Berke Buyuktuncel

Good tournament for Berke Buyuktuncel. He was the leader of Turkey and led them to the 3rd place and a win against USA in the 3rd place match. Unfortunately he played his worst match in the semifinals against Spain when he scored just 2 points and did not make any positive impact on the team. In all other matches he was amongst the best players in the team but their opponents were one or two levels below Spain and USA so that needs to be taken into the consideration as well. Berke has great positional size and loves to attack from the outside in. He spend a lot of the time behind the three point line and took the open three pointers or when the defense stood too close to him, attacked with a drive. His shooting percentages were good but he was not that good in finishes at the rim – he needs to improve the touch at the rim. Was great at drawing the fouls though and very reliable at the free throw line. Played an important role as a rebounder and made some great passes too and showed that he can offer lots of versatility and that he can fill many stat collumns. Interesting prospects but still not sure if he has the necessary athletic tools for the NBA playing style.

You’ve had a pretty eventful summer, and then you’ve entered the season where you’ve taken on the most responsibility at pro level so far. Injury aside, how are you feeling?

I feel really good. I have a coach that gives me the opportunity to play an important role for the team and my teammates always support me, so does my family. I feel very lucky.

We’ll get into the details about TOFAŞ but let’s start with your basketball journey. How did it begin?

I started playing basketball when I was 7. My uncle was playing and I used to watch him all the time which made me fall in love with the game. I was playing in my school’s team with players who are 2-3 years older than me. I got that chance because I was tall as a first grader. At that times, joining a team before turning at least 10 years old was not a common thing so I was not playing for any club. Then it all changed when TOFAŞ asked me to play for them.

You first stepped foot onto the court with TOFAŞ when you were around 12-13. You made a name in a short time with your skills and physical development. However, a lot of young prospects worry if they can not manage to make it as a pro or they have to choose between basketball and school. At what stage of your career you made sure that you’re gonna be a basketball player?

To be honest, I never had any doubts about it, I kind of always knew. My parents are both engineers but they never forced me into becoming a doctor or an engineer. They encouraged me to chase my dreams and made sure to make me feel supported no matter what. I was dreaming about being a basketball player when I was 7. When I started playing for TOFAŞ, it all became more clear for me. I knew I was going to play basketball. I also tried so hard to keep up with school and my academic career but sometimes, you need to set your priorities. I’m a college student now but basketball is the main focus.

You’re an experienced player as an 18 year-old. You’ve played a lot of tournaments both with TOFAŞ and the Turkish National Team and faced so many other prospects. How would you evaluate your development compared to the others throughout the years?

2004-generation is crazy talented. As you know, Victor Wembanyama is known by everyone now and he’s going to the NBA for sure. Paulius Murauskas and other players also seem ready for the next level. Last year, I also felt that I got to make a jump as well. I had my chances in the senior team but could not hold on to it, didn’t get to play many minutes. That’s why I did everything I could to get to the highest level by increasing my work ethic incredibly, I practiced a lot. I also watch other young players and I don’t want to stay behind them. I’m training more and working harder.

The U18 European Championship was in Izmir, Turkey and the atmosphere was impressive with a full crowd most of the games. You won the silver medal and you were selected to the All-Star 5 of the tournament. Did you feel any pressure by the thousands of people supporting you which might’ve affect the team both positive and negatively?

Since I was a little kid, playing in front of huge crowds was one of my biggest desires. Never had the chance besides some final games in Turkish championships. The first time for me was the away game against Bursaspor last year, the crowd was amazing and so loud.  You feel like you’re part of something special when the stands are full, and I wanted that to continue every game. In Izmir, we were all 18 years old, some of my teammates were born in 2005 and apart from Tan Yıldızoğlu, Samet Yiğitoğlu and my self, we didn’t have any experience playing big tournaments like that. The games and the atmosphere had us all shook at first. We played some friendly games against teams like Greece and Slovenia before the tournament but when it comes to playing a real European Championship game, everything is so different. We were surprised by the support we were getting from thousands of people but got used to it real fast. I think it affected us in a positive way, especially since it was in Izmir, we knew that Karşıyaka fans are always loud and supportive. They never left us alone. I can’t exactly say what would happen if the tournament was held somewhere else. We reached to the final and I’m proud of everyone who is involved, it was a great experience. Me being in the All-Star 5, I don’t see it as an individual accomplishment. I played small forward, power forward and center at times and If I didn’t have the guards who gave me the ball at the right times, centers who played post and find me behind the 3 point line, I wouldn’t be this effective. My coaches and teammates played a huge part in it. We all trusted each other and had a great tournament.

A lot of prospects decide to continue their development in different countries and you got a lot of offers as well. Have you had any turning points in your career about that? Did the arrival of Dimitris Priftis affect your decision this summer?

I was lucky to recieve multiple offers this summer. We analysed all the options very craefully and decided that I should stay in TOFAŞ. I see TOFAŞ as my home and trust them all the way so I look at these kind of decisions differently. They took me when I was 13, had a huge impact over my life both as a basketball player and a human-being. It doesn’t sit right with me to go to a team because of its name and prestige. I always wanted to play for the team that raised me. I didn’t want to go to Spain, Italy or any other country. I’m so lucky because my trainer Samir Seleskovic, conditioning coach Eren and everyone else in the organization all touched me. Whenever I’m down or injured, they supported me as much as my family does. Also, of course our new head coach’s arrival motivated me. I love playing for Dimitris Priftis. With Priftis, I feel like I’m learning a lot of things from a team coach. 12 players on the team were already my teachers, Priftis became the 13th for sure. When you’re in the senior team, the head coach generally gives you the plays and says “Go and play.” with some small adjustments. I’ve never seen this kind of an attitude from Priftis once even in a practice. He wants to teach us new things even in the shooting practices. He was one of the first people that called me after I got injured. I had never had a senior team head coach that called me like that. He sees things differently. The young players, foreign players, Turkish players… He makes everyone feel like they are valued and treated equally.  His trust is the main reason why I’m in this position with the team. I’ve started the games because he trusts me. My teammates trust and help me all the time too, especially Berk Uğurlu, Ilkan Karaman and Tevfik Akdamar. I also learn a lot from foreign players and their experiences. I believe I made the right decision with staying.

Your name and potential as a prospect is known for years. One of the biggest question marks about you was your shooting. You shot 42.1% behind the 3 point line in the U18 European Championship and played a great offensive game against UCAM Murcia in Basketball Champions League, with 15 points and not missing 3 point attempt (4/4). How did you work to become a better shooter?

I didn’t pay much attention to my shooting before. I never had a specific shooting stile, my mechanics were changing all the time. In the lead up to the European Championship, we identified number of areas that I should focus on. One of them was my shooting. I attended a shooting clinic run by Marin Sedlacek and it changed  my perception for shooting. After that, people gave me more confidence in training camps and in the national team so my percentages started to increase. Samir Seleskovic and my other coaches also helped me a lot. Coach Priftis made me make some adjustments too when I joined the camp after the European Championship. I’ve worked so hard and the people I work together always gave me the confidence. I am still not perfect, I’ll keep working to be better every single day.

You are not going to be able to play basketball for a while. What aspects of your game are you planning to focus on during that time?

I had an unfortunate injury. Maybe I could face a worse injury later if this didn’t happen, so I’m lucky that I’ll only be out for 6 weeks. My right hand is hurt and I am left handed even though I don’t use my left hand more than my right hand when I dribble the ball. I will try to focus on my left hand and my shooting technique. I’ve also been working on strengthening my legs and mobilization as well as my mental game.

This season, we occasionally see you defending guards to prevent any early shots especially behind the 3 point line. Do you feel comfortable guarding players 1 to 5?

When it comes to defense, I feel really comfortable most of the time. I might have a hard time against guards that keep moving all the time and tough centers for now but I do think that I can defend anyone. I am still 18 years old so I’ll get stronger and develop more. I want to embrace the main defensive role in my team, I know that I have to play defense to stay in the game. The mindset was the same in the national team too. Defense first, offense second. I want to defend the best players in any team and stop them. I want to guard a player who is averaging 25 points and not let him score more than 10, that’s my mentality.

You can play various positions on the court and each one of them requires different qualities. How do you define your game and the things you need to lean on in order to maintain advantage?

I can play 3 to 5. Sometimes players get into foul trouble and I play like a center thanks to my defensive abilities and rebounding. I like playing pick and pop and shoot so I can make a difference. If I’m playing small forward, I can help the team by playing post up with my size advantage in Turkey against most of the small forwards unless my matchup is a player like Dyshawn Pierre. I also feel comfortable with pull ups. Since I started to become a threat as a shooter, I can drive into the paint easier as well, I became more aware of it recently. I can’t run a pick and roll as a guard but when I have to, I do my best. While playing power forward, setting up a solid screen and being a consistent shooter are the two most important things to me. Playing screen and pop or posting up against the undersized player after the switch are my other weapons. I try to make something out of the positions that my guards set up for me. While playing 5, I try to play face to face against my matchup since I’m faster most of the time, it wouldn’t make sense for me to try to post up against big guys. I don’t think that I am able to play any guard positions for now. I can say that this is how I play the game of basketball.

You are an 18 year-old player who is playing big minutes in Basketball Super League and Basketball Champions League and it brings a certain question in mind. Are you planning to declare for the first possible NBA Draft?

Before NBA, my goal is to win the Basketball Champions League and win a cup in Turkey. The NBA Draft decision is going to shape later depending on my performance. I might have started the season well but anything can happen, so it is early to talk about it. Of course playing in the NBA one day is my dream. I want to have an unforgettable  NBA career but first, my job is to support my club as much as I possibly can.

Do you have any idols or favorite players that inspire you?

I watch tapes of Toni Kukoc and Nemanja Bjelica a lot. I’ve searched for many players, tried to watch the old games and also keep up with the current players. Kukoc and Bjelica are the two players that I look up to. Of course it’s not possible for me to play against Kukoc but Bjelica came back to Turkey. I hope I’ll get a chance to play against him. Being on the court with the player you watch all the time would be an amazing experience and memory. He is one of the players that you know all his moves but still can’t stop him. Toni Kukoc is probably the player that I play most alike. I specifically try to watch his games in Europe cause he was playing 3 more in Europe. His rebounding and passing skills really impress me. I believe that I’ve found the right role models. Had a hard time finding the players to look up to but watching these two play makes me a better player.

What are your hobbies? What do you enjoy doing outside the basketball court?

To be honest, I can’t find any time to do much besides basketball, it’s my whole life. I was thinking about this question the other day. What am I going to do next 6 weeks? I feel like I’m trying to discover myself again after a long time. I might read new books, watch TV series and find new things to do. Cookins used to be my passion but I’m not the same person anymore. Maybe I can go to school too. The important thing for me is to get to know myself in this period.

Berke Büyüktuncel (F | 206 cm | ‘04) ~ Turkey

12.3 pts, FG2-48.3%, FG3-42.1%, FT-60.0%, 7.4 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.1 st, 2.4 to, 0.3 blck

Berke had a good tournament and was undoubtedly the leader of the Turkish team. A versatile forward that can offer a lot of flexibility. We have seen him attacking from post ups, running off screens, slashing to the rim, making spot up shots, pushing in transition… he has done it all. Even showed good passing skills in transition or out of post up actions. Offered a lot of versatility in defense too where he was able to adequately defend all five positions. He read the offense well and with his long hands he was able to make a lot of deflections or even steals. Played with a lot of fire and energy in him and was going for every ball. Buyuktuncel can offer a lot to any team, especially if he will consistently make three point shots and teams usually value those types of guys. I can imagine him having a long lasting career on the European top level.

Berke Buyuktuncel (F | 202 cm | ‘04) ~ Turkey

16.5 pts, 2FG-51.9%, 3FG-63.4%, FT-40.0%, 5.8 rebs, 1.5 ast, 2.3 stl, 1.5 to, 1.0 blks

Berke had a really good tournament, especially in terms of three point shooting (12/19) since his shot wasn’t that good in some previous tournaments. Looks like he lost some weight and looks leaner but still has great size and body. A versatile forward that can play on- and off-ball. As mentioned before, he was very efficient behind the three point line and showed some progress in this area. Fluid in transition and it’s hard to stop him when he goes all the way and this could be a big strength of him on pro level in the future too. Not the best defender on perimeter, a little better when defending on post ups. Lack of athleticism/explosiveness could limit his upside but he can do a lot of things and be used in so many ways and still has room to improve in basically every aspect of his game.

Buyuktuncel is a versatile forward that likes to play with the ball in his hands and create some points in different ways. Can play on low post against smaller players or on perimeter and attack slower bigs. He is not the most athletic player and can’t create much separation on half court sets but can be dangerous in transition and on open court. Not the most efficient shooter and can struggle with his shot from distance but I believe he can bring it up to a decent level in the future. His hips are stiff in defense and can have a hard time defending quicker players on perimeter.