Ulm's two prodigies both displayed their elite potential on the road at Trefl
Ben Saraf, Noa Essengue combo lives up to hype in EuroCup opener
ratiopharm Ulm came into this season with plenty of hype thanks to two star prospects in Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue. And the teenagers definitely didn’t disappoint as they carried the German club to an overtime win to start the BKT EuroCup campaign.
Saraf dazzled over major stretches on his EuroCup debut with 17 points and 10 assists in Ulm’s 93-96 victory over Trefl Sopot, while Essengue totaled 18 points.
“Really proud of our guys,” said Ulm head coach Ty Harrelson. “Again with the young roster, I can’t say enough about our character to stay in there when we got down by 12 points to fight back and not lose energy.”
The 18-year-old Saraf and 17-year-old Essengue, who will turn 18 in December, really took over the game in the fourth quarter with the team down 70-60 and under 7 minutes to go.
Saraf scored Ulm’s next seven points, then assisted on two Essengue dunks before knocking down a jumper and putting back an offensive rebound to tie the game at 79-79 in the closing minute of regulation.
Saraf fed Essengue for an alley-oop and a three-pointer early in overtime, then Essengue added another free throw as the teenagers shined in the opening game of Ulm’s EuroCup season.
The Israeli guard also had 3 rebounds, 3 steals and 7 fouls drawn for a PIR of 17. Essengue, who was playing in his eighth EuroCup game, added 6 rebounds and 2 blocks for a PIR of 26.
On top of that, the teenage duo combined for 36 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 5 steals in Ulm’s German League opener – an 86-90 win over NINERS Chemnitz, a team which won the FIBA Europe Cup last season.
Ulm has built a reputation of bringing in young players and giving them chances to shine. It started in earnest in 2019-20 when French talent Killian Hayes was given the keys to the offense as an 18-year-old. Montenegro prospect Fedor Zugic arrived later, followed by Spanish star point guard Juan Nunez and another French talent in Pacome Dadiet.
Essengue became the latest star from France to move to Ulm before last season and he was fantastic in the lower and youth ranks in his first season in Germany. He starred for Ulm’s affiliate team in the third division, ProB, carrying the club to the semifinals of the playoffs. Essengue also led Ulm to the title at the Euroleague Basketball Adidas Next Generation Tournament Dubai, winning the Most Valuable Player award and helping Ulm become the first German club to win an ANGT qualifying event.
Last season saw Essengue make seven EuroCup appearances for Ulm, as well as nine games in Germany’s top flight. He totaled 19 points in the EuroCup last season and poured in 18 points against Trefl.
Saraf, meanwhile, had a monster summer this off-season, winning MVP of the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2024, where Israel took fourth place. During that tournament, he averaged 28.1 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.3 assists.
He is not new to professional basketball, however, as he played a major role in Maccabi Kiryat Ata getting to the semifinals of the Israeli League last season. He posted 10.7 points, 3.2 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.0 steal in 26 regular-season games and then collected 11.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.3 steals in the semifinals against EuroCup side Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. All that earned Saraf the honor of being the league’s breakout player of the season.
Ulm will likely have to face its ups and downs as Harrelson and the team deal with the highs and lows of having youngsters being leading players, but in Saraf and Essengue, they have two players who are destined for the very top and are ready to make a big impact right away.