All good and sometimes less pleasant things come to an end sometime like the wild baby hit me one more time days of American singer Britney Spears before becoming a mom, actor Jaleel White famous for his whining line “Did I do that” from his days at the sitcom Family matters to finally getting some respect at age 34 for a new sitcom called “Love that girl” or Alba Berlin losing their seven year Beko BBL champion title run in 2004 to the hands of Bamberg. On December 9^th ratiopharm Ulm will move into the new ratiopharm arena across town in Neu-Ulm and will depart from the Kuhberg Halle which had a small like American style high school gym where the loudness and fan presence near the court will always be remembered. With the good play of ratiopharm Ulm perhaps the team should think twice about leaving the loved Kuhberg halle. “I feel very good in this gym, but I am sure that we will feel good in the new arena as well”, smiled ratiopharm Ulm headcoach Thorsten Leibenath. Young Skyliner Danilo Barthel has had a great season so far, but found himself with a big DNP, but still had memories of the Kuhberg Halle. “I always had good games here with the NBBL teams, but never played in front of so many people as tonight. If they can get an atmosphere in the new arena like here then that should be good”, commented Skyliner forwar Danilo Barthel. For Skyliner Jon Leuer, he was more used to playing 15,000 NCAA arenas, but liked the high school gym atmosphere. It was a very small gym and the fans were really in to it. It would have been nice if we had won, but I am glad that I am not coming back”, expressed Jon Leuer.

The Fraport Skyliners entered the Kuhberg Halle having a less than satisfactory 2-3 record since ratiopharm arrived in the Beko BBL in 2006 and wanted to leave the small place with their first win as the Fraport Skyliners and somehow escape being trampled by the Incredible Hulk John Bryant and getting flooded by the waves of the surfer dude look alike Dane Watts, but returned back to Frankfurt with their second loss in a row with a bitter 85-79 loss in the last minute. After the game new coach Thorsten Leibenath had a grin as wide as three Michael Hakim Jordans put together and didn´t need to give difficult analyse about why ratiopharm Ulm won. “We hit tough three pointers all night long and were very consistent at the free throw line which helped us win a close game like this. We also won the rebounding”, stressed ratiopharm Ulm head coach Torsten Leibenath. The Fraport Skyliners played a lot better than again Bonn, but were missing that added luck and making the big play down the stretch. “We couldn´t execute our offense at the end or get the needed stops. Dane Watts hit two tough running shots at the end”, stressed Skyliner guard Justin Gray.

(more…)

The Beko BBL have had many strong 4/5 combo punches the last years like Hines/Pleiss in Bamberg, Fenn/Boumtje Boumtje in Artland or now with Allen/Francis in Berlin, but if you happen to see a white incredible hulk and surfer dude look a like Jeff Spicolli from classic 80s movie Fast Times At Rindgemount high making the paint area in the Kuhberg gym a stomping ground misery situation for opponents with a likely wreckage and totally awesome cries after a block, then it wont be the two fictional characters from TV, but Americans John Bryant and Dane Watts going about their business and just playing the game that they love. Bryant was one of the most effective players in the Beko BBL last season playing 34 games: 14.6ppg, Reb-1(10.9rpg), 1.1apg, Blocks-2(1.5bpg), FGP: 60.4%, FT: 74.2%. He was one of the top centers in the league and was never a pleasant opponent to have. Dane Watts has belonged to the top power forwards the last years last season playing for the Walter Tigers Tuebingen playing 33 games: 13.7ppg, Reb-4(7.6rpg), 1.1apg, 1.2spg, FGP: 57.9%, 3PT: 36.7%, FT: 54.5%. Watts however always seems to have been a bit underrated possibly because he never played for a playoff team. “They are a great combo and they compliment each other very well. Bryant does a good job controlling the middle on both ends and watts is a great inside outside guy who does well at both ends of the court as well. If I had to describe them from a movie it would be Paul Bunyon and I cant think of one for Dane Watts. They complement each other very well and both are very talented players. They both do so much for that team and if you look how affective both of them and go by what they are doing so far, then yes they could be one of best 4/5 combos in league”, warned TBB Trier guard John Bynum.

(more…)

After The Deutsche Bank Skyliners witnessed a combination of a seemingly huggable teddy bear and the curliness of Seth Rogens hair in John Bryant 9 days ago in Ulm where he showed more the banging fierceness of Shaq lost in the Kuhberg arena without his Kazaam DVD than the shyness of a Dwight Howard after missing a pregame meal and not being effective as the gang of Gordon Herbert wanted to extend their unbeaten streak in the Ballsporthalle to 11games and were as focused to halt John Bryant and Ratiopharm Ulm in their tracks like American rapper Gucci Mane was too shock the world with an ice cream tattoo on his cheek, Dallas Mavericksowner Mark Cuban suing The United Football League for not repaying a loan and Borussia Dortmund staring off the second half of the Fussball Bundesliga with a win against Bayer Leverkusen. It wasnt pretty at the end, but Frankfurt was able to win again at home with a 7-0 run at the end and didn´t let John Bryant dominate again like in Ulm. “We used our home court advantage well tonight. It is never easy to stop Bryant and the best you can do is slow him down. Bryant will play well anyway, but we were able to shave his totals from Ulm from 22and 12 to 9 and 13”,stressed current BEKO BBL top  scorer Dashaun Wood. Despite the loss, Ratiopharm Ulm coach Mike Taylor was pleased with the way his boys played and sees  a few things that can be corrected especially in crunch time. “We need to grow and execute better at the end of games. Guys still get excited and make mistakes. There are little fine details that the team is missing for example on the last play as Bryant was double teamed on the lob pass and Guenther didnt go to the wing to improve the passing lane. Its small things that cost us games. We need to approach game winning possessions in the fourth quarter like fourth quarter game winning possessions and not like first quarter possessions”, warned Ratiopharm coach Mike Taylor. “We got stops at the end on defense which was big. We can always improve on defense”, stated Skyliner Chris Moss. “We didnt use our chnaces at the end and we had enough of them. Mckinney hit a big three pointer. We have to make less mistakes at the end to be able to win”, warned German National player Robin Benzing.

(more…)

It is always a highlight when two professional sports teams can play against each other in a short span of time. Frankfurt and Ulm may be 290 kilometers apart in distance and more like an ICE train series then a subway series, but who could forget playoff series of the the shuttle series of the 90s between The Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees, the 80s west coast Hollywood-east coast beantown duels between the Los Angeles Lakers and The Boston Celtics or the subway series between The New York Yankees and New York Mets? The BEKO BBL has given the fans an early taste of what the 2011 playoff atmosphere might be like as teams have faced off against one another twice quite frequently recently as 8 time BEKO BBL champion Alba Berlin sweeped the MBC wolves right off their den patio within 72 hours, Phoenix Hagen and Alba Berlin meeting each other within 96 hours this week and The Deutsche Bank Skyliners will meet Ratiopharm Ulm for a second time within 218 hours. The many gatherings by separate BEKO BBL teams seem as frequent as Lionel Messi had to say gracias this week for being named best player 2010 or Peyton Manning have to hear the last days “why did it end already this season for the Colts”? MBC didn’t learn from their loss in Berlin and will it be an advantage for Frankfurt to play so quickly against Ratiopharm Ulm again? “It should be an advantage for Frankfurt. Frankfurt is aware what Ulm did well and you also know what they didn’t do so well in the short time span and can adjust better. It also gives the coaches a better way of preparing when there is such a tight span of time in between”, stressed TBB Trier guard John Bynum. You cant really call Frankfurt-Ulm a special distance name besides possibly the ICE series, but you could also call Alba Berlin-New Yorker Phantoms Braunschweig an ICE series, but John Bynum has his special series favorites from back home. “It was always fun watching the Sacremento Kings-Los Angeles Lakers or Miami Heat-New York Knicks and you could never go wrong watching the Lakers and Celtics, but there are not too many more close distance rivalaries going on unless your talking college sports”, explained John Bynum.

(more…)

The Deutsche Bank Skyliners want to start the new year 2011 with a win in Ulm, but will have to survive the always loud, zoo like pandemonium atmosphere of the Kuhberg arena, the same way actor Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie will have to hide on the Seychellen islands from Paparrazi on account of their so called wedding taking place, the way Celtic lovers have to cringe each time a report filters about Kevin Garnett suffering a near injury and he is a player the team cant afford to lose, the San Antonio Spurs and Brose Baskets Bamberg having to be prepared each game because their opponents want them to shoot out their lights or German ski jumper Martin Schmitt who has been as unproductive as a cock roach in the last years having to keep getting good results despite having lost his girl friend and not having a strong form. The Kuhberg arena can be described as a tiny high school gym with the atmosphere of  monsterous 14,000 patrons, yelling, cheering and influencing opponents free throws to die on the rim. It is a zoo like atmosphere that opponents would like to avoid and possibily rather stick their heads into a lions cage than having to enter the uncomfortable office of coach Mike Taylor. Alba Berlin was unable to escape the Kuhberg arena earlier in the season. Since Mike Taylor entered the BEKO BBL in 2006, he has a 49-26 record in the Kuhberg arena and no player likes to play there. “Well when I remember playing there it is just a tough place to play, the crowd is loud and it is a long trip to get down there as well. It is a tough arena to win in. The arena has a feel of its own. I have only played there one time while I was in Bremerhaven but we found a way to get a win, but it is a tough place to play in for sure”, warned ex Bremerhaven American John Bynum. “It is a tough place to play, because it gets loud and the fans get behind their team. It reminds me of a high school gym”, warned Phoenix Hagen guard Quentin Pryor. If an opponent is in any way able to block out the fans, then they still have to deal with a big menace patrolling the court and having the zone area be his feeding time where any one getting in his way might as well just avoid John Bryant from roaring them away. Bryant is the top center in the BEKO BBL scoring and rebounding in double figuers and has been about as difficult to stop as moving an elephant with your bear hands. Perhaps The Deutsche Bank Skyliners should place an electric fence around the rim to keep him away? “I think it could be vital for Frankfurt to put up an electric fence to survive. If that doesnt work then they may want to put up a police barricade at the edge of the zone”, joked Giessen 46er Jannik Freese. “With Dabbert gone, it will be more difficult to contain the big 130 kilo Bryant. I think the only way in which Frankfurt will be successful is if they put up a two man blockade in front of the basket to keep Bryant as far away from the rim as possible”, warned BBC Bayreuth forward Stefan Schmidt. “I am just glad I didnt have to guard him. He is a solid big guy and controls the boards, he is tough to keep off the glass and he is having an exceptional year”, stated TBB Trier guard John Bynum. “Bryant is a big problem down low. He isnt the most mobile, but he uses his strength well to get rebounds and cause problems”, commented Quentin Pryor.

(more…)