Ulm's sports director reflects on miraculous title run, team's EuroLeague potential / News - Basketnews.com

Thorsten Leibenath, Ratiopharm Ulm's sports director, explains how the 7-seed overcame two EuroLeague squads and the BCL winners on the way to its first BBL title. The German executive also weighs in on Brazilian players' and Spanish coaches' success in Germany and reflects on what Ulm would bring to the EuroLeague.

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Confetti rain in orange, a front office in tears, and fans storming onto the floor. Those were the ingredients of an unforgettable night for Ratiopharm Ulm, who crowned their sensational playoff run with their first German Bundesliga championship title.

They also set an entire city in a basketball state of emergency, hosting a party that lasted until the early morning. A far cry from the major upheaval that shook the club in the summer of 2022 when coach Jaka Lakovic moved to Gran Canaria.

The Slovenian coach was succeeded by Anton Gavel, a tactician who had never coached in the BBL before. As a player, Gavel possessed a high basketball IQ. As a coach, his experience was limited to youth teams and Ulm's third-division squad. Assistant coach Tyron McCoy sat by his side, who has held the post since 2018.

There were also changes in the squad. The top performers of the past season left the club, and veteran Per Gunther ended his career. Newcomers included 18-year-old Spanish talent Juan Nunez and Brazilian international Yago dos Santos, who had only played in South America until then.

While Ulm were regarded as a team with great potential, it was unclear how quickly they would bring it to the table. The stakes went up as soon as they got off to a bad start. In the German Cup, the Swabians were knocked out in the first round whilst dropping the first four games in the league.

"This season, when we had a rough start, we were able to explain why that was happening. Other clubs would have felt like they needed to change the coach or the sports director, even in Germany," Ulm's sports director Thorsten Leibenath told BasketNews.

However, this roster was decisively strengthened at several points during last season. Leibenath was able to sign two players with NBA experience, Brandon Paul and Bruno Caboclo.

Paul was signed in December 2022. In the 2017-18 season, he made 65 appearances in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs.

Brazilian international Caboclo was only signed by Ulm in January 2023 and became a key player. Between 2014 and 2020, the Caboclo amassed 107 NBA appearances.

Still, at the end of the regular season, Ulm was in 7th place and qualified for the playoffs with 18 wins in 34 games. Nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen in the following weeks.

"We knew we had a good team, capable of playing exciting and winning basketball," Leibenath recalls.

"But to show that consistency throughout the playoffs is amazing. I couldn't see it coming because we were playing good basketball from March onwards, but at some point, we started to believe that we could do big damage in the playoffs. You can have a good game here and there, but for a young team to show that kind of consistency and mentality is impressive," the German executive adds.

The transformation was nothing short of spectacular. After beating champions ALBA Berlin 3-1 in the quarter-finals, Ulm went on to defeat German Cup winners FC Bayern Munich.

Those two were the domestic champions of the past five seasons. Before the season started, most experts would have guessed that the two EuroLeague teams would be squaring off in the finals.

Hence, when ALBA and Bayern were knocked out, one final obstacle was separating Ulm from its first-ever title. FIBA Champions League winners Telekom Baskets Bonn had been the BBL's top team all season long, powered by coach Tuomas Iisalo from the sidelines and by explosive scoring guard TJ Shorts on the court.

With their opening victory in Rhineland, the Swabians tipped the home-court advantage to their side. But it was only after an exhilarating 112-84 win in Game 3 that even the biggest doubters realized that Ulm wouldn't miss their chance.

The triumph, henceforth called 'the Ulm basketball miracle', was by no means a coincidence. It was the result of hard and structured work by the team and the coaching staff around Gavel and Leibenath.

Gavel, a former German NT player, reached the pinnacle at the age of 38, leading a group whose confidence grew after every victorious series. Ulm scored the most points in the playoffs, the most 3-point shots, and had the most assists.

Added to this was the outstanding support of the 6,000 euphoric basketball fans in the home games. The tickets for Game 4 in the finals were sold out within 60 seconds. Ulm became the first champion team in the Bundesliga to start off from the 7-seed in the regular season. Never before has a team managed to outperform all the Top 3 seeds.

It was a rather welcome change of scenery for German basketball, which had been dominated by three clubs (ALBA, Bayern, and Bamberg) for the past 14 years. What's more, this type of achievement would be unthinkable back in 2006 when Ulm were promoted to the BBL.

Thomas Stoll as managing partner and Andreas Oettel as managing director have been supported by Thorsten Leibenath as sports director since 2019.

"I still don't have the answer to what happened," the latter admits. "If I had it, that would be very good so that we could repeat it next year. It's probably a miracle."

Leibenath calls the two co-owners "visionaries, whostarted the club 20 years ago, setting some very high goals for themselves -- both conventional and unorthodox."

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"Not the ones you'd meet in professional basketball," he clarifies.

Winning the championship couldn't have ranked high on their list, and even though this year's outcome did a lot to motivate them, they set the bar higher when they said they wanted to have the best practice facility and player development program in Europe.

That facility is the Orange Campus, which has set new standards in the landscape of German basketball, rendering Ulm an attractive destination for young and talented players.

The program is not just about developing players for the Ulm junior teams and introducing them to the BBL team, but according to Leibenath, a "holistic approach is being pursued that includes school and medical care, personality development and questions about contracts and insurance. Other teams can also be offered practice space on the Orange Campus.

"Ideally, we want to promote the best players in Europe here," explained Leibenath, who saysup to 2.000 athletes are currently enrolled in Ulm's basketball program, starting from the age of 3.

"It's a pretty good recruiting tool and stands for the professionalism we want to have in developing players," he comments.

"But it ultimately goes down to the coaches who do the work, the concept behind the work, and the level of responsibility we hand to young players. All of that leads to recruits we wouldn't normally get five years ago. Players like Juan Nunez and Bruno Caboclo had heard about the campus, but also about the coaches and the level of responsibility they're allowed to take. That's big in player development."

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However, Leibenath has some reasons of his own to credit Stoll and Oettel with the team's success and the role he has been assigned to. Their policy of not translating their high expectations into pressure has helped both the club and his longevity at the club. 12 years ago, when he was 36 (almost Gavel's age), Leibenath was hired as the team's head coach.

"Sometimes, there were a couple of situations where we didn't perform up to expectations. They didn't question me, nor did they put me under pressure," he recalls.

That particular aspect of German basketball clubs is one of their most definable and unique features.

Even though, in some cases, they do possess the financial means to boost their rosters, they mostly choose to spend the better part of their budget on other areas, such as infrastructure.

In other words, one is inclined to think they have somewhat sacrificed results and trophies to offer their audience a better experience.

Leibenath confirms that BBL entities gravitate towards long-term success and sustainability, even if that means lagging behind in international competitions.

"It's a smart approach. We could have used all our financial resources, pray and hope that we win the championship one year. But what happens after that? You might lose the players, and you might not be able to do that again," he explains.

"I think it's a strategy that pays off. This league gets respect for not reacting to results fast but for reacting to a process. Installing a process and identity is what matters the most."

It's a process that several key players and coaches seem willing to serve. Focusing on Ulm, many Brazilian players have joined the team over the past years and pushed it forward.

In some cases, like Yago dos Santos, we're talking about athletes with no prior European experience. But Cristiano Felicio and Bruno Caboclo, two big men with significant NBA presence, were also drawn to the project.

Leibenath points out that the Brazilian and German basketball cultures have meshed perfectly. The Brazilian-Ulm connection started with Felicio, who was offered to Ulm in the summer of 2021.

"Nobody believed it, but it has to do with the reputation we've gained. We're known as being a good platform for players who want to achieve something big. That's why he was drawn to Ulm. He had heard about the club and wanted to play for us. I'm pretty sure he hasn't regretted it."

Once that worked out, it ended up being a success story and a groundbreaker for further Brazilian talent. Yago dos Santos could be a risk because he didn't have European experience, but Ulm and Leibenath also saw his potential and weren't afraid to take the risk.

"It's crazy. After the first 5-10 games, people were saying, 'Who did you sign there?' and 'He's not good enough for the German league.' Then, he became the German league MVP," the German exec reflects.

Leibenath thinks that dos Santos and former Real Madrid talent Juan Nunez have at least one thing in common: they both struggled early on but ultimately adjusted to the team after making a tough decision to get out of their comfort zone.

For instance, Yago could have chosen an easier path, going to a country that speaks Portuguese or Spanish. On the other hand, Nunez would have probably been chosen by many ACB teams, but he preferred to go to a different country and present an upgraded version of himself. The fact that he was very willing to learn about Germany and its culture played a major part.

Step by step, he showed his progress. He's only 19 right now, but the club gave him the room to grow and a 3-year deal that's set to keep him in Germany for at least another season.

"He heard about Ulm as an excellent platform for young players to grow. He's very open-minded, super mature, and his personality fits perfectly with the kind of players we want to have here. He's not afraid of taking responsibility. We were able to offer him playing time and the chance of making mistakes," Leibenath says of the Spanish guard.

Ulm managed to reap the benefits of Nunez's growth, taking the best out of him when itmattered the most.

"He played phenomenally against the EuroLeague teams. He's an outstanding talent. When you watch him play, every third time he has the ball in his hands, he'll do something spectacular that you didn't see coming. We like those players who can fascinate the fans."

At the same time, more and more clubs are turning to the Spanish school of coaching. Aito Reneses, Himar Ojeda, and Israel Gonzalez have worked or are currently working at ALBA Berlin; Diego Ocampo was coaching the Frankfurt Skyliners; Pedro Calles went to three different teams (Rasta Vechta, Hamburg Towers, and Oldenburg).

It's obvious that a pattern has been established in Germany, also exemplified in Pablo Laso's signing with Bayern Munich. Leibenath says what Spanish coaches bring to German basketball is priceless.

"The Spanish basketball culture is impressive, and we can only look up to it and learn from it. Now, Pablo Laso coming to the German league is unbelievable. He's a great basketball mind and a great person. We're proud that a coach like that is joining the German basketball community," he stresses.

Ulm did almost the same four years ago when they signed Jaka Lakovic, a coach with a major Spanish background, whom they felt would be a good match.

"It helped us as an organization. Just look at the European Championships in all age groups. They're all dominated by Spain. I think it's smart to check what they're doing and hire coaches from there.

The ACB is the best domestic league in the world outside the NBA. If I was a coach in Spain, I'd also want to stay there as well. But more and more coaches see the BBL as an exciting market," he observes.

Speaking of the market, it seems that Ulm will have a hard time keeping the core of players moving on to the next season. Bruno Caboclo has already signed a deal with Umana Reyer Venezia after averaging 14.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks in the BBL.

For Ulm's fans, Leibenath says there is both good and bad news. The bright side is that several players are on long-term contracts. The bad news is those contracts hold options that include the possibility of players going elsewhere.

In the past, Ulm was only able to offer one-year deals. Now, they're in a slightly better position where they can offer two or three-year contracts with certain options in them. That means players might leave under certain circumstances.

"But I'm positive that we're going to see a lot of them the following season," the club's sports director notes.

MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg have been widely known as the German team that has produced the most EuroLeague players over the past 5-6 years. But Ulm have their fair share in offering a great platform for young or unknown players to take the next step.

Will Clyburn has obviously been the most prominent example, but Derek Willis, Augustine Rubit, and Raymar Morgan followed.

Recruiting American talent and bringing it to the next level has become part and parcel of the club's identity.

Credit IMAGO/nordphoto GmbH / Hafner

"We offer unique opportunities with more playing time and accept mistakes a bit more. Players develop faster and better in return. In the end, you can't keep all of them," Leibenath remarks.

"Killian Hayes and Javonte Green started here. We just want to offer a great platform for development. We much rather have success and tell our fans that we can't keep certain players because of their market value than keep everyone because nobody has developed.

People might see it as something negative, but I'd like to twist it and say it's positive if we can't keep a player. That means we and the player(s) have done our job extremely well."

As Ulm is still in a hangover after achieving a historic feat, the next step would be for the club to consolidate its place on the international stage.

Until a few years ago, the German champions would be offered a wild card to compete in the EuroLeague. However, that's hardly the case anymore since Bayern and ALBA have secured their presence through an A-License and a wild card, respectively.

Leibenath doesn't think the EuroLeague should reconsider how the EuroLeague spots from Germany are being allocated just because Ulm became the only team in Europe that broke EuroLeague squads' dominance on the domestic front.

"The EuroLeague is a highly successful product, and we're very happy to be a part of it by playing in the EuroCup," he says.

"We thought that it would have been nice to play in the EuroLeague because we would have loved to be given the chance to compete. It would have been a huge honor, but at the same time, we respect the system, and we think it's fine the way it is."

Ulm reached the EuroCup quarter-finals in two straight seasons but are eligible to join the top league only if they win the trophy. This year, the team that won the EuroCup title (Gran Canaria, coached by former Ulm coach Jaka Lakovic) declared its inability to participate in the EuroLeague for financial reasons.

It seems that the EuroCup is gradually losing its connection to the EuroLeague and becoming less relevant as time goes by.

Except for the first COVID season (2020-21), this is the first time that the clubs' lineup has remained the same for the second year in a row. In other words, all 18 teams of the 2022-23 campaign will be on the starting line for the 2023-24 tipoff.

Leibenath isn't too worried about any ramifications stemming from Gran Canaria's case, which he calls 'special' because of their location and exorbitant travel expenses.

"It would be hard to operate from there because they would need to have a second base. It breaks my heart that they won't participate in the EuroLeague because Jaka Lakovic is undoubtedly a EuroLeague-caliber head coach," he concedes.

"At the same time, I don't think it's a testament to a bigger gap between the EuroCup and the EuroLeague. When I see the EuroCup now compared to five years ago, yes, there are a few weaker teams, but there are teams with ambitions too. For example, Paris Basketball and Prometey. The EuroCup is still a high-level tournament," he points out.

Telekom Baskets Bonn, Ulm's opponent in the German finals, also had a great year. Not only did they win the BBL regular season, but they also climbed up to the BCL throne, a first for any German team. In addition, they received the second-biggest sum in Prize Money among all European clubs.

But for Leibenath, the question about which competition to play in is void of meaning at this point.

"I would love us to be as successful in the EuroCup as Bonn were in the BCL," the German executive confides. "That would mean that we'd play in the EuroLeague. We consider the EuroCup the second-strongest competition in Europe, which also offers the opportunity to enter the EuroLeague.

As I understand it, there's always going to be one team being allowed to the EuroLeague through the EuroCup. It's fair. I bet the BCL teams would love to have the possibility to enter the EuroLeague. But it's not possible. So, anyone who wants to be in the EuroLeague needs to be in the EuroCup," he argues.

No matter how much the German champs desire to take the next step, Leibenath assures that under normal circumstances, the EuroLeague doesn't need Ulm.

"Those 18 teams that they have are perfect. You don't want to change teams like Bayern Munich or ALBA Berlin. You want to keep them in and then attract a team from Paris and London," he adds.

Credit IMAGO/Nordphoto

If Ulm were to become Granca's successor, Leibenath thinks there would be some considerable differences compared to how things turned out for the Spanish side. First and foremost, they would find a way of financing their participation, even though Market Pool money remains a forbidden fruit for non-ECA members.

"The EuroLeague would have to live with a team like Ulm winning the EuroCup and playing in the EuroLeague," he highlights.

"It would be a one-year thing, we all know that. But it wouldn't hurt the EuroLeague. We would be a totally different team. We would play young players, and yes, we would lose by 30. But we could surprise people here and there. A little bit of fresh air wouldn't kill the EuroLeague."

From a pure fan perspective, who wouldn't want to have all the champions in one league, just like in football? But clubs need consistency and planning.

"They can only meet those goals if they know they're in the EuroLeague," Leibenath explains.

Any club, not to mention one coming out of Germany, would probably ascribe to that way of thinking.

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