RheinEnergie Köln
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RheinEnergie Köln (often RE Köln or REK) is a basketball club based in Cologne, Germany that plays in the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). The team was founded 1999 as Cologne 99ers. The colours are red and white. The mascot is EnergyMan. Their home arena is in the BBL the GEW Energy Dome and to some special games the Kölnarena. In the European Cup Season 2006-2007 their home place is an arena in Düsseldorf, Germany named Philips Halle.
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[edit] Season 2006/07
Fans in Cologne, Germany will enjoy some of the best shows that basketball has to offer in 2006-07, and if Euroleague newcomer RheinEnergie has its way, the fun will continue well into next spring. After hosting the top teams from Europe and America as part of the NBA Europe Live preseason tournament, the Euroleague regular season will give Cologne its first taste of the continent's top competition. RheinEnergie won its Euroleague place by becoming German League champion last spring, and now enjoys the opportunity to lift its country even higher in the eyes of the continent's basketball fans. With former star Sasa Obradovic now in charge from the sidelines, the hope in Cologne is that off-season additions like scoring ace Demond Mallet, sharp shooting Marcus Faison and power player Ronnie Burrell will mesh with returnees from last year's squad – including up-and-coming shooter Mladjen Sljivancanin, versatile forward Aleksander Nadjfeji, promising big man Guido Grunheid, center Martin Gortat and shooting guard Immanuel McElroy. If all those talents jell quickly, RheinEnergie could well become one of the biggest surprises in the Euroleague this season.
Obradovic must have liked what he saw while coaching against Mallet, who last year helped GHP Bamberg become the first German team to qualify to the Euroleague's Top 16. Intelligent and quick, Mallet will be looked upon to provide the leadership, talent and shooting skills to a roster short on Euroleague experience.
Faison, an athletic shooting guard coming off an injury-plagued season, is one of the best all-time ULEB Cup scorers. He will look to prove himself at the highest level now. Alongside them is McElroy, a slasher who uses his physical skills to take his man one-on-one and can be an outstanding offensive rebounder. Sljivancanin will come off the bench ready to pull the trigger, while backup point guard Johannes Strasser will have the chance to show what he's learned from Obradovic.
Nadjfeji is one of the keys to RheinEnergie's versatile frontcourt. He has the ballhandling and the shooting range of a small forward, plus the size and post moves of a power player, turning him into a potential mismatch against any opponent. Moreover, Nadjfeji is a leader who is not afraid to take big shots in clutch time. Gortat and Burrell will be the go-to guys in the paint. Gortat is an old-school center with good post moves and great hands, while Burrell may well be the x-factor on this team after posting impressive numbers in the French second division last season. Grunheid, who exploded in the German League playoffs last season, is also expected to play an extended role now. Janar Talts is a rebounding specialist and a blue-collar player who should see more playing time this season.
Basketball fever in Cologne might well be one of RheinEnergie's biggest weapons. The city has already played hosts to some of the biggest crowds in European basketball history, but 2006-07 promises to be a memorable year. NBA Europe Live gets things started, and then local fans will see a steady diet of Euroleague stars for the first time. RheinEnergie won't just be along for the ride. As a team that has already proven it can rise above expectations, RheinEnergie will be dangerous to anyone who underestimates it in 2006-07.
[edit] Current Squad
| RheinEnergie Köln Current Roster |
||||
| Head Coach: Sasa Obradovic | ||||
| Assistend Coaches: Philipp Köchling and Drasko Prodanovis | ||||
| C | 30 |  |
Ronald Burrell | (last team: Levallois) |
| G/F | 16 |  |
Stephan Carduck | (last team: SOBA Dragons Rhöndorf) |
| F | 22 | |
Marcus Faison | (last team: Charleroi) |
| C | 13 |  |
Marcin Gortat | (last team: Łódź) |
| F | 31 | |
Guido Grünheid | (last team: ALBA Berlin) |
| G | 20 | |
Demond Mallet | (last team: GHP Bamberg*) |
| F/C | 19 | |
Davis Martens | (from RE Köln youth) |
| G | 23 | |
Immanuel McElroy | (last team: Dodge City Legend) |
| F | 8 |  |
Aleksander Nadjfeji | (last team: Telekom Baskets Bonn) |
| F/C | 18 | |
Tibor Pleiß | (from RE Köln youth) |
| PF | 10 | |
Philipp Schwethelm | (from RE Köln youth) |
| F | 32 | |
Mladen Sljivancanin | (last team: Deutsche Bank Skyliners) |
| G | 9 | |
Johannes Strasser | (last team: SOBA Dragons Rhöndorf) |
| F | 12 |  |
Janar Talts | (last team: Kalev Tallinn) |
- GHP Bamberg is today known as Brose Baskets
[edit] Titles
One win of the German championship (Basketball Bundesliga), two wins of the German cup (BBL Pokal) and one win of the German super cup (BBL Champions Cup).
[edit] Rivalries
The games against local rivals Telekom Baskets Bonn and Bayer Giants Leverkusen are among the biggest contests in the BBL. The games against Brose Baskets and ALBA Berlin are the top games in German basketball.[citation needed]
[edit] Address
- American Sports GmbH
- RheinEnergie Köln BasketballTeam
- Girlitzweg 30
- D-50829 Köln
- Tel.: +49(0)221/88 882-0
- Fax: +49(0)221/88 882-43
- E-Mail: info@rheinenergie-koeln.de
[edit] External links
| Euroleague 2006-07 |
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Aris TT Bank | Benetton Treviso | Cibona | Climamio Bologna | CSKA Moscow | DKV Joventut | Dynamo Moscow | Efes Pilsen | Eldo Napoli | Fenerbahçe Ülker | Le Mans | Lottomatica Virtus Roma | Maccabi Tel Aviv | Olympiacos | Panathinaikos | Partizan PMB | Pau-Orthez | Prokom Trefl Sopot | RheinEnergie Köln | TAU Cerámica | Unicaja Málaga | Union Olimpija | Winterthur FCB | Žalgiris |
