North Carolina State University Athletics
Engin Atsur Diary, Part 2
8/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Aug. 2, 2004
Hello again Wolfpack Nation,
After the fun days at the seaside in Bodrum in South-Turkey, we are back to Istanbul again. Will (Roach)left for Greece to start his rail trip through Europe.
For me it is time to get back to work: Since one week I am at the National Team's Camp.Today exceptionally there is only one practice on the program, so I have the chance to write and say hello to the Wolfpack family.
Yesterday Will called from Venice. He sounded very happy, it seems like he is enjoying Europe very much. Nevertheless he was still talking about the great time we had together in Turkey. It really was amazing how good Will adapted to the Turkish daily life and to the people. He quickly picked up some of the very common Turkish expressions like "Tesekkur" (thanks) or "Abi"(big brother) and the people enjoyed this very much.
He(and I one more time) were so impressed by Istanbul's unique historical places such as the 1500 years old magnificent church Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace with the richest classical treasury on earth, the grand bazaar where you can find anything you need.
We enjoyed the crowded streets of old Istanbul as much as the peace and beauty of Bosphorus where one the oldest cities in the world meets its new modern face.
But what a pity, we could not make it to the legendary cities Troy and Ephesus, but this would be at least two days trip from Istanbul and we didn't have this time.
Coming back to basketball, the nationl team's camp takes place at a beautiful settig by the Marmara-sea. We drive to Apti Ipekci Arena for practicing twice a day and for lifting several times a week. The preparation is for the European Championship qualification games in September.
Next week we are playing twice against New Zealand. Then the 8th and 10th of August will be big basketball days in Istanbul when we play against the US-Dream Team. Many NBA stars are going to be here. This is very exciting not only for us players but also for the fans who will get a chance to see them live. This is going to be Dream Team's last stop before Olympic Games in Greece. It certainly will be a useful preparation for both US and Turkish national teams before their important official games.
Personally, it's been a great experience for me to practice with the national team, with stars like Kutluay, the team's captain and one of Europe's best players, or NBA players Mehmet Okur and Hedo Turkoglu. However I will have to leave the camp early to start school on time , and I am very excited about the new season, hopefuly a great one for the WOLFPACK.
All the best,
