Anadolu Efes head coach Ergin Ataman has set his sights on winning the European basketball title with the Turkish men's national team after winning back-to-back EuroLeague crowns with the Istanbul-based club.
Veteran coach Ataman was brought to the helm of the national team earlier last month, after coach Orhun Ene left the position after Turkey's poor results in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers, losing three out of four games.
This will be Ataman's second stint with the national team. He previously coached the national team between 2014 and 2016.
Speaking after the final against Real Madrid in Belgrade, the 56-year-old said his next challenge would be winning the EuroBasket tournament with Turkey in September.
His remarks came during a news conference after Efes won the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague championship for the second straight time by beating Real Madrid 58-57.
''After achieving this goal, I will also coach the national team. My goal is to win a medal with the national team as well. To become the champion in the EuroBasket 2022. I am concentrating on that right now. Turkish people should believe in it, '' he said.
Following his appointment in April, Ataman was swift to remind the national team players of his target.
"Of course, there will be important countries like Serbia or Spain in the championship but our only goal in Europe will be to claim the title. I will invite every player to the team with this goal in mind," Ataman said.
About Saturday's match, the veteran coach said it was not easy to make it to the final but Anadolu Efes made history.
''We went through difficult times, but we never fell into pessimism or despair. Anadolu Efes has always stood upright. We have taken every step as a family to come to these days, we have always thought about these days. It's an extraordinary feeling."
"I'm very proud of my players. My players made history. They went down in the history of the club. They held a great organization. I would also like to thank the fans,'' he said.
Ataman also extended his thoughts toward Real Madrid.
"I'm sorry for them. We know very well how we will play in the last quarter. Offensive strategies do not work very well in the finals. I have great players. We can solve the locked moments. My team is at the level of an NBA team. This season we did not play like an NBA team. But we played like that in previous seasons. That's all,'' said Ataman.
In response to a question about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ataman extended his condolence toward the victims of the war and the athletes in Russia.
''I am very sorry and very sad. This is never acceptable. Innocent people lost their lives. This is unbelievable. We are in 2022. It is unbelievable in this century.
"What is happening in the world of sports is also unacceptable. This is a really terrible policy. We will resolve this issue as we defeated the COVID-19 pandemic. I am also very sorry about the sportspeople working in Moscow becoming the victims of this politics," he said.
Semifinal hero Vasilije Micic from Serbia, who made a last-second 3-pointer to take Anadolu Efes in the final said he was especially happy to win the championship in his homeland.
''This is a great achievement for us. Really speechless. I cannot believe that we made it. I am extremely happy. I want to thank all the fans. I hope we made them proud,'' said Micic.
Forward Chris Singleton said the victory is for the fans.
''It's an amazing feeling. We just won it for the fans. I cannot explain how happy I am and how joyfully I am. I just want to celebrate it with my all teammates. We go down the history. Only three teams in history got to be two-time champions. That's just very special. That just shows your character. It is a great move,'' said Singleton.
This is the third EuroLeague final win for Turkey. Fenerbahçe won the title in the 2016-17 season.
