What are the aims of the Pass The Ball project?

Pass the Ball takes place with the attendance of well-known, influential players and personalities in the world of basketball every year. Following the opening, there is a tournament which lasts for around a week, and several trips around Istanbul for visitors are also a part of the project, as facilitated by the organising team.

 The aim of the project is to unite players with fewer opportunities with those who have many under the same roof by inviting teams, each with very talented players, from Eastern Anatolia and the Balkans and to create cultural interaction between all parties present.

 Our project bears no aim for profit and works completely on a volunteering basis. Our club accounts for all costs for accommodation, food, and transport for those attending.

From which countries and cities has our project accommodated players until now?

We have accommodated players from Germany, Macedonia, Serbia, Lebanon, Croatia, Slovenia and Greece internationally, and also from Diyarbakır, Malatya, Muş, Erzurum, Erzincan, Elazığ, Mardin, Urfa, Hakkari and Tunceli from Anatolia. We have also had guests such as Zeljko Obradovic, Murat Murathanoğlu, İbrahim Kutluay, Sinan Güler, Hidayet Türkoğlu, and Harun Erdenay on our opening nights and throughout the tournament at our school.

During the first days of our project, two basketball teams from Hakkâri in 2011 and Elazığ in 2012 were invited to The Koç School for a week of an intensive basketball camp. Alongside the camp, several seminars regarding basketball training in speakers’ respective cities were given. Prominent names in basketball such as Hidayet Türkoğlu, Sinan Güler, Semih Erden, Ender Arslan and Harun Erdenay attended the opening night and many others throughout the duration of the tournament. The organisation drew much attention from the media.

In 2013, many basketball players from Ljubljana, Belgrade, Skopje, Zagreb, Şanlıurfa, Erzurum and Mardin attended a tournament of an international scale. In the summer tournament, the coach of the Fenerbahçe Men’s A Team, Zeljko Obradovic and CSKA Moscow’s coach Dimitris Itoudis came together for numerous training sessions with players and appeared in an interview together. Lig TV screened the interview made in the context of the tournament.

In 2014, the opening cocktail took place with well-known personalities in basketball attending such as basketball players İbrahim Kutluay and Lazaros Papadopoulos and referees Recep Ankaralı and Rüştü Nuran at the Martı İstanbul Hotel. An international tournament was organised with guests from Greece, Muş, Slovenia, Elazığ, Erzincan and Serbia. Throughout the duration of the activity, Istanbul in Turkey, which connects Europe, Asia and Africa and is home to a myriad of cultures was introduced to international guests.

In 2015, the opening cocktail which took place on the V.K.V Koç High School campus initiated the event which hosted guests from Belgrade, Skopje, Zagreb, Tunceli, Istanbul and Erzincan, with the attendance of the DBB team. Teams such as OKK Beograd and Cedevita Zagreb, who have competed in leagues such as the Euroleague and Eurobasket sent 5 players each to compete in the tournament. In the tournament which lasted 3 days, short training sessions in the mornings alongside 3v3 matches were played and guests were shown the cultural and historical attractions of Istanbul in the evenings.

In 2016, it was decided that the focus of the project would be more on educational aspects. 40 primary school/middle school students from locations in Anatolia with more limited opportunities were accommodated at Istanbul. Students coming with teachers from Van, Diyarbakır, and Tunceli were hosted as guests at The Koç School. Training sessions and several matches were organised for guest players.

Similarly, in 2017, 40 students from primary schools in Diyarbakır, Elazığ and Tunceli were invited. Guests were given intensive training during the event and several matches and tournaments were also organised.

In the 2018 term, players and coaches from Malatya, Elazığ, Tunceli, Germany, and Serbia were accommodated. After the matches, guests were taken to see the historical attractions of Istanbul.

How could I get into contact with Pass the Ball Project executives?

You may contact us through our e-mail address: passtheball@stu.kocschool.k12.tr