Coaching the Turks
By Mike Prokopiak, '53 BSHP
Page Two
Later on, I was working in my office in a Quonset hut near the flight line when the Wing Commander's driver came into my office and said Col. O'Donnell wanted me right away in the Commander's office. I got my hat and went with the driver. When I entered the office, a 2-star general named Williams was there and I saluted him. After that he stated I was causing all kinds of trouble. I replied that I didn't know what I could have done since all I was doing was my job in the Air Force. He stated that the American Ambassador to Turkey wanted to know why I wasn't in Istanbul coaching the Turkish National Basketball team. I told him that was news to me.
He gave me an order and said I should be on a plane to Istanbul the next day. I said, “Yes, sir,” saluted him again, and turned around to leave. One of my bosses, Col. Hirsch, looked at me and said I shouldn't be on that plane tomorrow. I looked him in the eyes and said, “If I'm not on that plane tomorrow, do you think the general will come back here to see me or you?” He told me to be on the plane. Right then I knew my career in the Air Force was in trouble.
Again I had the problem of picking 12 players out of 27. Some different players were there who hadn't been before we went to Iran. Again I was in newspapers throughout the country. I coached the team because I wanted to show everybody, including myself, that I was a good coach. My philosophy in this type of coaching was to practice against all situations you would encounter in a game. We practiced in the mornings and afternoons and followed that up with a shoot-around in the evening. We were going into the Mediterranean Games, a competition similar to our Pan American Games. It was being held in Tunis, Tunisia. They had built a 100,000-seat stadium and other facilities for the games. All the countries that bordered the Mediterranean were participating in the games.
I made my selection of players through the Federation President of Basketball, Feridum Koray. The players I chose were Huseyin Alp, 7'2”, Halil Halick, Huseyin Kozhuck, Baris Kuce, Ferhan, Senguin, Nur, Kemal Erdenay, Ibrahim, and Unal. We each had to have a blue suit made and wear black shoes. That was what the Turkish delegates would wear to march in the stadium for the opening ceremony.
We left Istanbul on 7 September 1967 for the games in Tunisia. We were housed with all the other basketball teams at Tunis University where they had outdoor basketball courts. Our quarters were not the best. They had bunk beds and toilets, but the plumbing wasn't hooked up so we couldn't use them.
The Yugoslavian team seemed to practice all day long. It was uncomfortably hot, but that was their way. One day it was really hot and at lunchtime I presented my ticket for the meal and asked for an extra Coke drink. The Tunisian didn't want me to have two, although it could have been a language thing. I got upset and told him to keep the tray of food and I went back to my room.
The next day I was invited to go into Tunis to talk to the Turkish Olympic Committee members. Apparently when I left the lunchroom, my players thought the Arab had done something to me and the players went after him and smashed up the kitchen. The Tunisian took off into the nearby field and they couldn't find him the next day. The committee thought I had done the damage. I told them I had just gone back to my room and did not know what had happened. They accepted that and I went back to coaching the team.
We were in a pool that included Italy, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, and Malta. I can't remember if there were any others. We played our first game against Italy and I could tell we weren't ready to play. We lost. But, we won all the rest of our games. In our pool, Italy was first and Turkey was second. In the other pool, Yugoslavia was first and Greece was second. After pool play we were placed in the medal round, with the first place team in one pool playing the second place team from the other pool.
We played Yugoslavia and lost. This was the Yugoslavian team that played very well in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. Italy played Greece and won, so our next game was against Greece for the Bronze Medal. We were playing badly and at halftime I gave them quite a halftime speech. They went out and beat Greece 87-84. After the game was over, the players hoisted me up on their shoulders and ran around the court. This was the first time Turkey had ever won a medal in these games in basketball. Winning over Greece made the victory all the more sweet for the Turks. In the other game Yugoslavia won the gold medal, beating Italy 87-76.
After getting back to Turkey I was again in all the Turkish newspapers. I thought this would be it and that I would be done with basketball, but I wasn't. I was invited to go to Ankara where the President of Turkey wanted to thank me personally. I was at some function where he came out on the floor, shook my hand, and kissed me on both cheeks. Once again I was in the doghouse with my bosses.
In the spring of 1968 I went to a basketball game with my wife and two of our children. It was a make-up game between the President's team, composed of players in their armed forces, and the local team, Altinordu. I knew some of the players on the President's team since they had played for me on the National Team. They looked down and out and I asked them what was wrong. They said their coach couldn't be with them because of a military commitment. I told them they could beat the local team. They got together to discuss something and then asked me if I would coach them. I told them I would have to check with Osman, the secretary of the basketball federation, who just happened to be there. I asked if it was OK to coach and he said, “You're the best we have ever had,” and that I could do it. And then he warned me, “Don't forget you live here (Izmir).”
As the game went on I could feel a lot of tension in the arena. We were ahead at half time. I then told my wife to take the children home, put the car in the garage, and close the shutters on the windows. Well, we won and all hell broke loose. It was a full-scale riot. In Turkey it's against the law to strike any military person. All the team members were military and being attacked by the spectators. Big windows were being broken with rocks. It was scary. I looked over to the VIP box and recognized the Chief of Police of Izmir. Next to him was an Admiral who looked at him and asked if there was anything he could do.
The chief told him no, but he just picked up the phone and told the chief he could have 5,000 troops at the arena in 5 minutes. He was true to his word and they arrested over 20 people. While this was going on I was seeking safety in the locker room. Our Turkish friend, Arif, was with me and I asked how I was going to get home. He didn't know, but said he would go out and ask the Admiral. He returned and told me I would be able to go home in five minutes. When it was time to go I kept looking around to make sure I wasn't going to be attacked. When I got outside the arena there were soldiers shoulder to shoulder forming a lane to the street about 80 yards away. As I got to the street, a jeep with a gunner on it pulled up followed by another jeep that I got into and a third jeep with a gunner as well. I ended up getting a military escort home.
After that, people we knew in Izmir would not speak to my wife or me when we were in their shopping bazaar. It took over a month before they would finally talk to us. They said I was wrong to do what I did and they didn't want to know me anymore. After that I didn't want anything to do with basketball.
When the basketball season was over the Altinordu club was in a tie for the Turkey Cup for the basketball championship. One day Arif came by and said that Johrdram wanted to see me. I didn't know what he wanted so I went to Ataturk Park to meet with him. You don't just meet. You have to have tea, etc., before you start to talk. He told me he wanted me to coach his team in the play-offs. I told him I thought you did not want an American to coach his team. He told me if I coached them he would give me anything I wanted. I told him I really didn't want anything, but that I would think it over.
When I got home I told my wife about the meeting and his offer. She said she had always wanted a Turkish rug. So, I got back to him and told him I would do it for a rug for my wife. He agreed and I coached the team again. The first game was in Ankara and we won by a big score, which meant they couldn't lose the championship. They won the Turkey Cup Championship and my wife got a rug.
By this time I was really in the doghouse with my bosses. When it came time to be transferred home, the American Ambassador asked if I would be willing to extend my tour in Turkey. I told him if he could find me another job I would be happy to stay. He said he would check around and get back to me. A week later he called back and said he couldn't arrange it. So, I thanked him and said I would be leaving Turkey in August 1968.
Well, I was right. My performance report in one year went from outstanding, the highest ranking, to low very fine, which was a drop of four spaces. I did a good job for the Air Force. I had built a new NCO Club, Theatre and Youth Center, expanded the bowling lanes, and done my job. Besides that, I received a letter from the American Ambassador telling me what a great job I had done.
I guess this wouldn't have happened if I had not met Arif Ozkurt who was so sports minded. Without his friendship I'm sure my time being in Turkey would have been very boring. I'm also grateful to my wife for being so supportive of my endeavors.