TUR - "Clever guy" Emir Preldzic a future leader

PANEVEZYS (EuroBasket 2011) - Among the young players on the Turkish roster, nearly all the attention is devoted to 19-year-old big man Enes Kanter, but Turkey national team coach Orhun Ene warns observers not to overlook the other burgeoning talents that will shape the future of this squad.

"[Oguz] Savas, [Cenk] Akyol, Emir Preldzic," Ene listed, beyond the Utah Jazz first-round draft pick. "These are the players who will be on the national team for the next six or seven years."
 
Of Ene's list, perhaps the most intriguing prospect is Preldzic. The sole naturalized player on the roster, the 23-year-old native of Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Turkish side this summer after playing three years with Slovenia.

As opposed to his somewhat disappointing stint with Slovenia in the 2008 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Preldzic has had an immediate impact with Turkey in the 2011 European Championship competition, including a nice 15-point, six-assist performance in just 15 minutes against Great Britain.
 
Even more fearsome for opponents is Ene's inference that Preldzic will only get better.

"He needs some more time to adapt to the team. He has a good chance because he plays [professional ball] in Turkey with some of the players here, but he still doesn't know the whole team and the national team's system."
 
This should pose little problem for the 23-year-old going forward. Preldzic told reporters in the lead up to the EuroBasket tournament that he was made to feel as though he had been part of Turkey for years.

"Everything is going fine now, and we can get a good result in the [European Championship] if things go like this."
 
Indeed, Ene is already thinking about things progressing nicely for his newest addition. "He is a clever guy and knows how to play basketball. And he is able to play in the two and three positions, which I'm sure will help us a lot in Lithuania."
 
And to the detriment of Turkey's international competition, surely in the 2012 Olympics and beyond as well.
 
FIBA