Turkey point guard Engin Atsur knows he and his teammates will have to be in top form later this summer if they are to book a place at EuroBasket 2009 in Poland.

Turkey, who struggled last year in Madrid where they exited in the quarter-final qualifying round, will need to win a Group C that also includes France, Ukraine and Belgium, or be among the three best second-place teams.

There are four groups in all.

When asked if he believes Turkey were handed a difficult draw, Atsur said to FIBA Europe: "Definitely. (But) Every group is tough, only one group is a little lighter than the others. If we want to have a good tournament, we have to be ready and beat some good teams."

Atsur is in his first professional season after an outstanding career with the North Carolina State Wolfpack in American college basketball's famous Atlantic Coast Conference. He was snapped up by Benetton Treviso, one of the most famous teams in Europe.

"It's fun," Atsur said. "It's something that I always wanted to do. You do it for a living, you go to practice every day with a lot of great guys and there is a great atmosphere. I don't see a better job for me."

Can Benetton Treviso, who are 10-15 but just three wins adrift of the top eight which would qualify them for the post-season, finish the season on a high?

"If we make a run right now, we can definitely make the play-offs and finish the season in a strong way," Atsur said.

"We know it's not going to be easy. We have to stay together because as a club, we're not used to being in this situation."