Turkish Prospects

[TurkfromGermany2]

Erkan Yilmaz is 195(w/o shoes and not 192 like in articles) with a 213 wingspan and he can even play PF. His situation is unfortunately again unclear.

Sadik Kabaca had his breakout in the turkish U18 championship 2017. He showed good shooting and body, Berke Atar was in the paint. In 2018 he played without Atar and Sengün therefore he was under the rim and i wasn´t happy with his performance in AST2018 & European championship because in 2017 i saw his versatility. Sadik Kabaca is a talented big for turkish standards because before 3 years he was perimeter player and then he grew up unexpectedly.

Even more interesting was Kilicarslan Senkahya(00) for me, best body under turkish bigs, 1,5 inches smaller young-ÖmerAsik-body, great athlete with soft touch. But this kid has never played bb. In the 2017-18 season he should be the main big of Dacka´s BGL-team but his father and manager have brought him to Izmir, TBF banned him for the half of the season. Then he played solid for KSK, in 1 game he had killed Ahmetcan Duran. This season he has played for Mavisehir in the 3rd division, again a short season for him......

Another unknown big is Selim Troy Sav(PF, 98), in 2016 he was maybe the best U18-player in Istanbul but then he lost his rhythm and then he had played a bad U18 turkish championship therefore he wasn´t in the NT. He was 2 years in the USA and last year a solid season for Yalova in the second division. Soft but talented player with IQ and good athlete.

 

[Nakz2]

So our U18 team ended with the Silver medal in the EC 2019.

We had a skilled group of players, which did not really play that good of team ball, but still managed to get the silver medal. I am not a fan of both the U18 and U20 coaching staff, but nevertheless a good result of our guys. I think a few of the players on this roster can make a name for themselves in Europe in the coming years.

8 - Omer ILYASOGLU
Pointguard with good size. He has excellent courtvision and good passing and ballhandling skills. Needs to work on his shooting and scoring ability though.

6 - Boran GULER
Athletic shooting guard. Did not do much wrong during his minutes on the floor. Will probably be a good TBL player for a mid high team.

9 - Tibet GORENER
Has excellent size for his position at SF and already has a good range on his shot. He however needs to work on his ballhandling skills and athleticism to be an effective SF on the highest level. If he keeps on developing he can be a Hedo Turkoglu type of player, but he can also end up as an Izzet Turkyilmaz or Emir Preldzic type of player. I don’t think he will reach his potential if he turns into a PF within a few years.

4- Omer KUCUK
The only positive thing about Omer Kucuk was his consistent 3 point shooting. Other than that, he will not become a top level player, due to lack of athleticism. He will turn into an Ali Ton type of player in the end

7 - Berkan AKSU
Played fairly well in the minutes he received. Has an excellent 3-point shot for a PF. Did not do much wrong in the time he played.

8 - Mustafa KURTULDUM
Was one of the leaders of the team on the floor. Showed heart during most games and is a born scorer. He however lacks the athleticism to be at the highest level. Can however turn into an Ibrahim Kutluay if he keeps on developing.

5 - Atakan ERDEK
Did see him at the 3vs3 youth tournament a few months back were he did a good job. Does however lack the necessary skills to be a top player on the regular 5vs5 basketball. Does not have sufficient courtvision to play the pointguard position and is one dimensional.

9 - Alperen SENGUN
Clearly the best and most consistent player on the roster. Has an excellent feel for the game and good shooting skills for his position. Needs to continue working on his power and athleticism to keep on playing with the big boys. Reminds me a bit of Marc Gasol and could reach that potential.

4 - Furkan HALTALI
Was our back-up center and was not special. Made lots of mistakes and poor free-throw shooting. Will probably mainly play at the lower end teams of the TBL in the future.

6 - Goktug BAS
Also part of our youth 3vs3 team. Is a versatile PF and has some shooting abilities. Has some potential and difficult to estimate where he will end.

3 - Tarik SEZGUN
Tallest player of the team, but unfortunately also the worst player of this roster. Other than size, I cannot mention any good about him. Don’t understand how such a player is in the Efes youth squad.

9 - Adem BONA
Highest ceiling of all. Has freakish athleticism at his age (16) already. But a real raw prospect as he started “professional” basketball at a late age. Is already a huge shot blocker and good rebounder and shows great intensity during the game. Needs to work on his shooting and ballhandling abilities. If he develops these skills he can turn into the next G. Antetokounmpo.

 

[Toruko2]

Obviously Mert Akay didnt react to the call of Dacka to sign a pro contract and it is said that he wants to continue his career in Serbia. Lets see where he is going to land. He is one of two play maker prospects that we need so urgently. Hope Serbian Basketball helps him to keep learning.

 

[Toruko2]

OK the team where Akay is gonna play is clear now. Its Dynamic Belgrade. The team is in the Serbian first league and in the ABA League in the second Division.

 

[Toruko2]

Maybe a Serb can tell us a bit more about this team and Akays Chances/Role?

 

[slice me nice2]

No Turkish player has ever gained something meaningful from their Serbia adventure before. In theory, it always sounded cool going abroad and playing in the capital of European basketball but in practice all past experiences have failed to satisfy the expectations. Competitiveness level in 2nd Division of ABA League should not be directly proportionate to the potential of Akay.

All the best to him, but this move looks a wrong career choice to me. I would love to see him spending his most fruitful year in terms of development in different country, in better team.

 

[Toruko2]

No Turkish player has ever gained something meaningful from their Serbia adventure before. In theory, it always sounded cool going abroad and playing in the capital of European basketball but in practice all past experiences have failed to satisfy the expectations. Competitiveness level in 2nd Division of ABA League should not be directly proportionate to the potential of Akay.

All the best to him, but this move looks a wrong career choice to me. I would love to see him spending his most fruitful year in terms of development in different country, in better team.

Yeah Semih Erden was the best example but Mert Akay is a very smart guy and has a good work ethic. In an interview he said foreign players are better than us later because they play and we dont. This must have been his motivation.

 

[CoachZ2]

Maybe a Serb can tell us a bit more about this team and Akays Chances/Role?

Dynamic is led by Miro Alilovic, a Slovenian coach and they have been known to force uptempo basketball, which is quite beneficial to the young players looking to develop skills. I see the following problems with him signing there. KLS (Serbian 1st League) and ABA2 are solid competitions for youngsters and their development, because they will either play against other prospects or against veterans of the sport that do not have the quality for ABA1. This is solid enough, and many guys who played there made a step up. For example, Aleksa Avramovic came through this and he almost made a cut for Serbian NT in a few years.

Still, I think him signing for Dinamic is a bad idea. Here is why:

- The rotation at PG is locked more or less. Vladimir Velickovic is the nominal starter (although he plays like 15-18mins) and a veteran at the position and they have a prospect already in place, Vuk Velikic who is 20yrs old and you remember from the underwhelming U20 Serbian NT, he plays 22-25 minutes a game in KLS for them at PG. I find it hard to see that Dinamic will give up on Velikic for Akay, because they have nothing to gain there. I think this is more of a deal to train the kid, make him improve, maybe try to push him to Partizan in the future (since they are closely connected with them).

- If they have ideas of playing Akay and Velikic next to each other, that will again be a huge issue since the rotation at SG is even more congested at Dinamic, with Andreja Stevanovic the leading scorer of the team, playing both PG/SG as a combo G, then veterans like Kutlesic and Zizic. This makes it pretty much impossible to make room for Akay in the rotation.

Unless Dynamic decides to let some guys go before the start of the season, the rotation for Akay is brutal and I do not see any benefit for him joining Dynamic, outside of solid coaching on individual level. Dynamic have excellent setup and facilities for working with kids and youngsters.

 

[Toruko2]

Dynamic is led by Miro Alilovic, a Slovenian coach and they have been known to force uptempo basketball, which is quite beneficial to the young players looking to develop skills. I see the following problems with him signing there. KLS (Serbian 1st League) and ABA2 are solid competitions for youngsters and their development, because they will either play against other prospects or against veterans of the sport that do not have the quality for ABA1. This is solid enough, and many guys who played there made a step up. For example, Aleksa Avramovic came through this and he almost made a cut for Serbian NT in a few years.

Still, I think him signing for Dinamic is a bad idea. Here is why:

- The rotation at PG is locked more or less. Vladimir Velickovic is the nominal starter (although he plays like 15-18mins) and a veteran at the position and they have a prospect already in place, Vuk Velikic who is 20yrs old and you remember from the underwhelming U20 Serbian NT, he plays 22-25 minutes a game in KLS for them at PG. I find it hard to see that Dinamic will give up on Velikic for Akay, because they have nothing to gain there. I think this is more of a deal to train the kid, make him improve, maybe try to push him to Partizan in the future (since they are closely connected with them).

- If they have ideas of playing Akay and Velikic next to each other, that will again be a huge issue since the rotation at SG is even more congested at Dinamic, with Andreja Stevanovic the leading scorer of the team, playing both PG/SG as a combo G, then veterans like Kutlesic and Zizic. This makes it pretty much impossible to make room for Akay in the rotation.

Unless Dynamic decides to let some guys go before the start of the season, the rotation for Akay is brutal and I do not see any benefit for him joining Dynamic, outside of solid coaching on individual level. Dynamic have excellent setup and facilities for working with kids and youngsters.

Thanks for the detailed explanation.

 

[slice me nice2]

Dynamic is led by Miro Alilovic, a Slovenian coach and they have been known to force uptempo basketball, which is quite beneficial to the young players looking to develop skills. I see the following problems with him signing there. KLS (Serbian 1st League) and ABA2 are solid competitions for youngsters and their development, because they will either play against other prospects or against veterans of the sport that do not have the quality for ABA1. This is solid enough, and many guys who played there made a step up. For example, Aleksa Avramovic came through this and he almost made a cut for Serbian NT in a few years.

Still, I think him signing for Dinamic is a bad idea. Here is why:

- The rotation at PG is locked more or less. Vladimir Velickovic is the nominal starter (although he plays like 15-18mins) and a veteran at the position and they have a prospect already in place, Vuk Velikic who is 20yrs old and you remember from the underwhelming U20 Serbian NT, he plays 22-25 minutes a game in KLS for them at PG. I find it hard to see that Dinamic will give up on Velikic for Akay, because they have nothing to gain there. I think this is more of a deal to train the kid, make him improve, maybe try to push him to Partizan in the future (since they are closely connected with them).

- If they have ideas of playing Akay and Velikic next to each other, that will again be a huge issue since the rotation at SG is even more congested at Dinamic, with Andreja Stevanovic the leading scorer of the team, playing both PG/SG as a combo G, then veterans like Kutlesic and Zizic. This makes it pretty much impossible to make room for Akay in the rotation.

Unless Dynamic decides to let some guys go before the start of the season, the rotation for Akay is brutal and I do not see any benefit for him joining Dynamic, outside of solid coaching on individual level. Dynamic have excellent setup and facilities for working with kids and youngsters.

By looking at their ex-players, they exported Serbian players only to very low level leagues like Czech, Belarus and Switzerland. That's a very bad portfolio for a team that is pretended to be a right place for prospects who want to step up. Unlike their past rosters, they have two solid prospects in Akay and Velikic. We will see how they will sharpen these guys and where they will end up after one season.

On a side note, I think Akay is given a promise to get a good role in team, otherwise it is a completely terrible idea to go there whichever way you look at it. Especially, when one thinks Darüşşafaka has reserved a room for him in the rotation that he dismissed.

 

[TurkfromGermany2]

If your scorers are Mustafa Kurtuldum and Batin Tuna then you have a problem.......

Turkish Basketball´s mentality is to produce decent talent, hard working players with less talent.

Our U16 won against Lithuania but their team is 10 times more talented as ours. Winning is not important in these matches, where is your talent???????

In our U16 team Hamza Mestoglu and Eray Büyükcangaz are by far the most talented players(best prospect Bona because of body, Batin Tuna solid all around prospect). Finally, we will produce more individually talented players in the upcoming generations, 04 generation looks great and 05 maybe even more. I can easily see more offensive talent, modern bigs(not always body wise), much more 1-1 ability(most important thing).

 

[CoachZ2]

By looking at their ex-players, they exported Serbian players only to very low level leagues like Czech, Belarus and Switzerland. That's a very bad portfolio for a team that is pretended to be a right place for prospects who want to step up. Unlike their past rosters, they have two solid prospects in Akay and Velikic. We will see how they will sharpen these guys and where they will end up after one season.

On a side note, I think Akay is given a promise to get a good role in team, otherwise it is a completely terrible idea to go there whichever way you look at it. Especially, when one thinks Darüşşafaka has reserved a room for him in the rotation that he dismissed.

You can't judge that because it is a brand new club. They were founded in 2015 and this will be only their 4th year competing in the first place. They have excellebt facilities, cool owner but basically no track record.

Like I said Velikic and Stevanovic are lokal guys that are more important to Dynamic than Akay. We will see, I wish kid the best. Maybe they are just placeholdong him for Partizan eho might ship him to Mladost Zemun, their no 1 affiliate club.

 

[Srle2]

Why Yurtseven isn't invited , I think this was ideal tournament,World Cup to refresh your front line, he's your most talented young big player.

 

[Toruko2]

Why Yurtseven isn't invited , I think this was ideal tournament,World Cup to refresh your front line, he's your most talented young big player.

Its his last season with his ncaa team Georgetown before entering the draft. Officially he has Visa issues but the real reason is he is not allowed to come and he doesnt want to join.

Also in his first rookie year he wouldnt participate in any nt connected game but 2021 Eurobasket shouldnt be a big problem. He is a selfish guy but I cant blame him

 

[vivo2]

Why Yurtseven isn't invited , I think this was ideal tournament,World Cup to refresh your front line, he's your most talented young big player.

He can rightly fuck off to be fair. He left Fener and Zeljko while he was getting the 2nd most minutes in his age group because he thought he would be much better in NCAA. We'll see. He also didn't attend the world cup qualifications without any excuse. It gives a bad message to call him for WC to any other young players.

 

[Toruko2]

He can rightly fuck off to be fair. He left Fener and Zeljko while he was getting the 2nd most minutes in his age group because he thought he would be much better in NCAA. We'll see. He also didn't attend the world cup qualifications without any excuse. It gives a bad message to call him for WC to any other young players.

Na na, Its not without an excuse. He changed the University and couldnt leave the states because of visa issues. US-Schools are very strict with presence.

You Fener guys should stop hating on him because he didnt want to get shouted of ZOC. Its his fucking right to choose another path.

 

[CoachZ2]

I watched 5-6 NC State games the season before last in NCAA and I don't see the hype. Slow footed and soft. Yes, he has size and length, a soft touch around the rim but he is often not able to get position in the post, since he has no strength or the motor to fight for the low post position. He can run a bit in the transition, open floor, he finishes OK there. Midrange game is OK, but still a very, very streaky shooter. Defensively not really a rim protector, but can be a body inside. Can't make a difference in PnR defense, where he is constantly exposed.

He also lacks aggression and assertiveness. Questionable motor in many situations. Rebounding for my taste leaves a lot to be desired, especially for a 7-footer. Not a great rebounding rate for someone who should dominate in the NCAA due to his size. He is also not a great passer, a bit of a black hole once he gets the ball in the post. Makes turnovers etc.

Don't see how is he the next hope at C for Turkey.

 

[Toruko2]

I watched 5-6 NC State games the season before last in NCAA and I don't see the hype. Slow footed and soft. Yes, he has size and length, a soft touch around the rim but he is often not able to get position in the post, since he has no strength or the motor to fight for the low post position. He can run a bit in the transition, open floor, he finishes OK there. Midrange game is OK, but still a very, very streaky shooter. Defensively not really a rim protector, but can be a body inside. Can't make a difference in PnR defense, where he is constantly exposed.

He also lacks aggression and assertiveness. Questionable motor in many situations. Rebounding for my taste leaves a lot to be desired, especially for a 7-footer. Not a great rebounding rate for someone who should dominate in the NCAA due to his size. He is also not a great passer, a bit of a black hole once he gets the ball in the post. Makes turnovers etc.

Don't see how is he the next hope at C for Turkey.

Yeah this was before the season with Patrick Ewing. He is still soft but has a great inside outside game and his offensive versatility is immense. His problem was strength. Now he looks like a beast and his outside shot improved. He is more than enough for Europe.

 

[Toruko2]

There is not much to see about his development but this is fairly new for having an impression

https://twitter.com/VakkasAltindag/status/1162117150053736454

 

[CoachZ2]

Yeah this was before the season with Patrick Ewing. He is still soft but has a great inside outside game and his offensive versatility is immense. His problem was strength. Now he looks like a beast and his outside shot improved. He is more than enough for Europe.

What season with Ewing? He hasn't played a game. Also you do get that NCAA level of basketball is several notches below EL basketball.

The things you are saying are just journalist and "insider info" bits that have no actual value when evaluating prospects. Let's see him play this year, then we can see if he is actually any better.