Statements from Hidayet Türkoğlu Regarding the Goals of the National Teams

President Türkoğlu made a statement to the AA reporter about the goals of the star and crescent team that will play its first match in the 2026 FIBA ​​Women's Basketball World Cup and the recent success of the National Men's Basketball Team, which became the first country to guarantee participation in the finals by making 8 out of 8 in the 2027 World Cup European Qualifiers.

Stating that the National Women's Basketball Team has gone to a new formation with a new head coach, a young staff and a different recruited player, Türkoğlu said, "We have always been proud of their struggle and we will continue to be proud. They are also aware of their responsibilities. The 7th place in the European Championship may not be seen as a success for some people, but they were aware of how valuable those matches were in terms of being able to participate in another tournament. Later, with the struggle they showed in the organization held in our country, they earned the right to go to Berlin." They won." he said.

Regarding his expectations from the national team in the World Cup, Hidayet Türkoğlu said, "What we always want is that when they wear the jersey of the Turkish National Team, they should reflect the struggle, desire and desire that will make our country proud on the field. I am a person who always believes that when you do this, success comes with it. Our women's national team has really reflected this on the field so far. I hope our citizens living in Berlin will also come to support our women's national team. Their support will be very important for our team." he said.

"Putting a limit would be unfair to girls"

Evaluating the goals of the National Women's Basketball Team, which is in the same group with Belgium, Australia and Puerto Rico, in the tournament, Türkoğlu stated that their first goal is to get out of the group.

Emphasizing that he does not want to draw a limit regarding the point that can be reached in the World Cup, President Türkoğlu continued as follows:

"It doesn't seem right to me to limit things or set a limit. Maybe I would be unfair to the girls if I said 'I want success like this, our goal is this'. Because maybe they are concentrating on a much higher goal. As a manager, I try to be a little more cautious and motivate our girls in that direction. We act in the same way in our men's national team. We need to move forward target by target, concentrate on every match and take every match seriously. Because even the results of the matches in the group affect your matches in the next round a lot. That's why our first goal is "To finish the group in the best possible place. Then we will look at the cross-matches. No match is easy there either."

Citing the example of the National Men's Basketball Team's difficulty against Sweden in the last 16 rounds, despite defeating Serbia in the 2025 European Championship last year and finishing as the leader of their group, Türkoğlu said, "You beat a school team like Serbia and finish as the leader of the group. Then, in the last 16 rounds, you look at Sweden on paper and say, 'They will win by this much margin.' But we played good basketball in only one period of the four-period match, and Sweden played very well in the other three periods. Despite this, we were able to win the match. That's why I always say our first goal is that after we achieve that goal, the players' self-confidence increases and their basketball gets better. After that point, everyone is on equal footing." made his assessment.

National Men's Basketball Team's World Cup ticket

Hidayet Türkoğlu said that the National Men's Basketball Team, which became the first team to guarantee participation in the finals by making 8 out of 8 in the 2027 World Cup European Qualifiers, has shown a steady rise in recent years.

Emphasizing that the successful performance continued in the World Cup qualifiers after the second place in the European Championship last year, President Türkoğlu said:

"There is a steady rise that our national team has shown, especially in the last 2-3 years. After the European second place in Riga last year, we won our first group matches with the same desire and desire, without complacency and made 6 out of 6. Then we started the second stage with 2 wins. We are only in August. In such processes, it is normally determined in February who will participate in the World Cup. Although we have 4 more matches ahead of us, being the first team to guarantee participation in the World Cup is where we are. It's very important to show that."

Underlining that the biggest share in the success belongs to head coach Ergin Ataman and the players, Türkoğlu said, "We cannot thank our coach and our athlete friends enough. After all, they showed this performance and today we are at a point where the whole Turkish basketball is proud of them. I believe that Turkish basketball should always be in this type of organizations. Besides, we play good basketball. Right now, the whole Turkish people are really happy with the struggle and energy shown by our athlete friends. Our athletes are currently in the European and world rankings, with the good basketball they play. "They know where they have come. This gives them great confidence. Hopefully, we will be a full team in Qatar next summer and sweat on the field to achieve the best result." He commented:

"There is that excitement, that movement inside us"

President Türkoğlu answered the question about whether he was dreaming of a medal for the 2027 World Cup after coming second in the 2025 European Championship: "Of course, we inevitably have that excitement and excitement inside us. We want it." he replied.

Reminding that he was on the podium wearing the crescent-star jersey at the 2001 European Championship and 2010 World Championship, Türkoğlu continued his words as follows:

"At the end of our 9 years as a manager, we narrowly missed the championship in the European Championship. Then, the basketball that our team has shown so far, which has impressed everyone, inevitably affects us a lot. Naturally, with the responsibility and experience of being a manager, I am a person who likes to approach things a little more cautiously. I always look target by target, step by step. However, when you look at it now, we have these brothers and our coach at the top of Europe. When we are a full team, not only me, but also people in other European countries will also be able to win the world if our national team continues to play the same basketball. "He thinks he can get a medal in the Cup. Of course, we want these children to be on the podium again. It is thanks to them that we can walk around with this self-confidence and feel this pride. I am one of the people who knows best how valuable it is for their careers to be on that podium again and who wants it the most."

"We deserve where we are"

Evaluating the place of the National Men's Basketball Team in the world rankings, Hidayet Türkoğlu used the following statements:

"These matches are of great importance for our national team's place in the world rankings. This is very valuable for us in terms of the value of our country's basketball. Being in the top 10 is very meaningful. As Turkish basketball, we really deserve where we are today. I hope we will continue like this and achieve success in Qatar that will make millions proud again. We achieved our first goal and participated in the World Cup. Our current goal is to raise our basketball higher every day. We do not yet know how the groups will be formed, how the path will be shaped. These are the paths in the World Cup. "It will be very important for our map, so let's go target by target."

"There is incredible ownership among the players"

Stating that the strong bond between the players is a major factor in the stability that the National Team has achieved recently, Türkoğlu said that the captains Cedi Osman and Kenan Sipahi and the experienced player Sertaç Şanlı have achieved good harmony with the young players.

Stating that the players continue their communication during the season, President Türkoğlu said, "These are things that the athletes can provide among themselves. As managers, we can never create this. We only try to prepare the organization in which they can perform at their best and optimize their opportunities. There is a very good environment right now between our captains, experienced players and young players. When you pay attention to the reactions to the players entering, leaving, scoring or dunking, you see an incredible state of ownership and support for each other. There may be ups and downs during the match, but what is important is "Thank God, there has been a really good atmosphere for the last 2-3 years. I hope it will continue like this. When you look at the last two years, these friends of ours are at the top of Europe with their basketball and their fight and they deserve all the credit." made his assessment.

Thanks to President Erdoğan and sponsors

Hidayet Türkoğlu thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the sponsors for supporting the success of the National Basketball Team.

Stating that President Erdoğan called them at every opportunity and expressed that he was with the national team, Türkoğlu said, "We cannot thank our President enough for not leaving us alone in this process. He calls us at every opportunity and expresses that he is with the team." he said.

Emphasizing that sponsors make important contributions to Turkish basketball, Türkoğlu concluded his words as follows:

"We have sponsors with whom we have great collaborations and who have made invaluable contributions to our ability to carry out these operations. We cannot thank all of them enough. From time to time, we organize together with our sponsors and business partners, especially on away trips. We are very happy when we see them with us. Murat Bey from Türkiye Sigorta was there in the Iceland match. TEMSA made a very nice organization, I would like to thank Ms. Evren. Nazım Bey from sahibinden.com, Abdülkadir Bey from İGA and Mert Bey from TOTAL were also there. "After a long time, Mr. Murat Ülker, who was our brother as well as our friendship, was also with us on this trip. His presence gave great morale to both us and our team."