Turkey’s Sanders chasing first Olympic appearance

KAYSERY (2016 FIBA Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament) - Lara Sanders has become vital for Turkey in the past few years, and she is hoping to be able to help her country qualify for 2016 Rio Olympics.

Meanwhile, the only way to reach the Rio Games, the American-Turkish center will need to spark Turkey at the 2016 FIBA Women’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament (WOQT) in June (13-19) in Nantes, France.

Last summer at EuroBasket Women 2015 Turkey saw their Olympic aspirations coming to an end following a Quarter-Finals 75-63 defeat to eventual champions Serbia.

But Sanders kept her best for last, leading Turkey to a 68-66 overtime win against Russia, in the Fifth-Place game which ensured them the last spot for the WOQT.

In Nantes, Turkey will take on Argentina and Cameroon in the WOQT Group B, and if they win three games in the 12-team event , they will advance to the Olympics for the second straight time.

The WOQT, Sanders insists, could be the beginning of something special.

Talking to FIBA.com the 29-year-old said: “We are excited to still have an opportunity to play in the Olympics. We will not take any team for granted. The staff has always done a great job of preparing us for games. We know that we will have to play our best basketball in Nantes if we want to accomplish our goal of going to Rio.

London was the first time Turkey went to the Olympics. Now that we have gotten a taste of the Olympics, we want to return. It has always been a goal of the team to get a medal. - Sanders

Having led Turkey in scoring and rebounding at the 2014 FIBA World Championship for Women on home soil as well as at EuroBasket Women 2015, the 1.91m center looks at the the Olympics as her childhood dream.

I never thought I would have the opportunity to play in the Olympics. It’s one of the biggest stages few people get to experience. For me, it would be a dream come true. - Sanders

Even knowing that she faces competition from Quanitra Hollingsworth for the only spot available for a naturalised player, Sanders remains positive: “I’m just going to focus on the team and do what I can to help us be successful.

“I stay motivated because of my competitive nature to win at the highest levels. And when you are surrounded by great teammates who also want to win, it brings out the best in you.”

Sanders, who has played in the WNBA for the Phoenix Mercury, Minnesota Lynx and more recently for the Washington Mystics, has moved to Turkey seven years ago.

She feels at home, there.

“The process of joining the national team has been very smooth,” she said. “I have been playing in Turkey since 2009 so we knew each other from the domestic league. The team has welcomed me with open arms and made me feel right at home. It’s a wonderful group to be around and to be a part of.”

Asked to describe the Turkish team that will compete in Nantes, Sanders called it “a great group of veterans and youth that will work hard to achieve our goals.”

But before the Agu Spor star heads for the WOQT she needs to take care of their campaign in the Turkish League.

They finished fourth, and will take on the Galatasaray in the first-round of the playoffs.

Agu Spor their Euroleague strong, but were unable to maintain the momentum, finishing with a 5-9 mark.

“In my seven years of playing in Turkey, this was the most competitive year in Turkish league. We will have to play great basketball if we want to keep moving forward in the playoffs.”

FIBA