Miika Muurinen had his moment on Wednesday night in Tampere. With the game on the line at EuroBasket 2025, the 18 year old stepped up big when it mattered for Finland against Sweden. Emmet Ryan on the youngster’s confidence and what it means for the Susijengi.
Maybe it’s a coincidence but you can’t help but notice the similarity. Miika Muurinen wears 24 and is the next face of Finnish basketball. Lauri Markkanen wears 23 and has certainly been the closest thing Finland has ever had to Michael Jordan. One thing is certain. Miika Muurinen has the Mamba mentality. Everyone watching him at EuroBasket 2025 learned that on Wednesday night.
Picking the moment
It was the middle of the fourth and Finland trailed Sweden by a single point. A full house of 12,000 people in the Nokia Arena had come expecting victory on the opening night of EuroBasket 2025. After all, they had the superstar in Lauri Markkanen and sat a full 29 spots above Sweden in the world rankings.
Miika Muurinen gets the ball and shoots for three with 5.12 on the clock. The next 33 seconds would reshape the narrative entirely. Muurinen immediately grabbed his own rebound and then drove for the lay-up. Finland back up by 1 with 5.03 to play.
Sasu Salin stole from Ludde Hakanson on the next possession with 4.43 to play. The fast break goes to Muurinen who dunks with 4.39 to play to bring the Nokia Arena to its feet. It also drew the attention of the basketball watching public. The momentum shift Finland needed didn’t come from Markkanen the star or Salin the veteran leader. It was the cold blooded kid who grabbed the opportunity and gave Finland a lead they’d never surrender.
It’s just who he is
In the mixed zone afterwards, Miika Muurinen was a man of few words but they were deliberately chosen. “It was insane to play in front of the home fans, 12,000 people, it was insane. I’ve never experienced something like that,” he told BallinEurope.
Then came the matter of the fourth quarter impact. Did the pressure ever get to him? “It didn’t, honestly it didn’t…I’m confident all the time, I don’t feel pressure like that.” He praised Salin and Markkanen for helping him grow as a player but still shied away from seeking a bigger role, merely saying “I hope so.”
As for the next game, against Great Britain on Friday, what does he hope for? “To play a good basketball game.” The youngster oozed confidence throughout a blend of non-answers and one clear Kobe grade quote. Doing that at EuroBasket 2025 at just 18 is remarkable.
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About Friday
In terms of a game to build on, Miika Muurinen couldn’t have asked for a better option than Great Britain. The British showed plenty of fight against Lithuania in their opener but were clearly outclassed. Facing the most raucous crowd they’ll likely see at EuroBasket 2025 on Friday night, little is expected of Marc Steutel’s side.
For Muurinen however it does give him the chance to bang with some athletically gifted balls. The British will certainly bring an intense approach against Finland. That is going to give Muurinen a chance to stretch himself physically against grown men, while his coach Lassi Tuovi will know it’s relatively low-risk.
It may feel harsh to write off the British ahead of the game but it’s also realistic. This game is a chance for Muurinen to showcase his range a bit more before Finland’s final three tests in the group phase. Friday’s game is one where mistakes are ok so long as the youngster learns from them.
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Finland fans at EuroBasket 2025 came with their hopes resting on the shoulders of Lauri Markkanen but Miika Muurinen has emerged as the next star for the Susijengi.
It matters for the rest of the tournament
In 2017, a 20 year old Lauri Markkanen had his breakout moment at EuroBasket in front of a raucous home crowd. That was Helsinki and this is Tampere but the parallels are worth observing. Finland wildly overachieved in the group phase, going 4-1 and only losing to eventual champions Slovenia.
Hopes were high for Markkanen to carry them through the round of 16. Then Niccolo Melli absolutely manhandled him in a dominant Italy win. Miika Muurinen is earlier in his development and with a team that has higher expectations. This despite some glaring defensive issues across the floor potentially putting a ceiling on their progress.
Assuming a win over Great Britain on Friday, Finland will be effectively through to the last 16 of EuroBasket 2025. It’s the three games that follow that will decide how favourable a draw they get as the tournament moves to Riga. Saturday against Montenegro, Monday against Lithuania, and Wednesday against Germany represent visible progressions in difficulty. Muurinen’s impact will be decisive in their final position and, thus, their hopes to match or surpass 2022’s run to the quarter finals.
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