hurriyetdailynews.com
Turkish basketball star Hidayet Turkoglu drew loud chants of “Hido, Hido” during the 2010 FIBA World Basketball Championship, and the crowd roared when Kerem Tunceri made a last-minute lay-up against Serbia to take Turkey into the finals.
Fans made their love for Turkey’s “12 Giant Men” abundantly clear during the championship event. Also praised was a 13th man, coach Bogdan Tanjevic. But another person responsible for the team’s success, the person who discovered and trained some of the stars of the Turkish national basketball team, was not present in that crowd.