By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
Ahmet Duverioglu (or Al Dwairi as he is referred to on Jordan’s squad) played a major role in Jordan getting back to the FIBA Basketball World Cup for the first time since 2010, averaging 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.8 steals in five games in the Asian Qualifiers.
The 26-year-old finished his fifth season in Turkey, where he played one year with Anadolu Efes and the last three seasons at Fenerbahce and most importantly, learned the game from two of the greatest basketball minds – Dusan Ivkovic and Zeljko Obradovic and spoke about this unique experience to FIBA.basketball.
“They teach you everything: the details, all the details. They give you everything. They tell you what your job is in the game and on the team. They give you knowledge about everything in basketball: how to move, how to play”, tells Duverioglu.
“I am so lucky for that. I started with Dusan Ivkovic and then for three years I have been with Coach Obradovic. They are at another level. “They teach you basketball. They teach you how to play. They have helped me and my game with a lot of things.”
Al Dwairi said that playing with the Jordan national team has not stopped him communicating with Obradovic. “Even now here in China I keep talking to Coach Obradovic, and he is telling me what to do in some situations in games, even if it’s a different system,” said Duverioglu, who won one EuroLeague crown with Obradovic at Fenerbahce.