Turkey was on the crest of a wave after EuroBasket 2001. Having played the final at home, Turkey had entered the very elite of European basketball. The prized 1979 generation was just reaching its prime and better days seemed to be ahead. But since then Turkey fell out of the top eight in the 2002 World Championships and at EuroBasket 2003. So where exactly does the team stand in Europe? Turkey will try to prove that the identity crisis is now over and, 4 years later, they can go back to the top of the class.

		Bogdan Tanjevic

Time for a reality check. Where does Turkish basketball stand in regard to other powerhouses in Europe? A silver medal at EuroBasket 2001. And being left out of the top 8 in the following two competitions 2002 World Championships and 2003 Eurobasket. Where does this team belong?
It seems to come down to the same question every time Turkey steps on the court… Which Turkey will we see? The powerhouse which is a solid contender for a medal or a team disinterested, disoriented and confused?

When well-respected coach Bogdan Tanjevic took over the reigns after EuroBasket 2003 he was given this arduous task of forging an identity for this team. Preferably a self-confident and consistent one. Turkey possess every tool necessary to be successful as proved in 2001. And better yet… That team that won the silver was nowhere near its peak. The two stars of the team Hidayet Türkoğlu and Mehmet Okur were only 22 back then. But the real key to success was probably the atmosphere. The partisan fans continuously fed the team with energy. The atmosphere provided the team with an identity back then. Now it is time for the team to create one from within.

		Mehmet Okur

The team boasts one of the best frontcourts in Europe. Anchored by Mehmet Okur on the inside, Turkey’s big man rotation is the envy of most European sides. Efes Pilsen team-mates Ermal Kurtoğlu and Kaya Peker are coming off a very successful campaign where both had career years. The same goes for Ülker power forward Kerem Gönlüm. Add to the mix the all-around game of Mirsad Türkcan and you don’t even realize that Hüseyin Beşok, who had a terrific comeback year with Asvel, was not even invited. This frontline is one of the best at EuroBasket, if not the best.

Turkey also has pretty good firepower on the perimeter. Serkan Erdoğan’s emergence will complement proven scorers Hidayet Türkoğlu and İbrahim Kutluay. The only glaring weakness is the point guard position. Last season the usual suspects Kerem Tunçeri and Ender Arslan were both very disappointing. And the alternatives Hakan Demirel, Barış Ermiş and Hakan Köseoğlu are all very inexperienced at this level. For a point guard experience is gold and Turkey has to choose its poison: Lack of experience or lack of form. Last season’s most successful point guard was Cüneyt Erden of Darüşşafaka but Bogdan Tanjevic has not invited him to the camp. This raised many eyebrows because Erden had a truly magnificent season. He was second in assists and proved to be a very mature floor leader.

But Tanjevic is trying to bypass the point guard woes. He said he will use Hidayet Türkoğlu as a point guard at least 25 minutes every game. With Kerem Gönlüm sometimes used as a small forward Turkey has boasted a starting 5 that has an average height of 2.05m. A huge team indeed. With so many versatile big men, it seemed that “every coach’s dream 5” might very well come to life. But seeing the team perform poorly against ball pressure and having trouble getting back on defense once again solidified the theory: You need very special players for this to work. And even though Turkey has an abundance of quality big men, forcing them into other roles is not fruitful. Most of them are not very good ball handlers and in practice games when the pressure on the ball increased Turkey suffered greatly. And Hidayet Türkoğlu is way too tall for a point guard, making him vulnerable to pressure and turnovers. Still the point guard woes are so big that Tanjevic wants to stick with the plan.

Forcing players out of position is always hard. But forcing players into smaller positions is even harder. Smaller players can hold their ground with athleticism against bigger opposition. But bigger players need great hustle to keep up with the speed of the smaller players, especially if they want to do it consistently.

Déjà vu… We are back where we started… Hustle, heart, consistency, self-confidence…

Turkey’s problems always come back to the same things… If the utopia of “4 big men” is to be followed Turkey needs more poise than ever. Can Turkey provide it? You can never know. But it is about time this team found an identity and a sense of direction. Otherwise it will always be the most cruel of soap operas. Always giving you the hope of a happy ending, never to fulfil its promise.