The comet of the Men’s Basketball League’s early season is only a 17-year-old debutant.
Salon Vilppa Samu Adler in his first Korisliiga season, he has already taken on the mantle of a veteran, as the youngster’s mature game moves have turned heads in the domestic main league. This week, he will also make his senior national team debut, when Susijengi plays two European Championship qualifying matches against Georgia.
Even last season, Adler played at the second highest league level in Finland at the age of 16 in HBA Märsky. At that time, he averaged just under 27 minutes of playing time and scored 12.8 points per game.
In the summer, Adler moved to the Korisliiga in the ranks of Vilppaa and in the fall he immediately showed his skills in the main league. He has been one of the best domestic back players in the series and averaged 12.3 points in 19 minutes.
How is that possible?
– I play in my own style. I play as the coaches ask, and I don’t think too much, Adler says in an interview with Urheilu.
Adler gained self-confidence even before the start of the season and realized that he could do well at the highest league level in the country, when he gained playing responsibility in practice matches.
– I got the feeling that I can play well. But I keep working regardless of how it goes. The same routines continue every day, and I don’t let things get too stuck in my head.
The coast teaches Adler
Adler describes himself as a physical, calm and very defensive player. Raised in Tapiola Honga, he is an exceptionally tall, 196-centimeter fullback.
– I try to be smart, such a good guy.
Considering the goal, Vilpa can be considered a good team choice. Adler is being trained by one of the Finnish game managers of all time at the game maker’s plot: Teemu Rannikko.
Rannikko made his debut at the age of 16 in the Korisliiga, played 13 seasons in Europe as a professional and ran Susijeng’s game in 149 men’s national matches. A long playing career finally ended in 2021 in Vilppaa with the Finnish championship.
Now Rannikko is a part of both Vilppa’s and the national team’s coaching team, and at the same time he trains from Adler as a backcourt conk. Adler says that with the help of Ranniko, his playing style has become more versatile.
– It’s really cool. Teemu’s brain works differently when it comes to basketball. He gets all the little details, and I try to make the most of them.
Rannikko, on the other hand, knows what Adler’s best quality is as a player.
– High work ethic. Samu has a clear vision of where he wants to go in his career. He works hard for it, Rannikko praises.
– Sometimes you even have to hold back a little and say that you don’t have to live here in the hall every day.
In addition to team training and playing, joint work hours are accumulated with video feedback. According to Ranniko, the most important thing is to grasp what drives Adler forward.
– All those great performances and statistics are good things, but losing the ball, bad defenses and poor throw choices are what we focus on.
Adler says that he has gradually learned to read the game in a new way. However, sometimes it is difficult to keep up with the coast.
– Sometimes it’s a bit funny when Teemu explains something. Most of the time I’m on the map, but sometimes there are terms I don’t understand anything about, Adler laughs.
Susijeng’s starting fullback with the goal
For now, Adler enjoys the everyday life of a professional athlete in Salo and completes high school studies remotely at Mäkelänrinte high school. In the future, I would be interested in both the American university series NCAA and European fields.
This week Susijengi will play two European Championship qualifying matches against Georgia. Adler is in the group of 17 players.
On Thursday, Finland will host Georgia at Espoo Metro Arena, and on Sunday, the teams will meet Georgia in Tbilisi. Teams of 12 players will be selected for both matches.
– It’s a damn cool thing that I get to join the men’s national team camp. It’s been a dream since I was little, and now it came quite early. It has had to be processed a bit.
Adler has heard a lot of comparisons to Rannikko, but also to another back player who became a sensation at a young age. Like the coast Petteri Koponen debuted in the Korisliiga at the age of 16 and played a total of 13 seasons abroad during his career. The 196-centimeter guard was also the first Finnish first-round NBA pick in history.
However, the coast does not want to compare Adler to other players.
– His ceiling is high, but I don’t want to raise it too much. He is only 17 years old. Let’s try to make him a little better player every week. Through that, those goals must be fulfilled.
Adler also emphasizes that the feet are kept on the ground. However, the goal ten years from now is clear in mind.
– The starting back of the wolf gang, Adler concludes.