Petteri Koponen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 Petteri Koponen playing for Honka in 2007.
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| Position | Point guard |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| League | NBA |
| Team | Portland Trail Blazers |
| Born | April 13, 1988 Helsinki, Finland |
| Nationality |  Finland |
| High school | Mäkelänrinne, Helsinki |
| Draft | 1st round, 30th overall, 2007 Philadelphia 76ers |
| Pro career | 2004–present |
| Former teams | Tapiolan Honka (2004–07) |
| Official profile | Info Page |
Petteri Koponen (born 13 April 1988) is a Finnish basketball player from Helsinki. He plays point guard, weighs 190 pounds (85 kg) and is 6 ft 4 inches tall (193 cm).
[edit] In Finland
His first club was Malmi Super-Koris ("Malmi super-basketball"), from where he joined one of Finland's top clubs, Espoo Honka. This happened for the 2004-05 season. Under the guidance of coach Mihailo Pavicevic he quickly developed into a key component of Honka's 2006-2007 Finnish championship winning side. During 2006/2007 campaign Koponen averaged 12.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists. The number of assists may sound small, but in Finland assists are apparently harder to come by, because the leader had an average of only somewhat 5 assists.
He played in the World All-Star team of Nike Hoop Summit in 2007, and was considered one of their best players. He recorded 7 points and 6 assists with only one turnover, playing against future NBA guards such as Derrick Rose and OJ Mayo.
The summer of 2006 was Koponen's coming-out party. First, he played very well in the U-20 European Championship B-level competition, leading the Finnish team to third place by losing just one game. After that he was promoted to the men's national team. He showed no fear as he played like a veteran and got to play quite a lot. His best game was against the small country of Luxembourg; he scored 19 points and handed out 7 assists.
Koponen was a main contributor in Finnish men's national team in the summer of 2007. Finland earned a spot in European Division A after crushing Romania in deciding game 111-61. Koponen averaged 10.6 points, 2.7 assists, 1.7 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 21.3 minutes a game with the national team. Just days before national team campaign tipped off, Koponen announced he would return to Honka Playboys for one more season.
Koponen began his military service in Lahti Military Academy in October 2007, participating in a special campaign built for professional athletes such as Finnish tennis player Jarkko Nieminen. The 2007/2008 season began slowly, with Koponen trying to adapt to the military recruit training. Koponen struggled a lot in the opening month of the season, but found his rhythm in November, recording 21.4 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals a game while draining 55.6% of his 2pt attempts, 45.8% of his 3-point attempts and 81.0% of his free throws. In the first game of December, Koponen played through a concussion and lead the Honka Playboys to an overtime victory over Team Componenta, scoring 32 points, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out five assists. After the game, the concussion forced Koponen to be sidelined for a week.
Koponen is known for his agility and passing skills. He is at his best when he gets to push the ball forward on a fast break and mostly makes the right decision on the fast break, whether it means giving up the ball or taking it to the rack by himself.
[edit] NBA Draft
On June 28, 2007, Koponen was taken 30th overall in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. He was the final first-round pick in the draft in 2007. Philadelphia then traded Koponen to the Portland Trail Blazers in exchange for their number 42 pick, Vanderbilt University swingman Derrick Byars, and cash considerations.
[edit] External links
- Petteri Koponen Info Page at NBA.com
- Petteri Koponen's Profile - Draft Express Website
- Koponen's stats from Finland
- 2007 Summer League interview
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