One year before hosting the 2010 FIBA World Championship, Turkey needs to confirm it's improvement and to gain stability. So close to such a big event, in which Turkey plans to de even better at home than during EuroBasket 2001, reaching the podium becomes almost a necessity.

Kerem Tunceri

Turkey's greatest achievement in the European basketball scene was the silver medal at EuroBasket 2001. As hosts with a good crowd behind and emotions running high Turkey has shown they can compete with the best of them. And after being named as hosts for 2010 World Championships all eyes were set on a repeat performance of 2001, on a bigger stage none the less. After going 2-2 in EuroBasket 2003 Turkey has reached an agreement with Bogdan Tanjevic for this elusive target and a program to prepare the team for 2010 has been put in place.

Since then results have been mixed. Turkey without her star players have claimed sixth place in 2006 World Championship, but on either side of that in EuroBaskets 2005 and 2007 Turkey, with their star players intact, failed miserably going 2-8 and failing to impress anyone.

Now we are ever so close to 2010 and Turkey has to show something. Last year the team went 6-0 in qualifying and earned well-deserved praise, but that progress has to bear fruit this time around. It is time Turkey has to show everyone where they stand in the world of basketball.

Ersan Ilyasova

The team consists mostly of the ever so successful qualification round players. The emergence of Hidayet Türkoğlu not only as a star but also a leader fills a big void on the team. Turkey many times seems in dire need of direction and now Turkoglu can provide it. Unlike many stars, Turkoglu doesn't need the ball in his hands, nor does he care that much about personal accolades, making his transition to European basketball ever so much easier. But he never hesitates to take responsibility in clutch situations giving the team a boost.

The team has accepted his mature leadership also. Erasing some earlier NBA vs Europe emotions also. Turkoglu will get the most help from Ersan Ilyasova. He had a stellar season in Barcelona and will be the "twin towers on the wing" with Turkoglu. Both of them being agile, big, active players and having range gives Turkey flexibility few teams have at their arsenal.
Apart from the two stars all players come from the Beko Basketball League and mainly from two Euroleague representatives. The backcourt is dominated by Efes Pilsen players and the frontcourt by Fenerbahçe Ülker. Kerem Tunçeri with his great basketball mind, uncanny court vision and strong presence and Ender Arslan with his unrivalled speed, better ball-handling and unstoppable penetrating skills are a good tandem. Offering different skill sets on the floor. Same can be said for

Oguz Savas

Semih Erden and Oğuz Savaş inside. Playing year-long with each other on their respective teams increased their communication on the floor as well off it. Engin Atsür and Ömer Aşık are coming from long absences of injury but both are important parts to the team.
Interestingly enough Turkey has more or less solved the problem at point guard and inside players but maybe the first time Turkey lacks a great shooter. Having a tradition of shooters this team clearly lacks even one. After Ibrahim Kutluay and Serkan Erdoğan were considered ‘too old' for the team Cenk Akyol has been regarded as the next great shooter but his game has been going downhill since 2006 and seems to hit rock bottom this season. So he is not included. Turkey actively searched for a shooter to be naturalised. The weakness is that alarming to the officials but that didn't bear fruit. Also Utah Jazz center Mehmet Okur had a public falling out with Tanjevic and questioning his role on the team and was left off.

Turkey once again is relying on ball pressure and mobility to create offense and with the addition of late blossoming star Ömer Onan at the 2-guard spot can be a destructive force on the defensive end. But as always with Turkey you can never know what to expect. This time though everyone wants need to see something, because this is the last step before 2010.