High flying center aims even higher

[Croatia croatia]

FIBA Europe 2007, the biggest basketball event of the year, starts Monday and Turkey is a serious contender for the Cup. Spending just 30 minutes with NBA All-Star Mehmet Okur, Turkey’s most renowned sportsman worldwide, one is convinced that he also believes that Turkey can go the distance

We were sitting in the comfort of an air-conditioned room in the İzmir offices of juice brand Dimes, while outside was hot and dry. The regular press conference had finished about an hour-and-a-half ago and a tour of the factory had been completed 30 minutes ago. The reason why all those people are still waiting there was that Dimes' commercial star Mehmet Okur was about to arrive at any moment and the press, most of whom were journalists covering the economy, stayed to direct a few questions to the National Basketball Association's (NBA) Turkish star, who is easily the most renowned Turkish sportsman globally at the moment, and also to take some photographs together as a memento.

In the wake of an unexpectedly big 72-60 defeat at the hands of Croatia in the Efes Cup on Aug. 23, Turkey national team coach Bogdan Tanjevic refuses to give a day off to the players and that is the reason why Okur is late for the meeting. However, when he shows up, there are no signs of exhaustion or the infamous bored look that is generally seen in celebrities, that says, I should not be here now. He enters the room and all heads turn to him, quite understandably as he is 2.11 meters tall, which is at least 25 centimeters taller than anyone else in the room.

Nevertheless he is not one that wants to be seen as a high profile person. For someone who was selected an NBA All-Star, he is down to earth.

As the only sports correspondent in the room, I have priority to interview him. But Okur has to go on a Dimes factory tour in about 20 minutes that also has to be shared with another Q&A session. So in a very limited time, one has to be sparing with questions. There was no time to waste.

Okur was not losing any sleep over the loss to Croatia. The rest of the team was not either. There was still 10 days to go to the major event, the European Basketball Championship in Spain, also known as FIBA Europe 2007, thus Turkey was still in progress and in training overdrive. Although that loss could have dumped Turkey out of the tournament, the only problem was not displaying their best performance to the spectators of İzmir, where international tournaments of this caliber are rarely held.

We were soon to understand that this was going to be a huge motivation for the team, which did its best not to let the fans in İzmir down. Turkey went on to play the semifinals after Croatia also beat Latvia, and then routed Serbia to reach the Cup final on Sunday, Aug. 26. Croatia downed Turkey once again in the final with a 77-69 result.

Okur was the team's main man with 13.5 points, 7.25 rebounds and 1 block per game and was in the top 10 lists in all three departments. Someone who is familiar with the tight schedules of the NBA may wonder how a player like Okur can produce such big performances after just a short resting period following eight months of nonstop playing with the Utah Jazz.

“It is now a part of my life,” says Okur, who played 104 games last season and about 100 the previous year. “After five years at a tempo like that, [playing in summer] no longer is weary for me.” He says that the situation is even better for him when playing for the national team. It is immediately understood that he was saddened by the critics that hit out at him when his injury forced him to miss the last summer's World Basketball Championship in Japan. Turkey played without two of its best players – Orlando Magic's Hidayet Türkoğlu and Mehmet Okur – there and its young squad grabbed an unexpected sixth place finish after dramatic and glorious performances.

Okur feels he has something to prove now. He is 100 percent fit and feels excited about the FIBA Europe 2007, where he thinks almost every team is dangerous. That is why Turkey needs to play with full concentration to give its best against every opponent. According to the center, Turkey should always aim for the highest point and be considered a contender for the title. He is comfortable that the squad is capable of doing that. “Team play comes first,” says Okur. “Every single member of the team are great players and we can achieve great things only if we play as a team.” He says that when the game comes to an edge, personal abilities would make a difference as well.

But first, the team should get out of the difficult Group C, consisting of Dirk Nowitzki-led Germany and Lithuania, which is always a team to watch out for. The underdog is the Czech Republic, lurking to shoot down anyone who underestimates the outside shooting power of Lubos Barton and former NBA player Jiri Welsch.

Even though an NBA player is particularly mentioned when talking about the teams, Okur is among the ones who thinks that the gap between basketball in Europe and in the States is closing. The United States team failed to win the last two championships it attended, settling for bronze in the Olympics in Athens 2004 and in Japan last year. The number of European players making an impact in the NBA is another example that shows that the Americans are not dominating the game anymore.

Then it comes to the NBA that has had a active transfer agenda this summer. With many superstars traded and some stars-in-the-making drafted, Utah Jazz opted to remain silent and stuck to its players that took it the West Conference Finals.

“I think they want to keep the team for many years without making major switches,” says Okur. The only exception was Derek Fisher, who asked to be released from his contract to be able to care more for her daughter who has retina cancer. “Otherwise, the team will go on with the same squad for a long time.”

Utah Jazz seems like the right team for Okur. In his third year with the team, he was selected an All-Star and broke the all time team record for three point shots made (129) in a season. With the team, they beat the odds by reaching the playoff finals. “Now the standards are set to high,” says the number 13, “I want to keep on living success like that all the time.”

However, the post-season started with the untimely declarations by star point guard Deron Williams, as he accused some of his teammates for planning their holidays while the playoffs are still going on. The subject of the criticism was not surprisingly the European players and it was suggested that it might have affected harmony in the Jazz dressing room.

Okur does not think he is one to be offended by Williams' words, as he thinks he has done his job in defense, even if everything was not perfect in offence. He is not wrong if it is recalled how Tim Duncan appreciated the Turkish center's defensive play after Game 3. Still, Okur adds that Williams should not have acted like that. Coach Jerry Sloan didn't agree with Williams either, given that he told the players in the post-season team meeting that the declaration was needless.

Thus, the case was closed. Now, with a young squad, Utah Jazz promises more successful years ahead. So does Okur. A championship ring won with Detroit Pistons, the All-Star honors, a record reserved for him and making the Conference Final in the tough Western division, he has every right to think there is more to come. A good finish in the FIBA Europe 2007 will only help him.

What lies ahead for Memo:

Mehmet Okur is certain about his future in the NBA, as he wants to see out his career as a player at Utah Jazz. He desires to achieve more than he already did personally, and as a team he dreams about winning the NBA title with his team.

More than that, seeing his number 13 jersey hanging from the ceiling of Utah Jazz's own Energy Solutions Arena, after he retires, is what he desires most. Currently, there are numbers retired by seven players and one coach, including legendary names such as Karl Malone, John Stockton and Jeff Hornacek. As all of them are American, if Mehmet can make it, it will be a notable achievement for not only Turkish basketball but for all international players in the NBA.

He hasn't made a final decision as to where he will be head once his career ends. “It is not just up to us [him and his spouse Yeliz Çalışkan], now that we have the baby Melisa,” says Okur. The couple love children and plan to give birth to a few more. For their lovely daughter and the future children's education, they will prefer the United States. “But, giving imparting Turkish culture to them comes first,” says the national player.