By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Fenerbahce Beko used an option to extend the contract of 30-year-old combo forward Metecan Birsen, as announced on Monday.
A youth product of Fener, he reunited with the Turkish club in 2021, seven years after his initial stint. The latest action guaranteed his contract until the end of the 2025-26 season.
In the 2024-25 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship run, Birsen logged two appearances, averaging 2.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per contest. Overall, he has played in 61 games of Europe’s premier club continental competition, between his current team and Anadolu Efes during his 2018-19 journey with the fellow Istanbul outfit.
On a bigger role in the Turkiye Sigorta Basketbol Super Ligi, he tallied 5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.1 blocks per contest over 34 appearances en route to being crowned BSL champion for the fifth time in his career. In February, he added a third ING Turkiye Kupasi title to his list of achievements. Between the spells with Fenerbahce, he also played for fellow Turkish clubs Pinar Karsiyaka, Sakarya, Istanbul BBSK, and NSK Eskisehir, beyond Efes.
Following a successful junior career as a leading player for multiple national teams of Turkiye, the Istanbul native was promoted to the senior squad during the 2017-18 season. He has earned 26 caps, spread across the FIBA World Cup 2019 Qualifiers and final tournament, the EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers, the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2021 in Victoria, and the FIBA World Cup 2023 Qualifiers.
Photo Credit: EuroleagueBasketball.net