Balbay A Part Of Bright Future For Turkey
By Jeff Taylor
The talent pool is deep in Turkey.
Just one look at the national team program, especially in the under-16, under-18 and under-20 sides, and one sees promise at all positions.
There is quality in the backcourt, on the wing and underneath the basket.
While the veterans will be in the spotlight this summer in Ankara at the 2010 FIBA World Championship, rest assured there are plenty of youngsters on the verge of breaking into the squad.
One of those is 21-year-old Dogus Balbay, a junior point guard with the Texas Longhorns in American college basketball.
The 6ft 1in playmaker has already captured a gold medal, in fact.
He averaged 15 points, 6.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 2.6 steals when Turkey won the U16 European Championship in Leon, Spain, in 2005.
Balbay gave this interview to Basketball World News.
Dogus, when did you first start to play basketball, and which players, both in Turkey and North America, captured your imagination?
Dogus Balbay: I started playing basketball when I was eight or nine years old. I didn't actually know anything about basketball at first because soccer was the biggest sport in Turkey. My sister just pushed me into basketball and I started playing with her. I didn't actually know any players in Turkey or in the States. I started playing with my club team and played for them at least seven or eight years. I played for the national teams for five or six years until I decided to come to the States.
You represented Turkey at the under-16, under-18 and under-20 levels. How did that experience help you develop as a player and also, what did it mean for you to compete for your country?
Dogus Balbay: Playing for the national team helped me a lot. It was the best experience I've had in my life. I played for the under-16, under-18 and under-20 teams. We did a really good job in the competitions. We won the European Championship in the under-16 group. We got fourth place a couple times and we got third place another time. I had a great time playing for the national team. It really helped me a lot to get to the United States. Playing for my country is the biggest honor to me. Representing my country in competition was great. You had the flag on your chest. You're just playing like it's your last game. That's how you fight for your country.
Which country do you like to play against most in international competition and why?
Dogus Balbay: I guess I could say Spain because basketball is at a really high level in Spain. Their basketball IQs are really high. They have some talented players at each age group. Every time I played against Spain, I was really having fun out there.
Was it difficult to adjust to the game in America when you arrived from Turkey?
Dogus Balbay: It was kind of hard because I realized that in the States, basketball is more about individual play. You've got to be really talented, strong and athletic in order to do some special things. In Europe, you don't really have to have those talents. I would say American basketball is more individual and Europe is slower paced.
Are there any big differences between the way the games are played? Also, what about the atmosphere in the arenas?
It's the same. There are a couple different rules in college basketball. I'm just going to talk about the attendance, the fans. In Turkey we had at most 5,000 people at a game but here, even college games, we have at least 17,000 watching and supporting us. That's the biggest difference, I guess.
What about the coaching? Is there a big difference?
Dogus Balbay: It's not, but here we are watching more film and doing scouting a lot, but in Europe and Turkey, we didn't really do a lot. We still watched film of our opponents sometimes, but here, we do it a lot.
Why did you decide to play college basketball instead of launching your professional career in Turkey?
Dogus Balbay: I knew that it was going to be really hard playing basketball and going to school at the same time in Turkey, so I decided to come to the States because I wanted to get my degree and play basketball at the same time. I didn't really care about playing for a professional team because your degree is really important. You're going to be done with basketball when you get to be 35 or 40. That was the main point, to go to school, get my degree, and play basketball at the same time.
You have a reputation as a solid defensive player. Is that accurate? What is the difference between a good defensive player and a great defensive player?
Dogus Balbay: I'm really trying to be aggressive on defense because I believe that you can play defense every night. You can play really aggressive on defense. That's why I'm trying to be a solid defensive player every night. At an early age, like 12 or 13, we started playing defense really hard and we were taught that defense is the most important part of a basketball game. We learned almost every detail of defense - coming off screens or how to avoid screens, how to stay in front of the ball and how to deny the ball, that kind of stuff. I think I really paid attention to what my coaches said and I executed on the floor. I have a habit of playing good defense right now and I'm trying to do it every night. I think being a great defensive player, you've got to bring your energy, your toughness every night. If you can do it, you're a great defensive player. That's the only difference, I guess.
If you could improve one aspect of your game, what would that be?
Dogus Balbay: My shot, my shot selection and free throws. I've been working a lot and trying to improve my percentages from the free-throw line and the three-point line. That's one aspect of my game I'm trying to improve every day.
Talk about missing a season with an injury at Texas and how difficult it was to come back.
Dogus Balbay: I had a tough injury my first year. I really worked hard to get back into shape. It was really hard coming back from the injury, but I felt like I really worked hard to get back on the court. I worked on my knee until I felt like I was 100%. It was really hard sitting on the bench and watching my teammates and not helping them. When I came back, I just tried to be more careful in what I do because I didn't want to get hurt. I kept working on my knee to try to get stronger and stronger every day.
There are so many places where you could have gone to college. Why Texas? What kind of coach is Rick Barnes?
Dogus Balbay: Texas being one of the best is one of the reasons I came here. This was the only school I officially visited. I really liked it as soon as I walked on the campus and saw the facilities. I said, ‘Yeah, this is the school I like. I want to come to Texas.' I can really tell this is one of the best schools academically and athletically in the United States. Working with Coach Barnes, he is one of the best college coaches. He is a great person. He's always thinking about his players. He wants his players to get better every day. This is a great opportunity for me to work with him every day. He's not just talking about basketball, he talks about life too, from his experience. He's a great person and a great coach.
Do you expect to be named in Turkey's Preliminary Squad for the FIBA World Championship?
Dogus Balbay: I would like to play for them for the World Championship. If I get selected, I would definitely go play and represent my country.
What does it mean for Turkey to host such a prestigious tournament and can your country win a medal and possibly gold?
Dogus Balbay: It's a great opportunity for Turkey. We're going to have a lot of tourists come watch the games. They'll also see the cities and the country and learn about our culture. I think it's going to be great for our country. It's going to help us economically and with everything. It's going to be our goal to try to get a medal in this World Championship. We can definitely do it if we really get prepared and work hard. We have great players. That's going to be our goal.
You have done well academically at Texas. What are you majoring in and what career would you like to have after you play professional basketball?
Dogus Balbay: I'm majoring in Middle Eastern studies. One of the reasons I picked this is because it's familiar to me. I have some background about Middle Eastern studies. I wanted to learn more about the Middle Eastern countries around Turkey. It includes Turkey, too. I think it's really interesting. I'm learning a lot about Turkey's neighbors. I don't know what I'm going to do after my basketball career, but I'm sure after getting my degree in Middle Eastern studies, it's going to open a lot of doors for me.
Is your hope to follow in the footsteps of Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur and play in the NBA one day?
Dogus Balbay: Definitely. They're really good players and they represent Turkey in the NBA. They have done a great job so far. Mehmet Okur has already played in the All-Star game. He's also got an NBA championship ring and Hedo Turkoglu played in the NBA Finals last year. They're really doing great. I want to be like one of them one day and I'm working hard for it.
. We're still waiting for them. Instead of improving, they've gotten worse each year. Other true prospects, Hakan Demirel and Engin Atsur seem to follow the same path, only they already disappeared without making any peak. So, when talking about a guard prospect I'm always cautious.