Cem Dinç

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Cem Dinç, (born on July 23, 1985 in Bassum, Germany), is a Turkish-German basketball player in the Frontcourt Positions. In his first NCAA season in 2005/2006, he played for the Indiana Hoosiers at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana, U.S.. He transferred to Marshalltown Community College in Iowa, U.S., for the 2006/2007 season. After graduating from Marshalltown Community College, Cem enrolled at Harvard University in the fall of 2007, being expected to graduate with an A.B. in Economics as a member of the class of 2010. Since July 2005, the 2.10 m (6 feet 11 inches) tall player is also member of the Turkish National Team.

Cem was born into a family of Turkish father and German mother, growing up in Germany. His father, a medical doctor, was a former national champion and world-class track star in the 110 m hurdles. Cem played high school basketball at Landschulheim Schloss Heesen in Hamm, Germany, and led his high school team to an undefeated record and a national championship in 2002. His father helped him work on his strength, speed, and agility by focusing on sprints and plyometrics. This increased his explosiveness and jumping ability, making him an excellent athlete for a player of his size. Cem runs the 100 m in 10.8 seconds.

After playing on several teams in Germany and the German 2. Bundesliga for a while at UBC Münster, Cem moved to the United States, signing with the Indiana Hoosiers at Indiana University, following his nomination to the Turkish National Basketball Team. Cem Dinç was discovered for the Turkish National Team after he graduated from high school in 2005. He was named to the Turkish team in order to participate in the European Basketball Championship 2005, Serbia, as well as the World Basketball Championship in 2006, Japan. He played together with NBA stars Hedo Türkoğlu (Orlando Magic), Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz), and Turkish basketball legend Mirsad Türkcan on the Turkish team. Cem gained more experience matching up against NBA players such as Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) and Andrei Kirilenko (Utah Jazz), playing together with Türkoğlu and Okur in the Efes World Cup, a tournament which features some of the best national teams in the world. Cem was a member of the 2005 and 2006 Turkish National Teams, which won the gold medal in both tournaments.

[edit] References

• Report on 2006 Turkish National Basketball Team (in Turkish)
• Indiana University's official press release after signing Cem Dinç
• Report on Cem Dinç's departure from Indiana University to Marshalltown Community College
• Marshalltown Community College Report on Cem Dinç being accepted at Harvard University