Kemal Pasinli '26 Recruiting Profile

Jan 10, 2024.  It is the day I will never forget.

It was the day I doubted myself, my dreams, and whether all my sacrifices were worth it. That day, we played with Fenerbahce (number one team in U16 in Turkey, undefeated), and most coaches and scouts were coming to watch the game. I was told that I will play against my peers to be selected in the national team, and this was the game to show my abilities and prove myself.

We lost by 40 points and I played far below my potential. I was truly shattered.

Since I was a little kid, even the name basketball excited me. Eventually, that excitement turned into passion and dedication for the game,  and I decided to pursue a career and life in  basketball. I switched from the school team to the TED Club team, started practicing 6-8 times a week, attended 2-3 practices a day all throughout the summer. In addition, I did fitness and strengthening sessions and went early to practice to be able to work on my shooting. I entirely changed my diet in line with the high-performance athletes. I was fully committed to my dream.

Things were going well. We were the only selected team from Turkey to participate in the Jr. NBA finals tournament in Valencia, Spain. I was selected to  the all-star team. In that season, although I was 15, I was in the starting five in both U16 and U18. I had a shot at the national team.

Coming back to that auspicious day, after loosing to Fenerbahe on Jan 10, I realized something was missing. In order to start a mental transformation along with a physical one, I started reading about the lives of great players and also the habits of mentally strong people. As a result, the concept of ‘Deep Game’ came into my life.

I realized basketball was not only about hard work, discipline and athletic abilities. There also was a side of basketball that is played with the mind. I started investing my time and energy  to the mental side of the game as much as I do on the court.  As I shifted my mentality to deep game, I moved my focus from being the ‘best ever’ to ‘becoming better than yesterday’. I learned the importance of not being too low when losing and too high when winning. I discovered the value of meditation and being present, versus overthinking.

The things I learned through basketball went far beyond it and changed not only my game buy also my grades and how I perceive life. My grades improved significantly while my dedication and motivation deepened.

In 2023-2024 season, we became the Istanbul European Regional Champions, which led us to play in the A league (best U18 league) this season. I am proud to say that I significantly contributed to this outstanding achievement.

Nov 7, 2024, was the day we played again against Fenerbahce, the same team we lost to nine months ago. This time we won by 61-54, and I played remarkably, scoring 16 points and getting 10 rebounds (best in these categories in both teams). These experiences taught me to be humble when winning and grateful for further learning when even losing.

I want to transfer the lessons I learned – dedication, hard work and modesty - to the college level. I want to become the best version of myself on the court and in the class. I look forward to finding the right fit at the highest possible competition.