ISTANBUL, Turkey, JUNE 20 -- A group of 48 participants in the 12-14 age group from Greece and Turkey have been named for this year’s Basketball without Borders, a basketball camp July 4-8, in Istanbul, Turkey, it was announced Monday by the National Basketball Association and the United Nations.

The Hellenic and Turkish Basketball Federations chose 48 participants from Greece and Turkey based on their basketball and leadership skills. The campers will be divided into four teams (Grizzlies, Kings, Pistons and Suns) without regard to their nationality. In addition to basketball instruction and competition, the young players will share living quarters with their new teammates, eat three meals a day together and participate in seminars led by the United Nations intended to promote leadership, conflict resolution and living a healthy life without drugs.


Stojakovic

Turkoglu
The coaches for the camp include some of the NBA’s emerging stars. Peja Stojakovic (Sacramento Kings) is originally from Yugoslavia but played professional basketball in Greece and is fluent in Greek. Hedo Turkoglu (Sacramento Kings) is a native of Turkey and a key member of the Turkish national basketball team. Antonis Fotsis of the Memphis Grizzlies is of Greek descent. Turkish international players Mirsad Turkcan (CSKA Moscow) and Ibrahim Kutluay (Panathinaikos BSA Athens) and Greek international players Theodoros Papaloukas (Olympiakos Athens) and Dimitri Papanikolau (Olympiakos Athens) also will coach at the camp. Each professional player will be assigned to one of the camp teams and will work with the children individually.

The inaugural Basketball without Borders took place in July 2001 in Treviso, Italy, with Vlade Divac of the Sacramento Kings, Toni Kukoc of the Atlanta Hawks and five other NBA players from the former Yugoslavia uniting to work with 50 children from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, FYRO Macedonia, Slovenia and Yugoslavia. This year’s Basketball without Borders brings together 50 young Greeks and Turks who will be selected to participate on the basis of their basketball skills and leadership potential.

“I think that it's a great opportunity to connect kids to basketball just to have some fun times,” said Stojakovic. “We are going to try and overcome differences that Turkish and Greek people have.”

“[The children] watch on TV and read the news and they can pick up on all the political problems between Greece and Turkey,” said Turkoglu. “But this will show that the kids can be brought together.”

The Darussafaka Ayhan Sahenk facility in downtown Istanbul will host the Basketball without Borders in conjunction with the Turkish and Hellenic Basketball Federations and the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA). Corporate and foundation co-sponsors include Sprite Turkey, Nike, Champion Europe, Garanti Bank of Turkey, Spalding, Olympic Airways and the Stavros S. Niarchos Foundation.

The following is a complete list of the coaches and players participating in Basketball without Borders:

Team Coaches:

Detroit Pistons: Peja Stojakovic, Nikolaos Lizardos
Memphis Grizzlies: Antonis Fotsis, Mirsad Turkcan, Ali Ahn
Phoenix Suns: Ibrahim Kutluay, Theodoros Papaloukas, Ozan Havuzlu
Sacramento Kings: Hedo Turkoglu, Dimitri Papanikolau, Charissis Tassoulas

DETROIT PISTONS

Last Name First Name Team Country
Celtik, Zeynel Abidin Vestel, Turkey
Demirel, Azizcan Izmir Bsh. Bld., Turkey
Dimitriadis, Alexandros Marousi, Greece
Erdogan, Cagas Goztepe, Turkey
Gaidashov, Alexandros A.E.K.T., Greece
Ginopoulos, Anestis P.A.O.K., Greece
Koltsidopoulos, Ioannis Volos, Greece
Kouros, Georgios Hraklio, Greece
Mikedis, Romanos Glifada, Greece
Ozcan, Can Ulker, Turkey
Sirbo, Andreas Darussafaka, Turkey
Tunca, Deniz Ari Koleji, Turkey

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES

Last Name First Name Team Country
Brozos, Constantinos Madoulidis, Greece
Fragos, Dimostenis A.O. Galatsiou, Greece
Kabran, Kaan Oyak Renault, Turkey
Papathanasiou, Panagiotis P.O.X., Greece
Pekopoulos, Christos Chalkida, Greece
Pistolas, Giogios Peristeri, Greece
Sener, Ali Ufuk Besiktas, Turkey
Simsek, Murat Efes Pilsen, Turkey
Tahtadelen, Ugur Itu, Turkey
Tokcan, Volkan Altay, Turkey
Tzanis, Theodoros Aridea, Greece
Yonder, Burak Atayurt, Turkey

Phoenix Suns

Last Name First Name Team Country
Aviziotis, Ioannis Kalamata, Greece
Gen, Gokberk Troy Pilsner, Turkey
Goulas, Stylianos Larisa, Greece
Gulveren, Halit Onur Konya Yol Spor, Turkey
Gurtuna, Arda Ted Koleliler, Turkey
Kalaboukas, Andreas Siatista, Greece
Kalogiannidis, Apostolos Olibiada, Alexandroupolis Greece
Kekec, Guven Galatasaray, Turkey
Kodogiorgas, Andreas Panahaiki, Greece
Ozkaner, Can Mulkiye, Turkey
Savas, Erdeniz Darussafaka, Turkey
Skoufis, Dimitrios Panathinaikos, Greece

Sacramento Kings

Last Name First Name Team Country
Damalis, Ioannis Arhelaos, Greece
Dizar, Hayrettin Efes Pilsen, Turkey
Ekici, Yigit Buyuk Kolej, Turkey
Giannakidis, Mihalis Larisa, Greece
Karavasanis, Ioannis Niki Volou, Greece
Ozturk, Muratcan Tofas, Turkey
Sakellarakis, Marios Korinthos, Greece
Sarigozlu, Rahmi Karsiyaka, Turkey
Senalp, Ibrahim Fenerbache, Turkey
Sigounas, Alexandros Panionios, Greece
Tankci, Emre Turk Telekom, Turkey
Zabaras, Giorgios Glifada, Greece