By Tugba Karagulle (at right)
Former Assistant Coach, University of Delaware Women's Basketball Team
2006 University of Delaware master’s degree graduate
Member of the Turkish Basketball Federation.

Day Seven Anatolia Tour 2007 (June 19)
Trip Preview / Day One Blog / Day Two Blog / Day Three Blog / Day Four Blog / Day Five Blog / Day Six Blog / Day Seven Blog / Day Eight Blog - Wrapup
Photos Gallery from Turkey

Hello, (Merhaba)

After having a very busy schedule of clinics and seminars in the different cities of Turkey, all of the group members left Istanbul early this morning. I am sad because of their leaving, but this is the way it works. I wish they could have stayed longer. I feel very lucky to see them again here after a long time.

As everyone mentioned already, I did the translation and the coordination during the trip, which was fun. It was not only a learning experience for me but also a sharing experience with the kids and other individuals. If you had seen the UD team helping everyone as much as they could, and being very nice, you would have been proud of them even more.

I think we did a great job on the court and off the court as a great team. We all worked hard as usual, and made a huge impact on the Turkish girls and the basketball community here. As an example, I want to share what a coach from Kayseri told me.

“This is a lifetime experience for the kids, for two months, they will keep talking about what they’ve seen and learned, as well as about the gifts they received. That is something that they could only dream about!!”

As a result, the kids are very happy…I appreciate the effort, the desire to share, and friendly approach of everyone of UD group.

I would like to say a little about the project. It all started with a dream…This is a good experience for me also. I experienced once again that dreams may come true. I’ve learned that in order to be successful, we need to dream big.

I want to share a quote which I like: "Be careful on your dreams, they can be real eventually!"

I’m thankful to Dr. (Matt) Robinson who believed in my dream and made the project happen. I also thank the United States of America Department of State, United States Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, the University of Delaware Alumni Association, University of Delaware College of Health Sciences, University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences, University of Delaware Center for International Studies, University of Delaware Men’s and Women’s Basketball Programs, and the University of Delaware International Sports Institute for their contribution and support to the project.

It has been a long time (10 months) since I came back to Turkey. I can’t express enough how much I miss you all. I have been working for Turkish Basketball Federation, in 2010 FIBA World Championship Local Organising Committee, which I believe will be a great experience for me.

Also, I’m doing individual basketball coaching. I have a few players and they are playing on the national team right now. I share what I learned  from Coach (Tina) Martin and Coach (Jeanine) Radice, who have incredible basketball knowledge and experience, as well as from Dr. Robinson and Dr. (Dave) Barlow, and I’m stil learning.

As an alumnus of the University of Delaware, I have many reasons to miss you, but I think the most important one is that I see you as a part of my family after all. It was great for me to see Dr. Robinson and his son, Cullen, Dr. Barlow and his son, Jeff, Coach Radice (my buddy!), Coach Martin, Alena (Koshansky), Courtney (Irving), and Kyle (DeHaven) again. I have been following the basketball games and news from UD through the internet, and sharing the excitement with you.

I’m hoping that this ‘Anatolia Basketball Tour’ project is just a beginning, not an ending. In addition to that, we all believe the sport, as a bridge between the different cultures, works great, and as being basketball people, we‘re lucky enough to experience that.

I’m also eager to have even bigger dreams and achieve them all together again. Please remember me as a part of the UD team, who is clapping her hands for UD even from Turkey. My heart, full of love, is with you all the time…

Until next time, this is Tugba Karagulle signing off.