ISTANBUL -  Former Carroll Basketball player Sinan Güler was named the recipient of the 2016 Osman Solakoglu Public Service through Basketball Award.
 
The annual award is given annually to an individual who has made outstanding contributions to Turkish society through basketball.
 
Güler, who was a member of the 2005 Carroll men's basketball final four team, was selected by a jury from a list of 11 nominees. The jury cited Güler's contributions to Turkish society through Güler Legacy, which since 2011 has sought to spread love of basketball and provide boy and girls from families of limited means an opportunity to learn the sport at camps each summer. Many participants participate free of charge. Inspired by his experience at basketball academies in the Untied States, Güler established the organization in cooperation with his father Necati Güler, TBF Director of Youth Activities and a former national team player, and his older brother Muratcan Güler, who currently plays in the Spor Toto Basketball League for Besiktas Sompo Japan.
 
"The late Osman Solakoglu has been a crucial person in Turkish Basketball history," Güler wrote on Facebook. "[The Osman Solakoglu Public Service through Basketball Award] shows that not everything is about winning and losing, and it strengthens the core base of Turkish Basketball. In my opinion, the people who receive this award are the ones who do small things but with big effects."

In the last five years Güler Legacy has hosted 200 campers from across Turkey, as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, France, and the United States. Güler Legacy also donates basketball, shoes, and other sporting goods to children in Eastern and Southeastern Turkey who express interest in the camp but are unable to attend. Güler Legacy also provides school materials to children in rural parts of Turkey and its contributions made possible the opening of the Necati Güler Library in the Southeastern town of Silopi.

"Our goal was to create an equal environment on the basketball court to learn and play basketball," Güler continued. "I am very thankful for having the opportunity to create this bridge with the support of universities and companies, for Guler Legacy coaches, volunteer and off-court crew that helped me create my vision, and most especially for my family who guided me like a lighthouse in my life."