Ergin Ataman period for the second time in the National Men’s Basketball Team started. After Orhun Ene’s resignation, Ergin Ataman will be appointed as the head of the team, while the experienced coach will also continue his duty at Anadolu Efes. The first to speak at the signing ceremony held at Sinan Erdem Sports Hall. Hidayet Türkoğlu, President of the Turkish Basketball FederationExpressing that the national team is above every task, he said, “We would like to thank Orhun Ene, who managed the National Team in the past period, and we think that he will continue at the highest level in basketball. Our national team will play in important matches in the World Cup Qualifications and fight for medals in the European Championship. We invited Ergin Ataman to lead our men’s team and he did not hurt us. We, as the management, trust him and our team, we give him full support. May our agreement be beneficial to Turkish basketball. Thanks to Tuncay Özilhan for his understanding during this process. and I say ‘Welcome, teacher'”.
Ataman: “We want to bring medals”
Ergin Ataman, who started his speech by expressing that he was excited to take part in the national team again, said, “The process has developed intensively. While the Euroleague tempo with Anadolu Efes was continuing, President Hidayet Türkoğlu met with me and asked my conditions after my dear friend Orhun Ene left. All I said was ‘National “There can be no condition for working in the team. Your trust is a great excitement for me. I have only one request, I asked for approval from Anadolu Efes President Tuncay Özilhan. To Hidayet Türkoğlu, who supported us in this process, our Minister Mehmet Muharrem Kasapoğlu” I would like to thank our President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who wants our national team and our national team to be the pride of the country. We want to lead the national team to medals in European Championships and Olympics. We want to please our soldiers, police and people by representing this flag. I am an assertive person. and from today, tell our people and all the players who will be included in the squad: “We are here to win medals in Europe, the World Cup and the Olympics.”
Türkoğlu: “We will give all kinds of support”
Stating that he is a person who believes that the basketball team should take part in every tournament, Hidayet Türkoğlu said, “As the management, we have always tried to express it. I am a person who believes that we should take part as a country in both the European Championships and the World Championships. As an athlete, I believed this and now We believe in this and try to recruit the right people as the manager. I also tell my teacher Ergin that we will provide all kinds of support in the coming period. We believe that we will achieve the success we want and miss in the upcoming period. I wish him and his team success as well. Our contract is until August 2024, that is, until after the Olympics. “We are very happy with the goal of taking the national team to the Olympics, so we made our contract until August 2024,” he said.
Ataman: “Our goal in the European Championship is championship”
Reminding that there will be matches with Belarus and England in the World Cup Qualifications in June, Ergin Ataman said, “We want to win these matches and go to the next round for the World Cup Qualification. But our main preparation is for the European Championship, which will start on September 1. We will prepare for this in August. I trust this squad very much. We have very good and experienced players. We are not afraid of any team. Of course, very important countries such as Serbia and Spain will take part in the championship, but our only goal in the European Championship will be the championship. I will invite everyone to the squad with this goal. The goal is great. But the staff is also great,” he said. Talking about the conflict between Euroleague and national matches, Ataman said, “The overlap between Euroleague and international matches has put us in a lot of trouble in the past. This situation has also created question marks in the public. There is no such situation in any sport. I believe that FIBA and Euroleague Management will find a solution to this in the coming period. Euroleague’ Anadolu Efes and Fenerbahçe, who are fighting in the TBF, worked in harmony with the TBF. A solution was found for the players, a solution will be found for the coach. Not only me, Dimitris İtudis is also the coach of Greece in the Euroleague. Many players cannot play in the national teams. He behaved very well in the process and the national team will always take the field with its coach at the beginning,” he said.
“Hakan Demir and Ender Arslan will be my assistants”
Talking about his assistants in the National Team, Ataman said, “The players come to the national team with enthusiasm, regardless of the technical staff. Larkin has always been like that. Our players in the NBA also played with devotion. Names are not important here. Our very valuable elders were here. I had a great time with our players. I think we will work with pleasure. We are negotiating with the federation about assistants. Hakan Demir and Ender Arslan will be my two assistants. Mehmet Okur from the past staff will continue. Our administrative staff is already the same. We tried to establish a very compatible, new and exciting team. I am not only a player, but also a coach. I trust my team in this regard,” he concluded. The meeting ended after a group photo shoot.
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