“The biggest challenge is to find the right people for one’s team.”
Having started off as a professional basketball player, Derya Yannier is now the general manager of Fenerbahçe Beko Basketball Club and offers a unique all-around perspective.
What were the milestones in your journey?
Growing up, I had to follow the footsteps of an academically successful sister and keep up with my athletic goals – an impossible challenge! I went to the States for one year in college to balance things up, but it was not the ideal solution for my basketball career, and I came back.
When I was 25 years old, I decided that the moment that I felt I could not become top level, I would make a change. Therefore, when I had a knee injury at 27, I started my business life. I tried for two years to discover my passion. After trying several different fields, I realized that I could not stay away from my childhood passion.
I ended up in the management side of basketball- first by purchasing the management rights of a club with other RC graduates, then working at the Turkish Basketball Federation as the Super League Director and now as the General Manager of Fenerbahçe Beko.
What challenges do you face now in your current role?
I have to manage marketing, ticketing, digital marketing and media, youth program, finances and the politics. The biggest challenge is to build a strong team and find the right people.
How do you see the future of basketball in Turkey ?
There is strong investment in sports in Turkey. The biggest thing missing is the cultural element. We mostly enjoy or follow sports only around winning or losing. Basketball in Europe is going through a lot of challenges at the moment. There might be some structural changes in the European basketball landscape. Turkish basketball will hopefully have an even bigger piece of the cake.
Any memories from RC that stand out?
Robert College gives you the opportunity to taste a variety of things, including sports, at a very large scale. In RC I had the privilege to play table tennis, floor hockey, soft ball and much more. The Field Days gave us the opportunity to unite around different kinds of sports.
Mr. Phillips was a great teacher, guide, brother and father. After Orta where I did not play for the school team, everything was finally set for me to join the school team and I arranged my club practice schedule accordingly . For my first school practice somehow I misunderstood the time and was late. When I arrived at the gym, Mr. Phillips had given a speech to the team about my lack of discipline and written on the board with capital letters ‘MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY’. It was quite a shocking moment, but afterwards we had an incredible relationship.
Any advice to RC students?
Starting from the worldview it provides to the close links the graduates sustain, RC is truly unique. When you are young, you may just look forward to finishing your academic duties. However, you understand later what a privilege you had. My message to all current RC students would be to make the most of every moment and build as many close friendships as you can. You will build on this foundation for the rest of your lives.
