 Very few players so young anywhere in the world can claim as much top-level pro experience as big man Oguz Savas of Fenerbahce Ulker. At age 21, Savas already can count four full Euroleague seasons played and part of fifth, when he made his debut at age 17, one of the youngest players ever in the competition. All told, Savas has started in 18 of the 63 Euroleague games in which he has appeared, but this season, he has come off the bench to make his biggest mark yet: 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, just when his team needed him most due to injuries. Heading into the Top 16 and trying to reach the Quarterfinal Playoffs for a second consecutive season, Savas has fully grown in his job enough to know that a whole new battle is waiting, and it will take everything he and his Fenerbahce Ulker teammates have to survive. "It seems that we are in the hardest group of the Top 16," Savas told Euroleague.net. "Both CSKA Moscow and Montepaschi Siena are teams that played in the last Final Four. It wouldn't be good to compare teams in the Top 16 because this is the second stage of the Euroleague and there's no team that you can call weak. It will not change our duty to play our best, to do something special."
Oguz, great job of finishing strong in the regular season. Between all the injuries to your teammates, you've had more responsibility than most 21 year olds ever get in the Euroleague. How do you like having that responsibility?
“Actually we have a very large roster that could overcome any kinds of injuries during the season. Of course, we suffered injuries to important players among our big men. That was not easy to handle, but I worked hard to fill the absences of those big men like Omer Asik and Semih Erden. I tried to give everything I had to make it better. I don’t feel anything unfamiliar because I have enough experience in the Euroleague to handle this kind of pressure. I needed to be more focused on my job and that was what I did. I knew that my responsibilities would be more than ever, but I motivated myself to adjust to my new duties, both mentally and physically.”
With both Omer Asik and Semih Erden out to begin the season, did you feel this season you had to do any one or two things especially well to make up for their absence?
“First of all, I thought that I needed to improve my athletic abilities and my rebounding for sure. I changed my workout strategy according to my new role. First I changed my special workout schedule to improve my athletic skills. I tried to become as quick as I could and also tried to be more aggressive on defense. I thought that I had to spend as much energy as possible to match their defensive performance. That’s what I tried to do from the the beginning of the season and I hope I did it well.”
You feel the responsibility, but you are coming off the bench in every game to take care of it. How do you prepare for your role while waiting on the bench?
“Honestly, it doesn’t matter to me whether I start or come off the bench. It's only a problem if my playing time drops. Of course, when you come off the bench, you also have the chance to see what’s wrong or what’s right with the team. It’s quite good to see things happening during the game from the bench. For that reason, you are able to prepare yourself better for the game. Also, coming off the bench is not so strange for me since it happened to me many times last season.”
With 8 or more points in every regular season game except one, you showed a lot of consistency, and were on the floor at the end of several key games. What do you think was the turning point that got Fenerbahce into the Top 16?
“First of all, the main things were concentration and resiliency. And I think I was successful at both. That is what helped us get through to the Top 16. What I need to do in the Top 16 is to be aggressive on defense and effective in rebounding. And of course, it’s really important to create points in the paint to help the other scorers on the team. As a team, we have to be as aggressive as we can during all 40 minutes of every Top 16 game.”
 The last game was something special, even if it didn't change the team's position: at least 7 career highs in an overtime win against Roma and the Week 10 MVP honor. How did you feel about that accomplishment?
“Yes, that’s right. It was an unforgettable night for me. It’s also one of the first in my life and I’m really proud to have made it happen. But of course, the happiness cannot last too long, because we still have a mission to complete. For the good of my career, I have to add much more to my stats and my personal performance. That’s what I will be digging for and I have to work harder to do it.”
Now that the Top 16 is here, is Fenerbahce healthy and ready to take a chance to stop two of last year's Final Four teams, the champs from CSKA and Montepaschi Siena?
"It seems that we are in the hardest group of the Top 16. Both CSKA Moscow and Montepaschi Siena are teams that played in the last Final Four. It wouldn't be good to compare teams in the Top 16 because this is the second stage of the Euroleague and there's no team that you can call weak. It will not change our job to play our best, to do something special in the Top 16, even against the other opponents. For that reason, there will be no change in our goals and we will try our best against CSKA Moscow and Montepaschi Siena. We will try to do everything we can to move into the quarterfinals. But we also have to take care of Cibona Zagreb in our group and they proved their power in the regular season.”
CSKA at home in the first Top 16 game. What are your thoughts on what this game could mean?
“The CSKA Moscow game means a lot to us because it will play a key role for our destiny in the group. If we manage to win the game in front of our fans and on our home court, we will have a great start to the Top 16. And then we can see from there. But if we lose the game – and this is something I never want to happen – things can be harder than ever. For that reason, we will try to win the game and to take the advantage in our hands.”
You will be asked to confront veteran big men throughout the Top 16. How do you feel about that challenge as the games get tougher?
“I knew that things were going to get tougher in the Top 16. There are many experienced big guys on the rosters of our opponents, like Nikola Prkacin. But at the same time, we also have excellent big men. Personally, I will do everything I can to make my team better than in the first stage. But honestly, our other big men are capable of challenging those other big guys. For example, Mirsad Turkcan is one of the most experienced and skilled big men in our Top 16 group.”
 You were one of the youngest players ever to debut in this competition, way back in the first game of 2004, at age 17. What do you remember of that debut, and how staying in the Euroleague for four seasons prepare you for the challenges you are facing now?
“It was the first time I made a top level appearance. I didn't get a lot of playing time, by the way. But I worked very hard to improve my abilities and never missed a minute of any practice. I practice extra too. In the summers, I played against top level teams and that helped me to improve my game a lot. Then in the coming years, I got more minutes, which I believe I deserved. I kept on working harder and also my experience grew. That’s why I am still standing in a top competition like the Euroleague at the moment.”
Next year already, the World Championships come to Istanbul. What would Oguz Savas like to accomplish in basketball before and when that big date arrives?
“We have a very important job – at least as important as the 2010 World Championships – for us this summer in Poland. We had a very good qualification round last summer and we will be digging for a medal in Poland at EuroBasket 2009. That will also help us improve our confidence and get ready for 2010 World Championships at home in Turkey. Until that day comes, I want to become a more athletic and much more mobile player on the court. In a word, I want to be quicker than ever. I want to be Oguz Savas, but doing things quicker in the near future.”
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