Ergin Ataman: Alperen Şengün did not use expressions like 'I am the best player, the All-Star is mine'

A National Men's Basketball Team and Panathinaikos Head Coach Ergin Ataman answered questions from Mustafa Karagöl, Uğur Demirkırdı, and Ersin Şiyhan on the Spor Ajansı program broadcast on D Smart.

Starting his remarks by mentioning their victories against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Switzerland in November, Ergin Ataman said, "These were matches we played comfortably. Serbia is one of the most important schools of European basketball, and they were seen as a major favorite in the European Championship; however, by defeating them in the group, we diverted their path, and they were ultimately eliminated in the quarterfinals."

We, on the other hand, managed to reach the quarterfinals and achieved a very significant result. We had the opportunity to play in the European Championship after 25 years. At first, we predicted that the match to be held in Belgrade would be very difficult. Even though Serbia did not bring some of the players in their squad, we managed to bring our best players playing in Europe to the national team.

The dedication of our players and the support of our clubs for the federation and the national team were very important. By winning the match played there, we naturally gained a huge advantage, and it gave us serious morale. The Serbs experienced such a defeat for the first time in such an official match, in a European Championship or World Championship qualifying match. A team managed to beat Serbia. They pushed us towards the end and went ahead by one point, but we returned from there with a victory thanks to a very important three-pointer made by Tarık. We guaranteed our exit from the group by winning all 4 of our 4 matches in the group," he said.

"According to FIBA's statements, Turkey is the strongest team in the European power rankings"

Stating that there are two more group matches in July, Ataman said, "We have 2 more matches to play against Bosnia and Switzerland. Our goal is to exit the group undefeated without losing these matches. Following that, there are teams coming from the cross-group to go to the World Cup. There are strong teams, especially Italy and Lithuania. When we consider the points we earned from this group, Serbia will also come to this group. This situation will provide us with a serious advantage in the next group. I can say that we are having a very good national team period. Currently, according to FIBA's statements, Turkey is in the position of the strongest team in the European power rankings," he stated.

"We must leave all our personal problems behind for the success of our national team"

Explaining that the problems experienced in the past with Fenerbahçe were resolved through mutual agreement with the efforts of the federation and the mediation of ministers, Ergin Ataman said, "We were expecting this problem to be solved. In Turkey, when it comes to the national team, we all have to leave our personal problems behind for the success of our national team. We achieved this. Not just for Fenerbahçe, but all our clubs in Turkey are providing very serious support to our national team."

"We have created a great family atmosphere in the field of Turkish basketball"

Stating that they have created a great family atmosphere in Turkish basketball, Ataman said, "During this process, our federation, our ministry, the sports community, and our President call us after every match, come to our games, visit the locker room during the Bosnia match, and constantly receive information and motivate us."

"As the coach of this team, I am extremely proud"

Ergin Ataman, who said that the image of the '12 Giant Men' has returned to the highest level after years, assessed, "Our matches were followed on screens not only in Istanbul but all over Anatolia, and the Turkish National Basketball Team has become a team that is watched, loved, and that the public is proud of. As the coach of this team, I am extremely proud."

"Every success must have a strategic plan"

Emphasizing that no success is a coincidence, Ataman continued his words as follows:

"Every success must have a strategic plan and motivation. This is my third term with the national team since I took office. From the moment I took office, we had already set our sights on this tournament as a goal."

"All of these were strategic planning"

Stating that expectations were high, Ergin Ataman said, "Alperen Şengün, who joined our team from the NBA, is a player who has been selected as an All-Star. We managed to bring him to our team with great motivation, pleasure, and desire." The experienced head coach, who also mentioned that they managed to bring Adem Bona to the national team for the first time, added, "All of these were part of a strategic plan. Following that, we secured our first victory against Latvia. In sports, everything is about preparation, motivation, and success."

"We determine the 12-man roster by working seriously on team chemistry"

Explaining that the team is determined by conducting serious work on team chemistry when selecting players for the National Team, Ergin Ataman said that this 12-man roster consists of both the best players and players who complement each other.

"Alperen Şengün is our national team's greatest asset"

Stating that national basketball player Alperen Şengün, who plays in the NBA, is the team's greatest asset, Ataman said, "He is one of our athletes who has represented Turkey and Turkish sports best in the world over the last two seasons. Alperen came to the national team with a very positive mindset and was always in a structure that embraced his teammates, never using expressions like 'I am the best player, the All-Star is mine'."

News Source: 12punto