By George Efkarpides/ info@eurohoops.net
Cedi Osman is 24 years old but he has already felt the responsibility of being a leader with both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Turkish national team. He welcomed the opportunity and has been feeling comfortable with the role:
“I feel like I was always able to be a leader, I just didn’t have that chance. The last year with the Cavs and last two, three years with the national team, I think I showed that to most of the people. So, I feel really comfortable with that and I just have to keep working hard”, Osman told Eurohoops.
He spent some time with LeBron James before he left Cleveland and that was very important for Osman: “That one year was really important for me because I had the chance to watch him and see what he’s doing. Especially in the tough and crucial moments.”
Turkey lost to Serbia today (16/9) and Osman noted that if they want to accomplish their goal – qualifying for the Olympics – the squad will have to play much better: “We gotta go step by step. For us, I think the biggest goal is to go to the Olympics. We’re gonna have to be better than today. We played really bad and missed a lot of shots, we have to share the ball better. We’re gonna keep working, it’s a really good tournament for us.”