It is hard to imagine the BKT EuroCup without ratiopharm Ulm, which is making its ninth consecutive appearance in the competition and 11th overall. Ulm comes off a great season in which it won its first German League championship and reached the EuroCup Quarterfinals. It lost some key players, but Ulm's management, led by sports director and former coach Thorsten Leibenath, has found young and interesting players to keep the team competitive.
2023-24 Roster Rundown: ratiopharm Ulm
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4 Mins read
BACKCOURT
Juan Nunez and Georginho de Paula are set to split most of the minutes at point guard. In his second season with Ulm, Nunez is a unique talent, a pass-first playmaker with outstanding one-on-one skills. The club went to the Brazilian market again to find de Paula, an all-around guard with great athleticism and surprising rebounding skills, which is a perfect fit for head coach Anton Gavel's run-and-gun game. Seikou Sisoho Jawara is an intriguing prospect making his EuroCup debut, and Maximilian Langenfeld is set to fight for playing time.
Dakota Mathias is Ulm's main addition at shooting guard with the well-rounded and reliable Tommy Klepeisz as his backup. Mathias is a great shooter with unlimited range and good ballhandling skills. Ulm will rely on Alex Anigbata and Tobias Jensen to grow during the season and enter the team's rotation.
FRONTCOURT
Robin Christen and Karim Jallow should see most of the playing time at small forward. Christen is a tough defender and a three-point specialist. Jallow comes off a strong season and along with Christen and Klepeisz, is set to play a key veteran role despite being just 26. His explosiveness and physicality are key to his team's success. Pacome Dadiet is an intriguing prospect, a versatile swingman with great speed and coordination.
Dominican national team forward L.J. Figueroa offers versatility and physicality, help on the boards and the ability to score in many different ways. In his third season with Ulm, Philipp Herkenhoff is a stretch power forward with a very high basketball IQ which he uses to find advantages on offense. Trevion Williams arrives to be Ulm's main reference in the paint. He is a strong rebounder and a mobile big man. Nicolas Bretzel is back to offer post skills and a solid contribution in both paints.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Ulm is set to have an electric backcourt featuring Nunez and de Paula. At age 19, Nunez is one of the most interesting point guards in the continent who is starting for the mighty Spanish national team at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Nunez is a special talent who earned MVP honors at the 2022 U20 European Championships playing against opponents two years older than him. Earlier that year, he sat on Real Madrid's bench in the 2022 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Championship Game.
Nunez's passing skills and leadership set him apart, as well as his quick first step. He needs to improve his three-point shooting to become a complete player. Nunez shot 30.3% from downtown in the German League and 36.1% in the EuroCup last season. Practice makes perfect and Nunez has everything else needed to become a world-class guard: poise, character, talent and very special court vision.
OUTLOOK
Ulm has made it to the EuroCup Quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons. Despite its many roster changes and a tougher regular season, Ulm remains ambitious and can be expected to challenge for EuroCup glory. It has a deep, young backcourt ready to run the floor, and more experienced frontcourt players looking to help in many different ways. It may be one of the youngest (if not the youngest) teams in the competition, but Ulm will play fun-to-watch basketball. If you look back in basketball history, when a young team has fun on the court, good things can happen.