It is no longer a secret that Ulm, with its “OrangeCampus”, stands for professional youth development in basketball. With one of the most modern youth performance centers in European basketball at its disposal, more and more up-and-coming and top-class talents from across Europe are choosing the German basketball champions of 2023. The historic NBA draft picks Pacôme Dadiet (1st Round – Pick 25 New York Knicks) and Juan Núñez (2nd Round – Pick 36 Indiana Pacers/Trade San Antonio Spurs) have also taken this path.
This time, the two Ulm club founders Dr. Thomas Stoll and Andreas Oettel were invited to the important draft. “It was something special to drive to the Barclays Center – this ultra-modern NBA arena and then wait there for the players with their agents and families. Of course, there is a certain amount of nervousness, but also anticipation. You see some NBA owners walking into the arena, there are many thousands of spectators there who have come not to a game as usual, but to an announcement – it felt a bit like my first NBA game a good 30 years ago,” explains Stoll.
“Of course, luck is also involved”
The 2024 NBA Draft is historic for the club and basketball in Germany, because never before in history have two players from one club been picked for the “Best League in the World”: “Of course, it takes luck to win two players in advance who the NBA will later also like,” explains managing director Stoll and continues: “Juan’s move to leave Real Madrid and forego a lot of money to play in Ulm for two years is very special. The fact that he then even wins the championship provides enough material for a real Hollywood story.”
For Stoll, the double burden of the EuroCup is also an important convincing argument: “With the EuroCup, we are represented in a competition that produces incredible talent and certainly represents an interesting story for the cities of Ulm/Neu-Ulm. So we have not only seen our own talents, but also this year’s number one pick, Zaccharie Risacher, in the Ratiopharm Arena. As a basketball nerd, one of the greatest things is to develop NBA players and then follow what happens next for the players.”
Assistant coach Tyron McCoy is proud of the players
Ulm’s sports director Thorsten Leibenath also commented on the positive picks: “It’s an incredible success that two of our players were picked in the draft this year. We are the first German team to achieve this. It is proof that we are focused on this and have set ourselves the goal of becoming one of the best youth and development locations in Europe. We are very happy for both of them and look forward to what the future holds.”
Assistant coach Tyron McCoy added: “The boys can be incredibly proud of what they have achieved at such a young age to make their dream come true. As a coach, it makes me incredibly proud to be a small part of this great development and I wish them both only the best for their first steps in the NBA.”
More talents coming up
In order to take these steps, the then 16-year-old Noa Essengue also moved to the OrangeCampus last year. The Frenchman is considered one of the greatest talents of his age and is already being considered for the 2025 draft. After a full year in the ProB and a few short appearances for Ratiopharm Ulm in the BBL and EuroCup, the forward has already gained a lot of match practice and experience. Essengue left promising performances as MVP of the Adidas Next Generation Tournament, which promise a lot for the coming season. The latest new signing also shows the attraction of the Orange Campus. Despite several offers from absolute top clubs, the Israeli point guard Ben Avraham Saraf ultimately decided on Ulm and is aiming for the next developmental leap in his still young career.
2024-07-05 03:00:00
#Ulm #America #NBA
