The third-year veteran wants the team to realize it doesn’t need to trade for a scoring threat off the bench. He’s determined to fulfill that role. “I’m here to compete,” Korkmaz said. “I know that nobody is giving you a jersey and saying, ‘Hey come in and play.’ You have to come get it. “So I know that whenever I step on the court, I’m stepping on the court with that mentality. … Right now, I’m fighting for my jersey.”
Furkan Korkmaz Rumors
All NBA Players
Position: F
Born: 06/27/97
Height: 6-7 / 2.01
Weight:175 lbs. / 79.4 kg.
Salary: $1,620,564
Born: 06/27/97
Height: 6-7 / 2.01
Weight:175 lbs. / 79.4 kg.
Salary: $1,620,564
Turkey lost a big chance to beat Team USA in the first round of the FIBA World Cup 2019, though played with heart and pushed the game to overtime. Furkan Korkmaz spoke about Turkey’s effort and how the team has to take pride in their effort that nearly pushed USA over the edge today.
“For us, it doesn’t matter who our opponent is, because we are trying to be ourselves. We have a lot of young players, a lot of experienced players, when we step into the court we wanna beat whoever we play against. The USA has a lot of players who can change the game. Today, the game was in our hands. We need to build confidence and be proud of this game”, said Korkmaz. “It really hurts. When the game goes to overtime, it doesn’t matter with how many points you lose. For us the most important thing is to put this game behind and focus on the game against Czech Republic”, he added.
Ersan Ilyasova added 16 points and Furkan Korkmaz scored 12 and key buckets in the closing minutes.
For Turkey, Furkan Korkmaz was on fire with 25 points while also adding eight rebounds and five assists. Ersan Ilyasova helped with 16 points.
Turkey beat Senegal 94-59 in their preparation game at Sinan Erdem Arena ahead of the FIBA World Cup 2019. Ersan Ilyasova paced the hosts with 16 points and five rebounds, while Furkan Korkmaz and Cedi Osman added 13 and 11 points respectively.
