James Metecan Birsen (born April 6, 1995) is a Turkish-Irish[1] professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League (BSL) and the EuroLeague. Standing at 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m), he plays at the small forward and power forward positions.
Professional career
Birsen grew up with the Fenerbahçe Ülker juniors team and he made his debut with Fenerbahçe during the 2011–12 season. On 26 August 2014, he was loaned for a season to Olin Edirne, later renamed as Eskişehir Basket.[2][3] Then Olin Edirne relocated to Eskişehir as Eskişehir Basket. Over 23 Turkish League games played in the 2014–15 season, he averaged 3.1 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
On 12 June 2018, Birsen was announced by Anadolu Efes, where he signed a 2-year contract.[4]
On July 17, 2019, he has signed 1-year deal with Pınar Karşıyaka of the Turkish Super League.[5]
On June 29, 2021, Birsen signed a three-year (2+1) deal with Fenerbahçe of the Turkish Super League and the EuroLeague, returning to the club after six seasons.[6] On May 30, 2023, he renewed his contract through 2026.
Turkish national team
He has been member of the Turkish Under-16 and Under-18 national team.[7] He won the bronze medal at the 2010 European U-16 Championship.
Career statistics
| GP | Games played | GS | Games started | MPG | Minutes per game |
| FG% | Field-goal percentage | 3P% | 3-point field-goal percentage | FT% | Free-throw percentage |
| RPG | Rebounds per game | APG | Assists per game | SPG | Steals per game |
| BPG | Blocks per game | PPG | Points per game | PIR | Performance Index Rating |
| Bold | Career high |
EuroLeague
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG | PIR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–14 | Fenerbahçe | 8 | 1 | 5.5 | .286 | .000 | .500 | 1.1 | — | .4 | .1 | 0.6 | 0.5 |
| 2018–19 | Anadolu Efes | 9 | 1 | 3.9 | .600 | .333 | — | .4 | .3 | — | .1 | 1.4 | 1.4 |
| 2021–22 | Fenerbahçe | 14 | 0 | 7.9 | .250 | .222 | .333 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | — | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| 2022–23 | 28 | 3 | 7.7 | .345 | .323 | .667 | 1.5 | .3 | .1 | .0 | 2.0 | 1.5 | |
| Career | 59 | 5 | 6.9 | .352 | .289 | .529 | 1.2 | .3 | .1 | .1 | 1.5 | 1.1 | |
Basketball Champions League
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–21 | Karşıyaka | 14 | 7 | 21.8 | .432 | .300 | .800 | 5.5 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 6.4 |
| Career | 14 | 7 | 21.8 | .432 | .300 | .800 | 5.5 | .9 | .4 | .1 | 6.4 | |
FIBA Europe Cup
| Year | Team | GP | GS | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019–20 | Karşıyaka | 14 | 10 | 22.4 | .427 | .300 | .786 | 5.4 | 1.9 | .7 | .5 | 8.7 |
| Career | 14 | 10 | 22.4 | .427 | .300 | .786 | 5.4 | 1.9 | .7 | .5 | 8.7 | |
Domestic leagues
| † | Denotes seasons in which Birsen won the domestic league |
| Year | Team | League | GP | MPG | FG% | 3P% | FT% | RPG | APG | SPG | BPG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011–12 |  Fenerbahçe |
TBL | 2 | 2.7 | .000 | .000 | — | .5 | — | — | — | 0.0 |
| 2012–13 | İstanbul BB |
TB2L | 17 | 12.6 | .478 | .250 | .613 | 3.6 | .6 | .1 | .1 | 5.2 |
| 2012–13 | Fenerbahçe |
TBL | 6 | 4.4 | .556 | .333 | .500 | .7 | .3 | .2 | — | 2.3 |
| 2013–14† | Fenerbahçe |
TBL | 27 | 10.7 | .488 | .382 | .613 | 1.8 | .6 | .3 | .0 | 4.1 |
| 2014–15 | Eskişehir |
TBL | 22 | 13.7 | .419 | .182 | .667 | 1.9 | .7 | .3 | .1 | 3.3 |
| 2015–16 | İstanbul BB |
TBSL | 27 | 13.7 | .455 | .351 | .581 | 3.0 | .5 | .4 | .1 | 4.5 |
| 2016–17 | İstanbul BB |
TBSL | 22 | 16.7 | .427 | .333 | .690 | 2.6 | .6 | .4 | .1 | 5.9 |
| 2017–18 | Sakarya BB |
TBSL | 25 | 25.6 | .432 | .171 | .706 | 6.1 | 2.0 | .8 | .1 | 8.3 |
| 2018–19† | Anadolu Efes |
TBSL | 35 | 13.0 | .435 | .352 | .818 | 2.7 | .7 | .4 | .1 | 4.3 |
| 2019–20 | Karşıyaka |
TBSL | 23 | 22.2 | .473 | .329 | .632 | 4.8 | 1.6 | .7 | .1 | 9.1 |
| 2020–21 | Karşıyaka |
TBSL | 32 | 23.3 | .430 | .360 | .692 | 5.4 | 1.3 | .4 | .1 | 8.9 |
| 2021–22† | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 41 | 16.3 | .449 | .300 | .780 | 2.9 | .9 | .5 | .0 | 5.3 |
| 2022–23 | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 22 | 22.2 | .446 | .397 | .548 | 4.9 | 1.1 | 1.0 | .1 | 6.4 |
| 2023–24† | Fenerbahçe |
TBSL | 17 | 9.1 | .276 | .091 | .286 | 2.1 | .4 | .1 | .1 | 1.1 |
Personal life
He was born to a Turkish father and an Irish mother.[8][9]
References
- ^ "METECAN BIRSEN | EuroLeague".
- ^ Olin Edirne confirmed Metecan's loan deal
- ^ Metecan to set Olin loan
- ^ "Birsen signed with Anadolu Efes for two years". 12 June 2018.
- ^ "Metecan Birsen, Pınar Karşıyaka'da" (in Turkish). Ntvspor. July 17, 2019. Retrieved July 29, 2019.
- ^ "Son Dakika Transfer Haberi: Metecan Birsen Fenerbahçe Beko'da! - Spor Haberleri". www.hurriyet.com.tr. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 2021-06-29.
- ^ "Turkey Roster". U18 European Championship Men Division A. 2013-07-29. Retrieved 2013-07-29.
- ^ Attention to James "Baby" Metecan Archived 2014-03-12 at archive.today
- ^ Turkish youngsters
External links
- Metecan Birsen at draftexpress.com
- Metecan Birsen at eurobasket.com
- Metecan Birsen at euroleague.net
- James Metecan Birsen at fiba.com
- Metecan Birsen at tblstat.net
- Metecan Birsen on Twitter
