REGENSBURG (David Hein's Eye on the Future) - Turkey have long been known as a country which produces talented players. But it wasn't until this past July 28 that Turkey finally broke their curse against Spain and Serbia at the U18 European Championship to take 2013 gold. And once again, tournament MVP Kenan Sipahi showed he has a promising career ahead of him.

Sipahi collected 19 points, six assists and two steals in leading Turkey to an 81-74 victory over Croatia to collect the 2013 U18 European Championship title. He averaged 10.9 points, 5.0 assists - which ranked him second in the tournament - along with 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals to be named MVP of the event.

Talk about getting over the hump.

Turkey grabbed the U18 silver medal in 2004 after losing to Spain in the Final despite having players like Semih Erden, Hakan Demirel, Oguz Savas and Cenk Akyol.

The Turks grabbed U18 silver again in 2005 - this time with Savas, Akyol and Cemel Nalga - losing to Serbia & Montenegro in the Final.

In 2009, Enes Kanter, Maxim Mutaf and Furkan Aldemir could not hinder Turkey from losing to Serbia in the Semi-Finals before winning U18 bronze.

And it was U18 bronze once again in 2011 for Sipahi, Tayfun Erulku, Berkay Candan and Erbil Eroglu after Turkey lost to Spain in the semis.
Turkey were left wanting for gold.

The Turks went into the 2012 U18 European Championship with four players coming back from the 2011 bronze-medal winning team - Sipahi, Erulku, Talat Altunbey and Metin Turen - and talents like Metecan Birsen, Cedi Osman, Kartal Ozmizrak and Kerem Kanter. They were considered serious podium contenders but lost to Russia and missed out on the Quarter-Finals - and a subsequent spot in the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship. The Turks ended up taking ninth place.

The 2013 U18 group featured Sipahi, Birsen, Osman, Ozmizrak and Kanter coming back with the bitter taste in their mouth of a failed chance at glory. And they added a quartet of players - Berk Ugurlu, Ogulcan Baykan, Egemen Guven and Okben Ulubay - who had in 2012 collected Turkey's second-ever gold at the U16 European Championship following 2005.

And that mix of under-class winners and talented of-age players looking to forget disappointment proved to be successful. Turkey knocked off Serbia 71-67 in the Quarter-Finals, and then slew their Spanish dragons 77-75 in the semi-finals. Spain did not go down easily though as Turkey went on a 24-2 run early in the fourth quarter and were up 73-62 with 59 seconds left before holding on.

And after Birsen led Turkey in the quarters (13 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block) and Kanter was the hero in the semis (22 points and eight rebounds), it was Sipahi's turn in the final.

Sipahi once again displayed the skills that many believe will lead him to a long professional career - perhaps as high as the NBA.

The 1.97m point guard has shown fearlessness against older competition for quite some time. At the 2011 U18 European Championship, Eye on the Future asked Sipahi what it meant to be two years younger than everyone else at the tournament: "For me I want to beat them. They know that I am younger and they pressure me but I am not afraid. I want to beat them."

Sipahi, a native of the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, came to Turkey when he was 11 years old. Turkey basketball's youth coordinator Nihat Izic recalled recently his encounter back then with Sipahi: "He came to Turkey at 11 years. He sat on the bus and came to Bursa and said I want to be a basketball player, will you take me."

Sipahi definitely wouldn't have to ask twice now. Despite turning only 18 years in late May, the playmaker already has two years of professional experience with Turkish club Tofas Bursa, with whom he played in the EuroChallenge last season.

In an interview with FIBA Europe from the 2013 U18 European Championship, Sipahi said he looks and patterns his game after other tall point guards.

"I look at Zoran Planicic or (Dimitris) Diamantidis. They don't care about stats. They have egos but know how to use that for victories. That is important," said Sipahi, who displays plenty of emotions when he plays the game.

Fans can expect more big things in the future from Sipahi, who is already being linked with bigger Turkish teams like Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
Sipahi also now moves on in the Turkey national team system…and another hump.

Turkey's U20 national teams lost to Yugoslavia in the bronze medal game in 1996 and fell to Yugoslavia in the semis before taking bronze in 1998.

Turkey lost in the 2006 final to Serbia & Montenegro - for Turkey’s only medal in U20 European Championship history. And then came 2008 when Turkey lost to Serbia in the semis and then fell to Spain in the bronze medal game.

Talk about a hump - but with Sipahi, the chances of Turkey getting over the next hump are good too.

David Hein

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.