Playing his first game for Finland in four years, Lauri Markkanen not only put on a show for some rowdy home country fans but also for one of his Arizona basketball successors.
The former UA forward who now plays for the Cavaliers collected 22 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and four steals to lead Finland to Thursday’s 85-69 win over Sweden and UA guard Pelle Larsson in a FIBA 2023 World Cup qualifying game in Espoo, Finland.
Larsson made his Swedish senior team debut, playing 12 minutes off the bench while scoring three points and recording a steal. Markkanen, meanwhile, more than pleased a fanbase that had been eagerly awaiting him.
A translated version of the game story from Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat described the atmosphere as “downright inferno” among the sold-out crowd of 6,951 fans.
“Hard to describe in words my feeling,” Markkanen said afterward, according to Helsingin Sanomat. “There could be no better fans. They have been waiting a lot to see me play, but I have been waiting even more for me to play in front of them.”
Lauri Markkanen, middle, defends during Thursday’s FIBA qualifier.
While Markkanen and his teammates were taking a while to find their rhythm early in the game, Sweden jumped out to a 29-19 lead at the end of the first quarter. Larsson pitched in by hitting the only shot he took, a 3-pointer with 4:32 left in the first quarter, and giving Sweden a 17-8 lead.
However, Sweden led just 46-43 at halftime and trailed most of the second half while Markkanen caught fire.
The win clinched a spot in the second round of World Cup qualifying games for Finland, which is now 4-1 in Group C games. Sweden (2-3) is scheduled to face Luka Doncic and Slovenia (3-2) on Sunday in Stockholm.
Larsson’s senior-team debut for Sweden was the first of what has been expected to be many national-team appearances for several Arizona players this summer.
Incoming freshman Henri Veesaar had been expected to play for Estonia in the World Cup qualifiers but was not listed on the country’s 12-player roster when it lost to Germany 88-67 in Group D game Thursday. Veesaar made brief appearances in three previous World Cup qualifiers.
While UA point guard Kerr Kriisa has spent most of the offseason in Tucson, it is possible he will join the Estonian team for Eurobasket games in early to mid-September. Estonia is scheduled to open that event against Italy on Sept. 2.
This weekend, UA center Oumar Ballo is scheduled to play for Mali’s senior team in its FIBA 2023 World Cup African qualifying games in Rwanda. Mali is scheduled to face Uganda on Friday, Nigeria on Saturday and Cape Verde on Sunday.
Meanwhile, UA rising sophomore Adama Bal was one of 20 players invited to try out for France’s U20 team, which is scheduled to compete in the U20 European Championships from July 16-24 in Podgorica, Montenegro.
