Turkey go for a familiar feel at the Final Round

ISTANBUL (FIBA EuroBasket Women 2017) - Turkey may not have the legendary figure of Nevriye Yilmaz to call upon, but there is still a familiar feel to the roster that is heading to the Final Round.

Head coach Ekrem Memnun has opted for tried and trusted players, with only Pelin Bilgic set make her major tournament debut when the action gets underway in Hradec Kralove on Friday.

Having been rewarded for her efforts with Fenerbahce and especially when she shone at the EuroLeague Women Final Four, the 22-year-old makes her first Final Round appearance, while the rest of the roster have all played on the big stage.

There are nine returnees from the Olympic team in Rio which only just missed out on the Semi-Finals of the competition.

The other two returnees in addition to the debut handed to Bilgic are Cansu Koksal and Quanitra Hollingsworth. The former was denied her Olymic dream and will now get a chance to make up for lost time, having played at the 2014 FIBA Women's Basketball World Cup and the previous edition of FIBA EuroBasket Women.

Meanwhile after a brilliant season with Yakin Dogu Universitesi, Hollingsworth is back at a major tournament with her adopted country for the first time since FIBA EuroBasket Women 2013 and she will carry a heavy load on her shoulders in the paint.

Turkey will once again rely on their biggest stars in backcourt duo Isil Alben and Birsel Vardarli Demirmen to provide the leadership and creativity to make a deep run in the competition.

Turkey finished a roller-coaster preparation with a convincing win against Latvia and will now face Belarus, Italy and Slovak Republic in Group B.

FIBA