Joonas Iisalo

Last updated
Joonas Iisalo
Joonas Iisalo1.jpg
Iisalo in 2023 with Heidelberg
Finland national team
Title Assistant coach
Personal information
Born (1986-01-05) 5 January 1986 (age 39)
Berlin, Germany
NationalityFinnish
Listed height190 cm (6 ft 3 in)
Career information
Playing career2002–2004
Position Shooting guard
Coaching career2005–present
Career history
Playing
2002–2004 Kouvot
Coaching
2005–2009 Tapiolan Honka (youth)
2009–2010 Espoo Basket Team  [ fi ] (youth)
2010–2011 Espoon Honka (assistant)
2012–2013 Karkkilan Urheilijat
2013–2015 Bisons Loimaa (assistant)
2015–2016 Forssan Koripojat
2016–2019 Salon Vilpas
2019–2021 Crailsheim Merlins
(associate hc)
2021–2022 Telekom Baskets Bonn
(associate hc)
2022–2024 USC Heidelberg
2025–present Finland (assistant)
Career highlights
As head coach:

Joonas Iisalo (born 5 January 1986) is a Finnish basketball coach and former player. He is currently an assistant coach of the Finland national team.

Contents

Standing at 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in), Iisalo played as shooting guard during his playing career. He capped for Finnish youth national teams on many occasions.[ citation needed ]

Early life

Joonas Iisalo's father worked as a foreign correspondent in East Berlin in the 1980s. [1]

Both Joonas and his older brother Tuomas later became professional basketball coaches. Their sister Meri Valkama became a journalist who won the 2021 prize for best debut novel in Finland with her book "Sinun, Margot" where she describes the story of the Iisalo family. [1]

Coaching career

Joonas coached as an associate head coach to his brother Tuomas for the Crailsheim Merlins and for the Telekom Baskets Bonn. For the 2022–23 season, he switched teams to become head coach of the Bundesliga competitor MLP Academics Heidelberg. On 27 September 2023, he extended his contract with Heidelberg, signing a deal until the end of 2025–26 season. [2]

In October 2025, it was announced that Iisalo would join the coaching staff of the Finland national team, to replace Hanno Möttölä. [3]

Coaching style

According to reports, the Iisalo style has been based on pace, many three-point shots and strong offensive rebounding. [1]

Personal

Joonas Iisalo is married and has three children. [4] In October 2025, he revealed they are expecting their fourth child.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Zwei Brüder, ein Stil Stefan Koch - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, 6 November 2022. Accessed 11 May 2023.(in German)
  2. ↑ "HEADCOACH JOONAS IISALO VERLÄNGERT BEI DEN MLP ACADEMICS BIS 2026" (in German). mlp-academics.de. 27 September 2023.
  3. ↑ Ylen tiedot: Joonas Iisalo liittyy Susijengin valmennustiimiin Hanno Möttölän tilalle, Yle, 2 October 2025
  4. ↑ Schröer, Michel (3 April 2023). "BBL-Trainer muss VOR dem Spiel wieder los!". Sport Bild (in German). Retrieved 19 May 2023.
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