Miika Muurinen had his moment on Wednesday night in Tampere. With the game on the line at EuroBasket 2025, the 18 year old stepped up big when it mattered for Finland against Sweden. Emmet Ryan on the youngster’s confidence and what it means for the Susijengi.
Maybe it’s a coincidence but you can’t help but notice the similarity. Miika Muurinen wears 24 and is the next face of Finnish basketball. Lauri Markkanen wears 23 and has certainly been the closest thing Finland has ever had to Michael Jordan. One thing is certain. Miika Muurinen has the Mamba mentality. Everyone watching him at EuroBasket 2025 learned that on Wednesday night.
Picking the moment
It was the middle of the fourth and Finland trailed Sweden by a single point. A full house of 12,000 people in the Nokia Arena had come expecting victory on the opening night of EuroBasket 2025. After all, they had the superstar in Lauri Markkanen and sat a full 29 spots above Sweden in the world rankings.
Miika Muurinen gets the ball and shoots for three with 5.12 on the clock. The next 33 seconds would reshape the narrative entirely. Muurinen immediately grabbed his own rebound and then drove for the lay-up. Finland back up by 1 with 5.03 to play.
Sasu Salin stole from Ludde Hakanson on the next possession with 4.43 to play. The fast break goes to Muurinen who dunks with 4.39 to play to bring the Nokia Arena to its feet. It also drew the attention of the basketball watching public. The momentum shift Finland needed didn’t come from Markkanen the star or Salin the veteran leader. It was the cold blooded kid who grabbed the opportunity and gave Finland a lead they’d never surrender.
It’s just who he is
In the mixed zone afterwards, Miika Muurinen was a man of few words but they were deliberately chosen. “It was insane to play in front of the home fans, 12,000 people, it was insane. I’ve never experienced something like that,” he told BallinEurope.
Then came the matter of the fourth quarter impact. Did the pressure ever get to him? “It didn’t, honestly it didn’t…I’m confident all the time, I don’t feel pressure like that.” He praised Salin and Markkanen for helping him grow as a player but still shied away from seeking a bigger role, merely saying “I hope so.”
As for the next game, against Great Britain on Friday, what does he hope for? “To play a good basketball game.” The youngster oozed confidence throughout a blend of non-answers and one clear Kobe grade…
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