TUR - Arslan targets EuroBasket podium with Turkey

LJUBLJANA (EuroBasket 2007) - Turkey national team point guard Ender Arslan loves playing basketball for a living.

However, the Union Olimpija star, who celebrated his 24th birthday on January 13, admits he very easily could be playing a different round-ball sport right now had it not been for his mother.

"I liked football, but she didn’t," Arslan says now, laughing. "She said I would get sick if I play outside when it rains.

"I never really regretted the decision, though. Soon, I really started to like basketball."

He really enjoyed his summer with Turkey at the FIBA World Championship, that's for sure.

His performances helped the Turks finish second in Group C to Greece, and the side that needed a wild card just to play in Japan advanced all the way to the quarter-finals before coming unstuck against Argentina.

After, Arslan moved from Turkish giants Efes Pilsen to Ljubljana to play for Union Olimpija, the traditional powerhouses in the Slovenian game and a side that always plays in the Euroleague.

Injuries prevented him from making a big impact at the start of the season, but he is now getting back to full fitness and is confident that good times are ahead.

After Olimpija's 87-59 victory over Unicaja Malaga last week in the Euroleague, Arslan, who had 16 points and six assists in the game, spoke to Luka Maselj on behalf of FIBA.com.

FIBA: Ender, the performance may have been your best in the Euroleague so far this season. Is it a relief after having a slow start?

Arslan "I have only recently fully recovered from an injury that has been setting me back for over two months. This was only my third match without pain."

FIBA: It must also be a relief that Olimpija have put the distraction of recent financial problems at the club to the side and remained in contention for a place in the Top 16?

Arslan: "We had some problems and of course, this affected the players, but we are still focused on our games and trying to do our best. We are hoping everything is going to be cool really soon. It is said that some new sponsors are coming, so I really hope everything is going to be all right. To tell the truth, I tried not to focus too much on the financial problems, although it wasn’t very easy."

FIBA: Is it true that you first heard about Union Olimpija when seeing highlights of Slovenia national team forward Marko Milic jumping over a car at an All-Star game stunt for a slam dunk?

Arslan: (grinning) "That is true. I was in Efes Pilsen’s junior team and I was watching some basketball program and I saw Milic fly over a car ... "

FIBA: Like Marko, you came to Ljubljana before the 2006/07 season. What is it like playing for a club side like Union Olimpija that has so much tradition?

Arslan: "I came to a very good club and I am really happy to be here. My goal was to help this team as much as I could. The injury I picked up at the beginning of the season made things a bit unpleasant. It took me about two months to come back. Now I am here again and I know that my displays will only get better."

FIBA: You mentioned your performances. People expected a bit more from you, and the team which right now is 4-7 in the group. Can you pinpoint what the problem has been?

Arslan: "I am still to show what I am capable of. As I’ve said, the injury I picked up was really disturbing, like all injuries in our club. That is why we all couldn’t show what we are capable off. Our goals before the season were different, much higher. All the problems I mentioned before contributed to our poor results. We also didn’t have luck sometimes. Here I can mention the matches against Partizan and (DKV) Joventut at home. (Partizan won 71-70, and DKV won 69-67). If we had those two victories, too, we would be in a much better position than we are. But still, we have not yet given up. We can still make it to the Top 16."

FIBA: Some observers do not believe the team has enough quality players. When you consider the depth of the leading teams in the Euroleague, is this observation accurate?

Arslan: "I think we have a good team and that this is not the case. Before the season really started, I was sure we could make it to the Top 16. But after all the injuries and bad luck, things changed a bit. But we still stand a chance and we will give it our best to make it. We will fight until the end."

FIBA: You have had two coaches since you arrived in Ljubljana. What do you think of Tomo Mahoric and what do you think of current boss, Gasper Okorn?

Arslan: "Both are very good coaches. They both know how to have a good relationship with the players and know a lot about basketball. Okorn, who is relatively new in the first-team coaching business, is an excellent motivator."

FIBA: There are a lot of good teams in the Euroleague, but whom do you rate as favourites?

Arslan: "My favourite is Panathinaikos. But you never know – everybody can beat everybody in the Final Four. But because it will be held in Athens, I think PAO (Panathinaikos) has the most chances. They have a very good team and the home court advantage."

FIBA: We watched you have a very productive summer in Japan with Turkey's national side. Where does that experience rank in importance in your career?

Arslan: "It was my best summer ever. We all played very good. We were like one big family fighting for the same goal. The relationship between players, coaches and the other staff was like a dream. We deserved that sixth place, although I think we could have made it among the best four. I would like to add that the most important thing about this tournament was not that we played well, but that we fought well. All Turkish players are very good fighters. Always!"

FIBA: You made some hugely important plays – two free throws against Lithuania in Hamamatsu Group C to win that game and a three-pointer at the death to force overtime against the same team in a classification game. What was it like being involved in those incredibly tense games?

Arslan: "It’s hard to explain. I will speak for that exact moment, when I made the three-pointer that took us to overtime. I was taking free throws and I missed the second one. The ball than somehow came back to me. There were a lot of players around me so I knew I had to act fast. I didn’t really think much, I just went to the three-point line and threw the ball. I didn’t think about anything."

FIBA: The EuroBasket in Spain is coming up this summer. Turkey will play Germany, the Czech Republic, and once again, Lithuania in the group stage. How difficult will it be to recreate the terrific atmosphere in your team of last summer in Japan?

Arslan: "I believe we can make it. But of course, it won’t be easy to succeed. We have a tough group – it’s a tough competition overall – but we will fight just like we did in Japan. Hopefully this will give us an even better result than sixth place. I am hoping that we can finish among the best four of the tournament."

FIBA: So you are thinking about winning a medal?

Arslan: "Yeah. I somehow believe in it. That’s because I believe in my team."

FIBA: Your national team coach, Bogdan Tanjevic, said he hoped his players would all get a chance to play a lot of minutes to get ready for Spain. It appears most of you and your team-mates are playing a lot.

Arslan: "We are all working hard to do that. I think there is still a lot of room for improvement – we will only get better. I am confident that we will go to Spain well prepared."

FIBA: Basketball players spend most of their time away from home and travelling. Do you have any problems with that?

Arslan: "It can be hard, but I do not find it a big problem. This is a part of the life of a professional basketball player. I do miss my home, my family, Turkey ... but that’s the way it is."

FIBA: You have been in Ljubljana now for a couple of months. What is it like?

Arslan: "I like it very much. Everything is very nice. It’s not like Instanbul of course, but then again it’s hard to compare, since Ljubljana is so much smaller. I’m having fun here, that’s what matters."

FIBA: What about Olimpija’s fans?

Arslan: "The fans are really, really good, especially when we play Euroleague. They support the team all the time. I have had no actual contact with them outside of the basketball arena, but when they are in there, they are amazing."

FIBA: Ljubljana is not far away from the mountains. Have you ever tried to ski here?

Arslan: "I didn’t try it yet, but I really want to. I hope that I will find some free time for all of this in the coming weeks. Not only skiing – I’ve also heard about the beauty of the Bled lake. It’s my big wish to go there. Maybe I will be somewhere else next year, so I have to take the chance as soon as possible."

By Luka Maselj
Exclusively for FIBA