We spoke with Aysel Damar, who coaches basketball (both men’s and women’s), swimming, 3×3 basketball, and korfball teams at our university, about the teams’ current status and their expectations for the upcoming season.
Korfball
What are the reasons for choosing this sport?
Aysel Damar: Korfball is a sport where men and women play simultaneously. We started our Korfball team about 8-9 seasons ago. We are progressing very successfully, and we are in the Super League, which is the top league in university competitions. About six seasons ago, we sent a player to the U20 national team. This was the first time someone learned korfball with us at the university and later went on to the national team, which might also be a first in the university’s history. Last season, we finished second in the Super League groups. The season before that, we won the championship. Every two years, we win a trophy, and we also send players to the national team and clubs.
What is the current status of the squad and what are your expectations for this season?
Aysel Damar: We’ve graduated abundant players, especially from the women’s basketball team. Our korfball team consists mostly of basketball players, and we’ve graduated three female athletes. We are building a new generation. We also graduated two key male players, including our captains, so we have a gap of 5-6 players. However, we are a team that constantly trains new players and supplements the squad. In the coming weeks, we have tryouts, and we will try to select players from the basketball team who we can redirect to Korfball. We are a new generation, and each year, we work to redesign the team.
What would you say to those participating in the tryouts?
Aysel Damar: It’s enough for them to have been involved in sports anyway. We only need them to have some affinity for basketball or handball. Since we teach the sport from scratch, it’s important that they have some inclination toward sports, have participated in a discipline, and continue with training. We teach, and we train our athletes.
3×3 Basketball
I’m curious about the school’s approach to 3×3 basketball.
Aysel Damar: 3×3 basketball has become a much known worldwide. It was included in the Olympics for the first time in Tokyo, and it became a known event. In Russia, it was the most-watched sport, even surpassing swimming and athletics at the Olympics. I enjoy both teaching it and training athletes for competitions. In 2019, we finished second in Turkey in both the men’s and women’s divisions, which was a huge success, as our school team didn’t have active basketball or 3×3 basketball players. We achieved success through training. After that, the pandemic interrupted us, but the following year, we participated in the European Championships in Lodz, Poland, with both men’s and women’s teams. 3×3 has now become a core sport for us. I’m coaching it, and we are continuing to compete in the University League with great enthusiasm. Recently, we participated in competitions organized by Redbull and the University Sports Federation. We’ve achieved good results in Turkey and Istanbul, and we will continue with 3×3.
What do you consider when guiding students toward basketball or 3×3 during tryouts?
Aysel Damar: My main discipline is basketball. I used to manage the national team and was part of the national squad. Of course, I pay a lot of attention to fundamentals, technical basketball skills, and athleticism. The character of the athlete is also important to us. We work with players who can adapt to the discipline within the team. So far, I’ve been lucky and haven’t had any issues.
Hierarchy is also important to us—the balance between seniors and juniors is crucial. Newcomers need to have great respect for the senior captains. The most important thing is our work ethic. We train 3-4 times a week, with sessions lasting 1.5 to 2 hours, focusing on basketball and strength training. So, before coming to tryouts, the players should practice and further develop their fundamental skills. I keep the squad large because of injuries and players who may drop out due to academic commitments. We start with a core team of 16-18 players and then reduce it to 12-14.
Swimming
There is no pool at the school’s gym, so how do you conduct training?
Aysel Damar: In previous years, we’ve had swimmers who achieved rankings and championships in Turkey in individual events. For example, Engin, who has since graduated, consistently placed in the 400-meter freestyle. Sinem placed second in Turkey in the butterfly stroke. Since we don’t have a pool or training facilities, we take athletes who actively train at their clubs and compete in the Turkish Championships. We cannot provide training support due to the lack of facilities, but we keep track of athletes who provide proof of their training and registration as licensed swimmers. We follow their competitions and take them to the Turkish University Sports Federation’s events. This is how we form the swimming team and continue throughout the year.
What is the current status of the school’s swimming team?
Aysel Damar: In past years, we’ve had athletes like Engin and Sinem achieve rankings in Turkey, but we’ve never won a team trophy. We do have individual medals. Currently, we have a national athlete on the team, and for the past 1-2 years, we’ve been striving for medals. Hopefully, we will win one this year.
What are your expectations for this season?
Aysel Damar: We have Kayra on the team, and we expect a medal from him. He usually finishes 4th or 5th, just missing out, but we are hopeful this time.
Basketball (Men and Women)
Can you tell us about the success of our teams?
Aysel Damar: I coach both teams. While giving sports scholarships, we don’t select players who are already active in national teams or clubs; instead, we choose those who come through tryouts. We work with players who are more eager and genuinely want to be part of the basketball team. Two years ago, we played in the finals in Istanbul, losing in overtime by just one point. However, both our men’s and women’s teams usually reach the finals or the final four, which shows how successful they are. Today, when there’s a game against Kadir Has University’s basketball team, everyone takes notice because both our men’s and women’s teams are strong. I attribute this to hard work and the team’s internal dynamics. The team captains manage to build great rapport with the players each year. Hard work and good team cohesion are key factors that lead to success. We have an intense training program. Last year, we had to disband the women’s team because, as I mentioned, many players graduated. We are continuing with 3×3 basketball, but I want to re-establish the women’s basketball team, so I encourage all students to attend tryouts. Even if they haven’t played before, we teach them.
What are your expectations for this season?
Aysel Damar: This season, our men’s team will compete in the second division of university basketball. Our goal is always to play for the championship, and this year, we will be in the finals. We want to stand on the podium again. We have an intense training program to achieve this, and I believe the team will win the championship again. The only word for men’s basketball is “championship.”