The Turkish national basketball team will be spearheaded by NBA standout Alperen Sengun during the European Championship. The Houston Rockets player is expected to greatly enhance the team’s prospects in Group A, which includes host nation Latvia, as well as Serbia, Portugal, the Czech Republic, and Estonia.

Turkey’s last and only medal in a continental championship came in 2001, when they were runners-up to Yugoslavia in the final held in Istanbul. In terms of overall competitions, the Turkish team has not secured a medal since 2010 at the Basketball World Cup, where they also finished with silver on home turf.

Sengun is confident that he and his teammates can achieve medal success this summer.

“Our goal is to secure a medal. It’s been a long time since we’ve tasted success. I am hopeful that we will be strong and deliver a commendable performance at the championship,” Sengun shared in an interview with AA.com.tr.

Group A features numerous NBA stars, and Šengun will face off against the likes of Nikola Jokić and Kristaps Porzingis.

“The experience will be vastly different from the NBA. I’m thrilled for every match with the national team,” remarked the Houston player.

Sengun envisions Turkey winning a medal.

“The EuroBasket title will go to the team that desires it the most. We have a solid group. If we stay focused and play with passion, I genuinely believe we can achieve remarkable results. I am confident we can secure a medal,” stated Šengun.

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