FIN - Koponen: "Spain 2014 is ideal showcase for Finland"

MOSCOW (FIBA Basketball World Cup) - When Petteri Koponen started his journey with Finland's national team in 2007, playing in the FIBA Basketball World Cup was anything but a very distant thought.

However, seven national team campaigns later and Koponen and the Finnish 'Wolfpack' are gearing up for their first-ever appearance in FIBA's flagship competition.

"We will debut against the defending world champions USA, can you believe it?" said Koponen.

Finland got their ticket for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup thanks to a wild card, and the 1.94m guard believes it's most deserved.

"In 2007, my first year with the senior national team, we were still playing European Division B competitions," he pointed out.

"But we improved a lot, our core earned big experience, we built some fantastic chemistry, on and off the court. And in the last two EuroBasket editions, we were consistent, going both times through the first stage."

Last summer, Finland had a memorable First Round run at EuroBasket 2013 as they defeated powerhouse teams like Turkey, Russia, Greece and bowed out of the Second Round in style, beating tournament hosts Slovenia.

"The game against Greece was my best performance with the national team: I scored 29 points, it was one of those days when you score from everywhere," Koponen recalled.

"It was a magic week for us, we showed we can face any team, it's a factor that brought us to the FIBA Basketball World Cup."

At only 25, Koponen already has earned a vast amount of valuable experience.

After becoming the first Finn selected in the first round of the NBA draft (in 2007, by the Philadelphia 76ers), he left his home country in 2008 to play four seasons with Italian side Virtus Bologna, helping them win the EuroChallenge in his first year there.

In 2012, he joined Russian side BC Khimki, who is currently riding a 30-game winning streak across the VTB League and the Eurocup.

The combo guard is ready to lead Finland to new horizons in the shape of Spain 2014. The Finns will start their campaign in Bilbao's Group C, where they will face the USA, the Dominican Republic, Turkey, New Zealand and Ukraine.

"The draw brought an ideal situation for us, with the dream game against the USA but at the same time we feel we can play against all the other opponents. It created an euphoric atmosphere: all our core players will be available, no one wants to miss such a big stage," Koponen explained.

"And all the tickets in Finland were sold out, even 5,000 people are expected to move from our country to Spain. It's simply amazing."

The recent excellent results allowed the wolfpack to earn big popularity in Finland. And as the most talented player, Koponen is the real front-man. Almost as famous as other Finnish sports legends, such as former Formula 1 world champion Kimi Raikkonen and the leading NHL hockey players.

"I learned a lot from our biggest veterans, center Hanno Mottola, the only player born and raised in Finland able to reach the NBA, and guard Teemu Rannikko, who taught me a lot about leading the play down the stretch," Koponen said.

"I am very happy they're still playing with me, and with the other core players, like Gerald Lee, Shawn Huff, Sasu Salin and Tuukka Kotti."

"We all improved as a team, and we must give big credit to coach Henrik Dettmann. He changed our team's mentality, with professional attitude and ambition."

Moreover, Finland could be able to count on an interesting addition in the shape of Chicago Bulls rookie forward Erik Murphy. He is the son of Jay Murphy, an American former NBA player, and Paivi, a Finnish volleyball international.

Erik's younger brother, Alex, now playing at Duke University, could join the national team very soon.

"If I look at our present and our future, I get very excited," said Koponen, who could also look for an NBA future, as the Dallas Mavericks own his rights.

"Now my focus is on BC Khimki, that gave me a fantastic opportunity to play at a very high level in Europe, and this season we could be able to win a trophy.

"But no one knows about the future, as the FIBA Basketball World Cup is the biggest showcase, and playing against Kevin Durant, just to mention the most unstoppable player on the planet, is a unique chance.

"I won't play for myself, I will play for Finland: we earned some international respect, and even if we will be a rookie team for the world stage, we will be ambitious."

FIBA