ISTANBUL (Türkiye) - Türkiye has traditionally performed well in front of their home fans at FIBA basketball events and the one of the country's top young talents Kaan Onat hopes the crowds in Istanbul will carry the team to success at this summer's FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024.

Onat will be one of the leaders of the Türkiye team who will be looking to forget about last year's struggles at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 and excel at the FIBA U17 World Cup.

"This summer our team is well aware of the importance of the tournament ahead of us. I trust myself, all my teammates and my coaches. We aim to go as far as we can and end the tournament with a medal," said Onat, who finished as Türkiye's leading scorer and second in assists last summer.

Türkiye finished 10th at the U16 EuroBasket as they lost all three games in the group stage and then to Lithuania in the Round of 16 - a game in which the team nearly came back from 20 points down, showing a lot of heart. Türkiye did follow that with wins over Israel and Latvia in 9-16 Classification action.

"Closing a 20-point gap taught us to play the best game we could without worrying about the score. The wins we had after we lost to Lithuania brought us confidence and happiness," Onat said.

The 1.95m / 6ft5in point guard, who plays for Anadolu Efes Istanbul's youth team, is really looking forward to playing in front of the home fans.

Türkiye's preliminary roster for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024

"The tournament being held in Istanbul is incredibly exciting and also important for me. We will be playing in front of our fans and families. In all the tournaments held in Türkiye our fans never let us down, and I am sure they will be in the Sinan Erdem Dome supporting us during the tournament," he said.

Türkiye have in fact performed very well at home in national team action, most famously finishing second at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2010 and FIBA EuroBasket 2001.

At the youth level, Türkiye won the FIBA U18 EuroBasket 2014 at home and took second place in 2022. They took second in the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2006 and registered fourth place results at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 1993 and FIBA U20 EuroBasket 1996 - at tournaments in Türkiye.

Back on March 27, Onat had the special honor of participating in the draw for the U17 World Cup, being on stage at the Wyndham Grand Levent Hotel along with his teammate Derin Can Utsun and former Turkish legend Kerem Tunceri.

"The atmosphere in drawing for the championship was pretty tense. FIBA presidents and some of the best players Türkiye has ever seen were present. Being there with Derin Can felt great. Being up there with Kerem Tunceri was truly an honor for me. Going from watching him on TV to being there on stage with him was a delightful experience," he said.

Kerem Tunceri at the draw for the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2024

Onat also realizes that when he and his teammates take the court this summer they will also take the next step in possibly becoming idols or role models for the younger generations of Turkish players.

"I believe participating in the U17 World Cup is an amazing opportunity for us. The things we will achieve could be an example for the next generations of basketball players coming after us. Of course, being a part of this incredible organization helps us gain self-confidence and reminds us how lucky we are," he said.

Lucky to have the great fans of Türkiye behind them ready to push them to great things.

FIBA