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| Non-domestic players playing in the Turkish increased from five to six. Photo: Trendbasket. |
The number of foreign players in the Turkish Insurance Basketball Super League is expected to increase, Turkish outlet Trendbasket reports. The plans regarding the quota of foreign players and the number of teams in the league, which have been on the agenda recently in the Basketball Super League, are becoming clear.
Per the same report, the league intends to increase the number of foreign players that teams can have in their squad from five to six in the league competition. In addition, there will be no limit to the number of foreign basketball players teams will be allowed to register at the beginning of the season. Starting from the 2018-2019 season, every team in the Turkish BSL can sign up to ten non-Turkish players in a season and use five of them in a single game, per the Turkish Basketball Federation. Until 2018, the numbers were eight and six, respectively.
That's why Fenerbahce Beko head coach Dimitris Itoudis proposed that teams be allowed to use more non-domestic players in their BSL contests."I have to say that in a sport like basketball, where teams compete for certain positions, restrictions are placed for the benefit of the weak. When you put restrictions in this way, you support those who don't want to fight, the weak. I don't know, maybe they're afraid," Itoudis argued last January.
"Currently, the number of domestic players has decreased due to injuries, there may be more injuries in the next matches. I think it's time to review these restrictions," he added. Another issue on the agenda was the possibility of the league expanding to 18 teams. According to TrendBasket, the current number of 16 teams won't change in the following season.
The Turkish league playoffs are already underway, as title contenders Fenerbahce Beko and Anadolu Efes square off on Wednesday night (19:00 CET) at the Sinan Erdem, with their semi-final series tied at 1-1. The same goes for the series featuring Turk Telekom Ankara and Pinar Karsiyaka
