Alperen Sengun pinpoints reason why he was denied historic feat as Turkey continues EuroBasket dominance

In Turkey’s 92-78 win over Czechia on Friday, Houston Rockets star Alperen Sengun came one assist shy of recording the fifth triple-double in EuroBasket history.

Sengun finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists. He explained after game that he wanted to stay in, but the coaching staff pulled him out with three minutes left.

“Yeah, I mean my teammates told me I had to get one more assist,” Sengun said, via BasketNews. “I wanted to go back, but it was a coach’s decision. We have a lot more games, so I’ll have a chance to do it.”

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Sengun has been dominant in Turkey's first two games. In the opening matchup, he recorded 16 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the 93-73 win over Latvia on Wednesday.

With their latest win over Czechia, Sengun and Turkey are sitting atop Group A with and a 22-point lead over Portugal in the differential.

The two countries will collide on Saturday before Sengun and Turkey face Estonia on Monday, and Serbia on Wednesday.

Turkey HC explains why he pulled Alperen Sengun

Turkey and Panathinaikos coach Ergin Ataman was asked why he and his staff decided to pull Alperen Sengun with three minutes left.

Ataman cited the team's busy schedue as the main reason.

"I kept him out to rest because tomorrow night we have another game. I didn't realize he wanted to go back onto the court," Atama said in the postgame presser. "Nobody told me about it. If someone had, I could have called a timeout to set something up for him, but no one informed me.

"EuroBasket is long, we will go until the final, and I am sure that before then Alperen will record another triple-double."

Sengun echoed his coach's reasoning, and added that he has plenty of time to log a triple-double before the tournament ends. The Houston Rockets standout also noted that he tried to tell Ataman to put him back in Friday's game.

"He didn't understand me, but it's OK, we have many games left, so I'll have a chance to do it," Sengun said. "And if they keep doubling me, I will just find the right read."

Whether Sengun makes history with a triple-double before EuroBasket 2025 ends, only time will tell.

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Evan Bell

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