Turkey remind us of a legend

LONDON [The Friday Eurovision] - It’s easy to stop thinking about the heroes of the past.

Basketball commemorates the greats with Hall of Fames, but with each passing year, even the accomplishments of legends begin to fade.

When a country like Turkey, for example, has prominent players like Hedo Turkoglu and Mehmet Okur making headlines across the Atlantic in the NBA, the achievements of a man once idolized in the country’s basketball history like Efe Aydan lose some of their luster, if only slightly.

One of the heartening aspects of hosting the FIBA World Championship this year is that Turkey’s Basketball Federation has the opportunity to remind everyone from the Americas, Africa, Oceania and Asia about their heroes like Aydan, a man that was instrumental in the growth of the sport.

Born in 1955 in Ankara, which is where Turkey will play their Preliminary Round games this year, Aydan really helped put Turkish basketball on the map.

He played for Eczacibasi, Efes Pilsen, Fenerbahce, Besiktas and Tofas Bursa, the club where he is now serving as president.

When it comes to the national team, though, Aydan's history is something to behold.

He captained the national side 188 times, and he played for Turkey in 259 games.

His most famous moment came in 1981, a qualifying game for the European Championship against Finland.

With qualification for the European Championship at stake, Aydan hit a shot from half-court at the buzzer to force overtime and then scored the first six points of the extra period to ensure victory and a place in the Final Round for Turkey.

Aydan is no longer a player, but rather a perfect ambassador for basketball in the country.

Turkey introduced him to a large audience at the draw for the FIBA World Championship in Istanbul.

He spoke eloquently about how important the event will be to his country when games are played in the cities of Kayseri, Ankara, Izmir and Istanbul and broadcast to an international audience.

"It's a great honor and pleasure for us to host the 2010 World Championship," Aydan said to FIBA.com.

"The most important thing is that at the end of the tournament, everyone will leave Turkey with remarkable memories.

"I honestly believe that Turkey will have a successful tournament."

Everyone has an opinion about how the FIBA World Championship will unfold.

Turkey, who are coached by Bogdan Tanjevic, would seem to have a very good chance to reach the podium.

At times last year in Poland at the EuroBasket, Turkey looked like a team that would go all the way and win the gold medal.

They swept their group, beating Lithuania, Bulgaria and Poland, and then upset pre-tournament favorites Spain before knocking off Serbia.

The team suffered a 69-67 defeat to Slovenia in their last game in Lodz, and that threw them into a Quarter-Final against Greece.

In a remarkable game, Turkey lost 76-74 to fall out of medal contention.

They were two defeats by a total of four points.

Turkey did not capture a medal, but they had plenty of positives to take out of the tournament.

As the host nation, they could very well be the side to beat in a Group C that also includes their bitter rivals Greece, as well as China, Russia, Ivory Coast and Puerto Rico.

"I am aware that Group C is not an easy one," Aydan said.

"The most important thing for us is how the Turkish team plays. If we can play our own game, we'll be successful.”

In fact, Aydan believes the fans that watch games in Ankara will getting a look at the eventual gold medalists.

“Probably, the champion will be from Group C,” he said. “That's my point of view."

By Jeff Taylor