Petteri Koponen interview – from Bologna 2010

Another blast from the past – interview with Petteri Koponen in Bologna 2010 !!!

Text below is copy/paste from the original interview/article!

Having visited Bologna in November to see Petteri Koponen play in the Lega A – when Bologna took an important win over Air Avellino, with Koponen top scoring in the game – and playing his best game in Italy so far. Since then Koponen has kept improving his game, and his form has even caught the eye of the team that holds his right in NBA (Portland Trailblazers). So we decided to catch up with Petteri again and see how things had moved on in the last couple of months.

Koponen is also one of the key players in the Finnish national team, so this was a good time to ask how he sees Finland’s chances in the tough qualifying group for EURO2011. He should at least have a good inside knowledge of one of Finland’s opponents – Italy.

BV : Hello Petteri, good to hear from you again – and as always, a big thank you for doing this interview with us.

BV : Since we last talked, your performances have been improving and been more consistant – where do you see the major reasons for this?

PK : I think one of the biggest reasons, for sure, has been my self-confidence getting a massive lift as my performances have improved. It also naturally easier to play your own game when you get the trust from the coaching staff and you notice them giving you more responsibility in the game.

BV : Before our last visit your own personal game had not been going as well as expected, and there were comments from the management for you to step up your game – now that your performances have improved, has the feedback been positive from that direction?

PK : Well, I probably should be thanking the management for my improved performances. Their reaction to my early season performance was a major factor in what made me realize just what was wanted and expected from me in the Bologna team. And after that my game has been more to the level I know I can play at. Of course you get positive feedback when the team keeps winning, and you get negative feedback when the team loses, especially when we lose it almost the whole team who gets to hear about it in no uncertain terms.

BV : When you first arrived in Italy, how were you received in the Bologna team/organization?

PK : I was received here very well. Of course you always here a little friendly banter about me being Finnish, as well as being one of the younger players in the team – you get some stick from the more senior players, but that’s all just friendly banter and part of the game.

BV : Name the top five players you have personally player with?

PK : I assume this means players that I have played on the same side with? Those would be : PG : Earl Boykins, SG : Keith Langford, SF : Martell Webster, PF : LaMarcus Aldridge and C: Greg Olden.

BV : Finland was drawn in to the ‘Group of Death’ in the EURO2011 qualifications – how do you rate Finland’s chances of qualifying and can you give us a quick opinion of your coming opponents?

PK : (smiles) Yeah, it once again seems that the Finns did not have too much luck with the draw. In my view I think we pretty much got the strongest possible team from each basket into our group.

-And especially from the fifth ranked group, where we drew Montenegro. They are a really tough team, and will certainly be fighting for the number one place in our group and direct qualification in to the EURO2011.

-It seems we still have not shaken Italy off our backs, and after their failure in the last campaign and with their new coach – I am sure they are keen to assert themselves once again as one of the top teams in Europe.

-Latvia and Israel are both good basketball countries, and if they are able to get all their top players available for the qualifying campaign – they also are with-in a shout of a qualification. So, once again – there are no easy games in store for us. Having said that, everything is possible and we (Finland) have a chance to win each of our games, but to achieve that we need to have our top players healthy and that we can get our own game plan executed.

BV : In Finland basketball has been given a massive boost with the way the last qualifying campaign went – how do you see the future of Finnish basketball (both the domestic series and international team)?

PK : The game has been taking steps forward year by year. The level of game in the Finnish Korisliiga has risen, and it is nowhere as poor of a series as some people say it is. The back-bone of the National team has been together now for few years, and we have definitely taken movement into the right direction, and have shown that we belong in to the A-group of European basketball. We still have one major hurdle to overcome on international level, and that is to qualify into major international tournament. The team has some young talent joining in at the moment, and our big international level stars (Mottola and Rannikko) are by no means nearing an end of their respective careers either. So, in my view we as a team surely have a chance to achieve the qualification (to a major competition) with-in the next couple of years.

BV : You have been quite clear that your goal is to play in the NBA, have you set yourself a dead-line on how long you are happy to wait for a chance to play there?

PK : NBA must the dream and goal for every basketball player who plays the game professionally. Personally I am taking things year by year – at the end of each season I sit down and we evaluate the situation as it is at that moment.

BV : Bologna is currently on the fifth place in the Italian Lega A, what sort of goals has the team set themselves for the rest of the season?

PK : Our first aim is to get home-court advantage into the play-offs. During the early part of the season we already lost three games that by every measure we should have won. From now on until the end of the regular season, we just can not accept those sorts of slips to happen again.

BV : What is the most memorable moment of your own career, so far?

PK : Without a doubt it was the 2007 NBA Draft event. When you play the game, you dream of being drafted by an NBA team. It is difficult to describe it with words how that moment felt for me personally. And it is something that I doubt that I will ever forget about.

BV : Every player also has some ‘low-points’ during their career, how about yours?

PK : From the top of my head I would say it has to be my last season here. My own expectations and goals were much higher than that. Luckily during this season I have been able to turn things around and have been playing a lot better.

BV : As a junior – who were your role-models as players (both Finnish and International)?

PK : From the Finns, it must have been Teemu Rannikko, he was the best Finnish play-maker at the time. And when I was really young – it had to be Michael Jordan, and a little later in my young career Steve Nash.

BV : What are your own strengths as a player on the court?

PK : My strength is the fact that I am very versatile player and able to do many things on the court. I can shoot the ball, I am able to drive to the basket, I am able to lead the game… And for my size, I do possess a fair amount of speed.

BV : How about the weakness’ – which parts of the game do you have the most to improve on?

PK : I can still improve myself a lot on each part of my game, as a player you can never say that you have no part of your game where you could improve.

BV : If you could choose one attribute from any player (current or past), which would you chooce and from whom?

PK : The passing skills and ability to read the game – from Steve Nash.

BV : You have now spent a few years abroad – what sort of things do you miss from back home?

PK : When you live abroad, you start to miss even the simple things – like Skimmed mild (rasvaton maito), Rye bread (tummaa leipaa) and able to drink the water from the tap (kraana vetta). As well as all my friend and people I am close to back home.

BV : How about your chances to visit Finland – do you get a chance to visit home during the season or during the summer?

PK : During the last season I did not get a chance to go home at all, this year I was lucky enough to spend four days back in Finland over the Christmas. And every time I’ve been back to Finland – and when it comes time to go back home, I do start looking forward to the time I can come back again. The summers – I naturally go back to Finland and spend my summers there!

BV : Thank you once again Petsku for taking time to reply to our questions – good luck with the rest of the season in Bologna and I look forward to visiting your games during the play-off season!

(Koponen’s Bologna plays against Napoli in the Lega A on Valentine’s Day – this being one of those games Bologna ‘have’ to win, as Napoli are bottom of the Lega A table. Napoli used to have Koponen’s compatriot Kimmo Muurinen in their roster – but he left the team a month ago.)