Turk Telekom Ankara head coach Erdem Can is set to guide his team in the 7DAYS EuroCup Final against host Gran Canaria on Wednesday wearing a neck brace following an accident inside the team's bus on game day. The team was riding to its practice in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria this morning in preparation for Wednesday night's winner-take-all final, which starts at 21:00 CET, when the incident occurred. According to statements made by Turk Telekom general manager Onder Kulcebas, the coach was standing to speak with the bus driver when the bus broke suddenly. Can lost balance and hit his head on the windshield, hurting his neck, Kulcebas said.
Can trained his team in a neck brace and then was taken to the hospital on a stretcher for medical attention. Once evaluated, Can left the hospital in a neck brace and intends to be on the sidelines for the game, whose winner will also earn the right to play in next season's Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. Can, who led Turk Telekom to a 16-5 record and a spot in its first-ever EuroCup Final, was chosen by his peers on the competition's benches as the 2022-23 EuroCup Coach of the Year.