Tag: Turkey

Former Notre Dame center Lauren Ebo makes Nigerian Olympic team

Congrats, Lauren!

Make that five women’s basketball players with Notre Dame connections in the 2024 Olympics. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag], who finished her collegiate career with the Irish during the 2022-23 season, has been named to the final roster for Nigeria for the upcoming competition. Ebo took to social media after the announcement and appears to be a little shocked to even have this honor

Ebo just played for a professional team in Turkey and recently signed with another team in Poland. Now, she’ll try to help the Nigerians capture their first Olympic medal in basketball, men or women. She joins a women’s basketball competition already featuring [autotag]Jackie Young[/autotag] and [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag] for the U.S. and [autotag]Natalie Achonwa[/autotag] and [autotag]Cassandre Prosper[/autotag] for Canada.

Ebo and Prosper were teammates with the Irish during the aforementioned season with Ebo transferring in and Prosper enrolling at Notre Dame early. They’ll play against each other when Nigeria and Canada wrap up group play Aug. 4. Rounding out that group are Australia and host country France.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Turkey’s Mert Günok wowed fans with his all-time clutch save to deny Austria in Euro 2024

Turkey survived thanks to one of the greatest saves in soccer history.

Turkey is not a traditional international soccer power. Far from it. But after overcoming Austria in Euro 2024’s Round of 16 on Tuesday, it’s becoming apparent that this dark horse feels right at home in the tournament.

And that never happens without some all-time heroics on the part of goalkeeper Mert Günok.

With Austria relentlessly pressing for a tying goal in stoppage time, midfielder Christoph Baumgartner found himself wide open in front of the net for a perfect header. He would’ve scored under almost any other circumstance, and this matchup would have seen extra time. We’re probably talking about a goal 99.9 percent of the time.

Instead, Günok’s lightning-quick reflexes let him just barely get his fingertips on the ball to make one of the greatest soccer saves we’ve ever seen:

Here’s another close-up angle of Günok’s all-time clutch save:

HOW on Earth did he do that? It’s the clear save of the tournament, and there probably won’t be another worthy candidate, let alone one that will go down forever into soccer lore.

I’m inclined to believe that making the save is partly luck, but it takes a tremendous amount of skill to guess right and deny someone right at the doorstep off a perfect pass.

Kudos to Günok. He probably just singlehandedly (no pun intended) kept Turkey’s Cinderella run at Euro 2024 alive.

Soccer fans were amazed by Günok’s all-time clutch save

Featured image courtesy of Fox Sports

Italy vs. Turkey: How to watch international friendly, live stream

The two Euro 2024-bound sides meet in a friendly in Bologna

Italy will face Turkey in a friendly on Tuesday as both teams continue preparations for Euro 2024.

The Azzurri, who will be looking to defend the title they won in 2021, will host the match in Bologna before closing out preparations against Bosnia and Herzegovina on Sunday.

Luciano Spaletti’s side is dealing with something of an injury crisis in the back, as Giorgio Scalvini was ruled out of Euro 2024 with a torn ACL, joining Francesco Acerbi on the sideline. Juventus defender Federico Gatti has been called in as a replacement.

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Turkey, led by Italian coach Vincenzo Montella, will look to bounce back after a rough March window saw them lose 1-0 to Hungary and 6-1 to Austria.

Montella’s side will close out preparations for Euro 2024 on Monday with a match against Poland in Warsaw.

Here is everything you need to know ahead of the match.

Italy vs. Turkey (international friendly)

  • When: Tuesday, June 4
  • Where: Stadio Renato Dall’Ara (Bologna, Italy)
  • Time: 3 p.m. ET
  • Channel/streaming: ViX (Watch on Prime Video)

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Rockets star Alperen Sengun drives increased NBA interest in Turkey

Alperen Sengun’s breakout 2023-24 season with the Rockets led to a spike in NBA interest from Turkey, according to the league’s data.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) announced Monday that its  2023-24 regular season delivered record-breaking engagement in Europe and the Middle East across the NBA App, NBA League Pass, and the league’s 18 localized social media accounts in the region.

Complete details are available in the league’s announcement.

As it pertains to the Rockets, the NBA included some interesting data:

Driven by Alperen Sengun’s breakout season for the Houston Rockets, Turkey ranks third among followers of @NBA on X [formerly Twitter], behind only the United States and the Philippines. NBA League Pass subscriptions in Turkey increased by 41% year-over-year.

Just 21 years old, Sengun led an improved Houston team in scoring (21.1 points) and rebounds (9.3) during the 2023-24 season, all while shooting a team-high 53.7% among rotation players.

The success of the Turkish big man, who drew All-Star consideration in January, played a key role in Houston registering a league-leading improvement of 19 wins (22-60 to 41-41) relative to the prior season. He’s a finalist for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award and is eligible for a contract extension this offseason.

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Cowboys won’t be fined for celebration that cost Michael Thomas $30,000

The Cowboys reportedly won’t be fined for a celebration that cost Michael Thomas $30,000:

Here’s a double standard from the league office. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissesro reports that the Dallas Cowboys will not be fined for their celebratory antics in their Thanksgiving Day win over the Washington Commanders — with players having stashed turkey legs inside Salvation Army kettles near the end zones to enjoy after scoring a big touchdown.

That’s the good news. This celebration didn’t hurt or upset anyone; if anything, it led to an outpouring of fan engagement on social media. Using props in celebrations like this may be against the rules, but it’s not harmful, and it’s good that the players were not punished for it.

Now the bad news. It’s a double standard by the NFL to not penalize anyone with fines after the league office took $30,000 from Michael Thomas. The New Orleans Saints wide receiver paid tribute to Joe Horn’s iconic cell phone celebration in a 2018 win against the Los Angeles Rams, having hidden flip phones under each goalpost to poste with in the event of a score. His game-winning touchdown catch met the criteria, and it was a widely-lauded moment.

But the NFL didn’t think so. And it’s not right for commissioner Roger Goodell and his decision-makers in New York to punish some players and let others get off scot-free. Unless they’re giving the green light for props in celebrations by not issuing any fines to Cowboys players, the league office should be consistent with this policy. It’s great that no one in Dallas lost money because of it. It’s a shame that Thomas did, and that other players likely will in the future. Either have the policy and enforce it fairly, or don’t bother with it all.

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WATCH: 49ers chow turkey on Seahawks home field

Hey #49ers fans — wanna see your dudes eating turkey on the Seahawks home field? Happy Thanksgiving!

The 49ers dominated Thursday night in Seattle and wrapped up their Thanksgiving with a feast on the home field of their biggest division rival.

For 49ers fans who were around in 2014 when Richard Sherman and Russell Wilson buried the 49ers and ate turkey on the 50-yard-line at Levi’s Stadium, the moment surely provided some catharsis.

This time it was their team’s stars standing around after a thorough thumping of the team just behind them in the NFC West.

The Seahawks-49ers rivalry went dormant for awhile while San Francisco struggled through various rebuilds. It’s a thing again now though, and the image of the 49ers eating a Thanksgiving meal at Lumen Field will be the new image that represents the superior team in the division.

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Highlights: Alperen Sengun leads Turkey past Sweden and into FIBA tournament final

With 16 points in 24 minutes on strong efficiency, #Rockets center Alperen Sengun led Turkey past Sweden and into the final of its FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.

Following a late change in plans, Alperen Sengun is playing for Turkey’s national basketball team in this month’s FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. On Friday versus Sweden, Sengun continued his run of strong form with 16 points and 5 rebounds on 6-of-9 shooting (66.7%), including 2-of-4 on 3-pointers (50.0%).

For the game, Turkey went plus-22 in Sengun’s 24 minutes played. Other current NBA players on Turkey’s team include Philadelphia’s Furkan Korkmaz and Utah’s Omer Yurtseven.

After going 3-0 in group play, Turkey was one of four teams to advance to the knockout stage. Both semifinals took place Friday. Led by Sengun, Turkey won its game with ease, 105-84 (box score), to set up Sunday’s final versus Croatia. The winner of that game earns a ticket to next year’s qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics.

All of Turkey’s pre-qualifying tournament games have taken place at Sinan Erdem Arena in Istanbul, which will host Sunday’s final.

From Friday, here’s a look at Sengun’s highlights versus Sweden. As for the Rockets, Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last year. He remains Houston’s expected starting center entering training camp for the 2023-24 NBA season, which begins in October.

Rockets center Alperen Sengun excels again in FIBA play as Turkey bests Ukraine

#Rockets center Alperen Sengun (30 points, 5 steals, 3 blocks) had another big day in FIBA play as Turkey beat Ukraine on Tuesday evening. Here’s our look at his numbers and top plays.

After a late change in plans, Alperen Sengun is playing for Turkey’s national basketball team in August’s FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. On Tuesday, Houston’s talented young center had a game-high 30 points, 5 steals, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks as Turkey beat Ukraine, 85-72, to improve to 3-0 in tournament games.

Just 21 years old, the 6-foot-11 big man connected on 11-of-19 shots (57.9%) versus Ukraine, including a 3-pointer. In leading Turkey to its latest victory, Sengun also made 7-of-9 free throws (77.8%).

Turkey’s pre-qualifying tournament games are taking place in Istanbul from Aug. 12-20. Turkey is battling with Ukraine, Bulgaria and Iceland in Group C action. Group D consists of Croatia, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands. The two top teams from each group advance to a knockout stage, and the tournament winner earns a ticket to next year’s qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics.

From Tuesday, here’s a look at Sengun’s highlights versus Ukraine. As for the Rockets and the NBA, Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last year. He remains Houston’s expected starting center entering training camp for the 2023-24 season, which begins in October.

Alperen Sengun eyes All-Star push, shares greater goal for Rockets

#Rockets center Alperen Sengun tells @Eurohoopsnet that while he wants to become an All-Star in the NBA’s 2023-24 season, his ultimate long-term goal is a championship.

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Third-year Houston Rockets center Alperen Sengun continues to excel in this ongoing international window for his native Turkey, which is playing in a FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament.

After Saturday’s victory over Iceland, Sengun caught up with Eurohoops.net to discuss his current run of form and his goals for a crucial 2023-24 NBA season, which starts once training camps open for the Rockets and the league’s other 29 teams in early October.

“Of course, like everyone else, my goal is to become an All-Star,” Sengun told Eurohoops. “I hope I can do that.”

Now 21 years old, Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last season. He remains Houston’s expected starting center.

But with a new coaching staff in place amid the transition to Phase 2 of Houston’s rebuild, Sengun is aware team success is now the goal, as opposed to simply prospect development.

“A championship has been my dream since I went to the NBA,” Sengun said. “I think that’s everyone’s dream, as well as Nikola Jokic’s … and it took him eight years to be able to win a championship (with Denver). Now, we have a good dream in the Rockets, and I hope we’ll do our best next season and enter the playoffs.”

The complete interview can be read here.

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Alperen Sengun excels in limited FIBA minutes as Turkey crushes Iceland

Young #Rockets big man Alperen Sengun had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and a block in only 15 minutes Saturday, helping Turkey crush Iceland in FIBA play. Here’s our look at his top moments.

Jalen Green (United States), Dillon Brooks (Canada) and Jock Landale (Australia) aren’t the only Houston Rockets players participating on the international stage in the 2023 NBA offseason.

After a late change in plans, Alperen Sengun is playing for Turkey’s national basketball team in August’s FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament. On Saturday, Houston’s talented young big man had 10 points, 7 rebounds and a block in 15 minutes as Turkey crushed Iceland, 99-72, in the opening tournament game for both teams.

Based on the talent mismatch, Sengun was only asked to play in the first half. The big man connected on 2-of-4 shots (50%) Saturday while going 6-for-6 on free-throw attempts.

Turkey’s pre-qualifying tournament games all take place in Istanbul from Aug. 12-20. Turkey is battling with Ukraine, Bulgaria and Iceland in Group C action. Group D features Croatia, Belgium, Sweden and the Netherlands. The two top teams from each group advance to a knockout stage, and the tournament winner earns a ticket to next year’s qualifiers for the 2024 Olympics.

As for the Rockets and the NBA, Sengun averaged 14.8 points (55.3% FG, 33.3% on 3-pointers), 9 rebounds, 3.9 assists in 28.9 minutes last year. He remains Houston’s expected starting center entering training camp for the 2023-24 season, which begins in October.

From Saturday, here’s a look at Sengun’s highlights versus Iceland.