MANILA (2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments) - Given their world ranking, Turkey were favored to be the top seed coming out of Group A, but losing to Canada on Day 1 prevented that from happening. Still, winning over Senegal yesterday enabled them to advance to the Semi-Final of the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Manila, where top Group B team France lies in wait.

Turkey last played the French in Eurobasket 2015, and in that encounter, Les Bleus blew out the Turks in grand fashion. NBA center Omer Asik is hoping that doesn’t happen again this time around, especially with the stakes very high. A win means Turkey advance to the Final and have a shot at making the 2016 Rio Olympics, but a loss means they are sent home packing.

Asik talked to FIBA.com fresh from their win over Senegal.

FIBA.com: How do you feel after this big win over Senegal?
Asik: I cannot say we played really well, but at least we got the win. The important thing in this tournament now is to win every game to go to the Olympics. There’s only one team who will go. It doesn’t matter who we play. We have to beat them. We just have to start our games better to have a chance.

FIBA.com: What does Turkey have to improve ahead of the next game?
Asik: I think we play pretty good defense, like holding teams to low scores, but we have been missing some open shots on offense. We miss even easy lay-ups. We just have to be more concentrated and focused in making those shots.

FIBA.com: What would be the importance of making it to the Olympics for Turkey?
Asik: This would be the first time, I think, that our basketball team will make it. Our entire country is counting on us and supporting us. As a player, playing in the Olympics is one of the top things you can do in your career, of course, we all want to get there. In the end, we just have to focus on getting that next win.

FIBA