Kiwi basketball club pin their faith in the unproven Petteri Koponen to succeed Mody Maor as head coach. MARC HINTON reports.
The San Antonio Spurs clearly see something in the coaching future of recently retired Finland international Petteri Koponen. So, when his name cropped up on their radar, who were the New Zealand Breakers not to jump at the chance to bring him in as their new head shot-caller for the 2024-25 Australian National Basketball League season.
The 36-year-old Koponen, an untested coach at the professional level – at any level, really – was unveiled in July as the successor to Mody Maor at the Auckland-based club as they continued their policy under American ownership of bringing in European coaches to run the show at Atlas Place. He comes in on a two-year deal – with a team option for a third term.
Since the Matt Walsh-headed ownership group took over from the Blackwells, the Breakers have brought in Israelis Dan Shamir and Maor and now the long-serving Finnish international Koponen as their head coaches. Highly successful Kiwi Canterbury Rams chief (and former Breakers assistant) Judd Flavell put his hat into the ring, but was not even considered among the leading contenders the club looked at.
Koponen’s appointment is a bold move by Walsh after Maor stunned them by announcing he was cutting loose to take up a big-money two-year deal with Nagasaki Velka in Japan’s B League. The successful Israeli, who guided the Breakers to the grand final in his first year as head coach (2022-23), and an honourable play-in exit at the hands of the Illawarra Hawks last season, had already recruited a half-dozen players – including last season’s standout import Parker Jackson-Cartwright – to go with lone carryover Dane Pineau.
But there are still a handful of spots to fill in what will be a new-look squad, and those would have been Koponen’s calls to make ahead of an early-August arrival in New Zealand, and a September tipoff. He would have done so whilst undertaking duties as a “guest” coach for the Spurs NBA Summer League team – a role which put him at the cutting edge of potential contenders for the club’s remaining two import slots.
Koponen, who finished an 18-year playing career in 2022, has scant coaching experience, which is where the risk lies for the Breakers. They are banking on catching the long-time Finland national team player (2007-22) in the nascent stages of a meteoric rise, and benefiting from what is essentially his first main job at the professional level.
But there is also bound to be a learning period for the Finn, and maybe some growing pains too. That will be a process the Breakers have to expect, and negotiate, as they bed in a young coach largely still figuring things out.
Koponen, the 30th pick of the 2007 NBA Draft, though he never played in the league, does have an extensive playing career to fall back on. The 1.94-metre guard spent 18 years in the professional ranks, starting and finishing in Finland, but also taking in stops at Virtus Bologna in Italy, FC Barcelona in Spain and Bayern Munich in Germany, and a half-dozen seasons in the high-level EuroLeague competition. He was also a seven-time Finnish player of the year – the same number as Utah Jazz NBA star Lauri Markkanen.
Arguably his high point in a distinguished national team career came when he led the entire 2014 World Cup in Spain in assists – a tournament at which Finland were defeated 67-65 by the Tall Blacks, with Koponen contributing 13 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists.
His coaching career has thus far been at a youth level in Finland and with the EuroLeague’s Next Generation tournament where he has impressed keen observers, including the Spurs who added him to their Summer League coaching roster for 2024.
Walsh considered the Finn an outstanding addition in the wake of Maor’s sudden departure. “The head coaching position at the Breakers is one of the most sought-after jobs in basketball outside of the NBA, and we had amazing interest shown,” said the Breakers owner.
“My goal was to find the best coach to lead the Breakers, and I am very confident we have found the right person. We ran an exhaustive search that included coaches from all over the world.
“Petteri was an incredible player who has seamlessly transitioned to coaching and shares my vision of growing the game of basketball in New Zealand.”
Walsh says the Spurs’ early identification of Koponen should excite Breakers’ fans. “We got a good one,” said the now US-based owner.
The Breakers have Jackson-Cartwright, Mitch McCarron, Jonah Bolden, Mojave King, Sam Mennenga, Dane Pineau, and Grant Anticevich as their contracted players thus far. The hope is the well-travelled Finn will significantly boost that lineup.
Marc Hinton
Sports Writer