Dogus Balbay joins Texas Longhorns staff / News - Basketnews.com

Dogus Balbay, former Anadolu Efes Istanbul captain, made a return to his college years and joined the staff of the Texas Longhorns.

Credit: Sputnik-Scanpix Credit Sputnik-Scanpix

Previously the long-time player and captain of Anadolu Efes Istanbul, Dogus Balbay now entered a new phase in his career by re-visiting a familiar location: the Texas Longhorns.

Free throws this season

80%12,8Points made:12,8Accuracy:80,2%Place in standings:11Record max:26Record min:3Most made FTs:Shane LarkinTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

According to Inside Texas, Balbay joined the Texas Longhorns staff in a "support capacity" and will strive to help the team.

The Turkish guard does not have a specific job description, but he is tasked with aiding coach Rodney Terry, who once coached Balbay, in developing and mentoring players during the long NCAA season.

Terry briefly elaborated on Balbay's return.

"Dogus was one of those guys who came back this summer. He was still trying to decide whether or not he was going to retire or play one more season," explained Terry. "He visited with us about possibly embarking on a coaching career or still staying attached to the game in some capacity."

"The thing I said to him was go back home and decide what you want to do, and if you decide that you want to come back, we'd love to start trying to help you get started with your career in some capacity, whether that'd be in college, professionally where you're working as a scout, just let me know what you're trying to do and we'd be more than willing to try to help you get your career started," detailed the coach.

The American specialist also took his time to heap praise on Balbay, who is known for his defensive intensity and hustle plays, which he often demonstrated during his long stint with Anadolu Efes.

"Dogus was one of my all-time favorites to coach," began Terry, reflecting on the time when he was an assistant at the Longhorns. "A lot of times coaches don't want to say we have favorites, but Dogus Balbay is one of those kind of guys you want in the foxhole with you. He's one of the toughest guys I've ever had a chance to coach."

"I told him to come back and be around our program. He decided to retire, and said, 'You know what, coach, I just want to come back and be around in some capacity, see if I can mentor the young guys, and be around,'" Terry explained Balbay's rationale for returning to the Longhorns.

"We've been able to work through that a little bit. He's not a full-time guy on our staff, but he's a guy in a support role that really mentors our guys and does a good job communicating with them," Terry concluded, which is a summary of Balbay's work with the NCAA team.

Balbay, who is often not known for scoring, averaged 3.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 3 assists per game during his NCAA care r. He received the Big 12 All-Defense selection twice and was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in the 2010-11 season.

Starting with the 2011-12 season, Balbay remained with Anadolu Efes until his retirement in 2023. Throughout this long journey, he won two back-to-back EuroLeague championships, averaging 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds per game.

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