Inside The Rockets

LISTEN: Rockets Center Alperen Sengun Looks Strong in Turkey's EuroBasket Opener

Sengun started and shined in the win.

Jeremy Brener

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
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The Houston Rockets are gearing up for training camp at the end of the month, but one player in particular is doing so in an intense way.

Rockets second-year pro Alperen Sengun is set to be the team's starting center this season, but before he takes on that role in the NBA, he's doing so for his home country and the Turkish National Team in EuroBasket 2022.

Sengun started in Turkey's opener against Montenegro Thursday, playing 30 of 40 minutes and scoring 12 points in the team's 72-68 victory. He started alongside Cleveland Cavaliers wing Cedi Osman and Philadelphia 76ers sharpshooter Furkan Korkmaz.

Osman scored 15 while Korkmaz added nine, including this buzzer beater at the end of the game to put the exclamation point on the victory.

Turkey plays five pool games in its group in hopes to be one of the top four teams to advance to the knockout phase of the tournament. The team plays its second game of pool play Saturday at 7:30 a.m. against Bulgaria.

On the latest episode of The Dream Take Podcast, I talked about Sengun's EuroBasket run, why fans should tune in and watch and what to expect in the games to come. I also touched briefly on the team's new green San Diego Rockets throwback jerseys and whether it has anything to do with the resurgence and marketing of Jalen Green.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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