Ty Harrelson is already on site and is working with Thorsten Leibenath on the team. There is also a new boss in Pro B.
The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) has scheduled the possible fifth final match for the German championship between Bayern Munich and Alba Berlin for Sunday, June 16. Ratiopharm Ulm can therefore only call themselves German champions for a little more than a week at most. The defending champions, who were defeated in the quarter-finals against Würzburg this time, have of course been planning for the new season for a long time. It is now clear that championship coach Anton Gavel is not the only one leaving Ulm for Bamberg. Baldur Ragnarsson, who was previously responsible for the Orange Academy team in the Pro B as coach, is also leaving. He is moving back to his homeland of Iceland. His successor is Florian Flabb.
The 32-year-old took over Düsseldorf’s Pro B team for the 2021/22 season, surprisingly promoted to the Pro A with them and managed to stay in the league. They parted ways at the beginning of January, and now Flabb is looking forward to his new challenge: “The opportunity to work with highly talented players in one of the most modern training centers in Europe made the decision very easy for me.”
The public focus is of course on the Bundesliga team, where Ty Harrelson was confirmed as Gavel’s successor at the end of March. The previous coach of Rasta Vechta arrived in Ulm last Wednesday, and since then the American has been working with sports director Thorsten Leibenath on the squad for the coming season. For Leibenath, the decisive criterion in personnel selection is: “Anyone who does not have the will to improve is not a good fit for us.” Leibenath, Harrelson and managing director Thomas Stoll will be looking for suitable candidates at the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas in mid-July, among other places. Candidates for the American professional league include Juan Nunez and Pacome Dadiet from the current Ulm squad, who have registered for the draft.
Nunez and Williams in talks at FC Barcelona
They both still have contracts, but that is not important in basketball. Options to leave for the NBA are a given. Leibenath still has a small hope that one or both players will be seen again in Ulm next season: “A drafted player will still stay with us. It only changes when he signs a contract with an NBA team.” For players from Ratiopharm Ulm, career steps outside the NBA are of course possible and conceivable. For example, Euroleague club FC Barcelona is said to be extremely interested in Nunez. That would be exciting, as the young Spaniard came to Ulm from arch-rivals Real Madrid. Barca is also said to have Trevion Williams on their list, so the point guard-center duo that worked so well together in Ulm, at least in the regular season, may also play on the same team next season.
Nunez’s successor in Ulm could be Nelson Weidemann, who has been considered a possible new signing since the beginning of April. However, Weidemann is still part of the Bayern Munich squad. It is therefore unlikely that this appointment will be officially confirmed before the end of the final series of the German championship.
Another candidate is reportedly the Israeli giant talent Ben Saraf. At just 18 years old, he would of course fit the Ulm profile perfectly.
2024-06-07 16:02:07
#coach #Ratiopharm #Ulm
