Hidayet Türkoğlu, Hüseyin Beşok and Ömer Onan from the National Team, who made us proud from 2001 to the World Cup journey in 2010, are the federation managers for eight years… The team that has made Turkey proud is behind a new 12 Giant Men squad. We talked to them about the past and the future.
Exactly eight years ago, when Hidayet Türkoğlu was elected as the President of the Turkish Basketball Federation, he formed the management team of experienced ex-players who had played on the parquet. Türkoğlu, who played in the 2001 National Basketball Team; He has been managing Turkish basketball for eight years with his team consisting of Haluk Yıldırım, Hüseyin Beşok and Ömer Onan. To take part in the federation was something that they once dreamed of in the National Team camps. It was always on their minds to contribute to basketball and to be beneficial to future generations… They have been doing this for eight years…
In the eight years that have passed, the federation has accomplished very important things, but today they set the goal higher and set out for the championship with the new 12 Giant Men squad. The squad of the A National Team is truly legendary… It reminds of the 12 Giant Men squad of a time. But we talked not with the new ones, but with the giant men who used to run balls on the parquets and are now managers.
Our National Team, which will face Great Britain today in the FIBA 2023 World Cup Qualification Group B, was excited before the competition, TBF President Hidayet Türkoğlu said: “As the Turkish Basketball Federation, our leagues and National Teams have always been special. An exciting summer period awaits us.” and the new generation 12 Giant Men: “We started our preparations under the management of Ergin Ataman for the European Championship, which we will be most excited about as a country, which will start in September. We have started our preparations under the management of Ergin Ataman. their support of the team made us feel both happy and proud. We cannot thank these friends enough. As the management, we have become the management that stands behind our team and offers them every opportunity. will contribute.
We talked to TBF Deputy Chairman Ömer Onan and Hüseyin Beşok about the new and the old:
– The legend of the 12 Giant Men is with you It started in Turkey, right?
– Hüseyin Beşok: The process starts in 2001, with the European Championship… I was there. In the next generation, in the process leading up to the World Championship, there were names like Hidayet Türkoğlu, Ömer Onan, Mehmet Okur, who are now our TBF President. Turkey stood up. Since those years, basketball has developed so much that; The success of the clubs always went high. But the success of the national team was overshadowed in this process. Now we have a good generation. We have NBA players; Cedi, Furkan, Alperen, Ömer Faruk… And with Euroleauge experience, Şehmuz, Shane Larkin, their brothers Melih Mahmutoğlu, the National Team got stronger. Ergin Ataman is at their head…
WE ARE LIKE FANS
– So the new 12 Giant Men are all the stars staff… Brings the longed success is this team?
Omer Onan: As the clubs and the federation, we both rely on the infrastructure. Starting from 2001 until the World Cup was played in 2010, we produced very important players and heroes. Because people want to watch heroes. Even if there are foreign players in your league, they can’t establish a sense of belonging. We have four players this generation playing in the NBA, all of them young. We have friends from below. A very good team started to form. We played the World Final, which is the highest achievement in team sports in Turkey. The only wish of everyone in this team is that this generation will surpass us and become champions. Because if they light this fire, the little ones from below will choose them as heroes and they will be motivated. Because now, those from below do not remember me, Hidayet President, or Hüseyin Beşok as a basketball player. They need new heroes!
– What kind of player were you on the field, manager How are you as
-Ö.O: I was an aggressive player. When he became a manager in the federation, all that aggression disappeared. Because I have become a problem solver every day. Because federation in Turkey means a problem every Monday. Because every loser is looking for something under it, we try to explain that it is not so. That’s why I’ve become more solution-oriented.
H.B: I was playing aggressive. As a manager, I am calmer. Our excitement in national matches is different, but… At that point, we become like fans.
– Basketball from basketball men rule. Why is this important?
H.B: We all have different experiences. The President is experienced in the NBA, Ömer Onan achieved great success in Turkey’s two big teams, I won championships in Israel and France. These are important experiences. All our clubs are valuable, but our national team is very important. It is a national duty to encourage and support clubs to train local players. It is necessary to achieve success with good generations caught from time to time. In 10 years, we can achieve great success with these players, with those who will come from below, this can be a start.
– Basketball federations abroad always one of the old basketball players does it occur? Is this tradition?
H.B: That’s usually the case. Spain, Serbian, Macedonian, Russian Federation Presidents are always basketball players. For example, Russian Federation President Andre Kirilenko and Hidayet Türkoğlu’s NBA teammates…
– Based on history as manager you also have a friendship relationship, your ideas does it conflict?
H.B: Our biggest advantage is that we are friends. We can talk to each other. We all have a clear goal. We are like club representatives when the international matches start. We all do our best for the success of the national team.
MANAGEMENT HARDER
– Is it more difficult to be a manager or to play basketball?
– .O: Being on the field is the most enjoyable. I wish we had a profession like that if it could be played until older ages. There is nothing more enjoyable to be on the field than playing basketball.
– H.B.: I played until I was 39. We are people from the field, of course there is difficulty in acting, but management is more difficult!
