Sasu Salin guided Olivier Nkamhoua during the interviews given to the Finnish media.
Roope Visuri,
Antti-Jussi Sipilä
OKINAWA. The captain of the wolf pack Sasu Salin gives interviews to the Finnish media two days before the opening match of the World Basketball Championships, until one moment interrupts him.
Salin sees the team’s value competition newcomer Olivier Nkamhouan sunbathing at the team pool. Nkamhoua is considered one of the hottest prospects in Finnish basketball at the moment.
– This is not a beach holiday. Now to the room, Salin will guide and then come to Urheilu’s interview.
Does the captain have to guide the younger ones?
– Must. This is not really a beach vacation. We have training in the evening, says Salin.
Of course, Salin is aware that sometimes you can sunbathe, but according to the captain, you can’t stay in the sun for a long time to rest.
Salin says that in any case, the team has expectant feelings towards the World Cup.
– The crowd seems to have the expression that they already want to play, Salin describes.
There is enough heat on the island of Okinawa. The thermometer hovers at over 30 degrees at its best, and the humidity percentage is at its worst over 80.
In Friday’s opening match, they will face medal favorite Australia. Finland’s WC group is very tough, as there is another strong medal candidate in the group, Germany.
In addition to Nkamhoua, there are first-timers at the prestigious competition Alex Murphy and Jacob Grandison. Salin is the only player in the current team who was part of the Finnish men’s national basketball team’s first World Cup in 2014.
Salin has already played in five European Championships. He doesn’t feel much of a difference between the World Cup and European Championships.
– After all, these are similar scraps. The systems don’t change terribly. The opponents are only changing now that they are around the world, says Salin.
In addition to Australia and Germany, Japan is the host country in the group. The best two in the group will go to the next round, the top 16. The last two continue to fight for positions 17-32 in the lower continuation series.
Salin sees that the Finnish group is one of the toughest in the Games.
– Australia is the third in the world ranking and long-lasting success. Germany is last year’s EC bronze medalist. Japan will not be easy in front of the home crowd. Yes, these create challenges for us, Salin describes.
Last year, Susijengi made a splash at the European Championship by reaching the top eight. Now Salin sets the same goal for the World Championships.
– Let’s take a plane ticket to Manila, but of course the first thoughts are now in Australia, Salin says and refers to the next games.
Susijeng had trouble finding the right five in training games before the World Cup, but according to Salini, there is no need to worry about that.
– Here are 11 guys with whom we have played together for a long time. Now came last Jacob Grandison. He looked good at times. We received good evidence of where we are good and where we need to improve. Hopefully everything will work on Friday, says Salin.
According to Salini, Susijeng needs to find dangerous players other than the team’s biggest star on the offensive end Lauri Markkanen.
– We look good when the ball is moving. Then every player enjoys it, and one player is not left with too much responsibility, says Salin as a recipe for success.
Susijengi will start the World Basketball Championships in Okinawa, Japan on Friday, August 25. In the opening match, they will face medal favorite Australia. The match starts at 11:00. You can see Susijengi and Lauri Markkanen’s highlights fresh on the website and in the app.