Team Profile: Mersin Buyuksehir
MERSIN (EuroLeague Women 2017) – Our next destination on our tour of EuroLeague Women 2017 clubs brings us to Turkey and one of this season’s newcomers in Mersin Buyuksehir.
Last season: After three straight seasons in EuroCup Women, Mersin did not play in European club competition during 2015-16 but did make positive waves in the Turkish League, thanks mainly to some phenomenal performances by former star Angel McCoughtry.
Roster: These are incredibly exciting times for everyone associated with the rookies and not only because they are preparing to take their opening footsteps and engage in a maiden EuroLeague Women adventure, but because they have also assembled a star-laden roster. As well as the team making their debut, there will also be one for Cheyenne Parker of Chicago Sky.
The forward will be joined in the paint by the towering Lithuania national team kingpin Gintare Petronyte and former EuroBasket Women Finalist Kristen Vatansever. There is also space for forward Gulsah Gumusay, who played in EuroLeague Women for three seasons with Galatasaray. At the other end of the court, the ability of Swedish guard Frida Eldebrink to both score and create will be exciting and she will link-up with a stellar signing in Tiffany Hayes. Averaging more than 15 points per game with Atlanta Dream during this year’s WNBA campaign, the guard was also one of the best players in the Turkish League last season. There is also big experience in the arrival of winger Marissa Coleman of Fenerbahce, who played at the most recent Final Four, while there are few around with more know-how than Nilay Kartaltepe.
Key player: While Hayes might bring some WNBA stardust and a big reputation, the combo capabilities of Frida Eldebrink might be the most important dynamic for Mersin. Interestingly, Eldebrink has been one of the most transient top-level European players, since this will be her seventh EuroLeague Women season with a seventh different club.
She will be important because she needs to recover from going 15-of-53 at Dynamo Kursk last season when she couldn't get it going to her usual high offensive standards. If she finds her range again, she can be a big asset for Mersin.
‘X-Factor’: There will be a lot of responsibility on Petronyte to match up well with some of the opposing ‘bigs’ and neutralise the threat they bring. She has been sensational for her country in recent years and at 27-years-old is at the age where she needs to cement herself in EuroLeague Women again as one of the major stars and contributors. If she does that, Mersin can be the real deal.
Stat attack: Nilay Kartaltepe already has 13 seasons behind her competing in European club competition and made her debut more than 21 years ago in the Ronchetti Cup! She also played the full 40 minutes during that debut.
Social media stars: Go and start following Cheyenne Parker [missball_playah32] or Frida Eldebrink [fridaeldebrink] on Instagram.
Outlook: It’s all set-up for Mersin to make a considerable splash in their first season as they look to have the personnel to put wins on the board and even give some of the biggest guns a real test. It might boil down to how they juggle the demands of playing and challenging for honours in the Turkish League and this will be a factor. Expectation is high and they look capable of challenging for a top four spot so the games against the likes of Schio and BLMA.
FIBA
