Turkey's passing of torch from 2010 generation to new group almost complete, says Sarica

ANKARA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Turkey moved a major step closer to qualifying for the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 with their 71-67  win over Spain to open the fifth window of the European Qualifiers on Thursday.

And, should they get the one additional win needed to book their place at China 2019, they will have successfully completed the passing of the torch from one generation to the next.

The Turks' defeat of Spain improved their record to 7-2 and pushed them into first place of Group I. And Ufuk Sarica's team can punch their ticket to the World Cup with a win on Sunday at Montenegro.

After the game, the play caller said the country's basketball program is "about to achieve something great".

"The old successful generation of 2010 is slowly coming to an end and passing the torch to the new generation," Sarica said. "Our goal is to both build the foundation for the future generation and also succeed in our games. If we are able to do both at the same time without moving away from any of our goals, that is a great achievement. And I'm really proud that we're almost there."

Turkey’s greatest basketball achievement came at the World Cup they hosted in 2010, when they reached the Final, losing 81-64 to the USA in the title game. Five players from that team have played over the course of the Qualifiers - Semih Erden, Baris Ermis, Sinan Guler, Ersan Ilyasova and Oguz Savas.

The trio of Erden, Guler and Savas were all in the lineup against Spain - with the last two making their debuts in the European Qualifiers.

"I did my best to help the team. We're getting closer to our World Cup goal. It was very exciting for me to wear the national team jersey again in front of our fans," said the 35-year-old Guler, who scored 8 points in his first game for Turkey since FIBA EuroBasket 2017.

"THE OLD SUCCESSFUL GENERATION OF 2010 IS SLOWLY COMING TO AN END AND PASSING THE TORCH TO THE NEW GENERATION."- Sarica

Meanwhile, the 32-year-old Erden looked even better on Thursday than he did at the World Cup eight years ago, when he averaged 9.1 points and 4.6 rebounds. Against Spain, Erden collected 16 points and 14 rebounds.

"I'm doing my best. The only thing I know is to play basketball. I'm very happy and proud. We are getting closer to China," said the 6ft 11in (2.10m) big man, who tallied his first double-double with Turkey since the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

"Semih Erden stepped up with his game in the paint and we really used him effectively," Sarica said of the  Istanbul BBSK center. "He dominated inside. We're proud of him. He supported the team mentally as the captain. I'm really happy to have him back in the state that he is."

The defeat of Spain served as a great lesson from the veterans to the youngsters, the coach said, adding: "We're in a transition process and trying to make our young players gain more experience and also trying to get as much as we can from the experienced ones."

That experience from the older generation will be needed once again on Sunday in Podgorica where Turkey face off against Montenegro, who are currently in a three-way tie at 5-4 in the fight for third place. Sarica warned his team about being too relaxed following their big win over Spain and also conscious of their 79-69 defeat of the Montenegrins at home in the last window.

"We know it's going to be a tough game and we want to avoid going there in a comfortable mindset," he warned. "We want to make sure we're mentally there and physically there to be ready for this tough game in a tough arena against a tough crowd."

Turkey stand top of Group I with their 7-2 mark but while they are a perfect 5-0 at home, they have a 2-2 record on the road.

FIBA