Turkey’s renewed squad for 2013 named

ISTANBUL- Hürriyet Daily News

Turkey’s national basketball team yesterday announced a line-up of fresh faces, ahead of the 2013 European Basketball Championship qualifiers.

The team’s long-standing members Hidayet “Hedo” Türkoğlu, Ömer Onan, Kerem Tunçeri, Ersan İlyasova, Kerem Gönlüm and Ömer Aşık are not included in the new squad. Anadolu Efes’ Cenk Akyol, Sinan Güler and Semih Erden, Fenerbahçe Ülker’s Emir Preldzic, Utah Jazz center Enes Kanter and Galatasaray Medical Park guard Ender Arslan were the familiar faces remaining on the squad.

Fresh faces on the squad
Efes’ Doğuş Balbay, Duşan Cantekin, Osman Gökhan Şirin and Birkan Batuk; Bandırma Kırmızı’s İbrahim Yıldırım; Banvit’s İzzet Türkyılmaz; Beşiktaş’s Barış Hersek and Serhat Çetin; Galatasaray Medical Park’s Furkan Aldemir, Göksenin Köksal and Sertaç Şanlı; Mersin BB’s Can Maksim Mutaf; and Pınar Karşıyaka’s İlkan Karaman are the new additions to the team.

Arslan, 29, is the oldest member of the team.

The Turkish Basketball Federation’s (TBF) Chairman Turgay Demirel announced that the team will be coached by Bogdan Tanjevic through the qualifiers. Demirel added that former coach Orhun Ene, who was at the helm during last year’s unsuccessful EuroBasket 2011 campaign, said he did not want to continue as Turkey coach.

Turkey failed to make it past the second round in last summer’s EuroBasket 2011.

Turkey will play against Italy, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Belarus between Aug. 15 and Sept. 11 in the 2013 qualifiers.