By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Anadolu Efes boss Ergin Ataman is considered the prime candidate for the position of the Turkey senior national team head coach, as first reported by BasketFaul. The Turkish Basketball Federation, TFB, officially parted ways with the previous head coach Orhun Ene on Monday.
Ataman, 56, was Turkey’s play-caller between 2014 and 2016. His efforts resulted in an eighth-place finish in the 2014 World Cup and 14th place in the 2015 EuroBasket. Ufuk Sarica took over in the 2017 EuroBasket and 2019 World Cup.
Ene, 55, was moving through his second boss as the national team selector of his home country. He replaced Sarica during the 2022 EuroBasket Qualifiers. Turkey went through ranking thanks to the balanced 3-3 W-L tally ranking third in Group D behind Croatia and the Netherlands edged out Sweden’s 2-4.
Shifting to the 2023 FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, Turkey lost three out of four games in Group B of the ongoing stage. Action will resume in the summer with a home fixture opposite Belarus on June 30 and a visit to Great Britain on July 3. Greece has already clinched a berth in the next round but two more national teams will follow and pair with the top three teams of Group A to form Group I. From that point, the top three of a six-team group will advance to the final stage of the next World Cup.
His initial run, coming up after the departure of Bogdan Tanjevic, was marked by Turkey ending up 11th overall in the 2011 edition of EuroBasket. He resigned after the tournament held in Lithuania.