By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
Before the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin, who were included in the preliminary roster of the Turkish National Team, did not join the team due to injuries.
Recently, the head coach of the Turkish National Team, Ergin Ataman, stated that they couldn’t reach Scottie Wilbekin during this period. Fenerbahçe Beko also issued a statement regarding the matter, confirming that the player was injured.
Following these developments, TBF President Hidayet Turkoglu spoke to TRT Spor about the issue and said he would disclose the entire process to the public regarding Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin after the tournament.
“It is truly unfortunate for situations like these to reach this point. I don’t want to go into too much detail here. I don’t want to divert the importance of tomorrow’s event in different directions, but I want to tell everyone that after the tournament, as the TBF President, I will make a statement about this matter in all its reality. When we announced the preliminary roster, we are a team that wants everyone to be present. We invite people whom our coach and team want to see as part of this team, along with the extended roster. Of course, some come, and some have excuses, but we need to explain some processes to the public more clearly. Especially regarding Scottie Wilbekin and Shane Larkin. As TBF, we provide certain advantages for these players to be able to play in the national team, and as a result, they need to come and play in the national team until they get injured. When these points are not met, things are taken to different places. At this point, it is wrong for me to make statements about two players before the tournament. But from August 20 onwards, rest assured that I will share everything with complete transparency with the public. As I said, there is misinformation. We, as TBF, need to prevent this because these players, in this process, have their primary obligation to come to the team when invited by the national team. We need to explain these processes better to the public.
Now, our focus is truly on our team starting the Olympic Qualifying Tournament well and, hopefully, ending the process well. However, as I said, there are things that are not correct, things that are wrong. As an administration, we always know how to take on the responsibility. After the tournament, there will be necessary statements, and we will share the steps we will take with everyone about what we will do, so no one should doubt that,” Turkoglu said.