MIKE T'S 2.Bundesliga South 2005 - 2006
Scouting Reports
Offense: A balanced offensive team with a variety of weapons, Ulm players have fit nicely into their roles this preseason helping the team to early success. New additions Jeff Gibbs, Jonathan Levy, Martin Thuesen and Jan Sprunken bring excellent skills to the team. A
Defense: Ulm will change defenses effectively applying full court defensive pressure for 40 minutes using a varitey of presses and traps. Physical and intense, Ulm expects defense to be their strength. The team has shown strong ability to execute high level game plans this preseason
Key Players:
Emeka Erege 6'5 excels in transition/ versatile defender
Maksym Shtein 6'9 excellent post scorer/ physical
Jeff Gibbs 6'5 widebody post scorer/ physical rebounder
Jonathan Levy 6'4 electrifying athlete/excellent defender
Martin Thuesen 6'1 Danish National team PG/crafty leader
Florian Mobius 6'7 lanky athletic versatile in-out 6th man
Christian Grosse 6' competitive skilled point/ strong D
Jan Sprunken 6'3 shooter/Bundesliga experience/ team guy
Antonis Sivorotka 6'7 power forward prospect for Ulm
Benni Gulde 6'1 shooting guard prospect for Ulm
Sebastian Geserick 6' PG/double lisence for Ulm/Neu Ulm
Offense: Another extremely balanced team, Jena can overpower opponents inside with Braun, Buss and Linke or outrun a team in the transition game with their top backcourt of Rowland and Taylor. Late pick up Alex Seggelke adds another offensive weapon to the team pushing veteran players Zlotowski and Cardenas to the bench. Jena will be a top team in the league featuring a high-powered offense with tremendous scoring options for head coach Frank Menz.
Defense: A traditional man to man team, this seasons Jena roster will have a powerful and physical front line and quick and athletic backcourt. The size in the paint will be an excellent benefit for their team. Expect a strong defensive unit able to shut down opponents.
Key Players:
Auten Rowland 6'2 ballskilled point/smooth/3range
Ronnie Taylor 6'2 scoring combo guard/3 range /talented
Lars Buss 6'9 lefty post/ strong and physical/experienced
Oliver Braun 6'10 veteran inside scorer/ skilled/ seals well
Alex Seggelke 6'6 scoring 3/ w Bayer Leverkusen last yr
Gregor Linke 6'8 physical post/ inside-outside guy
Ingo Stein 6'4 reserve combo guard/ added from Barnim
Micha Zlotowski 6'5 big wing/ 3pt shooter/runs and rebounds
Robert Cardenas 6'6 versatile athlete/ 4-3 man/great D
Offense: often playing "small ball" with an undersized 4 man, Bayreuth likes to use "Flex" actions with several options helping free up their players for jumpshots or diagonal screens for post ups. This season Quannas White will direct the attack. He will enjoy the luxury of setting up plays with staggered double screens for Icelandic shooter Logi Gunnarson. They try to push the ball and run. Griffin is relentless on the offensive boards.
Defense: Mixing man to man and zone, Bayreuth often shows a 3-2 when in zone. An aggressive, hardworking unit, Bayreuth features several long, lanky wings which makes them good in passing lanes. Grubler and Griffin will be a physical combination on the block in post D.
Key Players:
Quannas White 6'1 leader/strong PG/good D/can post up
Logi Gunnarson 6'3 explosive Icelandic scorer at 2 spot
Brandon Griffin 6'10 Inside presence/ skilled big man
Lars Grubler 6'10 physical big man/ from Leverkusen last yr
Dominic Zimmermann 6'1 smart point/ runs team/3range
Christoph Tetzner 6'5 big wing/ 3range/likes to post
Sebastian Hanel 6'6 3pt threat/ lanky scorer/ improving
Sebastian Schoch 6'5 aggressive/ driver/ rebounder
Johannes Schlamminger 6'2 worker/ strong defender/
Offense: Chemnitz runs simple set plays using screen the screener options. The 99ers also will backscreen for ballscreeners on the wing. Chemnitz likes to push the ball in transition and have plenty of good three point threats. The strengths of the 99ers this season look to be the American backcourt of Harris and Doubley. Newcomer Mirko Virijevic adds a nice athletic dimension to the Chemnitz frontcourt. Carl Mbassa and Vladi Diatchenko add depth and experience.
Defense: Chemnitz will mix defenses playing man to man while also using both 2-3 and 3-2 zones. They will also play a 1-2-2 halfcourt trap called "X". Head Coach Torsten Loibl and new assistant coach Mike Smith have helped the team refocus on improved defensive play and Chemnitz looks to be among top teams in the league this season.
Key Players:
Jaivon Harris 6'5 lefty/athletic combo guard/slasher/3range
David Doubley 6'3 skilled combo guard from U of Pacific
Carl Mbassa 6'4 strong perimeter defender/relentless reb.
Mirko Virijevic 6'6 athletic Icelandic 4/3 man
Andreas Worenz 6'5 perimeter shooting threat from 3spot
Avi Kazarnovksy6'10 athletic big man with soft touch
Christian Klink 6'10 lefty post/3 range/ improving post game
Soren Schacht 6'4 perimeter sub/ 3range/ smart player
Vladi Diatchenko 6' backup PG/veteran from K'slautern
Offense: Running in transition, Kaiserslautern revolves around their import backcourt Tamien Trent and Derek Robinson. Trent has big shoes to fill after the departure of Austen Rowland who had an excellent impact for the Red Devils last season. Trent has shown an ability to score big in the preseason so he is off to a great start. Big men David Arigbabu and Stuart Robbins are physical in the paint and make up one of the best front court combinations in the league. Swingman Michael Skender is a tough matchup because of his size and versatility. Backup guard Florian Moysich is a skilled three point marksman.
Defense: Kaiserslautern is a physical defensive team that will extend the floor usually using a 2-2-1 press into zone. A strong rebounding team, the Red Devils take advantage of the excessive size of their front line with Robbins, Arigbabu and Skender. Head Coach Stephan Seile always has his team ready to play and compete and after last season's rise up the league standings, Kaiserslautern should compete among the top teams this season.
Key Players:
Tamien Trent 6'2 outstanding scoring point/need production
Derek Robinson 6'2 shooting guard
Stuart Robbins 6'10 physical post/ inside scorer/ strong
Michael Skender 6'5 versatile 3man/ 3range/ runs floor
Florian Moysich 6'1 backup point/excellent 3pt shooter
David Arigbabu 6'9 big physical solid skill/ keystone at 4
Daniel Daccarett 6'8 rookie German big man from Boston U
Offense: Heidelberg continues their tradition of strong american point guards signing Emanuel Dildy out of Eastern Illinois to run the show. Scoring swing man Maurice Linton was also added this offseason. A structured offensive team, Heidelberg runs their set plays effectively and love to set screens for their shooters. This season, those screens will be extra effective with the addition of sharpshooting Canadian Tom McChesney who was with Karlsruhe in the Bundesliga last season. Familiar faces Jurgen Maassmann (healthy after an injury plagued 2004-2005) and Armin Leber will man the middle.
Defense: Heidelberg plays mostly man to man but will play their "2 fist" zone and likes to press (1-2-1-1) trapping the inbound pass after free throws. Always a strong defensive team, Heidelberg will play with the top level teams in the 2.League south this season.
Key Players:
Emmanuel Dildy playmaking point/ continues USC tradition
Maurice Linton athletic scoring wing/
Tom McChesney 6'3 top 3pt shooter/w Karlsruhe last year
Jurgen Maassmann 6'7 wide body/ spins or Rt J hook in post
Armin Leber 6'6 athletic forward/ 3range/ rebounds hard
Tobi Stoll 6' firey point/ pushes ball/ works D/ Langen last yr
Christian Birkenfeld 6'8 skilled post player/ injured
Kestutis Rimas 6'3 thin 3pt shooter/ young
Oliver Komarek perimeter sub/ worker/ shows improvement
Offense: Head Coach Zoltan Nagy revamped his roster making several key improvements this season. A new backcourt featuring athletic combo guard Cedric Brooks and heady team leader Mario Probst will give Nordlingen a solid base to work from. Skilled center Kevin Hanson, signed from Langen adds an inside presence while Mario Matic brought in from Bayreuth brings a hardworking rebounding force to the team. The coup was signing swing man Dominique Kleine who will add versatilty. Shooter Jurica Puljic returns to add another weapon but depth could be a factor.
Defense:Hardworking and changing defense has been trademarks of the Nordlingen teams the last few seasons. This year, the team will be more mobile and athletic but with only two true big men, foul problems for Hanson and Matic could turn into major matchup problems unless another big man is added into the year.
Key Players:
Cedric Brooks 6'1 super athletic scoring combo guard
Jurica Puljic 6'2 excellent 3pt shooter/ looks to score
Mario Probst 6'1 skilled point/3pt shooter/team leader
Kevin Hanson 6'10 C scoring big man/with Langen last yr.
Mario Matic 6'8 PF physical and aggressive/hardworking 4
Dominique Kleine 6'5 athletic 3/ slashing driver/ solid D
Milan Ostojic 6'4 3pt shooter
Robert Apelt 6'7 post runs floor/works on boards
Offense: Dr Ivan Vojtko runs a simple system that allows his players to make plays. This years Freiburg team will be run by triggerman Babes Douloudis at the point. A skilled athletic penetrator, Douloudis likes the uptempo and is good off ballscreens. Perimeter shooting should also be improved with the addition of Peter Holubek and the return of Nils Menck. American big men Dave Gardner and Brian Atkins add physical inside presence.
Defense: A hardworking and competitive team, Freiburg will play strong man to man defense and fight for every inch of the floor. Dr Vojtko has been extremely successful coaching in Germany helping both Oldenburg and Karlsruhe to 2.League titles and Freiburg has taken steps forward this season.
Key Players:
Babes Douloudis athletic penetrating point/
Dave Gardner 6'10 physical inside post from Ivy league Dartmouth
Brian Atkins 6'8 hardworking 4 man/ physical banger
Nils Menck 6'5 shooter/ playing well in preseason
Peter Holubek new addition/ shooting wing/ drills threeballs
Kostas Karamatskos strong combo guard/ hardworking defender
Bojan Atanasoski Swedish youth national team member
Jef Thomsce 6'5 lefty 3pt threat/ smart
Christoph Roquette 6'6 back up big man
Phillip Friedel 6' backup guard
Offense: Head Coach Keith Gray, hired this summer, has assembled a strong team for the COOCOON Baskets Weiden rookie season in the 2.League South. Offensively, expect power forward Damian Matacz to emerge as one of the best big men in the league. Americans Elijah Warren and Justin Hall are solid players with a versatile set of skills. Both can create their own shot and play multiple positions. Veteran power forward Darrell Mickens returns to the 2.League South adding an inside-outside weapon and Robert Dill moves from Langen to Weiden for the new year. Point guard Marco Grimaldi has suffered through some injuries in the preseason but will add a new dimension when at full strength. The team played a challenging preseason schedule and should be a surprise in the league this year.
Defense: Defensively, Weiden showed mostly man to man in the preseason but also worked in some basic zone defenses. The team is constructed well enough to have competed with several Bundesliga teams including an upset win over Nurnberg. Look for Weiden to be strong especially at home.
Key Players:
Elijah Warren 6'4 versatile inside-out scorer/can handle and post
Damian Matacz 6'9skilled big man/ among league's best post players.
Darrell Mickens 6'6 physical post/3range/veteran 4 man
Justin Hall athletic wing can handle, shoot and create
Robert Dill 6'8 lanky shooting forward joins team from Langen
Marco Grimaldi 6'1 tough point guard recovering from injury
Offense:New Head Coach Frankie Ignatovic inherited Deutsche Bank Skyliners prospects Alex King and Sebastian DeMello immediately making his offensive team strong. King is an athletic wing who can run, rebound, post up and slash while DeMello is a skilled combo guard who can create his own shot. American point Ty Harrelson has been impressive at running the team and big men Sebastian Adeberg, American Matthew Elder and Koray Karaman give the Giraffes variety inside. Shooter Sebastian Barth also returns for another productive season in Langen. Expect a much impoved offensive team that can shoot and score points in Langen this season.
Defense: The athleticism and depth have been improved with the Skyliner prospects coming to Langen. Aside from King, an excellent defender, another interesting young defensive wing is Mike Baron who works hard on both ends. Big man Adeberg is phyiscal and point man Harrelson looks smart and solid. Langen will be very competitive this season and stablity in the coaching seat will only make them more effective.
Key Players:
Alex King 6'5 athletic wing/ top young prospect/ slasher
Sebastian De Mello 6'1 skilled scoring combo gd/ 3 range
Ty Harrelson 6'1 floor general/ makes teammates better
Matthew Elder 6'9 new American post/ hardworking
Sebastian Adeberg 6'7 physical in-out/good rebounder/posts
Sebastian Barth 6'2 3pt threat/ looks to score
Koray Karaman 6'8 3pt shooting post/ rebounds
Mike Baron 6'2 athletic wing/aggressive/good defender
Tobias Jahn 6'10 young C fresh from US high school
Lotola Otshumbe 6'6 athletic foward/runs and rebounds
Jirko Stiller reserve forward
Mirko Damjanovic 6'8 3pt shooting 4man
MTV STUTTGART
Offense: Surprise "Aufstieger" from the 3rd divison, MTV Stuttgart has begun to contruct a competitive team with excellent veterans Radi Tomasevic and Kresimir Miksa who both helped Tubingen move up two seasons ago. Perimeter shooting will be plentiful for Stuttgart who feature Thomas Klemm (Bayern Munich last yr), Tomasevic and Miksa for marksmanship. Inside, Peter Huber Saffer signs from Bundesliga Bonn and adds immediate scoring ability in the paint. With a few more players, Stuttgart could be a second surprise newcomer to the 2.Bundesliga South.
Defense: Because Stuttgart has built its roster with players who played roles with other teams, the unit is extremely eager for the opportunity to play almost like hungry players move to an expansion team for the chance to play a bigger role. Expect Stuttgart to mix man and zone defenses and find ways to hide certain defensive weaknesses.
Key Players:
Thomas Klemm 6'5 lefty 3pt shooter/will post and rebound
Radi Tomasevic 6' lefty skilled scorer/ vet big game player
Kresimir Miksa 6'2 veteran perimeter/ smart /good shooter
Peter Huber Saffer 6'9 extremely skilled inside scorer/ Telekom Bonn
Thomas Lieschke big man who will help
Radisa Zdravkovic joins Stuttgart from Jena
Offense: Head Coach Arne Alig returns a veteran group to Crailsheim with a few key changes. Basing the offense around skilled big man Lucian Kieser, the Merlins recently replaced injured Matt Marincheck with Milan Azanjac who unfortunately suffered a shoulder injury. Together, Kieser and Azanjac will be a physical front line with ability to score inside. New point guard Sebastian Kling joins Crailsheim from Bayern Munich and the young playmaker should improve the teams transition game and defense. Igor Starcevic and Philip Wildermuth will handle much of the teams perimeter shooting and veteran Willie Young can help keep the unit together. Crailsheim keeps their offense simple with a handful of basic set plays.
Defense: Mostly a man to man team, the Merlins will change to zone every once in a while. Not likely to press or trap, Crailsheim plays things conservatively and emphasizes a physical man to man game. Interestingly, Alig, a former head coach in Lich, has brought in Kieser, Young and Azenjac who all played in Lich.
Key Players:
Sebastian Kling 6'2 quality young PG/ aggressive driver
Lucian Kieser 6'10 skilled post scorer/ works on boards
Philip Wildermuth 6'5 3pt shooter/
Willie Young 6'3 ballskilled combo guard
Igor Starcevic 6'5 shooting wing
Michael Heck 6'4 lefty 3pt shooter/drives left
Fabian Spindler 6'8 physical post man/ worker/ defender
Milan Azenjac 6'8 widebody post man/physical/
Thomas Simon 6'2 hardworking bench player
Offense: Head coach Dejan Kostic must replace major production with the departure of Americans Ryan DeMichael and Nigel Moore. Lich uses fundamental team sets looking for ball reversal, screening in the post and hi-low situations. Double screens for three point shooters and unselfish role players make Lich a challenging opponent. The team will depend on Peter Strobl, Danny Boticki and Reggie Golson throughout the season. Klassen is a solid shooter and Scholz a hardworking point.
Defense: Physical, strong rebounding post men and hardworking ballpressuring perimeter players keep Lich in every game. They favor man to man defense.
Key Players:
Jan Peter Prasuhn hardworking perimter player
Reggie Golson great rebounding athlete/ S.E.MO. St
Peter Strobl top Austrian player new to team
Rolf Scholz 6' hardworking point guard/pressures ball on D
Danny Boticki impact player for Lich
Patrick Unger hardworking team player
Viktor Klassen6'2 3pt shooter/uses screens well
Daniel Dorr 6'7 skilled post/ soft touch 18'/
Sebastian Koenhert moves to Lich from Kronberg
Johannes Lischke Lich developmental product
Offense: Young but talented, Breitengussbach runs simple effective sets parent club "Bamberg" has run in the Bundesliga for years. An excellent team for developing players, products like Sajmen Hauer have made great strides. The front court of Frost and Boxler will be an excellent combination taking much pressure of the young backcourt. Captain Henrik Gese is a fixture in the lineup give great effort and providing a perimeter threat.
Defense: Looking to develop young players, Breitengussbach keeps their game plan simple playing mostly man to man with some 2-3 zone.
Key Players:
Tim Frost 6'10 C skilled scorer capable of big production
Brian Boxler 6'10 C USA big man from Iserlohn in 2.L North
Henrik Gese 6'5 3pt shooter/ plays hard
Max Weber 6'7 big wing prospect/ 3range
Sajmen Hauer 5'10 young PG/skilled/ developing
Philip Schumm 6'3 hardworking guard/ 3 range/aggressive
Felix Ferner 5'10 point/ young/ distributor/ works on D
Ray Hasler new big man backup for Frost and Boxler
Sebastian Betz combo guard from bench
Michael Schroeder 6'8 new forward from Gottingen
Alexej Bodnar young wing
Adam Radomirovic combo gd/ exp. from Bamberg/Hagen
Domonic Schneider young wing
Offense: Basic sets using ballscreens, backscreens for post men and vertical zipper cuts help the young Steeples stay organized. Head coach Ralph Junge must replace departed Americans Jeff Gibbs and Mark Bigelow. The Steeples need production from Daryl Williams and Terrence Chapman. Top young guards Nicolai Simon and Lucca Staigger will again be featured in the offense.
Defense: Ehingen will play majority man to man but show aggressive and passive full court presses ("fire" and "ice"). Depth is an issue especially in the front court.
Key Players:
Nicolai Simon 6'1 quality young point/ excellent 3pt shooter
Lucca Staigger 6'1 top young guard/ 3 range
Daryl Williams 6'5 Armstrong Atlantic St rookie wing
Terrence Chapman 6'6 Ball St post player
Fabian Boeke 6'9 young post man
Christian Strenge 6'9 young post man
Patrick Horstmann 6'7 F U18 German Nat. team
Marco Buljevic German U18 national team player
Frank Wiseler guard from Luxemburg youth National team
Frank Fortunat young guard
WURZBURG
Offense: Putting together their team extremely late, not much is known about Wurzburg's 2005-2006 2.Bundesliga South team. After suffering through legal issues, the team has added only big man Bugry Steinbach, athletic forward Keli Ekoemoye and player/assistant coach Maurice Newby. Two high level American players could make this team competitive immediately so personnel is extremely important. It will be a few weeks into the season before a good read on Wurzburg is accurate. It will be interesting to see how much offseason distractions and depression from relegation hang over the new Wurzburg unit.
Defense:
Key Players:
Burkhard Steinbach6'1 wide post/limited O/physical big man
Kelubia Ekoemeye 6'7 athletic 3man/ driver/rebounder
Edwin Offori-Attah 6'4 scoring athlete/ William & Mary guy
(holds NC HS single game scoring record)
Maurice Newby 6'3 player/asst coach/14ppg Cuxhaven 2005
Christian Goetz 6'2 Wurzburg product
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