The team with a loooong name
Yukatel Merkezefendi Belediyesi Denizli Basket is the full name of Loko’s todays opponent.
Merkezefendi is the name of the district where the team plays. It is called in honour of the XVI century Sufi Efendi (“well respected”) Merkez. Belediyesi means “district” in Turkish. Denizli stands for the province the part of which Merkezefendi is. Yukatel is their title sponsor. And Basket… well, we suppose you know what it is.
The team was founded in 2017 at the local Yüksekçıta Koleji high school and has been playing in the Turkish Super League since the 2021/22 season. The team’s highest achievement was 12th place in the previous championship with a win-loss ratio of 12-18. It is worth noting that the team improves its results every year of its existence. Apparently, following the same reasons Merkezefendi renewed almost the entire roster – with only head coach Zafer Aktaş and his staff remaining.
Andrey Vedishchev: "Merkezefendi plays fast"
– What we know about Merkezefendi is that they play fast: fast runs, fast ball movement, fast decisions. The game will be hard. First of all, we need to be careful in defense. As for the attack, I think we will be able to do what we have planned.
We are all in good shape, the preparation is going according to plan. Everyone is ready for today’s game.
Their main stars
Remember Xavier Rathan-Mayes? It was Merkezefendi where he moved to Yenisei from. Now, the Turkish team has also some familiar faces. Point guard Isaiah Reese spent half a season in Samara, and then another season and a half in PARMA, where he was recognized as the league’s monthly MVP in March 2023 and was called up to the 2024 All-Star Game.
But the main star of Merkezefendi is undoubtedly shooting guard Ben McLemore, the 7th pick in the 2013 draft, who has played 571 games in the NBA and reached the 2020 Western Conference semifinals with Houston Rockets.
Another shooting guard on their team, 28-year-old Craig Randall II, was named the most improved player of the summer G League in 2022 (though no NBA team offered him a contract).
Center Ayberk Olmaz is occasionally called up to the Turkish national team.
The rest of their roster mainly consists of 23-24 year old players: rising Belgian star forward Vrenz Bleijenbergh, Canadian center Oluwasimosola “Simi” Shittu, Sudanese guard with a Turkish passport Muhaymin Mustafa, American point guard Noah Thomasson, for whom Merkezefendi is the first professional club in his career.
Where to watch
The rights to broadcast the Gloria Cup in Russia belong to the Okko.Sport service. Subscribers can watch the game HERE.
We do not have the right to show the match on our website. But Loko TV will post the most interesting moments of the game on our Telegram channel.