Ercen Osmani going god mode was not on anyone’s bingo card. He was the star of the show but far from the only one as Alperen Sengun, Cedi Osman, and more guided Türkiye to the final of EuroBasket 2025. Emmet Ryan on a night when Ergin Ataman’s men made Giannis Antetokounmpo look ordinary and Greece were left with all kinds of questions.
Ercen Osmani wasn’t even considered the most likel Türkiye with the first 5 letters of his last name to matter in this game. Yet as great as the contributions of Cedi Osman and Alperen Sengun were, it was the oldest looking 27 year old in Europe that starred.
Ergin Ataman comprehensively outwitted Vassilis Spanoulis on a night where Giannis Antetokounmpo was contained and the rest of the supporting cast failed to make an impact for Greece.
Not the man you expected
All eyes in Riga were on the expected battle between Alperen Sengun and Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the first quarter, it was a different name that took charge. Türkiye big man Ercen Osmani did fine work at both ends of the floor to put Ergin Ataman’s side firmly in control early.
The obvious part was his surprisingly high scoring. Osmani had 14 points in the first quarter, including going 4 for 4 from deep, to beat his scoring high for a first half let alone opening frame. That accounted for more than half of the 26 points Türkiye scored in the first stanza. It also may not have been his biggest impact.
Osmani was the man tasked with defending Giannis Antetokounmpo. In terms of strength and athleticism, this should have been a mismatch. Sheer smart movement by Osmani, coupled with solid support from Cedi Osman and Adem Bona, allowed Türkiye to restrict Giannis to just 2 points from 4 shots in the first quarter.
The Spanoulis stratagem
Alex Samodurov and the rest of the Greece back-ups had a job to do. While Giannis Antetokounmpo sat, their role was to keep scoreboard movement minimal while tiring out some of Türkiye’s top guys. Alperen Sengun, Ercen Osmani, and Sehmus Hazer were on the floor running hard while Giannis rested.
The goal was to set the table for a refreshed Giannis to run riot. He returned with his side trailing by 9. Alperen Sengun and, of course, Osmani immediately compounded the pain. Greece were simply irrelevant offensively.
Türkiye could switch from the fast break to half court with ease. Ergin Ataman had barely gotten out of first gear tactically here. Even with Sengun having his worst shooting night of the competition to date in the first half, this was controlled dominance. The table may have been set for Giannis but he had nothing to feast on. Instead he had a first person view of Türkiye dishing out a whupping.
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Showing depth while staying shallow
For all the talk of Germany’s depth at this tournament, Türkiye has been able to show it can get real contributions from everyone who steps on the floor. Granted, having Alperen Sengun as creator in chief helps a lot but Shane Larkin and Cedi Osman are more than capable of creating their own shot. Yet while Türkiye can go deep, they don’t take the German approach.
Ergin Ataman is somewhat beholden to his 8 man rotation approach. Even with Panathinaikos, where he coaches one of the deepest rosters outside the NBA, he tends to stick to 8. It was mirrored in this game where 4 Türkiye players didn’t see a second on the floor.
If Sertac Sanli was playing for Germany, he’d have probably had 6 minutes by the half. Omer Yurtseven would have surely seen the floor as well. Yet Ataman has a method and a rhythm. It was delivered with authority in this encounter.
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Yet still Sengun
Make no mistake, this was Ercen Osmani’s night. The 27 year old who looks middle aged had a career evening. He deserves all the flowers from Türkiye fans. Yet still, even on a night where he struggled to find his shot, Alperen Sengun was at the centre of everything.
Türkiye opted for Shane Larkin over Tarik Biberovic as their naturalised player because they needed a point guard. That is to say they needed a point guard specifically, not a primary creator. That job was Sengun’s and he continued to rack up assists as well as his usual gaudy haul of boards even during his shooting slump in the front half of this game.
Sengun’s final statline was still downright brilliant. The volume issues were easily compensated for by every other aspect of his performance. Shane Larkin said that Sengun had taken that next step. Thriving like this through what could have been personal adversity is proof of that.
Alperen Sengun overcame some early shooting woes to once again show the breadth of his game as Türkiye demolished Greece at EuroBasket 2025.
This team is box office
Türkiye could be playing me and my four mates from the pub at the EuroBasket 2025 final on Sunday and the game would still be worth watching. Türkiye are just so much fun to watch that they could play air and you’d want to see them in action.
Against Germany, it’s downright salivating. Alperen Sengun vs Dennis Schroder as creators and chaos merchants. Franz Wagner and Cedi Osman as two very different scoring options. Then throw in the diversity of their supporting cast and it’s wild. All of that can wait for Sunday.
Tonight Türkiye completed Ergin Ataman’s first goal. They have their second ever medal at EuroBasket and their first ever major medal won outside of their homeland. They want more, they know they can get it. If Ercen Osmani can make Giannis Antetokounmpo look ordinary, nothing at this level is beyond their reach.
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