There is no player more identified with Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul than Dogus Ozdemiroglu, which made him the right man to interview before his team's win-or-go-home clash against Segafredo Virtus Bologna.
Dogus Ozdemiroglu, Darussafaka: 'I hope I can retire here'
Interviews
8 mins read
It is a do-or-die game for both teams: Darussafaka Tekfen Istanbul takes on Segafredo Virtus Bologna and only the winner advances to the 7DAYS EuroCup Quarterfinals and the loser goes home. In such games, having players who breathe the club's philosophy can make the difference and there is no player more identified with Darussafaka than Dogus Ozdemiroglu. Darussafaka first tipped off more than a century ago as part of the sports section at a school for orphans, set up to provide an education for boys who had lost their fathers and who had limited financial resources. Ozdemiroglu, who lost his father, was a student at the school throughout his childhood. Not only did he make it to the first team, but he was a member of its EuroCup-championship squad in 2018. A steals specialist, Ozdemiroglu believes that defense will be the key to this critical game, as he told EuroCupbasketball.com in this interview. "If we play with our identity, that will be the key to the game. When we play good defense, it is not about the other team, but about us," Ozdemiroglou said. "If we don't play good defense, they have a big chance to do it. We know that and will try to play good defense."
Hello, Dogus. The 7DAYS EuroCup season comes down to one game against Segafredo Virtus Bologna. How is the atmosphere in the team before this important game?
"As you said, this is the most important game of the season, the key game for us for the rest of the season: if we win, we will be in the playoffs. We won the EuroCup two years ago and our fans, our club, everybody is excited about the game. The atmosphere is good inside the team, we are all preparing for the game. Everybody is ready to fight because they beat us in Bologna and we want to take sporting revenge. Everybody wants to be in the playoffs - the players, the coaches, the fans, everyone."
Only the winner will survive and that is added pressure for both teams. As a professional basketball player, how exciting is it to play this kind of game?
"As a professional basketball player, I always like to play this kind of game because everybody is really focused on these games and everybody comes to watch them. People are coming to more games at the end of the season instead of watching on TV. Everybody remembers these kinds of games. If you want to be successful, you have to win these kinds of games and if you are able to play them well, as a team, everybody will remember that. It will be a full gym, everybody will talk about it, so I like these kinds of games."
"This is the most important game of the season."
You will play a critical role in defense, particularly against Stefan Markovic and Milos Teodosic. How much have you studied them over the last few days?
"Both of them are really great players. We already played against them and both Teodosic and Markovic are two of the smartest players in the EuroCup. I think we did a good job in the first game, but they shot more free throws and scored a lot. We now have to prepare for that, too. Before all games, we prepare against the key players of our opponent and this time we did the same, we are not overthinking it. If we stop both of them, our job will be easier. We will prepare well and we will see if we can do that or not."
All your career, you have been a steals specialist. Is it something you can practice or is it a natural instinct of yours, to read the defense and get the steal?
"It starts with instinct. I feel like I have something special when it comes to steals, but then you have to try to improve. At first, at the beginning of my career, I tried to steal every ball, but I have learned a lot and studied the opposing player. Everybody has a different, special move and strong skills. For instance, some players are better shooters or always go to the right side, others take one dribble left and shoot... It depends on their offense, on their skills and I watch a lot of games to learn the players before the game. So I still think it is getting better."
Not a lot of people outside Turkey know how important you are for the Darussafaka family. Can you tell us a little bit about your story?
"First of all, I want to start with the Darussafaka society, which provides equal opportunities for education. For me, as a child who had lost one of my parents, Darussafaka schools gave me access to education and pay extra attention to kids who want to play sports and are talented. I joined Darussafaka schools at age 9 and it was my physical education teacher who told me to play basketball. I actually wanted to play soccer because as you know, it is a popular sport in Turkey, but watching our basketball team and playing basketball with my close friends, I started to dream about becoming a part of this team. I was watching our professional club when I was a kid and my first dream was being a part of that team. When I finally did it, it was amazing."
Of course, winning the EuroCup title must have been your highlight as a Darussafaka player. What do you remember about the 2018 Finals and the celebration?
"I remember that as an amazing experience. We won the EuroCup with Darussafaka and celebrated in the locker room and later with all the fans and the people in the club. It was amazing. We wrote club history, it was Darussafaka's first European trophy and it was great for me to be a part of it. Of course, it motivates me to do it again. As a Darussafaka player, I want to win a lot of trophies with the club. We will see! But it motivates us a lot."
Do those memories - lifting the trophy, the joy you felt, the celebration - inspire you to work even harder and try to win this critical game against Virtus?
"Of course! Once you taste that feeling, you want to taste it again. It motivates me and the whole Darussafaka community. Everybody is focused on that game. We will see!"
"Once you taste that feeling, you want to taste it again."
Generally speaking, what will be the biggest key to the game? Both teams have a lot of talent and rebound the ball really well.
"As you said, Virtus rebounds the ball really well and has great players, but this season, 90% of the time, we did a great job on defense. We are one of the best defensive teams in the EuroCup and in the Turkish League. We also played very good defense in the Turkish Cup, but in the last two league games, we didn't play with the same identity and let them score a lot. If we play with our identity, that will be the key to the game. When we play good defense, it is not about the other team, but about us. If we don't play good defense, they have a big chance to do it. We know that and will try to play good defense."
Darussafaka can join Tofas, which already qualified for the playoffs. What do you like about Tofas and how tough will it be to beat them in the next round?
"Tofas head coach Orhun Ene was my first coach when I was playing for Darussafaka. I really like him and respect him a lot. Also, Tofas gained everyone's respect because they qualified for the playoffs after four rounds in the Top 16. We all know Tofas is a strong team, especially on offense. It has good local and foreign players and good chemistry. Everybody knows their identity and are playing in front of great fans in Bursa. It will hard to beat them there. I hope they get to the finals because it is good to see Turkish teams compete at the highest level in Europe. I like it when Turkish teams make the EuroCup playoffs."
You are much more than a domestic player in Darussafaka, but a symbol of what's good about the team, on and off the court. Do you plan to retire in Darussafaka?
"Of course, it is my plan. Darussafaka is my home, I have been here for 16 years. You never know in life, anything can happen. I could get injured or things could happen that I cannot control. Otherwise, I want to say in Darussafaka for many years and I hope I can retire here."