Hedo Turkoglu Comes Up Huge at Home

Filed under: Suns, FIBA, USA Basketball, FIBA World Championship

ISTANBUL -- All around Istanbul, there are gigantic photos of Hedo Turkoglu to promote the FIBA World Championship.



Turkoglu doesn't like that. Might it have anything to do with the pressure Turkey's big star has to be carrying for his nation?



No. the Phoenix Suns forward insists the pressure isn't too intense. He doesn't like it for another reason.



"Actually, I hate those pictures," Turkoglu said. "Because wherever I go, people try to look at me as a giant. So I don't like those. I'm a regular guy."



Turkoglu was speaking to a small group of reporters in the bowels of the Sinan Erdem Dome long after Turkey's dramatic 83-82 semifinal win Saturday over Serbia. Turkoglu hasn't given a lot of interviews during the Worlds, but how he could he not resist talking about the greatest day in Turkish basketball history?



The win, sealed when guard Kerem Tunceri made a layup with half of a second remaining, advanced Turkey into Sunday's gold medal game against Team USA. Prior to these Worlds, Turkey had never finished better than the sixth in the event and had never even qualified until 2002.

 

Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Full story at http://nba.fanhouse.com/2010/09/11/hedo-turkoglu-comes-up-huge-at-home/