MILWAUKEE (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Over the past two decades, Turkey has produced some leading European players, including the likes of Hidayet Turkoglu, Mirsad Turkcan and Mehmet Okur.

Despite having a strong roster on a consistent basis, the national team has not always lived up to expectations in leading international competitions, but does boast silver medals won at EuroBasket 2001 and the 2010 FIBA World Championship as their major highlights to date.

Following a disappointing 17th place finish at EuroBasket 2013 in Slovenia, and Turkoglu's decision to retire from the national team, the '12 Dev Adam (the 12 giant men)' is looking for a fresh start, one which will take place with Milwaukee Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova leading the way.

Alongside Houston Rockets big man Omer Asik, the 26-year-old is expected to be the pillar of the team for years to come.

Selected with the 36th pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, the former Ulkerspor product had a difficult 2013-14 season, averaging 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds and shooting 28 percent from three-point territory.

Considered one of the most prolific three-point shooters in European basketball, Ilyasova was the MVP of the 2006 U-20 European Championship and earned his first cap for the senior national team later that year, when he was a part of Turkey's team that came in sixth at the FIBA World Championship in Japan.

Since then, he has participated in every international tournament for his country, including the 2010 FIBA World Championship on home soil where the hosts lost to the USA in the Final.

Injuries sidelined Ilyasova during the NBA season and he is doing his best in order to be ready for the FIBA Basketball World Cup this summer.

FIBA.com caught up with him to talk about the concluded campaign with the Bucks and looking ahead to rejoining the national team.

FIBA: You had a tough season. What do you think about as you reflect on it?
Ilyasova: I feel frustrated and disappointed by the season I had. I came back to Milwaukee after the Eurobasket with the goal of being as competitive as I was the previous season. I was full of energy but I hurt myself and got some injuries that bothered me all season long. I missed a lot of games and had to finish my season earlier as my ankle was not getting any better. I want to recover and I am looking forward to doing better next season.

FIBA: As a team, the Bucks finished with a record of 15 wins for 67 losses.
Ilyasova: This season was a huge disappointment, even more so because we made the playoffs the year before. A lot of new players were recruited and we had to deal with the injuries of some leaders, such as Carlos Delfino, Zaza Pachulia and Larry Sanders for example. Our roster is young and we have to keep working hard in order to improve. We have talent, a great coach and I am confident that we will learn from this season and be a great team next year.

FIBA: You were part of the team that finished 17th at the last EuroBasket. Can you explain the ups and downs of Turkey in international competitions over the last few years?
Ilyasova: We always have a very good roster but we need to play together like we did during the FIBA World Championship in 2010. We need to play with the same kind of team spirit we had four years ago and have good results in the next international competitions. The performance at the last EuroBasket was disappointing. Turkey is a great country for basketball and finishing in 17th place is not normal. We need to regain our competitiveness as soon as possible.

FIBA: Turkey received a wild card for this summer's FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain. The team was drawn in Bilbao's Group C alongside the Dominican Republic, Finland, New Zealand, Ukraine and the USA.
Ilyasova: The USA is the best team in the world but to be honest I don't think that our group is tough. However, we need to be careful of every opponent because we want to do great things in Spain. We need to enter the competition by winning the first game because it will give us confidence for the rest of the tournament. We want to be one of the top teams in the World Cup.

FIBA: Is being part of the national team a personal goal for you?
Ilyasova: I am always proud to play for the national team. I need to recover from my ankle injury in order to get ready for this summer. If I am healthy, I would like to play in the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

FIBA