By Antonis Stroggylakis/ info@eurohoops.net
Three years before being hired as head coach by BKT EuroCup club ratiopharm Ulm of Germany, Ty Harrelson experienced a state of limbo in his career and life.
In August 2021, Harrelson resigned from his job as head coach of his alma mater Wayland Baptist University in Texas. He was seeking greener, more challenging coaching pastures overseas, intrigued by the prospect of working with a professional team at a high level in Europe, where he spent some years during his playing days.
It wasn’t a journey into the complete unknown since Harrelson had some contacts that could help him at least get on the starting track of realizing his goal. But it was risky to leave a steady job and move away from home to another continent without any financial security and no guaranteed stability.
After struggling to get a spot at a pro organization, the jobless Harrelson became the coach of German fourth-division club TV Langen, one of the early teams in his playing career.
It wasn’t much, but it was a necessity that would allow him to continue pursuing the dream.
“That was a fun time although I was very stressful at the same time,” Harrelson told Eurohoops. “I felt a lot of stress and a lot pressure, trying to find a job. Because I got paid enough to stay with the visa and the housing. But I needed a job. I had to take care of my daughter. I also have a house in Australia and some property in the USA. I had to take care a lot of things in general.”
“It was stressful,” Harrelson added. “I had interviews with some clubs in the second division and fortunately Rasta Vechta gave me the offer to become their head coach. I was very thankful for that opportunity. It was an amazing timing. If I didn’t get it, I’m not sure where I’d be today.”
Harrelson took over Rasta Vechta in 2022 for a run that was the definition of instant success. The team won the 2023 ProA (German second division) to gain promotion to the top league and then became a pleasant surprise in the BBL, finishing sixth in the regular season and earning a direct ticket to the playoffs.
Αll the effort and the work that Harrelson produced with Vechta paid dividends when he received the offer from Ulm, which had won the German championship in 2023.
Three years after his risk-taking venture to Europe, Harrelson assumed the helm of one of the most ambitious German clubs at both the domestic and continental levels. He also took on the responsibility of coaching two of Europe’s brightest talents and NBA prospects: Israeli guard Ben Saraf and French forward Noa Essengue, who are both projected as potential lottery picks in the 2025 NBA Draft.
“These last two-three seasons I’ve been able to coach some of the top young guys in the area that are getting NBA interest and are potential Draft picks,” Harrelson said. “Again… three years ago I was coaching small college basketball in Texas. Love the guys there, but they didn’t have that type of talent. And I’m thankful again. It’s more the vision of Ratiopharm Ulm, Thomas Stoll (Managing Director and co-founder) and Andreas (Oettel – Managing Director and co-founder) and Thorsten [Leibenath – Sports Director) that go someone like myself the opportunity and putting me in the right place to be successful.”
“It’s a special moment in my career and I’m aware of it.”
In this interview with Eurohoops, Harrelson opens up on his tough first year in Europe while looking for a coaching job, the faith he retained in himself and the unwavering, positive mindset that drove him toward ultimately becoming the head coach of Ulm.
The American-born 44-year-old also discussed what it’s like coaching the youngest team in the EuroCup, his first months in Ulm and the vision of the organization, his approach in guiding players like Saraf and Essengue and the characteristics that make them special.
Eurohoops: We’re approaching the end of 2024 and Ulm has built a winning record in EuroCup after a streak of victories and is flirting with the top of the standings in Germany. How satisfied are you with how the team is doing at this moment?
Ty Harrelson: I feel very satisfied from my position, being a new coach overtaking a program that’s been very successful in the past to continue on with the success from previous coaches. Our management is the same. They are doing such a great job of helping put the roster together and giving all the support that a coach could want.
I’m really happy. Of course, the interesting part of this year’s team is how young we are. Last season I think we had the youngest team in Germany and I thought that maybe I would be getting an older group of guys. But we are actually younger than last season’s team. I didn’t know what to expect. Of course, I know that it’s a talented group. But being that young and in such a high level of competition there were some concerns.
Internal fears that probably all coaches go through in the preseason. But then it became apparent very early on that the culture is good, the team chemistry is good and we started the season off the right way. We did have some injuries, especially our older players with experience. Now that they are back, I feel that the team is starting to hit its stride.
EH: Is it always a “work a progress” with this kind of young team?
T.H.: Absolutely. I’ve taught a lot more basketball. Actually teaching what I know about basketball rather than set plays and concepts and stuff like that. It’s more about reading the game and trying to give the young guys as much knowledge as I can share with them in a short amount of time.
The good thing is that they are really receptive and I think they’ll continue to grow as players over the course of the season. It’s not just about results all the time on the court. It’s also about how they develop. Their mentality. Psychologically. Physically. It’s fun to be around and to see that rapid growth from a young group of guys.
EH: We’re going to return to Ulm later. I want to ask you about your story. Back in 2021, you were coaching in college and decided to leave that position to explore other opportunities. You take a big risk, and I’m saying that because you weren’t someone who made millions when you were playing. You make the trip to Europe to look for a coaching job without any major experience coaching at the professional level.
What led you to that decision?
T.H.: I don’t know (laughs). I guess to get this result now maybe. I had coached at a pro level, not high level but it was pro level in the second league in Australia for three years before I got the job at the university. I was successful there doing that with the [South West Slammers] that budget-wise hadn’t been very good in the past before I took that job. That was my first head coach job.
The original idea was sparked by former teammates and management in the city of Bayreuth in Germany where I was a former player. Raoul Korner – then coach of the team – had announced that he’s going to leave at the end of the 2021-22 season. That was around in August of 2021. That’s when I decided to resign and I knew that I would need to be in Germany and I would need the network and I would need to know as much about the players and the league. Although I played in it from 2005 to 2010 I was gone for a long time. I thought I needed to immerse myself back in the German basketball scene as much as I can, considering also that I wasn’t that big of a name.
But let me go back: I went to Lithuania originally because I had a former teammate who played there. At the time, Martin Schiller was head coach of Zalgiris Kaunas and Arne Woltmann was assistant. I had a former teammate who’s a German agent and he put me in touch with them. So we were able to get there and watch how Zalgiris is doing. My friend is from Vilnius and we were watching Rytas at the time – the Wolves didn’t exist. They had some kids, they were teenagers under 18. I just wanted to kind of see how everything is structured in Lithuania.
Then I came back to Germany. Through my connections as a player, I was able to stay in the Frankfurt area with one of the teams I originally started playing with in the second league. TV Langen. And they were very good with me. They let me stay in an apartment. Get back on my feet in Germany for a short time.
I bought a car. A cheap one. And I drove back and forth from Frankfurt to Bayreuth many times in the hopes that I would get offered that job at the end of the year. It was a long shot because they were a BBL team and I didn’t have that kind of experience back then. In the end, I got the interview with Medi Bayreuth and I was the finalist. They decided not to hire me.
Then, my visa then was running out. I was going to either have go back to the USA or Australia. I don’t know what I would’ve done.
The local club, TV Langen, where I was actually staying, they were in the last place in the fourth division. The coach left. So I coached for a couple of months in the fourth league and helped them stay in the league.
EH: You played some games too, right?
T.H.: Yeah.. I did. It was COVID time and if somebody got a sore throat and didn’t feel well, we had four guys for practice and I would make the sixth guy for a 3-on-3 or whatever it might be. I could still shoot it so I put myself in for a couple of games. We were able to stay in the league eventually.
That was a fun time although I was very stressed at the same time. I felt a lot of stress and a lot of pressure, trying to find a job. I got interviews with some clubs in the second division and fortunately, Rasta Vechta gave me the offer to become their head coach. I was very thankful for that opportunity. It was amazing timing. If I didn’t get it, I’m not sure where I’d be today.
EH: We hear some stories about how coaches land positions, but we don’t often get the details and the stuff about tough unemployment situations that many people outside of basketball can relate to. Things like, ‘Will I have a job?’ ‘Can I provide for my people, pay for my needs, cover my expenses?’ We don’t learn about the struggles until you reach success. This is one of the reasons why I love listening to your story.
T.H.: Appreciate that. I have a smile on my face now. Things are going really well. But back then? It was a very difficult time. I think I had a good mindset through it. I knew that I was taking a risk. Just thankful that Vechta put me in that situation and the organization that wanted to be successful in the second division and we did it and we were able to do it right away. And then again in the first league last season, very successful season with them.
It happened very fast. Of course, I think most coaches believe in themselves and in what they do. I always kind of felt that way too. I don’t want to sound arrogant or something, but I was always confident. Sometimes, yes, you have to be in the right place at the right time and I guess that’s what happened.
EH: I love your positiveness. I have to say that you are giving me some Ted Lasso vibes. Of course, you were involved in basketball even before coaching and he was basically clueless about soccer. But you also took the overseas jump, wondering how you would do in a foreign place and you went through difficulties with an optimistic attitude.
T.H.: I had a friend in the States who called me Ty Lasso. The same time that the show was coming out, I was doing what he did basically.
EH: You talked about how fast everything went once you got the Vechta job. Indeed. You won the second division in the first season with the team, then you made the BBL Playoffs perhaps unexpectedly by most. Then you sign with Ulm and here you are. Could you have imagined such a trajectory in such a short period of time back when you were simply just looking for a job?
T.H.: No. I think I would’ve been very satisfied to have a second-division job and still doing that this season if I’m being totally honest. Just because of the kind of big risk I took and the level of basketball that I played was in that range. To be here in Ulm, I feel very thankful. I think conceptually, I’m the right fit for Ulm. And I think this is probably why they were interested. Like what they do with their basketball talents, they like to give opportunities to coaches who haven’t been at the top in their profession.
I didn’t see the trajectory coming. The goal at Vechta was to win the second division within three years. We did that in the first year. We were able to keep the core group of players. I don’t want to be critical of myself. You mentioned Ted Lasso. He’s really good with people. I feel that’s also a strength of mine. I have a great group of assistant coaches. Strength coach. Management. People with a vision. Again, I feel very lucky to be in that role. It’s not that my way is the only right way. It’s to find what works for a club or a team and be successful.
We were able to bring in a group of guys in BBL who fit with what we wanted to do and we wanted to go. Vechta also had an interest in prospects. We saw fast development with a couple of the young players. Everybody knows Johann Grunloh. Jack Kayil is now with Mega MIS in Serbia.
A lot of times you see the end result. But the youth coaches are doing a great job in Vechta and here in Ulm to develop these young guys.
When I found out that Ulm was interested, I felt that the opportunity of coaching in EuroCup was a natural next step in my career. It was hard to leave Vechta because of how good things were going and they gave me the opportunity.
This has been great. We had a great start to the season. It’s a long season of course. We have to keep it rolling. I don’t want to get ahead of myself and the same applies to the players. We want to take everything, one practice, one game at a time and continue with this development mindset.
EH: You have a very young team. As of Round 11 in the EuroCup, the guys who play 15.0 minutes or more average 24 years of age. The oldest outside of veteran captain Tomas Klepeisz, is 27. If we include all the players who are, let’s say, the core of the team with 10.0 minutes or more, the age average drops to 23. That’s pretty impressive. How is it coaching this very young, mostly inexperienced team?
T.H.: I have to give credit to the players first. I would assume… If I think about when I was 17 or 18 years old, even 20, I would’ve felt a lot of pressure to perform and I’m not sure if I would have handled it as well as they do. Along with several other matters that go on in their lives. I just feel proud of them that they are doing so well. In general, it’s about the vision of the club. Putting these young players in this situation.
Two of our experienced players who have EuroCup and a lot of BBL experience were injured at the start of the season. So that can also explain it. These young guys had to play and had to perform.
It’s not just myself. Tyron McCoy, my assistant coach has been really great. He knows the ropes. Former all-star coach in BBL and a great player when he played in BBL. His help has been tremendous. Our job is just to put the players in the situation to be successful and then make the plays.
I can’t pinpoint one thing to say this is great, etc. We have great leadership inside our playing group with captain Thomas Klepeisz. And Karim Jallow – also one of our injured guys at the start. They are coming back healthy and helping a lot.
EH: You talked about teaching the players. I was watching a video of you during an Ulm timeout – it was during the home win over Joventut Badalona. You are telling players that they play with great ball movement, how you like that, that it’s ‘fun to watch basketball’. It impressed me because you don’t often hear these words of praise when the game is still on the line. You were up 15 but it was near the end of the third quarter.
Some other coaches would’ve pointed out things to correct or do differently, adjustments to be better. Instead, you just filled them with compliments. Is that timeout representative of your philosophy in general?
T.H.: I think there has to be a balance. My dad was a career coach and it was a lot of tough love with him. I remember I had a 48-point game and I missed 3 free throws and he told me ‘Well, if you had made your free throws, you’d have 50’. And it just killed me. And I love my dad, he was a great coach and everything.
I think sometimes the players need to hear when they do something well too. Coaches are forgetting that sometimes. It hasn’t always been like this for me, but I think in the last years, maybe a little bit about my story as well affected me. Years of reflection and watching things from the outside gave me a bit of a different perspective about basketball and life.
When guys do something well, I want them to keep doing it. I want to encourage my guys as much as possible.
EH: The spotlight on this Ulm team is on Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue because of their status as NBA prospects. Both 18 years of age. And they may be the most important players on the team: They are the leading scorers with 13.3 points, Ben is also first in assists with 5.0 and Noa is the rebounds leader with 5.0. A lot of media are covering them. Obviously, their goal is to play in the NBA.
As their coach how do you help them shut off any distractions or outside noise? Help them keep their focus on the “here” and “now”?
T.H.: I’m really impressed with both of those guys and just how they approach everything. They are two totally different personalities. From two different countries and cultures. They behave differently but they both are really handling this whole process very well. Again, some of the things that I was taught when I was younger, I try to reach out and share with them.
Even non-basketball things. How to present. How to shake hands and say hello. Some of the small details, which are very important sometimes. Reminding them and explaining to them how scouts are watching how you warm up. How you sit on the bench during the game.
What I’ve really been impressed with – to answer the question – is the receptiveness of these two guys to accept what their older teammates are talking to them about. How we coach them. We put them in and out of the lineup and starting lineup.
You’ve got to remember, these guys are NBA talents for the future, but right now they are living away from home. Ben’s home country is in a war at the moment. Noa is in an apartment by himself. I think it’s really impressive how they behave. You really wouldn’t know it if you weren’t inside of our group. But it’s impossible not to know for all the people who watch them.
EH: I’m asking also because sometimes young players really look to be productive and can get carried away on the floor in their pursuit. Their willingness to show off their game may not always agree with what the coach wants them to do, on a team that competes for wins.
T.H.: There’s a component of the team winning and being successful. Philosophically, we are really big on team and team play. And that leads to our success. It’s a common belief that as long as we win games, “everybody gets paid” or “everybody gets to eat”.
But I know what you’re saying on the details. There are some things that both players need to work on. We have the development coach here, Yasin [Turan], who works on those details to improve. Like outside shooting percentages. And that’s more than just getting reps. Is the footwork right? Or is the follow-through correct? And we are getting down into the details.
These two players, but the entire team also, seek out the extra advice. They go to the development coach, they work with the strength coach.
They really are focused on their play and development and that helps. They are hard workers. They aren’t guys who just say ‘Okay, I have this projection and I’m going to go play and do what I want to do.’ No. They work on the things that they need to work on and they are doing it within the team frame.
EH: Early in the season you had some high-profile NBA executives visiting Ulm to watch Saraf and Essengue. Brad Stevens of the Boston Celtics was there for that game vs. Badalona. Did you have a chance to talk with him?
T.H.: No I didn’t. I tried to say hello, but I think he got surrounded by reporters and stuff right after the game.
There’s been a lot of executives here and we got to sit down, talk, have meals in the arena. Of course we had the trip to Portland to play the Blazers.
I’d like to meet Coach Stevens as well, it would’ve been fun for me on a personal level. And you know what? Badalona is running his sideline inbound play and I didn’t. So they looked better than I did for him!
EH: How do you feel personally knowing that you get this additional amount of attention as the coach of two NBA talents?
T.H.: It did cross my mind. I mentioned Jack Kayil who’s now with Mega. I can’t take any credit because I didn’t play him very much in the BBL last season. He practiced with us. And then Johann Grunloh and now these two guys, Ben Saraf and Noa Essengue.
I’ve been able to coach some of the top young guys in the area that are getting NBA interest and are potential draft picks. Again… three years ago I was coaching small college basketball in Texas. Love the guys there, but they didn’t have that type of talent. And I’m thankful again. It’s more the vision of ratiopharm Ulm. Thomas Stoll [Managing Director and co-founder] and Andreas [Oettel, Managing Director and co-founder] and Thorsten [Leibenath, Sports Director] that gave someone like myself the opportunity and put me in the right place to be successful. It’s a special moment in my career and I’m aware of it.
EH: I’m wondering if you have any influences from European coaches?
T.H.: I played in Europe and I try to take the best from the coaches I had and use them in my program. The career of Coach David Blatt was really interesting with all of his success. Sarunas Jasikevicius also. As a player, he was around my age and he’s a coach now. He’s somebody I watch a lot.
I’ve got to say one of the first coaches here in Germany. Frenkie Ignjatovic. He’s originally from Serbia, but he’s in Germany for a long time. He was in Heidelberg moving up and went through a similar process with me. He was in really good to me when I was in the Frankfurt area, he let me come and watch. I’ve always been thankful to him. There are a lot of names but Blatt and Saras are the big names I’ve been following. We’re trying to use some of his stuff too.
EH: Saras is far more of a “tough love” type of coach than you, you do know that?
T.H.: Personality may be totally different, but the expectations are the same.
All photos are courtesy of Harry Langer and ratiopharm Ulm