After another lopsided victory in qualifying, Turkey’s spot in the World Cup is all but assured. With two NBA players absent, it was Cedi Osman who emerged as the game’s hero. National team coach Ergin Ataman subsequently heaped praise on the small forward.
With 22 points in 20 minutes on just ten shots, Osman was the standout player in Turkey’s 94-66 victory over Lithuania on Friday night. The new addition from PAOK Thessaloniki clearly led all players in scoring and was, accordingly, the linchpin for his head coach: “He’s doing an excellent job as captain and really gives his all for the team.”
In his usual blunt manner, Ataman took his praise even further: “In my opinion, Cedi is the best player in Europe at his position. If you integrate him properly, he shows it on the court. He can score himself, he makes his teammates better, and he also contributes to success with his great character.”
For Turkey, this was already their seventh win in seven qualifying games. The European Championship runner-up thus leads Group J by a wide margin. If Osman and his teammates win their next game on Monday, their spot in the 2027 World Cup would be all but guaranteed. “We have big ambitions,” Ataman made clear. “Our players also have the quality needed to achieve them. If everyone puts their ego aside, then we can play basketball like we did today.”
In the upcoming game in Iceland, Turkey is considered the clear favorite anyway. However, they have no intention of taking the game lightly: “If we win this game, we’re 99 percent certain to be at the World Cup. That’s why it’s very important to us. As always, I’ll put the players on the court who will deliver the best performance for us.” The head coach thus clearly ruled out a rotation.