Biggest EuroBasket Success
The one and only appearance in 2005 was a success story beyond imagination. Despite being the newcomers to the tournament, Turkey performed at a very high level and made it to the last eight. Nobody expected more, especially early in the tournament when Turkey shocked everybody with its frenetic playing style and hustle. After beating Serbia & Montenegro in the opening game, Turkey took powerhouse Russia to the last possession, eventually giving under the weight of the supreme inside play of the eventual silver medallists. Despite the loss that game itself is probably the best performance in the history of the Turkish team. The whole country immediately fell in love with the hard working “Fairies of the Rim”, as they were dubbed by the Basketball Federation. But as the tourna

		Yasemin Horasan averaged 15.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game in Turkey's qualifying campaign.

ment progressed the incredible pace took its physical toll. Even more importantly the inexperienced squad had trouble dealing with the suddenly increased expectations. Turkey won two more games but after the group stage couldn’t reach that level again and finished eighth. Still it was nothing short of a miracle considering it was their first-ever appearance at EuroBasket Women.

Biggest EuroBasket disaster
Every EuroBaskets Women prior to 2005 should be considered a disaster. Turkey just couldn’t crack the European elite despite improved play in the 90’s and Galatasaray making to the Final Four in club competition.

Best Individual Performance/Best Player of All-Time
The most dominant player at EuroBasket Women 2005 for Turkey was Nevriye Yılmaz and that makes her one of the most history figures with the National Team. She is a mobile big and her dedication to improving her game is legendary. In the frenetic style of Turkish Basketball, she often logs more minutes than she is supposed to but has never complained under any circumstance. In 2005 she played 31 minutes a game which is almost an eternity at the pace her team plays. Still, she never slowed down, shooting 48% from the field and averaging 19.5 points per game while pulling down 11.1 rebounds and recording 2.3 steals per contest.

Scouting report
Turkey is the team that everyone wants to watch and nobody wants to face. When coach Cem Akdağ was first given the job way back in 2001, he had a vision which many deemed impossible. Watching the Czech Republic and Lithuania perform so well with an up-tempo style, Akdağ saw that the only way Turkey could compete was to play at a similarly frenetic pace. Lacking size and mobility inside, Akdağ knew that “if we cannot move faster than everybody else, we just cannot win. We cannot create offense as efficiently as some other countries in the competition, so we need to find easy baskets. That’s the only way we can compete.” He put forth a plan that would create chaos on the court. On defense he envisioned his players moving at twice the pace of the offense, trapping at every opportunity and mixing every kind of defense imaginable. On offense he wanted his team to pass the mid-court line in less than four seconds and if a good shot opportunity shows up at the fifth second, he would tell his players not to hesitate. He created a team that’s devastating in its style of play. Facing Turkey is like trying to put a lid on a boiling pot - sooner or later it bursts and burns your hands. During the last five years Turkey has become increasingly efficient in its style of play, easily winning five of six games in qualification. They have taken a script and surpassed its standards, cutting back on turnovers and finding more and more easy ways to get points. But there is also a drawback to this style of play. Despite their tremendous condition, Turkey’s players wear down and as a tournament continues, they begin to struggle from the perimeter which their system depends on. But the real problem lies with the inside players. For the system to be efficient Turkey needs mobile players both inside and out and they currently lack the mobile bigs they need to thrive. Other than Nevriye Yılmaz, Turkey doesn’t have a reliable mobile option inside.

Prediction
Turkey is a better team then in 2005 and is more than willing to show it to Europe. So anything better than an eighth place finish will do that. The first objective is to book a place in quarter-finals where a berth in the pre-Olympic tournament would become a possibility. If everything goes well, luck smiles on the team and planets align - and that’s lots of ifs - a medal might not be a dream.

Likely Squad
Cem Akdağ has played with basically the same core players for five years.  Guards Nilay Yiğit, Birsel Vardarlı and Esmeral Tunçluer will be there with his new favorite being Işıl Alben. Wing players Şebnem Kimyacıoğlu, Şaziye Karslı (İvegin) and Gülşah Akkaya are also locks. Inside Nevriye Yılmaz, Yasemin Horasan and Korel Engin are definitely in. That leaves only two spots and the most likely candidates are Melike Bakırcıoğlu and Deniz Çolakoğlu but Akdağ might go for veteran leadership and call on Didem Sarıca.

Last 10 events
Year Event Place Achievement
2006 World Championship Sao Paolo Did not qualify
2005 EuroBasket Ankara 8th
2004 Olympics Athens Did not qualify
2003 EuroBasket Patras Did not qualify
2002 World Championship Nanjing Did not qualify
2001 EuroBasket Le Mans Did not qualify
2000 Olympics Sydney Did not qualify
1999 EuroBasket Katowice Did not qualify
1998 World Championship Berlin Did not qualify
1997 EuroBasket Budapest Did not qualify

How did they qualify
Qualifying round
1st  in Group B (5 W — 1 L)
Results
Sept-6th 2006 Turkey b. *Ukraine 70-59
Sept-9th 2006 *Turkey b. Israel 87-76
Sept-13th 2006 *Turkey b. Slovenia 87-61
Sept-16th 2006 *Turkey b. Ukraine 85-75
Sept-20th 2006 *Israel b. Turkey 91-80
Sept-23rd 2006 Turkey b. *Slovenia 74-64
* home team