Gazete ETÜ Had an Enjoyable Interview With TOBB ETÜ Men’s Basketball Team Which Will Play Its First Game On The Second Round of UNİLİG

Gazete ETÜ had an enjoyable interview with TOBB ETÜ Men’s Basketball Team which won an undefeated championship in the 2nd TÜSF Basketball League Tournament, securing thus a place in the 1st League. Merve İleri asked the questions developed in cooperation with Alperen Avşar. The answers were from Ali Kavaklıoğlu, the coach, Ahmet Gülen, the assistant coach, and Şükrü Atakan Durduran and Enver Berk Yıldız who are both established players and captains of the team.

• How did you start playing basketball, and how did you get a place in the team?

Enver Berk Yıldız: I started on the basis of my father’s advice. Early on, I would attend the trainings to satisfy him. But later on, basketball really became a passion for me. I joined the team in 2013, in my preparatory year.

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: I too joined in 2013, during the preparatory year. I too was directed by my family. Now we both thank them for doing so.

• What made you choose basketball? What is it that you like most with basketball?

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: As I said, in the beginning I played only in line with the whims of my family. But then basketball turned into something much more than a simple sports for me. It also contributed to my education. I made me capable of making plans, and stay away from hazardous habits.

• What kind of characteristics should a good basketball player have?

Ahmet Gülen: He should be clever, so that he can produce solutions for the problems faced during the game. Furthermore, ethics of the team and a team spirit based on friendships are among the musts. The player should prioritize the team’s success over that of the individual.

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: First of all, one would realize that, as a school, our university is a pretty trying one with a very busy schedule. The players in the team are successful students who are enrolled in engineering or medicine programs. The team has a preference for academically successful students who are also good at basketball. The criteria we sought with these students seek to identify players who are honest, ethical and well-behaving team players who know how to feel sorry and merry as a team, and who represent the school well both on and outside the court.

• Are there any basketball players you consider as role models or idols?

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: In the days we began, Greek was on the forefront of basketball. Due to the position I play in, Dimitris Diamantidis was a model player for me. Nowadays, I like to watch John Wall from NBA.

Enver Berk Yıldız: I had Lithuanian Šarūnas Jasikevičius as a model. Nowadays, I consider Chris Paul as a more fitting idol.

• Why did you choose a team sports rather than an individual one? What are the benefits and issues involved?

Enver Berk Yıldız: I made many friends thanks to basketball. It really made a positive impression on my social life. Team sports reinforce confidence people have in each other. Our achievements run in parallel to the level of trust we have. I can’t think of any negative aspect.

• What does being a captain feel like? What are the difficult aspects of the duty?

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: Actually Ercan is the 1st captain of the team. But I am also one of the older players. At times, there will be some conflict between teammates. As a captain, you should try and overcome those with the least amount of damage. The duties of the captain apply more out of the court, rather than on it.

• How does playing in the team affect your academic success and social life? Do you have any difficulty managing school alongside the team?

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: I am enrolled in Mechanical Engineering, and that’s a difficult department. Honestly, I am having a bit of a difficulty handling both, as the school has a really busy schedule. But I can cope more or less, with some sacrifices on the social life front now and then.

• What is the support the school gives to the team?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: The school supplies with the equipment and the hall needed. We are supported by the school, OK. But the students of the school are not really interested. We do not attract the audience counts we expect, even though there is a hall where the games are played, inside the campus. Men’s basketball draws substantial attention, and our team is really successful. Yet... We would like more interest in the games and better support for our team. The feeling of belonging requires a common ground. I believe it can be possible through basketball, supporting a shared team.

• Do you have any special tricks to motivate the team before a game?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: My motto is ‘believing is more than half of success.’ I teach my students that they need to believe in themselves. As a coach, you should never let your fighting spirit go. I teach my players to never give up, and never surrender the match till the end.

• What do you do to improve the spirits after a lost match?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: Even if we lose a game, I congratulate all the team members, if they put 100% into the game. If we had lost, I would not have a long talk in the locker room, for the adrenaline levels would be high at that moment. But before the next training, I remind them that losing as well as winning are all parts of the game, and that they will reap fruits through hard work, in an effort to motivate them once again.

• Does the team have a lucky charm or a special song etc. to have before the game?

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: This year, we listen to Era Istrefi-Bonbon before the games, to increase our energy levels. That evolved into a lucky charm for the team.

• What is your opinion of the team’s performance?

Ahmet Gülen: You could say that this year’s team is a fresh one. It was a mixture of players old and new; we thought we would have some difficulty in adapting newcomers, but they were really good and agreeable spirits as well as hard working players. The friendships in the team are really strong. We are a cool-headed team which respects the opponents. I believe, this year’s team surpassed the expectations. We achieved our targets; but we still work very hard. We intend to get to top-8 in Turkey. In this quest, we expect our students’ support during the matches.

• What is the secret to the team’s success?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: First of all, I am a very good coach (laughs). This is a team sport. In our last match we continued to fight till the end, even though we fell behind early on, and while some fans left the hall expecting a defeat. My team does not like to lose, and they do not give up till the end. This is the secret to their success.

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: Of course there are more talented players or stronger players here and there. But there are no one who wants to win more than we do. And that motivates us against giving up, and for continuing to work.

• Can you tell us a remarkable event you cannot forget about the team?

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: The last match of the season, where we were promoted to the next tour, were really delightful. Perhaps it was the most difficult group we had encountered to date, and the one where our chances were the slimmest. We saw we could achieve against all odds, just because we really want to. It was a moment of great success for the team.

Enver Berk Yıldız: We won 5 successive matches in the tournament held in Kuşadası. That was a really happy memory.

• What is your philosophy towards basketball? What kind of a game you want to see?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu:  I want all my players to put an aggressive game. We always try to be a team applying full-court press, running at all times, applying man-to-man defense at half court, denying easy shots to the opponent, providing assistance to one another, and playing a fast game in attack in particular. I want to make the team internalize a philosophy of aggressive defense and rapid attack.

• What is your view of basketball in Turkey?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: I want Turkish people to play more on the field. The interest in basketball throughout Turkey is really substantial; the federation should work harder to make basketball a sport that can be played outside Ankara, Istanbul and İzmir as well. The universities play a major part in doing so. The schools should reward and promote basketball more.

• What are your goals as a team? Where do you want to see the team?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: We want to achieve success in this ÜNİLİG round of 6 teams, and to rise to the next stage. Other schools’ teams are mostly composed of students from the physical education departments, whereas ours is composed of students from different departments. I really appreciate the hard work and sacrifices our players make for the team, despite the busy schedules at the school. And I am confident in our success.

• What 3 words does are associated with basketball in your mind?

Ali Kavaklıoğlu: Fair play, competition, winning.

Ahmet Gülen: Success, teammates, passion. 

Enver Berk Yıldız: Friendship, winning, ambition.

Şükrü Atakan Durduran: Resolution, ambition, struggle

• As Gazete ETÜ, we congratulate your success, and want to see at the top at all times. We are always supporting you!

Interview: Merve İLERİ, Psychology Undergraduate Program

Photo: Şule DEMİR, Psychology Undergraduate Program