Turkey will have the most teams in BasketballCL
Turkey will have the most teams in BasketballCL
Since the first edition of the BasketballCL, when Banvit Bandirma has reached the Finals of the competition, being defeated by the host team Iberostar Tenerife, the Turks had no notable presence in this European competition. I am sure this year, things will change a lot because there are 4 Turkish teams involved in BasketballCL and they seem strong and hungry for good results.
We talk about Turk Telekom, who last season was back on the 1st league in Turkey, where they have reached the playoffs and the Turkish Cup semifinals. But in Eurocup, they had very quiet participation, missing the qualifiers from the group stage. Now, in BasketballCL the club from Ankara is hoping at least at the playoffs.
Another newcomer in BasketballCL is Gaziantep, a team that came after a strong season in Turkey and maybe with a bit of luck they have a chance to reach out from the group. Last, but not least we have Bandirma and Besiktas, two squads with constant participation in the European competition, having played in all the editions of the BasketballCL.
Actually, Turkey has the most teams engaged in BasketballCL with 4, a number that can be tied only by Spain if San Pablo Burgos will advance in the group stage after winning the best of Kapfenberg Bulls vs. Kyiv. The next countries represented in BasketballCL are Greece (PAOK, Peristeri, AEK Athens) and France (Strasbourg, Dijon, Pau Lacq-Orthez), both with 3 clubs.
Because of this massive participation of the Turkish clubs and the strong and constant interest draw for BasketballCL in this country, it won’t be any surprise if a one of Turk Telekom, Gaziantep, Bandirma or Besiktas will reach the next Final 4.
Photo credit: championsleague.basketball
Gratian Cormos
