Alperen Şengün Has High Praise For Ime Udoka
Houston Rockets and Turkish National Team center Alperen Şengün has high praise for his first-year head coach Ime Udoka.
Şengün, who has been a professional basketball player since 2018 when he was playing in Turkey, calls Udoka “the perfect coach.”
“They’re all helping us. Like, Ime’s a perfect coach. He’s the best coach I ever had, probably,” Şengün said. “But not just Ime. Our whole coaching staff is amazing. Everybody’s doing a great job. Everybody wants to win. I’ve never seen a coaching staff like this in my life. And when you see, you understand. They’re tough. They’re talking to us. They’re not scared of anything.”
Şengün played for three teams back in his home country of Turkey, before getting drafted by the Oklahoma City Thunder back with the No. 16 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Şengün was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets for future first-round picks on draft night.
Şengün’s first two pro teams in Turkey, Teksüt Bandırma and Beşiktaş, have seen multiple coaches for the Turkish National. In his time in Houston, Şengün has played for two coaches: Stephen Silas — who is currently an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons — and Udoka.
Şengün will have to pick up the game due to the Rockets losing power forward Tari Eason the rest of the season due to a knee injury. The 21-year-old is averaging 21.2 points, 9.4 total rebounds and five assists this season, shooting 53.7 percent from the floor and 69.7 percent from the free-throw in his first season with Udoka, considerable improvements from his first two NBA seasons.
Udoka and the Rockets are currently 12th in the Western Conference at 28-35, fighting to try for the No. 10 seed, the fourth-and-final play-in spot.
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