Paris Basketball, represented by Tuomas Iisalo and Mikael Jantunen, has won the basketball Eurocup tournament on Friday.
Mikael Jantunen represented by and Tuomas Iisalon coached by Paris Basketball won the basketball Eurocup directly with a 2–0 final victory.
The second and decisive final match ended on Friday with the Parisians winning 89-81 against another French club, Bourg-en-Bresse. In the first final, Paris Basketball had been better at home with numbers 77–64.
– It’s hard to even put this into words because of the emotional state. I don’t think people realize how much has fit in along the way since the beginning of this project. The fact that this happens right in the first year is something incredible, said champion coach Iisalo, who had already been selected as coach of the year for the entire Eurocup tournament.
The Finnish coach admired his team’s daily work and dedication to achieve the team’s common goal.
– The best thing about sports is when you understand how much sacrifice success requires and finally achieve it, explained a moved Iisalo right after the championship was decided.
Tuomas Iisalo took over the management of the Parisian team in June 2023 with a three-year contract. Last year, he led German side Bonn to win the Champions League.
In the second final, Jantunen was the second best scorer of the Champions with 15 points, ten of which came in the last 10 minutes of the decisive final game, where Paris Basketball made the necessary difference to its opponent with period points of 25–18.
Susijeng’s credit player threw two-pointers (2/3), three-pointers (3/5) and free throws (2/2) with a good percentage. In addition to playing strong defense, he made three assists that led to the basket.
Jantunen’s power index was the second best in the final match. Only the top scorer of the match, the back of the Parisian team, could do better TJ Shorts with a balance of 22/5/5s.
– I am grateful that I can be a part of this wonderful team. In today’s tight final, I think the deciding factor in the end is that we stuck to our own game plan and had the courage to play our own game until the very end, commented Jantunen.