ratiopharm ulm will meet the reigning German champions and cup winners ALBA Berlin next Sunday in front of their own crowd. Tip-off in the ratiopharm arena is at 7 p.m.
“Offensive spectacle” is the motto of an eventful Wednesday evening in the ratiopharm arena. The victory in the 7DAYS EuroCup against Bourg en Bresse is a pointer towards the competition. Without the two centers Sagaba Konate and Nicolas Bretzel, the team burned off an offensive firework against the leaders of the group and had already cracked the 60-point mark at the break. “The win showed that we can win even with a weak substitute and in the underdog role. That gives us a certain amount of self-confidence for the tasks ahead,” says Robin Christen. And top scorer Yago Dos Santos is also given the all-clear: “Thanks to the MRI, we can rule out a major injury, but we still have to wait and see whether he can play on Sunday,” explains his coach Anton Gavel.
Nevertheless, the coaching team around the head coach continues to face personnel problems: “Of course it’s unfavorable that we have personnel worries in the run-up to a game like this. But that is part of it and we know how to deal with it.”
There is new support from someone who already proved his qualities on Wednesday. New signing Brandon Paul found its way into Ulm’s system without a long start-up period: “In addition to his scoring, Brandon gives the team a lot of experience and stability. He is already in lively contact with his teammates on and off the field. An additional leadership role that we wished for,” says the head coach. After one shot on the shootaround, the shooter posted 14 points and two rebounds in 12 minutes against Bourg en Bresse. Paul himself puts the team performance in the foreground: “The team made it very easy for me to find my feet. We played with focus and hit our shots effectively. I would like to support our young team with my experience and mentality.” The 31-year-old has played with and against a number of ALBA players in the past and knows about their quality: “They are not reigning champions for nothing. It’s going to be a tough game, but we’ll give our all on Sunday in front of our own fans.”
With a lot of travel stress, but the necessary depth of the squad
After the recent duels at Virtus Bologna and AS Monaco, ALBA Berlin travels to their third game in five days on Sunday. However, nothing new for the reigning German champions, which is why the squad is again heavily manned this year. Almost the entire team could be retained, the departure of Oscar da Silva was compensated for by the Italian top talent Gabriele Procida and the New Zealand center Yanni Wetzell. In addition to top scorer Jaleen Smith (13.7 points), the two bronze medal winners Maodo Lo (11.0) and Johannes Thiemann (11.6) are also in excellent shape. With a balance of 8-1, the Albatrosses are in second place in the BBL table and are therefore continuing to work on the mission of defending their title. The best rebounding team in the league (39.7) can also rely on Tamir Blatt (6.5 ace) and Luke Sikma (5.6 ace) with their pass qualities.
Head coach Anton Gavel: “We’re talking about the current German champions. An important factor is continuity in the squad. As a result, they are very well-rehearsed, which was shown recently against Bayreuth, when they caught up 15 points behind in the end. ALBA acts excellently in moments of transition, knows how to defend and, above all, how to win. Despite their double burden in the EuroLeague, it will be a difficult game for us.”
