ratiopharm Ulm

Early years (2001–2006)

The club was founded in 2001 after the previous professional basketball team in Ulm, run by the sports-club SSV Ulm 1846, became insolvent and had to resign from the league. Dr. Thomas Stoll and Andreas Oettel, the current CEO of the Basketball Ulm/Alb-Donau GmbH, which is the owner of the club, bought the license of the former team and started a second division team with the name of Basketball Ulm GmbH.^[5] After playing in the second division for five years, the team qualified for the Basketball Bundesliga in 2006.

First Bundesliga seasons (2006–2011)

Inside view of the Ratiopharm Arena, the club's home arena since 2011

In the 2006–07 season, led by Headcoach Mike Taylor and Assistant coach Rainer Bauer the team headed into their first season in the Basketball Bundesliga as the team with the smallest funds and the smallest arena in the league. With just two new players for the starting five, the team was seen by the media and many experts as the team most likely to be relegated to the second division again after the season. But due to a well-rehearsed team, with only a few players changed in the off-season, the team had some big upset wins and remained in the league with a 16–18 record. At the end of the season point guard Austen Rowland had the league's best assists per game rate and power forward Jeff Gibbs became the best rebounder in the league and was nominated as a starting-five player for the All-Star game.

Still a club with one of the smallest funds in the league, the team experienced some major changes in the pre-season of their second year in the Bundesliga because starting point guard Austen Rowland and shooting guard Jonathan Levy left the team while starting small forward Emeka Erege received a serious injury during an exhibition game. Nevertheless, the team was ranked twelfth in the league after 16 of 34 games with a 9-6 record.

In the 2008–09 season, with a young and talented team, ratiopharm Ulm had a very successful season. At the end of the 2008–09 season ulm was ranked on position five and entered the playoffs with a 21–13 record. But in the playoff the team was eliminated early, throughout a 3–0 loss against Telekom Baskets Bonn.

After a very good season in 2008–09, Ulm lost the leagues best rebounder and most efficient player Jeff Gibbs to Eisbären Bremerhaven. The 2009–10 season ended on rank thirteen, which means Ulm was far away from the playoffs and away from an relegation spot, too. In the 2010–11 season, Ulm ended on the 14th place.

Climbing the ranks (2011–present)

Per Günther, Ulm player since 2008, has been the leader of the team

In the 2011–12 season Ulm reached the Basketball Bundesliga Finals, after finishing second in the regular season. In the Playoffs Ulm had beaten Phantoms Braunschweig and S.Oliver Baskets and had a Playoff record of 6–0 coming into the Finals. In the Finals Ulm, lost 0–3 to Brose Baskets.

In the 2012–13 season Ulm entered a European competition for the first time, in the 2012–13 Eurocup, the team reached the quarterfinals. Ulm reached the BBL semifinals and lost in the German Cup Final, 67–85 against Alba Berlin, as well that season.

In the 2016–17 season, the club had a historically successful season as the team started the Basketball Bundesliga with 27 consecutive wins. The club ended in the first place of the regular season with 30 wins and just 2 losses,^[6] but could not achieve the title as it lost in the semifinals of the playoffs by EWE Baskets Oldenburg.

Current roster

ratiopharm Ulm roster
Players	Coaches
Pos. No. Nat. Name Ht. Wt. Age F/C 7000400000000000000♠4 Ohlbrecht, Tim 7000210000000000000♠2.10 m (6 ft 11 in) 7002114000000000000♠114 kg (251 lb) 30 – (1988-08-30)30 August 1988 G/F 7000500000000000000♠5 Thompson, Ryan 7000198000000000000♠1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) 7001980000000000000♠98 kg (216 lb) 30 – (1988-06-09)9 June 1988 PG 7000600000000000000♠6 Günther, Per 7000184000000000000♠1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) 7001800000000000000♠80 kg (176 lb) 30 – (1988-02-05)5 February 1988 F 7000700000000000000♠7 Ferner, Joschka 7000202999999999999♠2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 7001840000000000000♠84 kg (185 lb) 22 – (1996-01-05)5 January 1996 SF 7001100000000000000♠10 Omuvwie, Marvin 7000197000000000000♠1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) 7001940000000000000♠94 kg (207 lb) 21 – (1997-07-10)10 July 1997 G 7001120000000000000♠12 Lewis, Joseph 7000188000000000000♠1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) 7001850000000000000♠85 kg (187 lb) 26 – (1992-10-18)18 October 1992 F 7001190000000000000♠19 Pape, Till 7000202999999999999♠2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 7001980000000000000♠98 kg (216 lb) 20 – (1997-12-10)10 December 1997 F 7001200000000000000♠20 Benimon, Jerrelle 7000202999999999999♠2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 27 – (1991-08-11)11 August 1991 C 7001220000000000000♠22 Rohwer, Björn 7000212000000000000♠2.12 m (6 ft 11 in) 7001950000000000000♠95 kg (209 lb) 23 – (1995-08-22)22 August 1995 G 7001230000000000000♠23 Murry, Toure 7000196000000000000♠1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) 7001910000000000000♠91 kg (201 lb) 28 – (1989-11-08)8 November 1989 SG 7001330000000000000♠33 Pongo, Marcell 7000194000000000000♠1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) 7001810000000000000♠81 kg (179 lb) 21 – (1997-03-03)3 March 1997 PF 7001420000000000000♠42 Fotu, Isaac 7000202999999999999♠2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) 7002104000000000000♠104 kg (229 lb) 24 – (1993-12-18)18 December 1993 SG 7001440000000000000♠44 Krämer, David 7000190000000000000♠1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) 7001830000000000000♠83 kg (183 lb) 21 – (1997-01-14)14 January 1997 F – Evans, Dwayne 7000200999999999999♠2.01 m (6 ft 7 in) 7002104000000000000♠104 kg (229 lb) 26 – (1992-01-24)24 January 1992	Head coach Thorsten Leibenath Assistant coach(es) Pete Strobl Jesús Ramírez Legend (C) Team captain Injured Roster Updated: 28 December 2016

Award winners

Notable players

Head coaches

2003–2011	Mike Taylor
2011–present	Thorsten Leibenath