Controversy looms as Gülen follower Enes Kanter left out of national team

Oklahoma City Thunder center Enes Kanter?s exclusion from the national team squad has rocked Turkish basketball ahead of the upcoming European Championships.

National team coach Ergin Ataman said Kanter was left out of the 20-man initial squad because ?he did not apologize? for incidents in the past, while the 23-year-old player, an open supporter of U.S.-based Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen, claimed the decision was based on his political views.

?I wish that the decision and statement on this subject had been a professional one that suited the national team,? Kanter wrote on his Twitter account late on June 23 after the squad was announced. 

?The reasons presented do not reflect the truth, the reason I was not included in the squad is the values I believe in and my political stance,? he added.

Kanter, who had a fruitful season for the Thunder, averaging 15.5 points and 8.9 rebounds, is a follower of Fethullah Gülen and a frequent visitor to his house in Pennsylvania. 

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has been trying to crush the Gülen movement, which was close to the party for years, arguing that the group had created a ?parallel state? within the state institutions, while the movement?s members, who call themselves ?Hizmet? (Service) volunteers, claim the AKP is trying to cover up a massive graft probe launched in December 2013, with its operations. Several names, including police chiefs, judges and prosecutors, are currently under arrest for their alleged roles in the ?parallel state.?

Coach Ataman said the decision was not political. 

?I wanted to have a close relationship with Enes since I took over the job last year, but could not get any response,? he said after announcing the squad, which...