Basketball|Miikka Muuriin had no interest in physical education class in Järvenpää.
Finland the current hottest player of the men’s national basketball team is by a clear margin only 17 years old Miikka Muurinen.
Muurinen, who is even ranked as the top prospect in his age group in Europe, has impressed the national team with his open-minded performances right from the first minutes.
Even Aina Muurinen hasn’t managed to calm down, because at the age of 13, the youngster was denied entry to a sports-oriented middle school class in her home municipality of Järvenpää. Muurinen took the tests, but was left without a place.
“I wasn’t really accepted into the class, which is admittedly a bit strange. However, I was then selected for the sports class at Pohjois Haaga co-educational school. I went to a stand-up class there,” Muurinen says with a smile.
Still life it is also special in that sense – and ultimately also happy – that specifically the Pohjois-Haaga co-educational school PHYK was Muurinen’s primary choice for a middle school degree.
“Järvenpää was kind of a backup plan in case I didn’t get into PHYK, but it turned out the other way around.”
“No reason was really given. There were tests and according to them the gang was chosen for the class.”
The solution of the Järvenpäälä school sounds quite special, when it is a question of a super promise that is even a reservation for the first round of the NBA.
“It was certainly strange to hear this news at the time,” Muurinen says now.
Case however, it didn’t bother the young basketball player’s beginnings. He got into the middle school he wanted and continued his journey from there to Spain, where he played basketball in a top club and attended the ninth grade.
From Spain, Muurinen continued his journey to Kansas in the United States and started high school at Sunrise Christian Academy in the city of Bel Aire. For the second year of high school, he will transfer to Arizona to Az Compass Prep.
Muurinen made his debut this summer in the national men’s basketball team in Susijeng. He played in two practice matches last week and was in real action on Tuesday when Finland started the Olympic qualifying tournament in Valencia, Spain.
Finland lost his opening match to the Bahamas, but Muurinen performed well against the opponent’s seasoned NBA stars.
The qualifying race continues on Thursday with a match against Poland at 21:30. Finland must beat Poland in order for its job in the Olympic qualifiers to continue from the first group onwards.