An analysis and evaluation of game philosophy and demographic characteristics of women?s basketball team coaches and players in Turkey and in the US

The purpose of this study is to contribute to the continuous development and modernization of basketball philosophy in Turkey. An analysis and evaluation of American and Turkish team philosophy and demographic backgrounds of coaches and athletes in elite women?s teams was conducted. The US was chosen because of its success in basketball.A questionnare, developed by the researcher, was administered to both American and Turkish players and coaches. The American sample contains 240 women basketball players and 24 women basketball team coaches from the National Collegiate Athletic Association, while the Turkish sample contains 128 women basketball players and 17 women basketball team coaches from the Turkish Women?s Basketball First League. Demographic information, attitudes towards basketball, and basketball philosophy were extracted from the questionnares employed and were statistically analysed using SPSS.Although information networks have greatly improved among countries in recent years, there is little comparative sports research conducted between countries and specifically none exist in the realm of basketball between the US and Turkey. The results of this study showed that while some similarities exist between both countries, significant differences shed light on success factors.In terms of similarities, the results show that both countries use technique and tactic to achieve practice and game success similiarly. Results also showed that the two countries have a common point of view on the mentality approach to basketball. This study found that the differences between the US and Turkey lay in economic, social and educational factors. This research is relevant to players interested in developing basketball techniques and for coaches interested in improving their basketball philosophy.Key Words: basketball philosophy, basketball player, coach education