By Semih Tuna/ Stuna@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Alperen Sengun missed the triple-double by one assist in the win over the Czech Republic, and talking to Eurohoops, Cedi Osman revealed that not only were his teammates aware of the countdown to a historic feat, but they already knew how to celebrate it.
After all, Osman believes that it’s just a matter of time for Sengun to register the triple-double, which will be just the 5th registered in Eurobasket history.
“I think we’ll see it anyway”, Osman said to Eurohoops. “He played incredibly well. We actually discussed it with the last three or four minutes remaining. We even arranged something, but that’s when the substitution came (laughing). He didn’t make it in this game, but he’ll make it in the next; we have no doubt about that.”
Osman, who also scored 21 points against the Czech Republic, was happy about the win and about the way the team has responded so far in the competition.
As he said, speaking also about the upcoming game against Portugal: “Yes, absolutely. We proved that, both against Latvia and the Czech Republic. We defended very well for three quarters and played aggressively. This is reflected in our offense. We need to continue playing this way. We’ll play again on Saturday against a tough opponent we respect and who is improving. So, we want to rest up and get off to a good start in the next game”.
That’s after all the beauty and the risk of a Eurobasket; there’s no big pause between games, and you have to go along with the flow, as Cedi stated: “Everyone gets along very well. The important thing here is that we win matches. We’re playing as a team, not as individuals, and that’s crucial. So far, everything is going very well. Somebody makes a good play, and the whole bench is on its feet. We’re in great shape as a team. I hope we keep it that way.”
Photo credit: FIBA