ULEB Cup draw profile: Köln 99ers
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The Koln 99ers started the ULEB Cup season with one of the youngest rosters in the competition, but head coach Sasa Obradovic’s squad played with poise beyond its years en route to securing a berth in the Last 32. By going 4-1 at home and picking up a pair of key road wins, Koln went 6-4 and finished in third place in Group B. With five players averaging double figures in points and one of the team’s two players aged 30+, Aleksandar Nadjfeji, supplying a major motivational and tactical lift as the sixth man, it seems that the 99ers have found the right recipe to make some noise in the elimination rounds. Koln got the season started on the right foot as just days after joining the club, Toby Bailey had 18 points and 9 rebounds in nearly 40 minutes of action to beat Elan Chalon 94-84. The club didn’t fare as well over the next two weeks, losing a pair of road games at Besiktas ColaTurka and Ventspils. However a return home in Week 4 re-energized the side. Teenage forward Milko Bjelica scored a season-high 18 points in an 89-82 win over FMP, then came the team;s first road win, at Ovarense, followed by another in Week 6 at Chalon, 81-87, as Nadjfeji came  through with 26 points and 7 assists. Suddenly the team was sitting pretty at 4-2. Despite losing at home to Besiktas in Week 7, Week 8 saw Immanuel McElroy led six scorers in double figures with 12 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists as Obradovic’s squad topped Ventspils 84-78. The 99ers came up short at FMP in Week 9, when a win would have secured a berth in the Last 32, but a week later another big night from Nadjfeji and a season-high 20 points from another teenage big man, Marko Keselj, were enough to beat Ovarense and celebrate a hard-earned ticket to the elimination rounds. The team’s growth throughout the season combined with its many complete players who can scare, rebound, pass and play defense, makes Koln a tough team to figure out. With Obradovic’s leadership in the mix, Koln has every reason to believe in itself heading into the toughest part of the season.
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