Besiktas has changed all their players
Besiktas has changed all their players
After an average season, Besiktas Sompo Japan Istanbul will try now to improve. The club maintained reputed coach Dusko Ivanovic and has kept only the local youngsters from the last year’s roster: Burak Can Yildizli, Omer Al and Samet Geyik.
Besiktas parted ways this summer as well with Turks (Erkan Veyseloglu and Kenan Sipahi) and with the foreigner players (Joe Alexander, Kyle Gibson, Robin Benzing and Phill Pressey), in order to rebuild completely the squad for the next season. The Turkish powerhouse will participate once again in Basketball Champions League where they are one of the most constant teams till now, not missing a season.
The new signings are not bad but I am sure they will need one more foreigner to complete the roster if they want to have a quality rotation so necessary especially because Besiktas will play in two strong competitions, the domestic league and BasketballCL).
Till now, the club has added Ismet Akpinar a Turkish-German player who comes from Ratiopharm Ulm and Birkan Batuk, who had a decent season with Pinar Karsiaka. At the foreigner arrivals chapter, Besiktas stays not so bad, signing Nemanja Durisic, Jordan Theodore, James Michael McAdoo and Shaquielle McKissic, all four players with previous experience in Europe.
The roster looks competitive and working seriously, they can reach the Turkish league playoffs and as well they have a good chance to qualify from to group stage in BasketballCL. This season, if they don’t add more players, Besiktas will be once again only a decent team, with no change to winning titles ( in the domestic league, the Turkish Cup and the European competition). Till now the roster is similar with the last season’s one, maybe a bit better depending also on the chemistry that will be established between the players and the relationships they can build with their coach.
Photo credit: championsleague.basketball
Gratian Cormos
