TUR - Hollingsworth in the frame for Ankara

ISTANBUL (FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament for Women) - Turkey women’s coach Ceyhun Yildizoglu has a new player to consider for this summer’s campaign with Quanitra Hollingsworth now a citizen of the country.

The 23-year-old center, who hails from Virginia in the United States, played for Uni Seat Gyor this season in the EuroLeague Women and helped fire the club to the Hungarian title.

While averaging just 4.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game last year for the WNBA’s New York Liberty, the 1.96m Hollingsworth was a big hit in Europe, pouring in 14.8 points and grabbing 10.1 boards per game in the EuroLeague.

Both she and Neven Nevlin, another naturalized player from the United States, are at the Turkish team’s training camp that has opened this week at the Abdi Ipekci in Istanbul.

Nevlin was outstanding for Turkey in their Semi-Final upset of France at last year’s EuroBasket Women but she did not play at all at the EuroLeague Women Final Eight for Fenerbahce.

Yildizoglu got a good look at Hollingsworth on 11 January when he coached Galatasaray against Gyor.

Hollingsworth had 19 points and 11 rebounds but Gyor were no match for the Gala outfit that had Diana Taurasi and Tina Charles and crashed to a 99-46 defeat that night.

Turkey are hosting the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) for Women in Ankara 25 June to 1 July.

They are to train in Istanbul until 20 May before moving to Antalya for another camp.

Turkey will scrimmage against Montenegro and Belarus, two sides preparing for EuroBasket Women 2013 qualifying games, 30 May to 1 June.

FIBA