Turkish national basketball team completes Bosnia and Herzegovina preparations with final practice

Turkey's national men's basketball team wrapped up its preparations for the away game against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a final practice. Head coach Ergin Ataman and players made ambitious statements ahead of the expected tough match.

Scraper SystemJuly 02, 2026, 10:23 AM

Turkish national basketball team completes Bosnia and Herzegovina preparations with final practice

Turkey's national men's basketball team wrapped up its preparations for the away game against Bosnia and Herzegovina with a final practice at the Husejin Smajlovic Hall. Following the practice, head coach Ergin Ataman and players Cedi Osman, Kenan Sipahi, Furkan Korkmaz and Adem Bona spoke to the press.

Ergin Ataman noted that Bosnia and Herzegovina plays pressured basketball at home and said: "It's certain to be a tough match because Bosnia and Herzegovina also has experienced players and they will create a serious atmosphere at home. It will be a high-level basketball game. We are ready as well. We want to get another win here and continue the race in the group unbeaten."

Ataman said the performance of the point guards would be decisive: "Bosnia and Herzegovina constantly presses, making it hard to organize the ball easily. So the performance of Kenan and Şehmus in particular will be very important." The experienced coach also announced that Berk Uğurlu would not be in the squad due to injury: "Berk has an injury. We tried today but he won't be in the squad tomorrow. We are trying to prepare him for the Switzerland game."

Team captain Cedi Osman said the preparation period had been productive: "They have a good team. They will try to be more aggressive at home, and we need to respond the same way. Right now our only focus is the Bosnia and Herzegovina game."

National point guard Kenan Sipahi stressed that they aim to lead the group unbeaten: "We have two games left. We have great respect for Bosnia and Herzegovina. There will be pressure but we have players of quality accustomed to it. We need to control the tempo and minimize turnovers. If we concentrate well, we will leave here with a win."

Furkan Korkmaz said the team's familiarity with playing together was an advantage: "Matches at these levels are no longer easy. We go out to win every game. Our long-term goal is to win a medal. We have raised the bar very high, we will determine our own level."

Adem Bona said they treat every match as a final: "We will step on the court and give one hundred percent, fight as a team, and do our best."

Turkish national basketball team completes Bosnia and Herzegovina preparations with final practice