Rockets Alperen Sengun Shines In Turkish National Team Win Over Ukraine

Houston Rockets second-year prospect Alperen Sengun helped lead the Turkish national team to a comeback victory over Ukraine.

HOUSTON — Alperen Sengun has spent parts of the offseason participating in the Houston Rockets' voluntary workout programs. Coach Stephen Silas and the rest of his staff put together an offseason workout program to get a head start on preparation for the 2022-23 campaign. 

But Sengun is already showcasing the benefits of his offseason training with the Rockets. On Thursday, Sengun led the Turkish national team to a 96-70 prep win over Ukraine in Istanbul. Sengun scored 15 points and pulled down three rebounds in the win.

Since the start of the Rockets' offseason training in May, Houston's training program has not been lite. Assistant coach John Lucas has been at the forefront of conducting practices — which have included conditioning, on-court drills and weight training.

"We are working with John Lucas II, and he is crazy," Sengun said in May. "I had to do this practice, and I am starting to feel better. I can train in Turkey. But when I'm training in the states, I am with other NBA players — my teammates."

Sengun's play against Ukraine was a bit different than the performance he illustrated with the Rockets during his rookie season. He was more aggressive with his scoring, which led to Sengun not distributing the ball to display his playmaking.   

He finished the game with one assist in the win. Sengun led the Turkish national team to a comeback victory after trailing Ukraine 22-12 late in the first quarter.

Cleveland Cavaliers Cedi Osman led Turkey in scoring with a game-high 17 points. Philadelphia 76ers Furkan Korkmaz added to Turkey's victory over Ukraine with 14. 

Sengun and the Turkish national team will return to action Friday in a match against NBA All-Star Luka Doncic and Slovenia.

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You can follow Coty Davis on Twitter @CotyDavis_24

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