TURKEY (FIBA U17 World Championship for Women) - Turkey head into the FIBA U17 World Championship for Women with the initial goal of winning their preliminary round group and the pair of Hülya Coklar and Büsra Akbas will play a leading role in their chances.
“The first goal is to finish top in our group. After that we will be looking to finish in the best place possible,” said Turkish head coach Erkan Metin.
“To do this, the team must be engaged in running a very good defense and prepare to be very aggressive in the championship.”
The Turks will not have an easy time in Group B with Australia, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands and Spain.
“I think our group is strong and difficult. The Netherlands and Spain played at the U16 European Championship last summer and the Spanish team is very strong after winning the U16 tournament. And the Netherlands’ biggest advantage will be the team’s fans. And we know the two teams very well,” said Metin, whose team played both Spain and the Dutch last summer.
“The Japanese team is very disciplined and very quick and Australia have strong, physical players. We will fight until the last ball to get a good place in the group.”
Metin believes his team is confident coming into the championship after taking fourth place in the U16 Euros.
“Fourth place brought my players confidence and increased our targets for future championships. It was a great experience for our team, and I would say it helped changed our views,” said the coach.
Turkey’s chances will rely heavily on Coklar, who led the team in scoring last summer and topped all players in rebounding at the U16 Euros.
“Hülya will be one of the future stars in Turkish basketball. It’s great to have a chance to work with her,” praised Metin.
Another key player for Metin will be point guard Akbas, who didn’t turn 17 until March but played in six games in the EuroCup Women for semi-finalists Botas, earning nine minutes or more in three straight games at the end of 2011.
“Büsra is a very important player for our team. Her short time in the EuroCup was a great experience for her and I think she will bring that experience to the court in the Netherlands,” said Metin.
