By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
The first game of Galatasaray in the 2023-24 Basketball Champions League season ended up being a defeat by PAOK but make no mistake. This doesn’t change much in the big picture.
And with Galatasaray, the picture is as big as it can get.
Yes, the basketball team is not as decorated as the football branch of the club, however, this only makes the thirst for titles even bigger.
With newcomer coach Zvezdan Mitrovic recognizing the potential, as he said to Eurohoops early on, the recent Sunday win against defending champions Anadolu Efes for the Turkish League can be a sign for things to come.
A member of the Turkish “big three”, Galatasaray is arguably the club with the biggest fan base in a country of 85 million, making them one of the most popular teams in the world.
The numbers are mindblowing and the social media presence of the club – especially compared to other Basketball Champions League contenders – proves it beyond any doubt.
That’s why Galatasaray ultimately is destined to succeed, even if on the court the team still has a lot of things to improve.
Last season, they couldn’t make it past the Round of 16, as it happened one year before, while in the disappointing 2020-21 season, they ended the regular season last on their group with a 1-5 record.
This time around, things can be different and this starts with Mitrovic, who in the past led Monaco to the BLC Final Four.
Galatasaray wants to use the Basketball Champions League as a pathway for a return to glory, having won the EuroCup in 2016 and five domestic League titles, but only one, back in the 2012-13 season, in the last 30 years.
But this is a symbiotic relationship. While the Basketball Champions League prides itself on giving the chance to any club to be part of the European landscape, having a big brand on board turning heads around Europe, doesn’t hurt…