Fatih Solak (born July 25, 1980) is a Turkish professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player. He stands 2.13 m tall making him a

Center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

. He also has a very impressive physique and weighs 125 kg.

Pro career

In the past, he has also played for Ülkerspor and Beşiktaş Istanbul again of the Turkish league. Solak has always identified his ambition as playing in the

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...

, in which other Turkish National players

Mehmet Okur Mehmet Murat Okur (born 26 May 1979) is a Turkish former professional basketball player. Listed at , he played as a Power forward (basketball), power forward and Center (basketball), center. Okur is known for his three-point shooting and abili ...

Ersan İlyasova Ersan İlyasova (born 15 May 1987) is a Turkish professional basketball player who last played for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has previously played in Turkey, Spain and the NBA Development League. Professional ...

and Hidayet Türkoğlu are currently playing. Fatih Solak only started playing basketball at the age of seventeen, in which he had a height of 6 feet 3 (1.90 metres). Ever since his first year in basketball, Fatih Solak has developed vastly and has become an established figure for the Turkish National team. Due to his success in blocking, rebounds and 2.08 figure, Solak has been likened to

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member team of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Southwest Divisio ...

legend

Dikembe Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (born June 25, 1966) is a Congolese-American former professional basketball player. Mutombo played 18 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Outside basketball, he has becom ...

. Fatih is proud of being likened to one of his

idols and aims to continue producing the performances that has made him this popular with Turkish fans. Solak's average stats for the 2006–2007 season is as follows: 7.75 points, 6.5 rebounds, 4.1 blocks per game; which is deemed to be successful by his coach at Galatasaray Cafe Crown Murat Özyer. Fatih Solak has always thanked former coach Selcuk Ernak who is believed to have helped in Fatih's development as one of Turkey's top centres. Selçuk Ernak is the current

coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Co ...

at Banvitspor. Murat Özyer, his

Galatasaray Café Crown Galatasaray S.K., is a professional basketball team based in the city of Istanbul in Turkey. It is a part of the Galatasaray Sports Club. The team competes in the Turkish Basketball Super League and Basketball Champions League. The team has won ...

, has also received a mention from Fatih for consistently giving him enough minutes on the field. In June 2008, Fatih Solak transferred to

Aliağa Petkim Aliağa Gençlik S.K., known as Aliağa Petkim for sponsorship reasons, was a professional basketball team from the district of Aliağa in İzmir, Turkey. Their home arena was the Enka Sport Hall with a capacity of 2,500 seats. The team competes ...

. For the 2010–11 season he signed with

Türk Telekom B.K. Türk Telekom Basketbol Kulübü (English: Turk Telekom Basketball Club) is a professional basketball team that is based in Ankara, Turkey. The team is currently playing in the Turkish Basketball Super League. It is a branch of the Türk Telekom G ...

Turk Telekom inks center Fatih Solak

Turkish national team

Fatih Solak was part of the Turkish national team that achieved sixth spot in the

2006 FIBA World Championship The 2006 FIBA World Championship was the 15th FIBA World Championship, the international basketball world championship for men's national teams. The tournament was hosted by Japan and held from 19 August to 3 September 2006. It was co-organised ...

in Japan. He is best known for his amazing

block Block or blocked may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Block programming, the result of a programming strategy in broadcasting * W242BX, a radio station licensed to Greenville, South Carolina, United States known as ''96.3 ...

s and rebounds, and also contributes to the attack. Fatih Solak has been recently known for his close friendship with fellow National Team Player

Ermal Kurtoğlu Ermal Kuqo ( tr, Ermal Kurtoğlu; born February 12, 1980) is a retired Albanian-Turkish professional basketball player who played the majority of his career for Efes Pilsen. He is also a basketball executive for the Los Angeles Clippers of the N ...

. Solak most recently (2008 September) represented Turkey in the Division A Eurobasket Qualification tournament. Turkey won all her 6 games, against France, Belgium and Ukraine. Fatih Solak impressed especially in the last game of the group matches against France. Turkey won in France 80 to 78 and Fatih Solak recorded in this game 16 points, 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. If he continues to play at this level he can be a dominant force for Turkey at the 2009 European Championship that Turkey has qualified for as the leader of its group of four.

References

External links

Player profile at www.TBLStat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solak, Fatih 1980 births Living people Aliağa Petkim basketball players Beşiktaş men's basketball players Galatasaray S.K. (men's basketball) players Kepez Belediyesi S.K. players People from Kayseri Turkish men's basketball players Türk Telekom B.K. players Ülker G.S.K. basketball players Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for Turkey Competitors at the 2009 Mediterranean Games 2006 FIBA World Championship players Mediterranean Games medalists in basketball Centers (basketball)