Photo: FIBA

Turkiye kicked off EuroBasket 2025 with a statement. Facing host nation Latvia in front of a passionate home crowd, Shane Larkin and his teammates showcased poise, teamwork, and firepower, claiming a confident 1-0 start and sending a message to the rest of the tournament: they are ready to compete at the highest level.

In the aftermath of the opener, the team quickly turned its focus toward Friday’s clash with Czechia. Larkin spoke to Eurohoops about the effort against Latvia and the mindset required for a long tournament.

“It always feels good to start a tournament that way, but at the end of the day, there’s a lot of games left to play, a lot of good competition, a lot of great teams, so we have to stay focused, stay poised. Try to continue to put out those efforts,” he said after a Thursday practice.

The 32-year-old guard played a central role in the win, logging 29 minutes and contributing 15 points, six rebounds, three assists, and one steal. For Larkin, the atmosphere and stakes of the EuroBasket opener made it a memorable performance.

“I’ve had some other games that have been pretty decent, but I think just because it’s EuroBasket, it’s the first game of the tournament against the home team in the host arena with their home fans, I would say probably collectively, especially getting the win, I would say that’s probably the best game that I’ve enjoyed on the national team,” he reflected.

Leadership proved crucial in navigating the game’s tense moments. Larkin highlighted captain Cedi Osman’s influence during a heated third-quarter stretch against Latvia.

“There’s certain people that are going to doubt what we’re able to do, and I think Cedi being the captain of this team, he took responsibility for that and in those moments when things got a little heated, he wanted to respond. And I think when you’re one of the leaders of the team doing that, it helps raise everybody,” Larkin said.

He added, “I just wanted to continue to push that effort and continue to push us forward and I think we did a great job of making some key plays in those moments, pushing the game up to 17-18 points and then everybody else contributed.”

Turkiye’s dominance extended beyond Larkin and Osman. Veteran guard Kenan Sipahi delivered a flawless offensive display, scoring 19 points on 6-of-6 shooting, including five three-pointers. Larkin recounted the humor and admiration in the locker room after Sipahi’s performance.

“We asked where he went because Steph Curry showed up on our team,” he joked. “That was a great effort from him. He’s been battling all pre-camp, and he’s putting the work in, working a lot on the shooting, and last night showed that he’s turned himself into a very reliable player in that position, shooting that shot where maybe a couple of years ago people would have doubted it. So, hopefully he can continue to shoot the ball like that, and if he does, I think that just makes us that much more dangerous.”

One of the most electrifying highlights came early in the first half when Sehmus Hazer threw down a dunk over Kristaps Porzingis. Larkin described the moment in vivid detail.

“I was like, ‘What just happened?’ I don’t think I reacted until like five seconds later. He didn’t go like over the top. He went through, so it’s like he went with force and power, and it just shows what kind of player he is and the ability he has. I think that was one of the key instances in the game that pushed us forward and gave us momentum and got everybody excited. A bunch of those kinds of plays gave us more and more energy, but that was definitely one early in the game that gave us the energy and momentum to keep going.”

With Larkin orchestrating the offense, Osman leading with heart, Sipahi hitting everything he threw up, and Hazer delivering highlight-reel moments, Turkiye not only opened EuroBasket 2025 with a win but also demonstrated the kind of team energy, depth, and resilience that could carry them deep into the tournament.

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