Tuomas Iisalo, who was selected as coach of the year in the Eurocup, led his team to the championship of the competition.
Last piloted the German Bonn Fiba Champions League champion in Tuomas Iisalo continues with the same efficiency in Paris Basketball. In the second match of the Eurocup final series on Friday, the Parisian team beat another French team, Bourg-en-Bresse, in its home hall at Ekinox, 89–81. After the Parisians had won the first match at their home hall on Tuesday, the team was crowned Eurocup champion.
The Eurocup is generally considered to be the second most prestigious Euroseries on the continent after the Euroleague.
“No one knows how much this team has worked for this achievement,” Iisalo said in a TV interview right after the match.
Iisalo brought six players with him from Bonn, which shows the commitment of the players to the Finnish coach’s philosophy. Iisalo, on the other hand, praises his players.
“It is a great privilege to coach this team,” Iisalo said.
Isalon credit players include Mikael Jantunen, who played a top match on Friday. The East Helsinki native was on the field for 25 minutes and scored 15 points with a high percentage (2-point shots 67%, 3-point shots 60% and free throws 100%). In addition, the 204-centimeter player picked up one rebound and made three assists leading to the basket.
The best scorer of the Parisians was once again a weak playmaker TJ Shorts (22 points), who was selected as the player of the season in the EuroCup earlier in the week.
In January, Paris Basketball won the French Leaders Cup and is second in the series after Monaco.
Thanks to their victory in the EuroCup, Paris Basketball gets into the Euroleague next season.