UD women’s basketball delegation visits Turkey
Alena Koshansky, a recent UD graduate, is part of a contingent conducting clinics in Turkey.
8:55 a.m., June 14, 2007--A University of Delaware delegation that includes members of the women's basketball team is currently touring Turkey through a program led by Matt Robinson, director of UD's sport management program and the International Sports Institute.

The UD women's basketball contingent includes Head Coach Tina Martin, Associate Head Coach Jeanine Radice, recent graduate Alena Koshansky and current players Courtney Irving and Kyle DeHaven. Also traveling with the UD group is David Barlow, associate professor of health, nutrition and exercise science.

They are working with representatives of the Turkish Basketball Federation in conjunction with FIBA Europe's Year of Women's Basketball campaign and will conduct clinics for female coaches and players from June 12-20. Clinics are scheduled in Ankara, Adana, Istanbul, Kayseri and Nevsehir.

Members of the UD traveling party will write daily blogs about their experiences. The blogs will be posted daily on the UD athletics website [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].

Among the organizations sponsoring the trip are the Department of State, the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, the UD Alumni Association, the College of Health Sciences and the College of Arts and Sciences, the UD Center for International Studies, the UD men's and women's basketball programs, the UD International Sports Institute, the Turkish Basketball Federation and FIBA Europe.

In addition to Robinson, also organizing the trip are Emir Turam, director of international relations for the Turkish Basketball Federation; Elizabeth McCay, public affairs officer with the U.S. Embassy in Ankara and Tugba Karagulla, a member of the Turkish Basketball Federation who earned a master's degree from UD in 2006 and served as an assistant coach for the Fightin' Blue Hens.

At each site, balls, posters, and T-shirts will be provided to participants and UD players will share their experiences with their Turkish counterparts. In Adana, the group will christen two new outdoor basketball courts donated by the UD Alumni Association.

The trip is designed to promote the importance of sport participation for females in Turkey and cultural sharing between the U.S. and Turkey, and to continue to build upon existing relationships between the Turkish Basketball Federation and the University.

“This whole project is about a woman, Tugba Karagulla, with a vision and a group of committed people working together to make that vision a reality,” Robinson said. “We are so excited that Coach Martin, her staff, and players were willing to travel and give clinics and that we had so much support from the UD community. This project just reinforces the power sport has to bring people together to make a difference in the world.”