Berke Büyüktuncel (born September 2, 2004) is a Turkish basketball player for the UCLA Bruins.
| No. 9 – UCLA Bruins | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Small forward | ||||||||||||||||||||
| League | Pac-12 Conference | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 2, 2004 Bursa, Turkey | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 215 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||||||||
| College | UCLA (2023–present) | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Playing career | 2021–present | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021–2023 | Tofaş | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medals
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Early life and career edit
Büyüktuncel was born and grew up in Bursa, Turkey.[1] He played for the youth teams of Tofaş S.K.[2] Büyüktuncel averaged 11.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks for the Under-19 team and made his Basketbol Süper Ligi debut with the senior team during the 2020–2021 season.[3]
College career edit
Büyüktuncel committed to play college basketball in the United States for UCLA and signed a National Letter of Intent on August 5, 2023.[4] He enrolled at UCLA in September 2023 after being granted his release from Tofaş. Büyüktuncel was not declared eligible to play by the NCAA before the start of the Bruins' 2023–24 season.[5] He was cleared to play three games into the season.[6] Hampered by injuries and uneven play, he averaged 4.5 points and 2.5 rebounds in 16.3 minutes per game.[7]
National team career edit
Büyüktuncel was named to the Turkey under-18 national team and played in the 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship. He was also selected as Turkey's team captain in the 2023 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup.[8]
References edit
- ^ "Berke Büyüktuncel kariyerine NCAA'de devam edecek". Bursa Hakimiyet (in Turkish). August 5, 2023. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ Terzi, Berkay (December 14, 2022). "Berke Buyuktuncel: The latest top product of Turkish Basketball". EuroHoops.net. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ Hein, David (February 14, 2022). "Berke Büyüktuncel: Made in Tofas". Championsleague.basketball. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (August 5, 2023). "UCLA adds Turkish star Berke Buyuktuncel to freshman class". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (October 27, 2023). "UCLA still awaiting NCAA clearance on freshmen Aday Mara and Berke Buyuktuncel". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
- ^ DeCourcy, Mike (November 19, 2023). "TSN exclusive: UCLA forward Berke Buyuktuncel cleared by NCAA to compete as freshman". Sporting News. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ^ Bolch, Ben (March 15, 2024). "'Everybody's a free agent': UCLA is headed for what might be its wildest offseason". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ Arslancan, Metin; Afşar, Sezer (July 5, 2023). "ABD'yi deviren U19 milliler, galibiyetin sırrını anlattılar" (in Turkish). Demirören News Agency. Retrieved October 27, 2023.