By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Galatasaray and Turkey have a long basketball tradition. Coach Yakup Sekizkök is one of the most respected technicians in his country, and next week, when the Basketball Champions League quarterfinals start, they will face a huge challenge.
Galatasaray is a club with 16 national champion titles, albeit only four of them after 1969, and in 2016 also won the EuroCup. Almost a decade later, they will have the chance to be just the third Turkish team to qualify for the Basketball Champions League.
No team from Turkey has ever won the BCL Trophy, and Galatasaray can also be the first to do it.
Of course, this will not be easy. ERA Nymburk has the home-court advantage, finishing first in their Round of 16 group with a 5-1 record. The pride of the Czech Republic can also make it for the first time in the BCL Final Four, and that’s why the stakes are more than high.
On the one hand, you have the club, which has the advantage, representative of the pride of the countries where basketball is not dominant, and on the other hand, there’s an opponent that can be called an underdog, however, represents a multisport entity with 119 years of life, has a gigantic fan base and a long tradition of success in football.
That’s a blessing and also a curse. Galatasaray represents something really big, and that sometimes creates a huge shadow from which the basketball team is trying desperately to escape.
This is a good opportunity for the basketball team to demonstrate what they can do on the court and aim for the top, honoring the legacy of the club.
So, no matter who prevails in this showdown, this is probably the most interesting couple to watch next week.