Omer Yurtseven parted company with the Miami Heat this summer, but he did not wait long for a new engagement.
The great center moved to Utah this summer. Although there was hope somewhere that we could see him in the EuroLeague, Yurtseven relatively quickly agreed to cooperate with the Will Hardy team. As he points out in a conversation with Eurohoops, Utah as an environment is ideal for him:
“Having coach Will Hardy at Utah Jazz, playing with Europeans in significant positions, and being a young team, I couldn’t see any negatives, so it was an easy choice among my top 3 preferences.“
However, the center admits that there were offers from Europe, but that it is not the time to return.
“Fenerbahce and Anadolu Efes were interested. Fenerbahce is my home, and I also love Erdem Can, my former coach, but even if I wanted to come here towards the end of my career, now is not the time.” – Yurtseven said.
When it comes to the national team, Turkey has a problem with its naturalized players. Shane Larkin and Scottie Wilbekin are unavailable, but Utah’s new player declined to comment that situation further:
“The topic of naturalization is something above me. It’s a decision made by coaches and executives. But of course, I want everyone to play with national feelings. What matters is representing this place with national pride and winning.“