VOTE: Will this be a new golden generation for Turkiye?

ISTANBUL (Turkiye) - In their first steps towards ending a long Olympic drought, Turkiye's talented new generation of players have made a strong impression in front of their passionate home fans.

With an average winning margin of 26 points, unbeaten Turkiye stormed into the Semi-Finals of the Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament to underline their status as favorites.. 

Expectations are growing for this youthful Turkish team attempting to ultimately reach the Olympics for the first time since 1952. But Ergin Ataman's men are hoping to build something sustainable that can last a number of years. 

Turkiye's best-ever period started in 2001 when Hedo Turkoglu inspired a runners-up finish at FIBA EuroBasket on home soil and was capped almost a decade later when they lost in the  FIBA World Cup 2010 Final to a Kevin Durant-led USA.

Now hopes are high of a new golden generation starting to emerge for Turkiye.

But do you think they are genuinely rising? You can let us know in the fan vote below, but before doing so, let's examine their main players hoping to build a legacy in national colors.

Turkiye have a superstar to build around

Alperen Sengun arrived in Istanbul on the back of a breakout second season with the Houston Rockets. He has lived up to the hype after a spectacular start to the tournament, where he is averaging almost 18 points a game. 

The 21-year-old power forward has the athleticism and physicality to dominate, as he demonstrated during a 30-point masterpiece against Ukraine.  With the ability to play above the rim, Sengun can light a fuse under his team with a rim-rattling dunk or emphatic block making him a talismanic player for Turkiye. 

Having made a big impact at last year's FIBA EuroBasket, Sengun has firmly cemented himself as the core piece in the team and emerged as a budding superstar for Turkiye to build around for many years to come. 

 

Imposing frontcourt

Sengun hasn't done it alone partnering with center Omer Yurtseven to form a formidable frontcourt for Turkiye. 

The 7ft (2.13m) Yurtseven, who recently signed with the Utah Jazz, has been a force in the paint, averaging 11 points and 11 rebounds while providing rim protection on defense. 

Still only 25,  there should be expected development for Yurtseven who might be able to get even physically stronger.

He's an important plank in Turkiye's bid to become a genuine basketball powerhouse, with Yurtseven to anchor the paint in the international game where the big men in the middle still hold so much influence. 

The perimeter threat 

With stalwart Cedi Osman missing, Furkan Korkmaz has had the ball in his hands more but struggled at times - notably against Ukraine where he had five turnovers in a sloppy display.  We haven't seen the best of the Philadelphia 76ers guard, who was also erratic at FIBA EuroBasket 2022, but he hasn't been greatly required in an offense focused on Sengun. 

 

Korkmaz, however, has been shooting at 43% from three and shown glimpses of his smooth scoring abilities. When things slow down in the knockout stages, Korkmaz's ability to score in isolation will be vital.  At 26, Korkmaz  should be entering his peak years and if he can find consistency then Turkiye will have several key bases covered.  

FIBA