 2nd, topped Ewe Baskets Oldenburg 91-77 at home Febuary 10th and won last week in Paderborn 88-66 Febuary 17th.
The Skyliners are battle tested after playing in Group D of the ULEB Cup against the likes of Pamesa Valencia of Spain, Anwil Wloclawek of Poland, SLUC Nancy from France, Azovmash Mariupol out of Ukraine and powerful Khimky Moscow. Most recently, Frankfurt fell 72-67 in a hardfought home loss to Khimky Moscow currently 3rd ranked team on Eurobasket.com. Their excellent performance against such a powerful foe speaks well for the argument Skyliners could be ready to mount another run. A major reason for their positive upswing is the addition of new players and return of injured ones.
Ulm post man Sean Finn has been excellent over the last month!
Over Christmas break, Frankfurt inked former NBA big man Ken Johnson who opened this season with Fribourg from Switzerland. The former Ohio State Buckey has averaged (6ppg 5.3reb 91%FT) and has bolstered the block for his new team. While Johnson strengthens the Skyliners inside, talented guards Pascal Roller and Jimmy McKinney lead the perimeter attack. Both Roller, a talented German National team PG, and McKinney (10ppg 3.3reb 2.4ast 42% three), the former University of Missouri Tiger star, have battled through injuries this season. Their return to the lineup has been a major factor in the teams rise up the standings. Roller (12.8ppg 2.6reb 4.3ast 43% three) was the star of the Skyliner win in Ulm making big shots down the stretch to finish with 18 points. While these three players are recent keys to Skyliners success, All Star post man Derrick Allen, talented new post Ilian Evtimov and veteran small forward Koko Archibong are also responsible for Frankfurt's production. Currently leading the Bundesliga in scoring at 20.6ppg, Allen also grabs 8.1reb. The high-energy Allen just edged Ulm's Jeff Gibbs in fan voting for the starting power forward spot in January's All Star day and their matchups are always fantastic entertainment for basketball fans. Gibbs plays with power while Allen works with energy --- the contrast is an intriguing part of the game within the game. Evtimov is a terrific perimeter shooting post man and produces 12.6ppg 4.5reb and 30% from three. Former Bamberg and ALBA Berlin star Koko Archibong is regarded as one of the top defenders in the Bundesliga and has averaged 10.8ppg 6.1reb and leads the Skyliners with 54% from beyond the arc. Depth for Head Coach Murat Didin comes from every player on their talented roster. First, quality veterans have seen significant minutes. Along with former Ulm post man Maksym Shtein, Skyliners have many options on the bench. Physical guard Jimmie Hunt (3.6ppg 1.6reb 23% three) has also played strong minutes in the Frankfurt backcourt this year. Second, young German players contribute when called upon. Excellent young shooter Dominik Bahiense de Mello (5ppg 27% three) spreads the floor with his dead-eye shot while athletic forward Alex King brings energy as he develops his game. Big man Kirsten Zollner has also seen some minutes. Since the last game, Frankfurt has parted ways with point guard Ayinde Ubaka and former German National team wing Stefano Garris. Combined, the Skyliners have a deep and talented roster which has powered their rise up the Bundesliga standings in the last months. With playoffs in their sight, the Skyliners are among the Bundesliga's top teams
Wednesday nights rematch at Ballsporthalle gives ratiopharm Ulm the next challenge. And that challenge could be as tall as the Frankfurt Skyline. Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
UKRAINE TRAIN!
ratiopharm Ulm will see a familiar face Saturday when former big man Maksym Shtein returns to Sportszentrum Kuhberg with his new team from Frankfurt. For sure it will be a nice moment for Kuhberg fans to salute their former friend and center.
BIG MEN FROM OHIO!
ratiopharm Ulm's Jeff Gibbs always seems to meet up with a post man from his home state. Saturday in Ulm he battled with Columbus native Leon Rodgers who recently joined the Artland Dragons. Wednesday, Ulm's Mr Incredible will meet former Ohio State Buckeye post player Ken Johnson. Columbus Ohio is definitely a BIG hub for BIG men.
QUESTIONS IN KOLN
The Bundesliga team Koln 99ers filed for insolvency over one month ago and Tuesday morning the Bundesliga announced their team would fold and stop playing effective immediately. Two seasons removed from the German Championship and one year from Euroleague competition, the announcement was stunning and sad for basketball in Germany. Recently, the team has been dismantled with top talent such as Immanuel McElroy, Aleksander Nadjfeji (both ALBA Berlin) and Toby Bailey (Spain) moved on to other teams. However, after conflicting reports emerged, a press conference has been scheduled for Wednesday Febuary 20th 1130am in Koln to clarify the situation. How this will effect the Bundesliga remains t be seen. Certainly basketball fans all over the world wish the best for the organization and future of basketball in the beautiful city of Koln.
Ulm Roster
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain ready for return to Ballsporthalle!!
Kyle Bailey: return to topform v Artland is great sign for Ulm
Jeff Gibbs: Ulm's PF leading league in rebounding!
Bryan Lucas: hardworking post man ready for challenge in Frankfurt
Konrad Wysocki: All Star F looks forward to top opponents Wed.
Dru Joyce: rookie PG in top form last game v Frankfurt!
Florian Mobius: key post sub defensive mobility will be help for Ulm!
EJ Gallup: Ulm sharpshooter drilled 4 threes v Skyliners last month!
Sean Finn: Ulm big man has been terrific from bench in last month!
Sebastian Betz: young wing ready to help team
Jan Sprunken: veteran presence helps with injuries and adversity!
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Rainer Bauer
Location: Frankfurt, Germany
Main Sponsor: Deutsche Bank
Home Court: Ballsporthalle
website: www.deutsche-bank-skyliners.de
2006-2007: 15-19 13th place
Offense: The Deutsche Bank Skyliners have been a sleeping Giant over the last two Bundesliga seasons. Finishing in 14th and 13th place the last two years, Skyliners revamped their team and fans can expect a strong Skyliner squad in 2007-2008. It all starts with the return of talented PG Pascal Roller who spent the last two seasons in Italy. Along with Rollers floor generalship, Bundesliga All Stars Derrick Allen and Koko Archibong will play in Frankfurt this season as well. Allen is an energy-man who rebounds extremely well and Archibong is a fantastic defender. New big men Ilian Evtimov, Maksym Shtein and Kirsten Zolner also provide instant quality to the team. Jimmy Hunt will act as backup PG and returning Skyliners Nino Garris, Dominik de Mello and Alex King will continue their strong contributions. Unfortunately, the talented Jimmy McKinney injured his chest in preseason and will be sidelined for several months.
Defense: With improvement on their mind, Skyliners management and coaching staff went out to add excellent defenders and Archibong and Allen are two of the best. Roller solidifies the lineup and the teams athletic wings and physical posts provide outstanding potential for team defense. Expect this season to be the return of playoff basketball to Frankfurt.
GM: Dr. Gunnar Wöbke
Head Coach: Murat Didin
Players:
Pascal Roller: outstanding German PG
Jimmy McKinney: scoring combo G/injured 1st few months
Alex King: top German athletic wing prospect
Derrick Allen: active rebounder/athlete/allstar in Bundesliga
Koko Archibong: defensive Ace new to ALBA from Bamberg
Dominik Bahiense De Mello: top young shooting G
Jimmie Hunt: physical guard/strong defender
Kirsten Zolner: young big man
Maksym Shtein: former Ulmer comes home with Skyliners
Ilian Evtimov: talented frontcourt scorer/stretches D with J
Ken Johnson: former Ohio St and Miami Heat big man
