The Turkish side looked buried, but its turnaround has left it within touching distance of the EuroCup Playoffs.
Excellent second half of the season has allowed Turk Telekom to dream
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A 1-8 record to start the BKT EuroCup season could have been enough for some teams to throw in the towel. Well, not Turk Telekom Ankara.
After reaching the 2022-23 EuroCup Championship Game, where it lost 71-67 to Dreamland Gran Canaria, Turk Telekom saw the majority of its stars seek a new adventure. As such, a rebuild was required.
Jerian Grant, Tyrique Jones and Axel Bouteille, who combined for 50 of their team’s 67 points in the championship game, departed last summer, with only two members of that roster staying put. Meanwhile, head coach Erdem Can, whose first season in charge of Turk Telekom couldn’t have gone much better, joined Efes.
Coach Can’s successor, Nenad Canak, failed to make an impact at Turk Telekom as the club had a rocky start to the 2023-24 campaign. The Turkish side decided to part ways with Coach Canak on October 24, with Selcuk Ernak taking charge of the team a couple of days later.
Responding to a rough start
Turk Telekom had a 1-2 record when Coach Ernak arrived, but it’s fair to say that he didn’t get off to the best of starts as the team lost five straight EuroCup games, dropping to 1-8 in the process.
It would have been easy for Turk Telekom to give up after one of its tough losses, like its 71-80 defeat to Group B’s basement club Slask Wroclaw in Round 9, but instead it decided to use those setbacks as a chance to turn its season around.
Turk Telekom fought back and won seven of its last nine games, including crucial victories on the road at title contenders ratiopharm Ulm and Gran Canaria. Turk Telekom also avenged its home loss to Slask by beating its opponent 70-86 in Round 18 to keep its playoff hopes alive.
“This is our fourth win on the road in the second half of the regular season,” Ernak said in the flash interview after the game. “We started [by winning] one out of nine and in the second half [of the season] we won seven out of nine. I want to thank my players for their serious attitude [against Slask] and this clear win on the road.”
Postseason basketball is possible...
Yet, its road victory on Tuesday night may not be enough to clinch it a playoff spot, as it also needs results to go its way on Wednesday night. Turk Telekom will make it through to the playoffs in sixth spot if Dolomiti Energia Trento loses at Aris Midea Thessaloniki or if Buducnost VOLI Podgorica beats Gran Canaria. However, the Turkish side will be eliminated should Trento win and Buducnost lose.
“The team showed good character as a group [against Slask],” Ernak added. “Of course, the bitter taste is that we don’t know if it’s going to be enough to go through. The results of the games tomorrow are very important.”
Many had written Turk Telekom off following its disappointing start to the season, but the Turkish side has proven that it has what it takes to deserve an opportunity to compete in the playoffs.
Qualification may not be in their hands anymore, but Ernak’s warriors know they have done everything they could to pull off an incredible comeback in the second half of the regular season and keep dreaming until the very last moment.