Games to Watch: Turk Telekom

The Turkish side is aiming high in Group B

After a first-round exit in the BKT EuroCup Playoffs last season, Turk Telekom Ankara is back with a vengeance.

Erdem Can, the man responsible for guiding the club to the EuroCup Final in 2022-23, is back at the helm and he will be hoping to go one step better this time around.

With the 2024-25 EuroCup calendar now live, here are three Turk Telekom games that I am particularly looking forward to.

Round 4: at Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse

The last two runners-up of the EuroCup will go to battle at Ekinox in the early weeks of the season as Cosea JL Bourg-en-Bresse hosts Turk Telekom. Coach Can led Turk Telekom to a final appearance in 2023, losing to Dreamland Gran Canaria, and then Frederic Fauthoux did the same with Bourg last season before falling to Paris Basketball. Coach Can returned to Turk Telekom over the summer and has lofty aims for the team this year, while Coach Fauthoux will be eager to build on last season’s extraordinary campaign.

Given that Bourg was 11-2 at home last season it will be interesting to see if Turk Telekom can steal a win in France in Round 4, particularly as the visitors were 4-6 on their travels last year. Bourg also did the double over Turk Telekom in 2023-24, so revenge could be in the air.

Round 5: vs. Valencia Basket

Valencia Basket is many people’s tip to win this year’s EuroCup title, but Turk Telekom has a chance to lay down a marker if it can defeat the Spanish side in the Turkish capital. New Turk Telekom center Kyle Alexander will be particularly keen to remind his former team about what they are missing as he goes up against Matt Costello and Ethan Happ in the paint.

One of the big successes of Turk Telekom’s 2022-23 season under Coach Can was that it was incredibly tough to defeat at Ankara Spor Salonu, so the club’s supporters have the chance to put on a show and inspire their team to a positive result as Pedro Martinez’s charges come to town. The last time these two teams faced off was in the 2018-19 campaign when Valencia managed to do the double over Turk Telekom. Will the Turkish outfit come out on top this time around?

Round 18: at Aris Midea Thessaloniki

Turk Telekom has lofty expectations heading into the 2023-24 season and will be aiming to secure a playoff spot in Group B. Therefore, its final game of the regular season could prove decisive when it comes to home-court advantage in the postseason. With that said, a trip to take on Aris Midea Thessaloniki will not be easy.

Aris has some of the best fans in Europe and certainly used that to its advantage last season, so Turk Telekom will need to drown out the noise as it looks to end its regular-season campaign with a victory. At this point, no one knows what the different permutations will be heading into Round 18, but Turk Telekom should prepare itself to enter the cauldron at Nick Galis Hall and try to slay an Aris team that will not make things easy.