Kari Jalonen and Juha Junno have followed Susijeng’s performance in the European Championship on the spot in Prague. They have been impressed by the continuity of Susijeng’s activities.
PRAGUE. Following Susijeng, thousands of Finnish basketball fans have traveled to Prague for the European basketball championships currently being played. However, the city is also home to high-profile Finnish sports figures. The most famous is probably the head coach of the Czech national ice hockey team Kari Jalonen.
Last spring, the former head coach of the Lions returned the Czech Republic to the World Cup medals at the World Cup held in Finland after a ten-year break. Jalonen complains that he has been asked “a few times” for a selfie on the streets of Prague during the summer. Even though people are kind of drowning in the city of millions, according to Jalonen’s own words, he hasn’t been able to be completely at peace.
Jalonen is also known in Finland. A few times, Jalonen interrupts the interview before the match against Serbia and greets Susijeng supporters who happily greet him.
– It’s great to see this connection between the team and the fans here. It is unique, Jalonen praises.
Jalonen also admits to being a fan of basketball. The traces lead to “Kojo’s” head coach years 2014-2016 in Leijon. About the same time Henrik Dettmann worked in the top sports unit of the Olympiakomite as a responsible coach for ball sports. At that time, Dettmann, who was also the head coach of the national basketball team, gathered the head coaches of the ball sports together for various meetings.
Dettmann passed the torch forward in Susijeng this summer, when he stepped aside from the duties of the head coach. Was in Susijeng’s coaching team for a long time Lassi Tuovi moved to head coach.
However, Dettmann, who has been the head coach of the national men’s basketball team for 18 years, still works in the Basketball Association with the title of coaching director, or in international terms “sports director”.
Kari Jalonen got to know Susijeng’s activities up close at the weekend, when he went to dinner with Dettmann and the rest of the coaching staff after the Poland game.
Dettmann has acted as an important mentor for Tuov. In time, Dettmann hired Tuovin Susijeng as a video coordinator in 2010. Since then, the two have collaborated in addition to the national team, in the middle of the last decade in Besiktas in Turkey and Strasbourg in France.
Kari Jalonen already served as a kind of senior advisor a few years ago, when the former top defender was selected as Germany’s head coach Toni Söderholm asked Jalonen to accompany him to the 2019 World Championships in Slovakia.
– After all, there are senior advisors like Henkka in this basketball. I find this kind of advisor role to be a good thing. Not quite involved in the daily coaching, but still able to help younger coaches. I would believe that this kind of activity will grow in our ball-playing culture as well. I would also hope so, Jalonen says.
Jalonen admits that he would like to be a mentor like Dettmann in Finnish ice hockey, when at some point he will have to put aside daily coaching.
– I would like to be able to share my experience and vision with our younger coaches when one day I jump away from this wind and gust. For example, about winning, says Jalonen.
Now, Jalonen has been a mentor in other national teams in addition to the role of the national team’s head coach in the Czech Ice Hockey Federation. In August, Jalonen was part of the background of the Czech under-20 national team in the World Championships. Next, Jalonen and the coaching staff of the young national teams are supposed to look together in which direction they will go to develop their playing.
– We must not lose the Czech identity. It’s quite clear, but one can critically look at how things are going in international hockey at the moment. We have to be able to play that game, says Jalonen.
Juha Junno admires the continuity in Susijeng
Also another long-term Finnish hockey influencer Juha Junno has actively followed Susijeng’s games on site in Prague. Junno became known for the fact that he was creating “Half of Finland’s Kärppia” in Oulu.
He has been impressed by what he saw in Prague. Terraces, cafes and restaurants have been full of Finns. Like Jalonen, Junno admires the continuity that has been created around the Susijeng and, like Jalonen, he admires Dettman’s way of raising Lassi Tuovi to be the new leader of the Susijeng.
– A good sports story always has a sequel. It’s not just a moment and then we fall again. It’s been wonderful to watch Susijengi now, when there are konkars and stars Lauri Markkanenbut a lot of young people have been brought in, Junno says and refers to the eight first-timers of the European Championship.
– Now it seems that the team is only getting better, even though stars are leaving at the other end. Instead of one star, there will be two or three. It will bring success in the future. I admire this here, what Dettmann and partners have done.
Junno, who now considers himself a pensioner, reminds us that the continuation of course also requires a story in the background.
– Susijeng has a great story, starting with how in the 50s and 60s they were in value competitions. Now there has been a new and long rise, Junno says and states that he thinks that getting the 2014 World Cup place with a wild card was the right solution, even though the price tag was 800,000 euros.
– It was an investment in the future and a lot of money, but it has paid off.
Half of Finland’s Kärppi came to watch from afar as well, as now thousands of Finns have traveled abroad to support their team after Susijeng. According to Junno, the overall situation around Susijengi is also in order.
– There is a fan place on the bank of the Vltava river. The team has been there and there has been a fan event. As an old class teacher, I also admire that it has been possible for families to come to the games. The children can go to a Finnish school here too, Junno fumes.