2018-19 Team Profile: Galatasaray Istanbul
Aug 28, 2018 by Eurocupbasketball.com Print
Galatasaray Istanbul comes off an up-and-down 7DAYS EuroCup season in which the club bounced back from a slow start, but it was not enough to go deep in the competition. Galatasaray lost its first four games and by mid-November was last in regular season Group B with a 1-5 record. Galatasaray managed to recover by being strong at home, downing Grissin Bon Reggio Emilia and Buducnost VOLI Podgorica in front of its fans. It added a 77-84 road win against Lietkabelis Panevezys to get to 4-5 and depend on its own Round 10 result to qualify to the Top 16. Galatasaray bested Buducnost 87-68 to reach the Top 16 as the second-ranked team in Group B – an almost unthinkable achievement a month earlier. Galatasaray fired head coach Erman Kunter early in the Top 16 and brought back Oktay Mahmuti. Despite a prestigious road win against Herbalife Gran Canaria, Galatasaray did not advance to the playoffs after losing twice against ALBA Berlin and Darussafaka Istanbul. In domestic action, Galatasaray missed the Turkish Cup tournament and the Turkish League playoffs by finishing ninth in the regular season with a 13-17 record. However, especially after a down year, the 2016 7DAYS EuroCup champion has the pride and determination to bounce back this season.
SEASON COMPETITION RECORD FINISH
2016-17 EuroLeague 11-19 Regular Season
2014-15 EuroLeague 6-18 Top 16
2013-14 EuroLeague 13-14 Playoffs
2011-12 EuroLeague 7-9 Top 16
TOTAL: 37-60
2017-18 EuroCup 6-10 Top 16
2015-16 EuroCup 15-9 Champion
2012-13 EuroCup 7-5 Last 16
2007-08 ULEB Cup 10-6-1 Final
TOTAL: 47-45-1
Founded in 1905, Galatasaray is one of the oldest sports clubs in the world and takes its name from Galatasaray Lycee, a school that dates back to 1481. A teacher at the school brought basketball to Turkey in 1911. The club's basketball section opened in the early 1930s and found instant success with three consecutive Istanbul League titles from 1933 to 1936. Once World War II ended, Galatasaray continued dominating Turkish basketball with 16 Istanbul League titles and 11 Turkish championship trophies between 1940 and 1966. The club also competed well continentally, reaching the EuroLeague eighthfinals in 1961 and 1964. Another Turkish League title in 1969 was followed by a 15-year drought until Galatasaray had its last run of dominance with three more national titles between 1985 and 1990. Galatasaray made eight consecutive Korac Cup appearances between 1993 and 2001, but its current resurgence started in 2008 when Galatasaray reached the ULEB Cup semifinals. Three years later, Galatasaray advanced to the Turkish League finals and earned its way into the 2011-12 EuroLeague by dancing through the qualifying rounds. With Jamon Gordon and Jaka Lakovic among its top performers, Galatasaray got all the way to the Top 16 – beating both EuroLeague finalists, CSKA Moscow and Olympiacos Piraeus in the process. Back home that same season, Galatasaray won the Turkish League regular season before losing in the playoff semifinals. A year later, Galatasaray reached the Turkish Cup final and finished atop the table with just three regular-season losses and went on to lose only once in 10 postseason games as it defeated Banvit Bandirma in the finals to claim the 2013 Turkish championship. Galatasaray's star continued to shine next the season in the EuroLeague. Led by Carlos Arroyo and Coach Ergin Ataman, Galatasaray advanced to the EuroLeague Playoffs for the first time in club history before being ousted by FC Barcelona. The following season, Galatasaray wrote its name in the history books by winning the 7DAYS EuroCup, the first continental trophy for the club. That success earned the team a EuroLeague ticket, but a tough start with five consecutive losses marked the fate of Galatasaray, which ended 12th in the standings with an 11-19 record. Last season, Galatasaray overcame a 1-5 EuroCup start to reach the EuroCup Top 16, but did not get further and missed the Turkish League playoffs. Expect Galatasaray and its thousands of diehard fans all around the world to be more motivated than ever for the 2018-19 season.
Eurocup: 2016
Turkish National League: 1968-69, 1984-85, 1985-86, 1989-90, 2012-13
Turkish Basketball Championship: 1946-47, 1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50, 1952-53, 1954-55, 1955-56, 1959-60, 1962-63, 1963-64, 1965-66
Turkish National Cup: 1970, 1972, 1995
Turkish President's Cup: 1985, 2011
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