The meeting held at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall was attended by Turkish Basketball Federation President Hidayet Türkoğlu and board members, A National Men’s Basketball Team Manager Muratcan Güler, A National Team Head Coach Orhun Ene and national players.
Hidayet Türkoğlu, who made a statement at the meeting, said, “The national teams are the place we care about the most and take responsibility for. We will start the qualifying with 2 victories and move on to the exit. These players will show the meaning and value of the national jersey when they take the field. We wish them all success. It is our duty to make them focus only on basketball. I hope they will get through both games without any accident and make us happy.” used the expressions.
Noting that the players who took time in their team were included in the squad, Türkoğlu said, “As a team, we are preparing for these matches with the friends who take the most time. Everyone is aware of how important each match is. We have invited friends who are helpful to the team. We are aware that the A National Team should come out with the team that will win every match. The important thing is to play these processes with experienced friends. Our goal is to participate in the European and world championships.” he said.
Orhun Ene: “Two tough matches are waiting for us”
A National Team Head Coach Orhun Ene stated that they want to be victorious by reflecting their quality on the field in the Belarus and Great Britain matches.
Ene stated that the preparation period for the matches in question would not be very long and said, “Taking into account the match between Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahçe Beko on Thursday, November 25, we invited 17 players to the squad. Even though the opponents are far behind in the world ranking, all of the players are names that take time and are in rhythm. “Our basketball level is good, but we have to prepare very well for the time spent by the Turkish players playing in the teams in the THY Europa League. Our quality is always high, but we need a great concentration to show it on the field. Two challenging matches are waiting for us. If we get through this without an accident, in the next process.” We will fight for the group title.” made its assessment.
Orhun Ene stated that before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Qualifications, players in the NBA and THY Europa League were experiencing difficulties due to the lack of time, “We need working time together. When we cannot achieve this in these windows, the result is left to our daily performance and in-game reaction. “In today’s system, due to the insistence of FIBA, matches are played in a short time. When players who play well and take responsibility in their team come, the result is different. We are happy with the quality of the team, but the important thing is to reflect that quality on the field.” expressed an opinion.
The experienced head coach shared the following views about Cedi Osman, Furkan Korkmaz, Alperen Şengün and Ömer Faruk Yurtseven, who played in the NBA:
“It is a good development that Alperen Şengün took some time. It is very important for us that Cedi and Furkan also start the season well and play in a decisive position. We had difficulties in organizing the game due to the injuries of our two quarterbacks in the tournament in Canada. Omer Faruk Yurtseven’s performance is at least as valuable as Alperen. If Sertaç Şanlı continues like this, we will be a valuable team. I think that if Turkish players get roles in the NBA, like in the NBA, this will reflect very well on Turkish basketball.” said.
Muratcan Güler: “We believe we will win two matches”
A National Basketball Team Manager Muratcan Güler noted that they wanted to make a good start to the qualifying rounds by winning the Belarus and Great Britain matches.
Emphasizing the importance of starting the qualifiers well, Güler said, “We are having problems in recruiting a squad due to the conflict between FIBA and the Europa League. However, we believe that the squad we have is the best. We believe we will win these 2 matches. We would like to thank Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahçe Beko. We are very grateful to Anadolu Efes. 4, 3 of our friends from Fenerbahce joined the national team. One player from each team will not be able to come to Belarus due to the derby they will play in the Europa League. We aim to get a full squad for the Great Britain match. We are waiting for all the fans to Sinan Erdem in this competition. I hope he is very good here. We will face them with a good atmosphere, defeating Belarus, and we will make a good start to the qualifiers by defeating Great Britain.” made its assessment.
Melih Mahmutoğlu: “We want to play good matches and get good wins”
The captain of the National Team, Melih Mahmutoğlu, stated that they aimed to win both matches by performing well.
Emphasizing that they are a team made up of quality players, Melih Mahmutoğlu said, “It is important for us to start well here. We cannot be a complete team. We have shortcomings. There is not much time to prepare. It is an opportunity for us to show ourselves. We will reach the atmosphere we miss on Sunday in this hall. It is important to start the first match with a win. We will look at it match by match. We want to play good matches and get good wins.” used the expressions.
On the other hand, the crescent-star team started the preparations for the two matches they will play in the qualifiers, with training.
