We're going back to the land of Twelve Giant Men

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - It's been less than three months since the end of EuroBasket 2015 but already, we're talking about the next one.

And for good reason.

For the second time in a row, in 2017, the competition is going to be staged in four countries. This year it was in France, Germany, Latvia and Croatia and was a huge hit.

Next time it will be in Finland, Israel, Romania and Turkey.

Turkey will not only host Group Phase games at EuroBasket 2017 but also the Final Round. We should be ecstatic. Turkey's fans sure will be.

There have been many important basketball events to be staged in Turkey and they're always fun. In the men's game, the FIBA Basketball World Cup was staged in Ankara, Izmir, Kayseri and Istanbul five years ago.

The United States, with not a single player from their gold-medal winning side at the 2008 Olympics in the their lineup in Turkey, stormed to the title.

The EuroBasket that was held nine years earlier resonates more with the Turkish basketball family. 

With Hedo Turkoglu's career just starting to take off, Turkey rode their home-court advantage to a spot in the Final. They could not have arrived at the title showdown against Yugoslavia in a more dramatic fashion, either.

In their Semi-Final, with Germany on top 78-77, Turkey rebounded a missed free-throw by the visitors. Turkoglu then dribbled the ball the length of the floor and scored with a lay-up in traffic for a 79-78 lead.

Turkey's players mobbed him and celebrated. The image of this is an enduring one. Turkoglu, with teammates and fans in a state of delirium, had their finest moment in international basketball. Germany still had enough time to launch a potential game-winning shot but did not get a good one off.

Though they lost in the championship game to a powerhouse Yugoslavia, a team that one year later would capture the world title in Indianapolis, Turkey had given their fans a memory to treasure.

One of Turkoglu's teammates was guard Harun Erdenay, who had 11 points in that win over Germany. He is now the president of the Turkish Basketball Federation while Turkoglu, since last month, is the CEO. Both were in Munich last weekend when Turkey was named as a host nation. Turkoglu couldn't help but reflect on that amazing time in his basketball life 14 years ago.

"Winning the silver medal at FIBA EuroBasket 2001 was one of the highlights of my career," he said. "This event will set a new standard for sports events in Turkey, and just as in 2001, the 12 Giant Men will inspire a new generation of boys and girls to play basketball."

Erdenay is excited about another opportunity for people to not only come to his country and see the wonders of Istanbul, the city where East meets West.

Group Phase games will be in the same Abdi Ipekci Arena where he and Turkoglu helped created one of the country's most treasured memories. The Final Round will then be held in the Sinan Erdem Dome, the same venue for the knockout stages of the 2010 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for our federation and our sport," he said, "and I have no doubt that FIBA EuroBasket 2017 will leave a long-lasting and positive impact on our country and on international basketball."

It's going to be tough to top EuroBasket 2001 for Turkey. But then again, it's going to be fun watching their national team try and to see a nation get behind them. 

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.