TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
VS 
CHRISTMAS GAME!
ratiopharm Ulm v Dusseldorf Giants
Sunday December 26th, 2010 5pm
Sportszentrum Kuhberg Ulm, Germany
Holidays and Basketball are a perfect combination. This season, ratiopharm Ulm plays host to Dusseldorf Giants Sunday December 26th in a special 'Christmas Game' at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. A tradition from earlier Bundesliga times in Ulm, bringing back the 'Christmas Game' is the perfect gift for basketball fans during the holiday time following family celebration. Reviving the 'Christmas Game' last season, Ulm enjoyed a 100-82 Holiday home win over Ewe Baskets Oldenburg. With tradition on their mind, ratiopharm Ulm is focused to make this final Christmas Game in Sportszentrum Kuhberg special.
Center John Bryant and ratiopharm Ulm host Dusseldorf in a special Christmas Game Sunday afternoon at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm!
This season the Beko Bundesliga teams will once again play the traditional 'Christmas Games'. For the teams, playing through the holidays rather than enjoying a Christmas break means connecting with a 'basketball family' over holidays when time with ones family at home is not possible. Recognizing the importance of family time and holidays, a game over Christmas is fantastic for the expected large home crowd but playing on the road can be difficult with the hassle of traveling during the holidays.
ratiopharm Ulm guard Rocky Trice leads the fast break against Dusseldorf in last seasons game at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm.
For ratiopharm Ulm, Sunday's game against Dusseldorf is the second of two home games which the team considers 'must win games'. After beating BBC Bayreuth 82-78 last Sunday, ratiopharm Ulm aims to earn their sixth win of the season. While Ulm is focused for improvement, Dusseldorf enters Sunday's matchup desperately fighting to climb out of the Bundesliga basement. The Christmas Game has more than holiday meaning for both teams.
ratiopharm Ulm post man Sean Sonderleiter hitting a fadeaway.
Dusseldorf's 2010-2011 team has been put together with a low budget as the Giants fought for survival last summer. Head coach Murat Didin, who enjoyed two tremendously successful stints with the Deutsche Bank Skyliners, signed on at Dusseldorf and has worked dilligently to rebuilt the team. DeAndre Haynes leads the attack from the point guard position and has produced 12.1ppg 4.7eb 3.9ast with Dusseldorf after playing last year in Paderborn. Jamaal Tatum averages 8.2ppg 3.1reb and 37% from three while playing strong defense. Olu Famutimi is the teams leading scorer at 13.2ppg 5.8reb and hitting 39% from three. Laimonas Kisielius contributes 6.4ppg 3.3reb while providing a perimeter threat from the front court and athletic center Rans Brempong (8ppg 4.5reb) brings energy and shot blocking to the paint. Dusseldorf features three point shooting threats Eric Vierneisel (4.4ppg 1.7reb 45% threes), Nikita Khartchenkov (43% threes) and Patrick Pope (5.6ppg 2.2reb 2.6ast). In the frontcourt, depth is provided by Joe Buck (2.7ppg 2.2reb). Bundesliga veteran Steven Wright has made an impact with the Giants while Dorian McDaniel and Patrick Wischnewski round out the roster.
ratiopharm Ulm forward Robin Benzing driving strong to the hoop.
Finishing in 17th place in 2009-2010, Dusseldorf was relegated out of the Bundesliga but returned to the Bundesliga this off-season with a wild card. Financial problems have plagued the Giants off the floor and once again the team battled adversity as 2010-2011 began. After dropping their first 8 games of the season, Dusseldorf took back to back wins beating MBC 69-67 November 21st in Dusseldorf before knocking off Hagen 86-58 November 27th in Hagen. Since improving to 2-8, Dusseldorf has lost their last three games falling 70-49 against Trier December 5th, losing 73-58 in Bonn December 11th and dropping an 88-66 home decision to EnBW Ludwigsburg December 19th. Sunday, the Giants will enter Sportszentrum Kuhberg fighting for a holiday win.
ratiopharm Ulm wing Sebastian Betz has given his team great energy throughout the season.
Although Dusseldorf has played only three seasons in the Bundesliga, the team has long and successful tradition from earlier times in Leverkusen. Last season, ratiopharm Ulm and Dusseldorf split games with each team winning on the opposing teams home court. Febuary 21st, 2010, Ulm edged Dusseldorf in an exciting game at Burg Wachter Costello.
One second can change a game. Trailing by one, 71-70 with 33 seconds to play, ratiopharm Ulm dug in for a Dusseldorf endline inbound play with one second remaining on the shot clock. In an instant, a deflection and loose ball recovered by Rocky Trice ignited an Ulm 2 on 1 fast break that Robin Benzing finished with a two hand slam giving Ulm a 72-71 lead with 18 seconds to play. Moments later it was rookie Robin Benzing cooly sinking two clutch free throws lifting Ulm to the hardfought victory. Coleman Collins was in top form leading Ulm's attack with 22 points 4 boards while Rocky Trice added a 17 point 10 rebound double double and Robin Benzing finished with 15 points including 7 in the last two minutes helping Ulm seal the win. A terrific team performance, Ulm showed their improvement and earned an important 'W' in Dusseldorf!
Click here for 2-21-10 Ulm @ Dusseldorf Game Summary!
ratiopharm Ulm's Coleman Collins was in top form Sunday Febuary 21st, 2010 against Dusseldorf scoring 22 points with several fantastic finishes and highlight slams!
In the first meeting between Ulm and Dusseldorf of 2009-2010, a 20-0 Dusseldorf run and 1 for 24 three point shooting frustrated ratiopharm Ulm in Friday night October 30, 2009 88-60 home debacle against the Dusseldorf Giants at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Holding a 40-38 late first half lead, several turnovers rattled ratiopharm Ulm as the young team lost their composure giving Dusseldorf a 50-40 halftime lead. Ulm's 0 for the second half three point shooting frustrated the young team as Dusseldorf ran away with the game in the second half.
Click here for 10-30-09 Ulm v Dusseldorf Game Summary!
ratiopharm Ulm's Per Gunther finishes a layup in the first half of Friday night October 30th, 2009 game against Dusseldorf at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Per scored 8 points with 2 assists in the loss.
click here for Box score 10-30-09
click here for regio-tv report from Dusseldorf game 10-30-09
click for 10-30-09 Ulm v Dusseldorf photo gallery from Sudwest Presse
Click for 10-30-09 Ulm v Dusseldorf photo gallery
In 2008-2009 matchup with Dusseldorf, former ratiopharm Ulm power forward Jeff Gibbs posted a physical 16 point 17 rebound double double while Sebastian Betz and the bench picked up for the absence of a flu-stricken Lee Humphrey in Ulm's hard-earned 76-67 home win over the Dusseldorf Giants Saturday night Febuary 7th, 2009 at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm.
Click for complete 2-7-09 Ulm v Dusseldorf Game Summary!
ratiopharm Ulm and Dusseldorf played an exciting and intensely competitive game in their first meeting of the season. ratiopharm Ulm's All Star Power Forward Jeff Gibbs scored the game winning basket with 8 seconds to play and the teams defense held on through the final buzzer in a thrilling 72-71 road win over Dusseldorf Giants Saturday night October 4th, 2008 at Burg-Wachter Costello Sportshalle in Dusseldorf Germany. The exciting game featuring two early season unbeaten teams played out as the tale of two halves with Ulm starting strong bursting to a 52-39 halftime lead and Dusseldorf answering with a tremendous second half surge. With 4 minutes remaining the game was tied at 66 and both teams had several opportunities to take the lead but failed to score for two minutes. Dusseldorf took a 71-68 advantage into the last minute of play but a strong Ulm defense, big baskets from Romeo Travis and Jeff Gibbs and a couple fortunate bounces helped Ulm earn the exciting road win. Ulm's All Star Power Forward Jeff Gibbs stuffed the stat sheet scoring 18 points, grabbing 20 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists and registering 3 blocks in a fantastic effort topped off with a fantastic finish!
click here for 10-4-08 Ulm @ Dusseldorf Game Summary!
In 2007-2008, ratiopharm Ulm and Bayer Leverkusen met for the final times on the floor before German pharmaceutical company Bayer stepped back as main sponsor in Leverkusen and the traditional basketball organization moved to nearby Dusseldorf. Ulm and Leverkusen split their games in 2007-2008. On March 24th, 2008, ratiopharm Ulm's 105-87 home win was the perfect remedy for the bitter pill of last seasons doule-overtime German Cup loss in Berlin which left everyone competitively-sick. Pharmaceutical products aside, ratiopharm Ulm's Easter Monday win gave the team and fans a 'Feel-good' performance to remember in taking a third straight Bundesliga win. In the last of the classic games between Pharmaceutical giants Bayer and ratiopharm, for Ulm, topping Leverkusen in a terrific team effort was good medicine.
Click here for Ulm v Leverkusen March 24, 2008 Game Summary!
Earlier last season on November 11th, 2007, ratiopharm Ulm went into Leverkusen and built a 14 point lead in the third quarter before Leverkusen's veteran shooter Tyron McCoy helped spark a comeback. With a strong fourth quarter, Leverkusen topped Ulm 87-77 in a fast-paced exciting game.
Click here for 11-11-07 Ulm @ Leverkusen Game Summary
In the 2006-2007 season, both teams protected their home floors in splitting the two head to head matchups. First, ratiopharm Ulm staged a tremendous comeback which was capped by Jonathan Levy's corner three pointer in the teams exciting 95-92 win at Sportszentrum Kuhberg Saturday November 25th. Click here for Game Summary. Later on in the season, Leverkusen used a fantastic three point shooting display from Brandon Woudstra in topping Ulm 89-84 Wednesday April 4th at Wilhelm Dopatka Halle. Click here for Game Summary After suffering through several significant injuries in the early season last year, Leverkusen got it together and marched right into the playoffs finishing the regular season in 7th place. During the playoffs, Ludwigsburg beat Leverkusen 3 games to 1.
ratiopharm Ulm captain Lee Humphrey directs the attack.
ratiopharm Ulm enters Sunday's game at full strength with a complete roster and momentum from last Sunday's home win over BBC Bayreuth. An important victory for the team, the win over Bayreuth pushed Ulm to 5-8 on the season and the team is focused for a strong performance against Dusseldorf for a homecourt Holiday win. John Bryant remains the Bundesliga's leading rebounder at 9.7 rebounds per game and also ranks as the most effective player in the Bundesliga with a rating of 19.9 according to league formula. Forward Robin Benzing has upped his scoring average to 14.1ppg placing him 9th in current league statistical ranking.
ratiopharm Ulm point guard Travis Walton
Spending the holidays away from home, ratiopharm Ulm will be togeher as a basketball family for Christmas 2010. Hosting an exciting 'Christmas Game', ratiopharm Ulm and fans look forward to holiday time together. Adding meaning to Sunday's day after Christmas matchup, Ulm tips off the final 'Christmas Game' at Sportszentrum Kuhberg.
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm Bundesliga Basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
TAYLORHOOPS.COM GAME NOTES
Ulm Roster
Lee Humphrey: captain ready for Christmas Game at Kuhberg.
Rocky Trice: impact player for Ulm on both ends of floor
Coleman Collins: enjoyed excellent games vs Dusseldorf last season
Robin Benzing: talented F voted starter at Bundesliga All Star game
Per Gunther: young pg named to All Star team for 2nd season
Sebastian Betz: hardworking wing brings energy to Ulm team
John Bryant: C leads Bundesliga in rebounding 9.7reb
Travis Walton: PG brings defense and leadership
Sean Sonderleiter: hardworking post man
Walt Baxley: wing providing depth
Michael Wenzl: young C playing role on team well
Christian Grosse: hardworking team player helping team daily
Head Coach: Mike Taylor
Asst Coach : Tunde Adekola
Location: Dusseldorf, Germany
Main Sponsor: GLORIA
Home Court: Burg-Wachter-Costello
website: www.giants-duesseldorf.de
2007-2008: 25-9 3rd place
2008-2009: 14-20 12th place
2009-2010: 8-26 17th place (relegated/wild card)
Offense: Featuring an uptempo attack, Dusseldorf relies on point guard DeAndre Haynes to run the show while Jamaal Tatum and Olu Famutimi provide offensive firepower from the perimeter. Rans Brempong plays with tremendous energy in the lane and runs the floor extremely well. As a team the Giants have perimeter skilled four men and will often use small lineups. Laimonas Kisielius, Eric Vierneisel and Nikita Khartchenkov are three point threats.
Defense: Coach Murat Didin will mix defenses playing a combination of man to man, zone and changing defenses. Dusseldorf aggressively plays passing lanes and pressures the basketball. Jamaal Tatum in particular is an excellent defensive guard.
Head Coach: Murat Didin
Players:
DeAndre Haynes: experienced PG a playmaker for Giants
Jamaal Tatum: excellent defensive guard for Dusseldorf
Olu Famutimi: outstanding scoring forward 13.2ppg 5.8reb 39% threes
Laimonas Kisielius: skilled perimeter forward
Rans Brempong: athletic, shot blocking energizing center
Eric Vierneisel: shooting forward hitting 45% from three
Patrick Pope: skilled shooting guard recently signed and making impact
Joe Buck: hardworking post man provides depth
Nikita Khartchenkov: sharpshooting wing hitting 43% threes
Steven Wright: veteran combo guard helping Giants attack
Patrick Wischnewski: 6-11 from three on the season
Dorian McDaniel: provides depth for Giants
