Anadolu Efes Istanbul has found its replacement for Ergin Ataman by naming Erdem Can, the 2022-23 7DAYS EuroCup Coach of the Year, as its new head coach on a two-year deal. Can arrives at Efes from fellow Turkish side Turk Telekom Ankara, which he guided to last season's EuroCup Final and the Turkish League semifinals. Having spent a decade as an assistant at Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul and with the Utah Jazz in the NBA prior to becoming head coach at Turk Telekom last season, Can now gets his first opportunity to lead a team in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague.
Efes appoints Erdem Can as its new head coach
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Can began his coaching career back in 2008, acting as an assistant at Turk Telekom – the team from where he is born, Ankara – for two years. From there, he took on the role of head coach for the first time at Turkish First Division club Olin Edirne, where he remained between 2010 and 2012.
Ahead of the 2012-13 campaign, Can agreed to become an assistant again, this time at Fenerbahce. In his first season at the club, he worked under Simone Pianigiani and Ertugrul Erdogan, before learning from legendary coach Zeljko Obradovic for the next seven years. Alongside Obradovic, Can became a EuroLeague champion in 2017. The final Fenerbahce head coach that Can assisted was Igor Kokoskov in the 2020-21 season.
The 42-year-old then departed from Fenerbahce and became an assistant for Quin Snyder at the Utah Jazz. After one season in the NBA, Can returned to his native Turkey having accepted the opportunity to become Turk Telekom's head coach. Can's work on the Turk Telekom bench caught the eye of many, not just in Turkey but across Europe, and he is now tasked with trying to return Efes, the back-to-back EuroLeague champion in 2021 and 2022, back to the top of European basketball.