Ergin Ataman's medal dream!

A National Men's Basketball Team Head Coach Ergin Ataman spoke assertively about the 2025 European Championship, stating that he believes they will qualify for the tournament and compete for a medal.

The A National Team, which will face Italy on February 22 and Iceland on February 25 in their first two matches of Group B in the qualifiers, met with members of the press at the media day event at the Sinan Erdem Sports Hall.

In his statement, Ergin Ataman noted that they are starting a new process with the European Championship Qualifiers, saying, "Being here again with the national jersey is exciting and a source of pride for me. It's my own arena. We will play against Italy and Iceland. We tried to select the players in the best form. Even if they don't get much playing time in their own teams, we called up players we want to use tactically."

Stating that they will face a difficult challenge away against Italy, Ergin Ataman expressed his views by saying, "Italy is a tough team. They have been playing consistently for 2-3 years. They have a good team. A difficult match awaits us. We will return from there with the best possible result. Then we will play against Iceland. It is a match we must win. The other team in the group is Hungary. They are a dangerous team."

The experienced head coach, stating that 3 out of the 4 teams in the group will earn the right to participate in the European Championship, said, "I believe we will qualify for the European Championship and be competitive there. We can be a team that fights for a medal. We have that strength. We need to use it. In the absence of our players in the NBA, we want to get through these matches in the best way possible."

TARIK HAS SHOWN GREAT DEVELOPMENT

Ergin Ataman also evaluated the first-time call-up of Tarık Biberovic, who plays for Fenerbahçe Beko, to the preliminary squad.

Emphasizing that the 23-year-old basketball player has shown an effective performance this season, the experienced head coach said, "He is also getting significant minutes in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. We will use Tarık in the window matches. Tarık has shown serious development. I believe he will contribute to the national team. He has been in Fenerbahçe for many years and plays as a Turk. We can use Tarık as a Turk, not as a naturalized player."

Explaining that if Tarık Biberovic gains local player status, they could add a naturalized player to the team, Ergin Ataman said, "When we earn the right to participate in the European Championship, our door will be open to a player (naturalized) who will raise the bar for the team. This could be from Europe or the NBA. The A National Team is not a place for developing players. The A National Team is a success-oriented system where the fittest and best players are located."

''MY GOAL IS TO WIN A MEDAL WITH THE A NATIONAL TEAM''

Ergin Ataman, who is also the head coach of the Greek team Panathinaikos, stated that he has achieved all successes in his club career and aims to win a medal with the national team as well.

Noting that the successes achieved by the A National Football Team and the A National Women's Volleyball Team are also expected in basketball, Ataman said, "The A National Football Team is successful. Our women's volleyball team is the pride of Turkey. Most of the football players play in Europe. In volleyball, except for Ebrar Karakurt, all players play in Turkey. We are one of the countries with the most NBA players in Europe. Sometimes there were players who asked to be excused. This causes us trouble in the qualifiers. Stability cannot be achieved as it is in volleyball. If we participate in the European Championship with the good intentions of my players, we can win a medal. I don't have a trophy with the A National Team. My goal is to win a medal with the A National Team as well. I hope we can answer the question of why the A National Basketball Team cannot be successful at the 2025 European Championship."

News Source: AA