Eurobasket. proudly presents an interview with a coach that is well known to Swedish basketball fans - Pekka Salminen Coach Salminen has won two Swedish Championships with Solna Vikings in 2003 and 2008 and also has a silver from 2009 and is curently the assistant coach on the Finnish national team that finished an impressive ninth at the last Euro Championships. Hello Coach Pekka,
1.How are you? Hows the season so far? -Life is good, team playing well enough at the moment. We had a nightmare season with injuries and illness, but we are still in the fight for playoffs spot (four best teams-the winner will qualify for the Finnish league. Our position is 3rd right now)
2. How was your experience in Sweden? What are your best moments? -Everybody who involved with sports understands this: winning. Two championships with great players and staff. But still have to say my last team in Solna (2009), also hit big time with injuries and problems is a great moment as well. Won the q-finals 3-2, semis 3-2 and lost the finals 3-4, we did not win it, but those guys were plain great
3. How Swedes are different from Finish basketball players/coaches and filosophies? -Basketball is basketball. -In Sweden the thing was teamwork, at least for me. In Finland at the club level there is a lot of smart X&O guys that run their stuff. And there are way more foreign players and coaches in Sweden, Coaches and players with different backround make the game more varied, versatile. -A huge difference can be found at the national team level: There is "our game"-playbook in Finland that goes all the way through U14 to senior national teams. so all the national teams play the same way. -Sweden has a lot of talent, also have to respect the fact that they have most of their youth teams competing in A-groups
4. What was your role as an assistant to HC Dettman on Finish National Team? -A great Coaching Staff starts with a good boss: Dettmann. I have been involved more with the defensive part, but the other coaches Jukka Toijala and Lassi Tuovi have done their share with D also. 5.In the National Team, you were responsible for everything on team defense? Goals/expectations to repeat success at this years EC in Slovenia? -Tough group...for everybody. We have to remember that we played the qualifications without our main PG Teemu Rannikko (Petteri Koponen, U OK also) . He will be back and we will be ready 6. What are your plans to coach abroad again? Rivalry with Sweden (will meet in EC in grou play in Slovenia)? -All depends on my personal life, kids and stuff. Loved Sweden, so.... Sweden-we will enjoy this game, when ever Sverige and Suomi play, any sport, it is a great game! 7. Next Finnish star male player to move abroad and play proffessional? -Carl Lindbom. 206cm, position 3, works harder than anybody. On the other hand he has already played some in Germany, so a clear Euro Rookie...have a look at Joonas Lehtoranta 8. How is basketball doing n Finland? Easy to recruit young players to the sport? Clubs stable econimcly or also feeling crisis? -BB is a small sport. Our only spectator sport is Icehockey and together with football they dominate at youth level, thinking about how many kids play the sport. Basketball has gotten more and more publicity after our Eurobasket success, but the media coverage is still relatively modest. Biggest problem is that there are NO clubs in the Finnish league from the metropolitan Helsinki area. This is of course cause of economical issues. My Former teams Espoon Honka and ToPo were kicked from the league due to economical stuff. It looks like the financial part is Ok at the countryside, smaller cities where the team can be the most important sports team in the area and they get the local media involved. BTW : Look at Joensuun Katajas success at Euro-challenge 9. What would be your advice to young coaches? -Listen to older ones, they may have forgotten something, but they most likely still know a lot! 10. What difference does it make average player from great player? -The fire, the dedication.
Thank you for your time Coach Salminen. Eurobasket and Tamara Ruzic wish you a lot of success for the rest of the season and in play offs.
Danilo Sibalic signed one-season deal with LF Basket - May 17, 2013
POSTED BY:
EUROBASKET NEWS
follow us on
Danilo Sibalic (204-F/C-88, agency: Beo Basket) signed one-season deal with ambitious Swedish team LF Basket (former Plannja Basket, Swedish champ 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007). The combo forward had 17.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg in Serbian league this season with Smederevo. He had 46.7% for 3-pts (49/105), No.1 in the league. The player started the season with Bosnian Servitium collecting 17.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg for 5 games. He also has experience from Austrian UBC St [read more]
Danilo Sibalic (204-F/C-88, agency: Beo Basket) signed one-season deal with ambitious Swedish team LF Basket (former Plannja Basket, Swedish champ 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007). The combo forward had 17.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg in Serbian league this season with Smederevo. He had 46.7% for 3-pts (49/105), No.1 in the league. The player started the season with Bosnian Servitium collecting 17.2 ppg and 4.2 rpg for 5 games. He also has experience from Austrian UBC St. Polten and Italian Snaidero Udine.
Yesterday the Swedish Federation announced that two out of the leagues twelve teams have not been approved as members of Basketligan 2013-2014. Both 08 Stockholm Human Rights and Stockholm Eagles have been kicked out of the league due to various reasons [read more]
Yesterday the Swedish Federation announced that two out of the leagues twelve teams have not been approved as members of Basketligan 2013-2014. Both 08 Stockholm Human Rights and Stockholm Eagles have been kicked out of the league due to various reasons. 08 Stockholm is kicked out because their organisation doesn't meet the standards of Basketligan, and Stockholm Eagles have not handled paperworks with work permits and staying permits for their american players correctly, and the federation have found that the club have debts. The league next year will now be played with 10 teams instead of 12.
Jeffery Taylor is set for his first appearance with the Swedish National Team - May 15, 2013
POSTED BY:
EUROBASKET NEWS
follow us on
Jeffery Taylor (200-F-89, college: Vanderbilt) is set for his first appearance with the Swedish National Team. The NBA player who has experience with Swedish U16 National Team -05, Swedish U18 National Team -06-07 and Swedish U20 National Team -08 will debut for the Senior side.
Jeffery Taylor started his career in 2006-2007 for Hobbs HS / Hobbs, NM (USA). In 2008-2009 he moved to Vanderbilt (NCAA, starting five) and debuted with 12.2ppg, 6.2rpg, 1 [read more]
Jeffery Taylor (200-F-89, college: Vanderbilt) is set for his first appearance with the Swedish National Team. The NBA player who has experience with Swedish U16 National Team -05, Swedish U18 National Team -06-07 and Swedish U20 National Team -08 will debut for the Senior side. Jeffery Taylor started his career in 2006-2007 for Hobbs HS / Hobbs, NM (USA). In 2008-2009 he moved to Vanderbilt (NCAA, starting five) and debuted with 12.2ppg, 6.2rpg, 1.7apg, FGP: 50.2%, 3Pts: 22.0%, FT: 69.1%. In his last season with the college he averaged 16.1ppg, 5.6rpg, 1.7apg, 1.3spg, FGP: 53.3%, 3PT: 42.3%, FT: 60.5%. In 2012 he was drafted by Charlotte Bobcats (NBA,2rd (31)). In 2012 July Jeffery Taylor participated at the NBA Pro Summer League in Las Vegas (Charlotte Bobcats) and in 4 games showed 11.8ppg, 4.5rpg, 1.3apg. In 2012-2013 for Charlotte Bobcats (NBA) he averaged 6.1 points per game.
Copyright (c) 1998-2013 Eurobasket Inc. Disclaimer
WARNING:
Do not copy, redistribute, publish or otherwise exploit information that you download from the site !
Do not encumber, license, modify, publish, sell, transfer or transmit, or in any way exploit, any of the
content of the site, nor will you attempt to do so.
