UCAM is returning today from Turkey after a few days surrounded by pain and tension caused by the earthquake in Gaziantep
It is a little after 07:00 on Monday morning when the phone rings minutes before the horn blows that start the week for the UCAM Murcia expedition, who have already spent Sunday night in Istanbul, where they played their match of the third matchday of group L yesterday. played in the ‘top 16’ of the Champions League against Darüssafaka.
On the other end of the line, a voice of fear betrays that something is wrong before, in the few cracks left by nervousness, can tell what is happening on the other side of the country. Speaking is Caner Okutan, a ‘partner’ of the UCAM in Turkey and for many years a companion of his basketball team on trips to his country, three of which this season after visiting Bursa and Izmir.
It is precisely from this city, home of the Pinar Karsiyaka, that Okutan, the only supporter of UCAM in Turkey’s third largest city, calls. He informs his friends, whom he was supposed to meet that morning in Istanbul, that “a huge accident has happened”. Okutan cannot leave Izmir, where it hit the last deadly earthquake in October 2020 (with its epicenter on the Greek island of Samos) in a country that connects Europe to Asia and where earthquakes occur regularly. But none like this Monday.
Like Istanbul, Izmir is far enough from Gaziantep to regret this latest deadly earthquake, the most destructive since 1939. But the storm ravaging the country prevents the movement of Okutan, the first to alert the Murcians of a horror that “even He has left ten dead. As the minutes passed, the tens became hundreds and soon thousands. Buildings and even structures with more than 2000 years of history fell, such as the castle of Gaziantep, built by the Hittite Empire. When the UCAM receives the official notice of the postponement of the match, the number goes up to 2,600. Last night before 7,000. And it will continue to rise as the wind and snowstorms facilitate the rescue work of the missing in Turkey’s southeast and Syrian north. shock.
With no party and in a panicked country, UCAM tried to advance its return journey to yesterday morning, but flight cancellations due to bad weather made it impossible, and the only plane departing from Istanbul did not have enough tickets for the entire team. One of the UCAM sponsors, displaced in Turkey, did get a ticket, but his return was delayed by up to five hours between the weather conditions and a passenger’s severe anxiety attack.
There was nothing to do but continue for another day in Turkey and without much to do, because the temperatures in Istanbul dropped to negative values, it was snowing and the wind was blowing hard. Time at the hotel facilitates interaction with its employees, where the university expedition finds particularly harsh testimony. It is that of one of the waiters, who was born and raised in Gaziantep and who, while pouring coffee, tells that he has been informed of ten deaths among relatives and friends, and knows that at any moment the telephone may ring again for a new dueling. They are terrible moments.
In the capital of southeastern Anatolia last year played Ryan Luther, the UCAM member most affected by a “crazy” accident, he confesses. “As soon as I found out, I contacted my teammates, who were fortunately safe in Istanbul after a game,” says the American power forward, confirming that “my heart goes out to them, the fans and everyone I met last time.” met. years in Turkey.” How could it be otherwise, he understands that “there are much more important things than basketball, it’s time to support the Turkish people.”
Those of Sito Alonso ended their most tedious journey today by flying from Istanbul to Valencia for the subsequent bus journey to Murcia. Thus they end a few days in Istanbul that they will never be able to forget. They didn’t play the game they were going to play, but the memory of what they experienced on Turkish soil will stay with them for a lifetime.
UCAM has been training in Darüssafaka’s facilities ahead of Sunday’s match against Real Madrid. Without a European match against Darüssafaka, a match for which no date has yet been set and which will be very difficult to fit into the calendar, Sito Alonso’s men changed the chip yesterday and started preparing for the match they will face on Sunday. measure at 6:30 pm. hour against Real Madrid (Palacio de Deportes, 6.30pm), the last one before the cup break and the ‘FIBA windows’. For example, the Murcians have continued to train in the facilities of Darüssafaka, which the Ayhan Sahenk Spor Salonu has loaned to UCAM, where they play their Turkish league matches. The Volkswagen Arena, one of the most beautiful stadiums in European basketball, is where the European competition takes place.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
