We were missing him for a long time, but now Robin Benzing arrived in Ulm. It`s been two years since I had met him the last time. He is a nice guy and so talented. He is very skilled for his size. Hard to believe. We were going hard in practice this week after we got back from Austria. Everybody was very focused and the pracitce was intense. I am very astonished how fast Robin picked up the all of our plays. I think we had the best practice on Thursday.

Everybody was fired up for our next test game against Bamberg at Saturday. It was war out there while we were playing five on five. No easy lay ups. Nothing. We were only nine guys thou, so Coach Olatunde (Tunde) was practicing with us and was playing on the young team. The young guys (Nermo, Darko, Michi, Tunde and Me) were competing well against our Stating Lineup. They got a little bit frustrated and Chris just threw me to the ground one time while I was trying to set a backscreen on him. He is strong. Didn´t expect to fall that hard. I liked that roughness though.

Unfortunately I twisted my ankle on the very next play, after I was trying to escape out of an double teeam trap close to the halfcourt division line. That was the first time something like that ever happened. I never twisted my ankle. But I got up and kept on playing in pain. I felt like it was a force, since we were just 10 guys and we couldn´t keep on playing five on five without me. The swelling of my ankle got even worse at night. I had to see the doctor. He told me that I am doubtful for the weekend. So I didn`t drive up to Bamberg. I did not hear a lot about the game, just that Chris twisted his ankle, too. It is like a team disease. Basti before the season, then Per, then John`s back issues, last week Lee, then me and now Chris. I hope that everybody gets healthy until the season starts. We do really need a lucky fairy or something similiar like that. We can really move mountains, if we are staying healthy!