Ufuk Sarıca

Ufuk Sarıca
Pınar Karşıyaka
Position	Head coach
League	Basketbol Süper Ligi
Personal information
Born	June 13, 1972 (age 52); Istanbul, Turkey
Listed height	1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Career information
Playing career	1989–2004
Number	15
Coaching career	2006–present
Career history
As player:
1989–1999	Efes Pilsen
1999–2001	Ülkerspor
2001	Bnei Herzliya
2001	Montepaschi Siena
2001–2002	Pınar Karşıyaka
2002–2003	Darüşşafaka
2003–2004	Beşiktaş
As coach:
2006–2007	Beşiktaş (assistant)
2007	Beşiktaş
2007–2008	Beşiktaş (assistant)
2008–2011	Anadolu Efes (assistant)
2011–2012	Anadolu Efes
2012–2016	Pınar Karşıyaka
2014–2017	Turkey (assistant)
2016–2018	Beşiktaş
2017–2020	Turkey
2019–present	Pınar Karşıyaka
Career highlights and awards
	As player: 6× Turkish League champion (1992–1994, 1996, 1997, 2001); 4× Turkish Cup winner (1994, 1996–1998); 3× Turkish President's Cup winner (1993, 1995, 1998); FIBA Korać Cup champion (1996); As head coach: Turkish League champion (2015); Turkish Cup winner (2014); Turkish President's Cup winner (2014);

Ufuk Sarıca (born June 13, 1972) is a Turkish former professional basketball player and current head coach of Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).

Playing career

Sarıca began his career at the age of 16 at Efes Pilsen's Youth Team, and played for Efes for 11 consecutive seasons. During his time at Efes, he won the Korać Cup in 1996, beating Italian side Olimpia Milano at the two-legged final. While with Efes Pilsen he reached the European Cup final as well as playing in the EuroLeague Quarter-finals 4 times (3 of these quarterfinals were consecutive between 1997 and 1999). He was part of the strong Efes roster along with Hidayet Türkoğlu, Ömer Onan, and Hüseyin Beşok. He left the team in the summer of 1999 after important members of the legendary Efes Team of 1996, Tamer Oyguç, Murat Evliyaoğlu, and Volkan Aydın, were let go from the club.

He joined Ülkerspor where he won the Turkish League title during the 2000–2001 season. As Harun Erdenay became more influential in the forward position his playing time was limited and as such he moved to Israeli side Bnei Herzliya. This was followed by a short spell at Montepaschi Siena.

After Siena, Sarica returned to Turkey and played at Pınar Karşıyaka, Darüşşafaka, and Beşiktaş Cola Turka, each for a single season, after which he retired.

Coaching career

First years

Sarıca began his post-retirement career as the assistant of Murat Didin at Beşiktaş. When Didin left the club in March 2007, Sarıca was appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season. Then he worked with Ergin Ataman as assistant coach at Beşiktaş again where they reached the TBL play-off semi-finals in the 2007-08 season. Ataman left the Beşiktaş and joined Efes Pilsen at the end of the season and Sarıca joined Efes Pilsen as the assistant coach of Ataman once again.^[1] He became head coach on an interim basis during the 2010–11 season and was handed the role as permanent head coach in June 2011.

Karşıyaka

On July 17, 2012, he signed a two-year contract with Pınar Karşıyaka.^[2] He won the Turkish Cup championship in the 2013–14 season. On June 5, 2014, he signed an extension contract with Pınar Karşıyaka until 2015. On June 19, 2015, he won the Turkish League championship in 2014–15 season by beating Fenerbahçe Ülker and Efes Pilsen in semifinals and finals.^[3]

Beşiktaş

He signed a three-year contract with Beşiktaş on August 2, 2016.^[4]

Return to Karşıyaka

On June 25, 2019, he has signed 3-years deal with former team Pınar Karşıyaka.^[5]

Achievements

As player

Turkish League (with Efes Pilsen: 1991–92, 1992–93, 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97; with Ülkerspor: 2000–01)
Turkish Cup (with Efes Pilsen: 1993–94, 1995–96, 1996–97, 1997–98)
Turkish Basketball President's Cup (with Efes Pilsen: 1993, 1996, 1998)
Korać Cup: (with Efes Pilsen: 1995–96)