Latest news with #Finnish-born
The Star
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
On the same lane – Nooa and Harith ready to serve Malaysia with pride
PETALING JAYA: As Malaysia begin their final phase of preparation for the crucial 2027 Asian Cup third-round qualifying clash against Vietnam on June 10, midfielder Nooa Laine and defender Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar are embracing the intensity of national duty with confidence, pride, and focus. The Harimau Malaya reconvened on Sunday under head coach Peter Cklamovski for a centralised training camp, with two friendlies against Cape Verde on May 29 and a closed-door match on June 3 serving as tune-ups ahead of their must-win Group F encounter at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. The squad are currently in Johor Baru to train for seven days, before they return to Kuala Lumpur for the rest of the camp. For Finnish-born Noaa, every call-up is a reminder of his growing role in the national team. 'It is always nice to get a call-up. I feel proud and happy to be selected again,' said the 22-year-old Selangor midfielder. Training in top-class facilities at the Padang Sri Gelam in Johor, Nooa added, has been a bonus as the players look to sharpen their form. 'As a football player, you always want the best conditions. We are happy to be here. It's up to us to prepare well.' Meanwhile, his club teammate and centreback Harith, who continues to grow into his role in the senior squad, echoed a similar sentiment of readiness and resilience. 'Obviously it's hard - we all know the situation when it comes to off-season. But all the players have come in fit and are prepared to play our roles well,' said Harith. The 22-year-old, who has made strides at the domestic and international levels, isn't overly concerned with the squad size or who makes the final list. 'Every day I'm just going to train and prove myself to the coach. I'm not going to think about how many players are selected. I just want to perform.' Malaysia's first friendly opponent, Cape Verde, currently ranked No.72 in the world, promises to be a tough test but Harith believes the backroom staff will be key to navigating the challenge. 'Cape Verde are ranked high, but our coaching staff will do their best. We will raise our game, and hopefully give a strong performance.' Cklamovski will be assessing his players closely during these friendlies as he finalises his squad for the pivotal showdown against Vietnam, which could be decisive in Malaysia's aim to qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia. With competition high, preparation thorough, and belief strong within the squad, the Harimau Malaya are intent on using this camp to align mentally and tactically ahead of their biggest challenge yet.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grizzlies announce hiring of Tuomas Iisalo as franchise's next head coach
The Memphis Grizzlies liked what they saw from Tuomas Iisalo in a limited sample. The team announced Iisalo as its next head coach Friday after he served in the role on an interim basis this season after Taylor Jenkins was fired. In a statement, team president and general manager Zachary Kleiman praised Iisalo's former teams as "disciplined and tenacious" and said he expects to see those same traits carry over to Memphis. 'I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,' said Grizzlies President and General Manager of Basketball Operations Zachary Z. Kleiman. 'Tuomas' teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.' The move makes Iisalo the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history. While Iisalo has a history of success as a coach, most of that experience came overseas. After playing professionally in Finland, Iisalo transitioned to coaching. He coached multiple teams in Finland, Germany and France between 2014-24. While coaching in Germany, Iisalo won the Bundesliga coach of the year award in two straight seasons and was named the Champions League coach of the year in 2023. Iisalo also won the EuroCup coach of the year award in 2024 after winning the 2023–24 EuroCup title with Paris Basketball. Months after that victory, Iisalo joined the Grizzlies as an assistant head coach. When the team surprisingly fired Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season, Iisalo was elevated into the head-coaching role on an interim basis. The Grizzlies went 4-5 down the stretch and finished as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The team then made its way out of the play-in tournament. After a loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks to secure a spot in the playoffs. Their postseason experience ended quickly, as the team was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in four games. With the move, Iisalo takes over a team in need of changes. During an end-of-season news conference, Kleiman stressed things needed to be better in Memphis, saying the team was not good enough during the 2024-25 season. "I don't think we can look back at this series and this season and say, 'Oh, we're close,'" Kleiman said after the team was swept by the Thunder. "No, we're not." Kleiman believes Iisalo can get the team closer to its ultimate goal. While he didn't have long to make an impact on the Grizzlies this season, his performance was enough to convince the franchise Iisalo is the right person to lead it back to prominence.
03-05-2025
- Sport
Tuomas Iisalo hired as Grizzlies coach after taking over the team near the end of the season
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Tuomas Iisalo, who was appointed interim coach of the Memphis Grizzlies in the waning days of the regular season, was given the full-time job on Friday and becomes the first Finnish-born coach in the NBA. The team announced the hiring on Friday but terms of Iisalo's contract were not released. He joined the Grizzlies as the lead assistant this past season. Iisalo took over the team on March 28 after the Grizzlies returned home from an 0-5 road trip, the last loss coming at Oklahoma City. The road trip led to the firing of Taylor Jenkins, the winningest coach in Grizzlies franchise history. 'I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,' Grizzlies president Zach Kleiman said in a statement. 'Tuomas' teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.' Iisalo, a native of Finland, was 4-5 in the final nine games of the regular season. Memphis split two games in the play-in tournament, earning the eighth seed and faced Oklahoma City, to whom they lost all four games. But Iisalo was forced into a tough situation, facing a hard schedule late in the season with little time to make changes. The team only had a few practices under his direction. 'We had 15 games and two practices, and I tried to do my best in those,' he said after the team's elimination. Later, regarding the frantic pace of the season, he added: 'That's a ratio that makes it very difficult. We were in a situation that there were no drastic changes that we needed to make or could be made in that situation.' Before joining the Grizzlies, Iisalo served one season as coach of Paris Basketball, winning the EuroCup championship. The success earned him EuroCup Coach of the Year. In addition to his season with Paris Basketball, he had stints with teams in Germany, including five seasons with Crailsheim Merlins. Iisalo played 14 season of professional basketball in Finland. After this season ended, the short term leadership of Iisalo seemed to gain a vote of confidence from several Grizzlies, including star Ja Morant. 'I feel like Tuomas is a good coach,' Morant said in the team's exit interviews. 'For me, going into my film sessions with him and just talking about the game of basketball, seeing and hearing that he sees the same thing I see out there on the floor. 'I wouldn't say its been surprising, but it's been very exciting.' In his postseason exit interview, Iisalo was discussing how he would run the team with the city and organization in mind. 'Every club and every city has their own culture,' Iisalso said. "I think it is very important that you are true to the roots of that city. "This city is a hard-working city. The club has roots in that. It has to be based on giving everything you have. I've always believed in that.
New York Post
02-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Grizzlies make historic coaching decision hiring Tuomas Iisalo after Taylor Jenkins drama
The Grizzlies made history by naming Tuomas Iisalo their next head coach as he's now the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history. The Grizzlies announced the move Friday afternoon. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. 'I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,' said Grizzlies President and General Manager of Basketball Operations Zachary Z. Kleiman. 'Tuomas' teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.' 3 Tuomas Iisalo took over as the Grizzlies' interim head coach just over a month ago before signing on officially for the role on Friday. NBAE via Getty Images Iisalo was originally hired by Memphis in the summer of 2024 as the team's lead assistant after a successful coaching career overseas. In his first season coaching Paris Basketball in 2023-24, Iisalo led the team to the 2023-24 EuroCup championship and won EuroCup Coach of the Year. As for his playing career prior to coaching, the Helsinki native played 14 years in Finland and won the 2009 Finnish Cup. He also played 57 games for the Finnish men's national team. Iisalo took over interim head coaching duties near the end of this season when Memphis shockingly fired Taylor Jenkins in late March. 3 Taylor Jenkins was shockingly fired near the end of the Grizzlies' season. AP Jenkins left the franchise as the winningest coach in its history and was the fifth-longest tenured coach in the NBA. Jenkins had led the Grizzlies to a 44-29 record and fifth place in the Western Conference before his firing. With Jenkins' firing coming so late in the season, Memphis played just nine regular season games with Iisalo leading the way. The Grizzlies went 4-5 in those games to finish the season at 48-34. They went 1-1 in the West's Play-in Tournament, losing to the Warriors before beating the Mavericks and securing the last spot in the conference. Memphis was then swept 4-0 by the top-seeded Thunder — losing Ja Morant to a hip injury for much of Game 3 after amassing a 29-point lead with him in that game and for all of Game 4. 3 Jaren Jackson Jr. (left) and Ja Morant (right) headline the Grizzlies' roster. NBAE via Getty Images Iisalo may have his work cut out for him in the loaded Western Conference, especially as there was some drama that seemed to be what forced Jenkins out just a month ago. The core of Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane is all still under contract heading into next season and will look to improve under Iisalo's tutelage.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Grizzlies announce hiring of Tuomas Iisalo as franchise's next head coach
The Memphis Grizzlies liked what they saw from Tuomas Iisalo in a limited sample. The team announced Iisalo as its next head coach Friday after he served in the role on an interim basis this season after Taylor Jenkins was fired. In a statement, team president and general manager Zachary Kleiman praised Iisalo's former teams as "disciplined and tenacious" and said he expects to see those same traits carry over to Memphis. 'I have full confidence in Tuomas serving as head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies going forward,' said Grizzlies President and General Manager of Basketball Operations Zachary Z. Kleiman. 'Tuomas' teams at every level have been disciplined, tenacious and connected on both ends of the floor, consistently exceeding expectations. We look forward to the same in Memphis.' The move makes Iisalo the first Finnish-born head coach in NBA history. While Iisalo has a history of success as a coach, most of that experience came overseas. After playing professionally in Finland, Iisalo transitioned to coaching. He coached multiple teams in Finland, Germany and France between 2014-24. While coaching in Germany, Iisalo won the Bundesliga coach of the year award in two straight seasons and was named the Champions League coach of the year in 2023. Iisalo also won the EuroCup coach of the year award in 2024 after winning the 2023–24 EuroCup title with Paris Basketball. Months after that victory, Iisalo joined the Grizzlies as an assistant head coach. When the team surprisingly fired Jenkins with just nine games left in the regular season, Iisalo was elevated into the head-coaching role on an interim basis. The Grizzlies went 4-5 down the stretch and finished as the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference. The team then made its way out of the play-in tournament. After a loss to the Golden State Warriors, the Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks to secure a spot in the playoffs. Their postseason experience ended quickly, as the team was swept by the Oklahoma City Thunder in four games. With the move, Iisalo takes over a team in need of changes. During an end-of-season news conference, Kleiman stressed things needed to be better in Memphis, saying the team was not good enough during the 2024-25 season. "I don't think we can look back at this series and this season and say, 'Oh, we're close,'" Kleiman said after the team was swept by the Thunder. "No, we're not." Kleiman believes Iisalo can get the team closer to its ultimate goal. While he didn't have long to make an impact on the Grizzlies this season, his performance was enough to convince the franchise Iisalo is the right person to lead it back to prominence.
