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2023-24 Roster Rundown: Turk Telekom Ankara

2023-24 Roster Rundown: Turk Telekom Ankara

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14 September 20236 Mins read

2023-24 Roster Rundown: Turk Telekom Ankara

Turk Telekom Ankara is coming off a season in which it reached the BKT EuroCup Final, yet heading into the 2023-24 campaign, the squad looks rather different. In fact, just two players from last season's team are still on the roster, while Nenad Canak has replaced new Anadolu Efes Istanbul tactician Erdem Can as head coach. Nevertheless, expectations remain high for Turk Telekom as it looks to reach the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague for the first time since the 1997-98 season.

BACKCOURT

In the hope of building on last year's successes, Turk Telekom has a backcourt pairing that should strike fear into the rest of Group B. Tyrone Wallace averaged 15.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in his rookie EuroCup campaign with Paris Basketball in 2022-23, and he will be expected to take on a starring role for Turk Telekom next season. The play of Wallace will be complimented by a player who was competing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague last season: Jalen Adams. In a reserve role for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv, Adams posted 6.7 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.3 assists per night before an injury brought his campaign to a premature end. Together, Wallace and Adams are likely to cause plenty of headaches for opposition head coaches next season.

Another new addition, Ismail Cem Ulusoy, returns to the EuroCup after making 15 appearances off the bench between 2014 and 2016 for Banvit Bandirma. Now 26 years old, Ulusoy averaged 8.2 points, 2.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.5 steals in 21 Turkish League games for Petkim Spor last season. He should provide a good level of competition behind expected starters Wallace and Adams. Then, the only two players from last season's roster that are still playing for Turk Telekom fill out the remaining spots in the backcourt: the 21-year-old Boran Guler and the 36-year-old Mehmet Yagmur.

FRONTCOURT

Another player who shined in the 2022-23 edition of the EuroCup and will now be suiting up for Turk Telekom is James Palmer. In his first-ever EuroCup season, Palmer averaged 15.6 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals for Mincidelice JL Bourg en Bresse. The American swingman will be tasked with bringing scoring to the "three" position. He will be backed up by fellow new signing Okben Ulubay, who played 20 times in the EuroCup for Darussafaka in the 2017-18 season. Ulubay averaged 7.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists for Besiktas Istanbul in the Turkish League last year.

At power forward, Markis McDuffie will make his EuroCup debut after posting 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.2 steals for Dijon in the French League last season. McDuffie, another American, is likely to get the nod as a starter at the "four". Yigitcan Saybir, who averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds in a bench role for Frutti Extra Bursaspor last year's EuroCup campaign, will be pushing McDuffie as they fight for minutes. Another player in this battle for game time will be Troy Selim Sav, who can play at the "four" or the "five". Sav made his EuroCup debut with Darussafaka in the 2019-20 season, and he comes off a season in which he impressed with Turkish side Manisa, posting 7.6 points and 5.1 rebounds.

The center position is set to be occupied by Steven Enoch, who – like Adams – has brought his talents from the EuroLeague to the EuroCup. Enoch found himself in a reserve role last season after an impressive EuroLeague debut campaign in 2021-22, and he will be keen to get back on track in a Turk Telekom jersey. The big man posted 5.1 points and 2.9 rebounds for Baskonia in the EuroLeague last season, but expect to see those numbers swell for Turk Telekom in the EuroCup. Enoch will be supported by Metehan Akyel, who is set to act as the American's backup next season.

PLAYER TO WATCH

There are a few good options here, but Tyrone Wallace just edges it. The former Paris guard was a very consistent performer last season, reaching double figures for points in 13 of his 15 appearances, as the French side made it to the EuroCup Quarterfinals in its debut season in the competition. Given the departure of Jerian Grant, the 2022-23 EuroCup MVP, Wallace arrives at Turk Telekom with plenty of responsibility on his shoulders.

It is often difficult to find chemistry when there have been so many changes to a team's roster, but it will be Wallace's job to make sure that everyone is involved, in addition to scoring the ball himself. Hopes are high for Turk Telekom, and Wallace's performances will be a good indicator of just how far the Turkish side can go.

OUTLOOK

As intimated above, changing almost the entire roster and also the head coach could lead to a bit of instability in the early weeks of the EuroCup season. Yet, Coach Canak has plenty of experience under his belt and some incredibly talented players to work with, so there's no reason to think that Turk Telekom will not be one of the teams fighting for the title come the end of the season.

A lot will depend on how the players acclimatize to the methods of Coach Canak, but with the likes of Wallace, Adams, Palmer and Enoch all set to play leading roles next season, Turk Telekom seems set for an impressive campaign in 2023-24.