By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Besiktas leads 1-0 over Bahcesehir in the BKT EuroCup Semifinals, but in Turkish basketball, the biggest game of the day will be played in the country’s capital.
Turk Telekom hosts Bourg in Ankara, also holding a 1-0 advantage after winning in France. If it manages to prevail at home, history will automatically be made.
No matter who advances from the Besiktas-Bahcesehir matchup, Turk Telekom’s qualification for the finals will mean that the so-far elusive all-Turkish finals will become a reality.
It’s no small feat, and it will also mean Türkiye has three participants in next season’s EuroLeague, placing the country in select company.
Spain and France have also done it
This will not be the first time two teams from the same country have met in the EuroCup Finals. In the past, Spain did it twice and France once. Specifically, Joventut Badalona played Girona in the 2007-08 season, and Unicaja Malaga faced Valencia in the 2016-17 season.
More recently, in the 2023-24 season, the French matchup was Paris Basketball against Bourg – ironically, the team now standing in Turk Telekom’s way.
Still, the rarity of this occurrence proves beyond any doubt how difficult it is to end up with two teams from the same country competing for the trophy.
Turk Telekom’s redemption arc
On top of that, Turk Telekom also has unfinished business in the finals.
The Turkish side lost the trophy in the 2023 final, falling to Gran Canaria by four points (71-67). It was a single-game format, Gran Canaria had home-court advantage, and that made all the difference.
No player from that roster remains on the current team, with coach Erdem Can the only link to that game.
Can was named EuroCup Coach of the Year in 2023, and that team included, among others, former NBA player Semih Erden, future EuroLeague champion with Panathinaikos Jerian Grant, Milan forward Nate Sestina, and Olympiacos center Tyrique Jones.
Getting back to the finals and earning a second chance at the trophy brings things full circle, especially if Turk Telekom ends up winning it all.