Samet Yigitoglu: SMU continues work with NCAA on Turkish big man's eligibility
Turkish big man Samet Yigitoglu, a 7-2, 265-pound center, is still awaiting word from the NCAA on if he’ll be eligible for SMU. Until then, he will not suit up for the Mustangs as the school continues to work on his status.
“SMU Athletics is continuing work through the NCAA on Samet Yigitoglu’s eligibility,” a statement said. “While the process is taking longer than we had hoped, we remain confident of his amateur status and hope that a resolution will come soon. While he continues to practice with our team, until he is cleared to play, he is unable to participate in games.”
SMU true freshman big man Mitchell Holmes is also not dressed for Monday night’s season opener for the program.
A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Yigitoglu is versatile in what he can provide to the Mustangs this season, if he’s indeed cleared like expected.
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“On the court, he’s a true low post threat,” Enfield said. “You throw the ball to him, he can score the ball himself. He’s an exceptional passer and he’s also very good on ball screen roles where he can catch the ball and make the right decision. He’s very skilled and very high IQ big man.”
Samet Yigitoglu averaged 13.3 points, 10.3 rebounds, 1.0 blocks and shot 82.6% on field goals in four games with Sigortam Istanbul in the Turkey in 2023-24. He also played for Turkey in the 2023 FIBA U20 European Championship in Greece, averaging 12.7 points and 8.6 rebounds while hitting 66.0% on field goals (33-50).
That type of experience is a piece of why the staff is excited for Yigitoglu.
“Generally, when you play on the club teams as an amateur overseas as a high school player, you play against older people and he’s had great experience playing against older, more mature players that know how to play the game the right way, that are physically mature,” Enfield said. “He’s a very tough young man, he’s physical. He can use his big body to gain angles. You can tell he’s played against some pretty good players just with his concepts and how he thinks the game.”
