ISTANBUL (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Turkey had a "wow" factor last year at the U18 European Championship in Latvia.

The team coached by Taner Gunay that won seven of its nine games and captured the title showed plenty of panache.

It also had an abundance of grit and determination.

Several players in that side looked to be bona fide stars in the making.

Point guard Kenan Sipahi was the tournament MVP, yet there were others.

There was so much talent that one could see big things in the future for the senior national side.

Gunay marvels when he thinks about the promise being shown by Turkey's youth teams overall.

"You can say that within our 1993-1998 generation there are 10 truly gifted players," he said to FIBA.com.

"I'm not going to shy away from saying that they have NBA-level talent.

"At the next World Championship after Spain, I estimate that 70 percent of the national team will be comprised of these players."

One of them is Cedi Osman.

The 2.04m forward played an average of 10 minutes per game last summer in Latvia because he experienced knee pains in training camp and Gunay rested him instead of having him go through the physical workouts.

Osman has been able to play a lot of minutes, however, for Anadolu Efes this season in Turkey's domestic competition and the Turkish Airlines Euroleague.

A player who turned 19 on Tuesday, he runs the floor like a gazelle and possess a soft, accurate shooting touch.

"Even if his stats in the European Championship weren't off the charts, his place on the court, his grit, his fight, his defense and his rebounding potential and his character place him among the players that Turkey will always want on the court for the national team," said Gunay.

That is a lot of praise.

"I have a lot of talent," Osman said to FIBA.com, "but of course talent isn’t everything, and I need to work really hard.

"I’m hopeful about the future, I have total confidence in myself."

"Getting the opportunity to see minutes in Euroleague while still a young player definitely is increasing my confidence.

With Efes, Osman is a spark off the bench.

"My favorite style of play is a fast-paced game with dynamic offense because I like to run and energize the team," he said.

"Right now, I know that my job on my team is to bring energy to the offensive and defensive ends of the court.

"As far as having a natural shot (shooting stroke), I can say this: with the trust my veteran teammates have put in me, I am able to play more comfortably and take high quality shots."

Osman is good, he's confident, but he's not cocky.

"I think my legs aren't strong enough yet, and that’s why there can be moments on offense and defense where I am a bit lacking," he said.

"I’m trying to strengthen my legs.

"In today’s basketball, working with weights is very important. To see minutes in the Euroleague just based on talent isn’t really anything, and that’s why I need to get stronger."

Osman is not a player that gets caught up in statistics.

His modest numbers in Latvia didn't bother him.

"The pride of playing for the national team and the experience I had there is an entirely different thing," he said.

"Basketball is a team game.

"For me, the most important thing isn’t my numbers, but the team winning a championship.

"Numbers may not always accurately reflect a player’s worth.

"What’s critical is being devoted to the game and what you give your team."

Players who have shone in the NBA or the Euroleague were central to the success of the Turkey teams that finished runners-up at EuroBasket 2001 and the 2010 FIBA World Championship.

"My respect for them knows no limits and I follow them closely," Osman said.

"Like every young player dreams about, I want to be an indispensable player on the national team, in the Euroleague and in the NBA.

"Combining my work with the support of my family, my team and our fans, I think I could be remembered among the most important players."

Which outside of Turkey does he look up to?

"However different our positions may be, since I was little up until now I’ve really liked Dirk Nowitzki," he said. "In Europe, one of the players that I’ve eagerly followed and taken as a model is my (Efes) teammate Zoran Planinic, another is Vassilis Spanoulis."

Hedo Turkoglu recently said he was retiring from the national team, although coach Ergin Ataman has decided to leave the door open if he has a change of heart.

His absence would create an opportunity for another.

Maybe Osman will have a chance to make the squad that will play in Group C at the FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain against the USA, Finland, Ukraine, the Dominican Republic and New Zealand.

"My goal is to play for the senior national team in the World Cup," he said.

"Especially when thinking about USA being in our group, it only makes me want it more because I believe that great competition allows for a player to gain vital experience.

"But for Spain that is a decision our technical staff will make."

FIBA