TAYLORHOOPS.COM ULM UPDATE
ULM tips off 2005-2006 with double header weekend!
ratiopharm Ulm tips off the 2005-2006 season with an exciting double-header weekend playing at Langen Saturday night before returning home to host Nordlingen Monday evening at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Head Coach Mike Taylor and his team look to start the season strong after making excellent progress through a challenging preseason. Combining teamwork with enthusiasm and effort, Ulm has produced a positive synergy and prepared for the demanding season ahead. Enjoy these Taylorhoops Game Previews and follow the Ulm team all season long!
Saturday October 1st, 2005
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ratiopharm Ulm tips off the 2005-2006 2.Bundesliga South season this Saturday night with a road trip to meet the TV Langen Giraffes 730pm at Georg-Sehring-Halle just east of Frankfurt Germany. New Langen coach Frankie Ignatovic takes over a Langen team extremely pleased to return as a farm team for the Bundesliga Frankfurt Skyliners. Last season the Giraffes finished 10-20 but remained steady in the 2.Bundesliga as is their tradition. Revamping their roster, Langen welcomes several important new players to the team including star Skyliner small forward prospect Alex King, smooth scoring guard Dominik De Mello and American guard Ty Harrelson and big man Matt Elder. King split time last season between the Skyliners (2.3ppg) and MTV Kronberg where he showed flashes of high level talent and athleticism. DeMello, an excellent perimeter player, joins the Giraffes after successful stints with Bonn and Rhondorf. A clever American combo guard, Ty Harrelson plays an unselfish style and has impressed his new team after a college career that included stops at Wayland Baptist and Cameron University. Meanwhile, new American big man Matt Elder has shown skill inside and intelligent play in the preseason. Athletic German wing Mike Baron attacks in transition, crashes the glass and works hard defensively since joining the Giraffes from his US college stint Hawaii Pacific and Langen welcomes back a familiar face at the four spot as Mirko Damjanovic returns to the team after spending last season in Kaiserslautern. Veteran big man Koray Karaman, a three point shooting center, and physical post Sebastian Adeberg provide continuity in the paint and shooting guard prospect Sebastian Barth returns ready to take the next steps in his game. Overall, opponents should expect TV Langen to be much improved with the addition of the new coach, new players and re-newed relationship with the Skyliners. Last season ratiopharm Ulm split games with the Giraffes winning 104-75 at Sportszentrum Kuhberg January 9, 2005 before dropping an 81-69 decision April 23, 2005 in Langen. Ulm enters the game at full strength after a strong preseason. Point guard Martin Thuesen is fully integrated with the Ulm systems after working extremely hard to pick things up in practice during the week.
SCOUTING REPORTS
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain leads team into new season
Jonathan Levy: exciting athlete with team first game
Jeff Gibbs: powerful big man adds skill and toughness
Maksym Shtein: Outstanding preseason/MVP of Michelin Cup
Martin Theusen: integrated with team after success with Denmark!
Christian Grosse: made great strides in preseason at PG
Florian Mobius: key post sub for Ulm will have important minutes
Jan Sprunken: super team player/ important perimeter threat
Antonis Sivorotka: young post grasping system
Benni Gulde: young guard developing daily with hardwork
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
Monday October 3rd, 2005
VS.
Monday October 3rd is a Holiday in Germany celebrating the Unification of East and West Germany and the fall of the Berlin wall in 1990. Due to the holiday, tip off time will be 6pm at Sportszentrum Kuhberg in Ulm. Ulm swept the meetings last season winning 104-88 December 12,2004 in Ulm and 81-92 April 9, 2005 in Nordlingen. Lasy year, Nordlingen finished the season 11-19 after suffering through a 9 game losing streak miseason. Head Coach Zoltan Nagy cleaned house re-signing one player with significant minutes from the season before, shooting guard Juric Puljic. A new lineup has Nordlingen entering the season with new excitement. Nagy made a great move signing skilled center Kevin Hanson who 19.3ppg and 8.9reb for Langen last year. He inked physical forward Mario Matic. a veteran who averaged 7points and 5reb a game in Bayreuth. In the backcourt, Nordlingen added experienced combo guard Mario Probst who has been successful in the 2.Bundesliga South with Jena and Bayern Munich. Struggling through an injury plagued season, expect Probst to be recovered and playing at a high level once again this season. Joining Probst in the backcourt, American guard Cedric Brooks makes his debut. An explosive and athletic combo guard, Brooks and Probst can play both guard positions effectively giving Nagy options in the backcourt. Finally, a key signing for Nordlingen will be German small forward Dominique Kliene who completed his NCAA career at Campbell University last spring. Kleine brings improved athleticism and experience to the Nordlingen lineup and is looking to make a mark in the league. Nordlingen recently signed another backup big man for depth as they open their 2005-2006 season at home against a strong USC Heidelberg team. A new-look to the team should result in positive strides forward for Nordlingen this season. Directly compared with Ulm, interesting matchups look to be at the Center position between Maksym Shtein and Kevin Hanson. Although Shtein is the far more experienced player, Hanson has the confidence of a solid game against Ulm while with Langen late last season. Meanwhile, on the perimeter, two matchups should be watched. First, the battle between American guards Jonathan Levy of Ulm and Cedric Brooks of Nordlingen should be exciting because of the excellent athleticism both players possess. Next, a major question for Nordlingen will be how rookie forward Dominique Kleine plays against Ulm's Emeka Erege, considered one of the top small forwards in the league. Finally, a major advantage for Ulm could be power forward Jeff Gibbs as he will be a difficult matchup for the Nordlingen front line which could be limited by depth.
SCOUTING REPORTS
Emeka Erege: Ulm captain excited to play in front of home fans
Jonathan Levy: triple threat offensive player: J, drive, post
Jeff Gibbs: powerful post is relentless on boards
Maksym Shtein: excellent C matchup with Kevin Hanson
Martin Theusen: crafty playmaker looks to Ulm home debut!
Christian Grosse: was recruited by Nordlingen this offseason
Florian Mobius: has played well against Nordlingen past seasons
Jan Sprunken: instant offense off the bench with Jan's J!
Antonis Sivorotka: young post ready to add depth
Benni Gulde: young guard
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
Follow all the fast breaking ratiopharm Ulm basketball action all season long on Taylorhoops.com!
GO ULM!
MIKE T
