TAMPERE (Finland) - A nation expects as Finland prepares to welcome Germany, Great Britain, Lithuania, Montenegro, and Sweden to their backyard.
However, the Finns have aspirations beyond Tampere, and with Lauri Markkanen on the roster, their chances of achieving that goal do improve, but the Utah Jazz superstar will need help.
Olivier Nkamhoua, Mikael Jantunen, and Elias Valtonen will certainly assist and bring their magic to a Finland team aiming to improve on their seventh-place finish in 2022.
Schedule
August 27: vs Sweden (19:30 CET) August 29: vs Great Britain (19:30 CET) August 30: vs Montenegro (19:30 CET) September 1: vs Lithuania (19:30 CET) September 3: Germany (19:30 CET)
Star Player
Ever since he exploded onto the international stage in Helsinki at EuroBasket in 2017, Lauri Markkanen's stock has risen, and for the second time in his career, he gets to represent his country at home again.
Markkanen's talent and freakish athleticism bring joy to his teammates and the Finnish fans, but causes his opponents nightmares as the agile big man can either attack the hoop with authority or shoot the ball effortlessly. At the last edition of EuroBasket, the NBA star averaged 23.7 points and 6.9 rebounds a game. Impressive numbers.
And as he enters his third EuroBasket, Markkanen will undoubtedly be the star attraction in Tampere, but can he continue to live up to the hype and lift Finland to new heights this summer?
History
Finland prepares for its 18th EuroBasket appearance, with its best finish coming all the way back in 1967, when the Nordic nation finished sixth. They have most recently finished in seventh twice, with the latest being at the last EuroBasket in 2022.
However, in their 18 EuroBasket appearances, Finland have never medaled, and with the latest crop preparing for a home EuroBasket for the second time in eight years, the nation believes this could be their moment on the podium.
Best finish: 6th (1967)
EuroBasket Top Scorers
Rank | Player | Games | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | Timo Lampen | 51 | 621 |
2 | Raimo Lindholm | 51 | 489 |
3 | Seppo Kuusela | 37 | 417 |
4 | Petteri Koponen | 35 | 395 |
5 | Kari Liimo | 29 | 376 |
6 | Timo Suviranta | 38 | 366 |
7 | Sasu Salin | 35 | 343 |
8 | Lauri Markkanen | 13 | 312 |
9 | Pertti Mutru | 38 | 262 |
10 | Shawn Huff | 38 | 259 |
How they qualified
Gameday 1: SRB 77-61 FIN Gameday 2: FIN 89-85 DEN Gameday 3: FIN 83-90 GEO Gameday 4: GEO 81-64 FIN Gameday 5: FIN 95-105 SRB Gameday 6: DEN 77-83 FIN
Poll: Where will they finish?
Tickets
FIBA