Ergin Ataman
Ergin Ataman ( born January 7, 1966 in Istanbul ) is a Turkish former basketball player and current coach of the basketball team of Galatasaray Istanbul and since March 2014 Head coach of the Turkish national team.
- 3.1 As a coach
Career as a player
His career as a player he began in 1978 at Eczacıbaşı and continued it at Yeşilyurt.
Career as a coach
Ataman began his coaching career in the youth department of Eczacıbaşı and moved in 1990 to Efes Pilsen. There, too, he first worked in the field of youth, but was appointed to the 1991-1992 season for assistant coach of Aydın Ors. 1996 could Ataman with the team win the Korać Cup, the then third largest European Cup in basketball. After that season he joined Türk Telekom and was able to secure second place in the league and thus a starting place in the Euro League in his first season. At the European Championships in 1997, he worked as an assistant coach for the Turkish national team.
In the 1998-1999 season he coached any team. Instead, he devoted himself to the theoretical study of Basketball in Stanford University in the United States.
The first successes as head coach
After a few weeks of continuous employment with Pınar Karşıyaka, Ataman was brought to the 1999-2000 season again to Efes Pilsen. This time he got the post of head coach. Already this season he made his team a place in the Final Four of the Euro League. In the next season, Efes Pilsen won the Turkish President's Cup. In February 2001, Ataman left the club and was replaced by Oktay Mahmuti.
Ataman decided to continue his career in Europe and coached from 2001 the Italian club Montepaschi Siena. In 2002 he won the Saporta Cup with Siena and won both the first trophy for the Tuscan club, as well as the most important to date trophy of his coaching career. In the next season he again succeeded in moving into the Final Four. For the 2003-2004 season the Istanbul moved back to his home and trained for three years Ülkerspor. There, he won twice the Turkish and the President Cup.
Second coaching job in Italy and again return to Turkey
In November 2006, Ataman moved again to Italy. This time he was hired by Climamio Bologna.
But a year later, he returned to his hometown and coached Beşiktaş Cola Turka from then on. 2007-2008 Beşiktaş was able to conclude the regular season as the league leader. The championship, however they could not decide for themselves, as it was eliminated in the play- offs. Also in Europe Ataman was successful this season. The ULEB Cup is different only in the quarter- final against the other representatives of Turkey Galatasaray after they had completed the group stage with ten wins masterfully as the leader.
His first championship celebrated Ataman 2009 Efes Pilsen, to which he was a year before returned. That same season, he managed to win the Turkish Cup. In 2010 he was brought back from Beşiktaş. In 2012 he succeeded the sensation and he took it surprisingly the championship. It was the first in 37 years for the Istanbul giants. He also won in the same season, the Euro Challenge and thus as the first Turkish coach his second European title. To the next season moved to city rivals Galatasaray Ataman Liv Hospital and was the championship again to decide for themselves in which they defeated in the final of the play-offs Banvitspor.
Turkish national team
In March 2014 Ataman was appointed head coach of the Turkish national basketball team. It was announced that he intended to train the team for three years. The Turkish Football Federation was up to Ataman's inaugural 190 days long without head coach after Bogdan Tanjevic had announced his resignation after the European Championships in 2013.
Achievements
As a coach
- Turkey, Türk Telekom Turkish President's Cup: 1 ( 1997)
- Saporta Cup: 1 ( 2002)
- Turkish Cup: 2 ( 2004, 2005)
- Turkish President Cup: 2 (2004, 2005)
- Turkish Cup: 1 (2009)
- Turkish President Cup: 2 (2000, 2009)
- Turkish Cup: 1 (2009)
- Turkish Cup: 1 (2012 )
- Turkish Cup: 1 (2012 )
- Euro Challenge: 1 (2012 )
- Turkish Cup: 1 ( 2013)