Team Profile: Gen-Z wolves about to take Finland by storm

HELSINKI (Finland) - It’s been 18 years since Henrik Dettmann arrived in Finland from Germany with a FIBA Basketball World Cup bronze medal around his neck and high hopes of rebuilding the respectability of the Finnish national team program.

With the leadership of veterans Hanno Mottola and Teemu Rannikko, the energy of young prodigies Petteri Koponen and Sasu Salin and a group of unselfish role players, Team Finland became known as Susijengi, The 'Wolf Pack’, a team greater than the sum of its parts.

Memorable victories against powerhouses such as Serbia, Italy, France and Israel laid the groundwork and, in 2011, Finland took part in a EuroBasket tournament for the first time in 16 years.

In the 2010s, the Susijengi were able to finish in 9th place at EuroBasket on two occasions (2011, 2013), make their FIBA Basketball World Cup debut in 2014 and rock five sold-out crowds in Helsinki at FIBA EuroBasket 2017 while introducing young star Lauri Markkanen to the global basketball community.

Time flies. The young wolves have begun to turn gray and the next generation has been preparing to take the lead throughout the last two FIBA Basketball World Cup European Qualifiers campaigns as well as the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers. Another change of era is underway, since this summer 35-year-old Lassi Tuovi, the young-but-experienced head coach of French club SIG Strasbourg, has taken the reins from former ‘Wolf King’ Dettmann.

Quite a lot can be expected from the Susijengi at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 and beyond. While the collective identity of an unselfish, all-for-one-and-one-for-all style of play remains the same as it ever was, the 1997-2004 born batch of young wolves has been raised to previously unseen levels of professionalism in the context of Finnish basketball.

There will be players at EuroBasket this September who are older than Lassi Tuovi, but the 35-year-old coach already has considerable experience

Markkanen has already made a name of himself in the NBA while young guys such as rim protector Alexander Madsen, firestarter point guard Edon Maxhuni, do-it-all forward Elias Valtonen and long and agile big man Mikael Jantunen are cherishing their roles. At the same time, teenage talents such as 18-year-old Baylor Bear to-be Miro Little are already flashing their potential.

The previous generation of the Susijengi helped create a basketball boom in the cold, cold North. With former top players turning into coaches and mentors – take notice of Mottola’s and Rannikko’s presence in the Susijengi coaching staff – today’s young wolves will be battle-tested for the first time at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 as the first step of most likely many international competitions to came.

While the 'OGs' were able to will and power the Susijengi into respectability in Europe, the Gen-Z wolves are setting their eyes on the top-eight of Europe and even further above.
 

 IN THE LAST 10 FIBA EVENTS

YEAR	EVENT	LOCATION	ACHIEVEMENT
2021	Olympics	Tokyo (JPN)	Did not qualify
2019	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Beijing (CHN)	Did not qualify
2017	FIBA EuroBasket	Istanbul (TUR)	11th
2016	Olympics	Rio de Janeiro (BRA)	Did not qualify
2015	FIBA EuroBasket	Lille (FRA)	16th
2014	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Madrid (ESP)	22nd
2013	FIBA EuroBasket	Ljubljana (SLO)	9th
2012	Olympics	London (GBR)	Did not qualify
2011	FIBA EuroBasket	Kaunas (LTU)	9th
2010	FIBA Basketball World Cup	Istanbul (TUR)	Did not qualify

   

HOW DID  QUALIFY: FIBA EUROBASKET 2022 QUALIFIERS - 3rd IN GROUP E (3W - 3L)

DATE	GAME	RESULT
20/02/2020	Finland v Serbia	58-80
23/02/2020	Switzerland v Finland	64-69
28/11/2020	Finland v Georgia	85-91
30/11/2020	Serbia v Finland	75-66
19/02/2021	Finland v Switzerland	92-84
21/02/2021	Georgia v Finland	70-78

 

FIBA