Barbara Turner (basketball)


Barbara Renee Turner is an American professional basketball player. She plays for Hatay BŞB in Turkish Women's Basketball League and formerly the Connecticut Sun of the WNBA. A small forward, she is 6 feet tall and 78 kg in weight. She acquired US / Turkish dual citizenship while playing in Turkey; her name in Turkish is spelled Bahar Öztürk.

High school

Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, Turner played for East Technical High School in Cleveland, where she was named a WBCA All-American. She participated in the 2002 WBCA High School All-America Game where she scored thirteen points.

College

In her last NCAA Tournament run, Barbara Turner was unable to get her Connecticut team back to the pinnacle of women's college basketball after helping UConn win NCAA Championships in 2003 and 2004. The Huskies' 2006 Final Four bid fell short in overtime against Duke in the Elite Eight, with Turner unable to play down the stretch because of debilitating cramps.

USA Basketball

Turner was named to the team representing the US at the 2003 Pan American Games. The team lost the opening game to Cuba, then rebounded to win their next five games, including an overtime win against Brazil. They then faced Cuba for the gold medal, falling short 75–64 to take home the silver medal. Turner averaged 5.4 points per game.

College highlights

Turner's dominant postseason - she averaged 22.8 points and 10.5 rebounds in the NCAA Tournament - secured her a spot in the first round of the 2006 WNBA Draft when Turner was taken 11th overall by the Seattle Storm. She quickly made the transition from power forward to small forward in the WNBA, starting 9 games as a rookie and appearing in all 34 games during the 2006 season, averaging 6.4 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
On May 16, 2007, Turner was waived by the Seattle Storm, and two weeks later she was signed by the Houston Comets. During the 2007 season, Turner played in 22 games, averaging 4.2 points and 1.9 rebounds.
On March 6, 2008, Turner was re-signed by the Comets, then traded to the Connecticut Sun in exchange for Megan Mahoney.

European career