2008-09 Club Profile Turk Telekom
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 Fresh off a stellar season that produced its first trophy in more than a decade, Turk Telekom enters the 2008-09 Eurocup ready for anything. One of the signature sports clubs in Ankara, the Turkish capital, Turk Telekom has also become a standard-bearer in Europe for its country's great level of basketball. The club was founded in 1954, backed by the national telephone company PTT, though its basketball section did not open until 1980.
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Turk Telekom Roster 2008-09
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| Name |
Pos.
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Height
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| Asim Pars |
C
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2.12
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| Baris Ermis |
G
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1.94
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| Rodney Blakney |
G
|
1.81
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| Serkan Erdogan |
G
|
1.90
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| Bekir Yarangume |
F
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1.98
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| Baris Ozcan |
F
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1.89
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| Tutku Acik |
G
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1.94
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| Mutlu Akpinar |
F
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2.02
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| Erwin Dudley |
F
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2.03
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| Kris Lang |
C
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2.11
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| Michael Wright |
F
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2.03
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| Caner Oner |
F
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2.00
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| Kennedy Winston |
G
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1.98
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| Ercument Sunter |
Head Coach
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PTT Ankara played in several regional leagues throughout the 1980s, before joining the second division in 1990 and immediately earning promotion to the Turkish first division. Turk Telekom has been on a constant rise since then, winning the Turkish League regular season in 1994, though it fell in the playoff semifinals. Around that time, Turk Telekom also began making waves in Europe, even playing in the 1996-97 Euroleague, the same season in which the team also reached the Turkish League finals and won the Turkish President's Cup, the club's first title. A few trips to the playoff semifinals and appearances in the Turkish Cup final in 2001 and 2003 cemented Turk Telekom's status among the best clubs in Turkey. Turk Telekom made its ULEB Cup debut in the 2004-05 season and played the competition for just the second time last season. The two experiences couldn't have been more distinct. Winless in its debut season, Turk Telekom returned last season to dominate thanks to an incredibly deep frontcourt where Michael Wright starred as the ULEB Cup’s top scorer until he was injured. In the regular season, Turk Telecom’s only loss came to eventual champ DKV Joventut, but injuries weakened the team as it lost in the first elimination round. Winning the Turkish Cup in February would have been enough to put a positive note on the whole season. However, a playoff run in which Telekom ousted regular season champion Besiktas in the semifinals and challenged defending champs Fenerbahce Ulker for the title before losing in five games turned the 2007-08 campaign into one of the best in club history. This summer, Turk Telekom revamped its backcourt by bringing in veterans Roderick Blakney and Serkan Erdogan as well as young Baris Ermis. The club also welcomes swingman Winston Kennedy and big man Asim Pars to join holdovers Wright, Kris Lang, Tutku Acik, Erwin Dudley, Mutlu Akpinar and Bekir Yarangume. As such, with an increased appetite for success, Turk Telekom is back and prepared to shine in 2008-09.
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Thursday, September 04, 2008
Eurocupbasketball.com
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