BC Nokia | |
---|---|
Position | Small forward |
League | Korisliiga |
Personal information | |
Born | Helsinki, Finland | April 4, 2002
Listed height | 2.02 m (6 ft 8 in) |
Listed weight | 98 kg (216 lb) |
Career information | |
College | Santa Clara University (2021) |
Playing career | 2018–present |
Career history | |
2018–2020 | Helsingin NMKY |
2020–2021 | Helsinki Seagulls |
2020–2021 | Helsingin NMKY |
2021–2022 | BC Nokia |
2022–2023 | BG Göttingen |
2023–2024 | Belfius Mons-Hainaut |
2024–present | BC Nokia |
Max Besselink (born 4 April 2002) is a Finnish professional basketball player for Finnish Korisliiga team BC Nokia.
Besselink was born in Helsinki, Finland, to Canadian father and Finnish-Swedish mother. He was raised in Vartiokylä, Helsinki. [1] His father, Gerry Besselink, played basketball in Finland during 1989–1997, and represented Canada national team in 1986 FIBA World Championship tournament. His mother Nina Besselink (née Johansson), also a basketball player, played in Finland national team and has won two Finnish championship titles. [2] [3] [4]
Besselink started his senior career with Helsingin NMKY in second-tier Koripallon I-divisioona in 2018. [5] He attended the Basketball Without Borders camp in June 2019. [6] Besselink played with Helsinki Seagulls in the first part of the 2020–21 season in top-tier Korisliiga, but in February 2021, he suddenly re-joined the second-tier team Helsingin NMKY. [7] Later in the same year, he was supposed to join Santa Clara University, [8] but after the summer school he decided to turn professional. [9]
On 28 September 2021, he joined fellow Korisliiga team BC Nokia for the season. [10] [11]
It was reported in May 2022 that Besselink had signed with Basketball Bundesliga team s.Oliver Würzburg, but the deal was cancelled later. [12] In September 2022, he signed a contract with Tapiolan Honka, [13] but soon after he exercised a transfer abroad clause in his contract, and joined Bundesliga team BG Göttingen. [14] [15] On 28 November 2022, Besselink recorded a season-high 10 points in a 96–95 win against ALBA Berlin. [16] He played in 16 Bundesliga games, averaging 2.1 points and 0.8 rebounds in less than 10 minutes per game in total.
After a season with Göttingen, [17] [18] Besselink moved to Belgium and signed a three-year deal with BNXT League team Belfius Mons-Hainaut in July 2023. [19] [20] [21] On 8 January 2024, he returned from an injury, and made his debut in BNXT League. [22] [23]
On 18 June 2024, Besselink returned to Finland and signed with BC Nokia in Korisliiga. [24]
A former youth international, [25] Besselink has represented Finland senior national team on two occasions. [26] Most recently he played in a 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifying win against Israel, [27] [28] recording 5 points, 6 rebounds and an assist in 9 minutes. [29]
Besselink's mother tongue is Swedish. He also speaks Finnish, and English with his father. [30]
Helsinki Seagulls is a professional basketball team, based in Helsinki, Finland. The club plays in the Korisliiga, the highest tier of basketball in Finland.
The Korisliiga is the top-tier professional basketball league in Finland, comprising the top 12 teams of the country. In its current format, each team plays all other teams two times in the regular season, once at home and once away, for a total of 22 regular season games. The top six teams advances continues to upper stage and the bottom six teams plays lower stage after 22 games, 5 games at home and 5 games at away versus all other teams in stage. The best two teams from lower group joins to playoffs with upper group teams. Playoffs are played best of seven format, except the quarter-finals which are played best of 5 format. Pantterit holds the record for the most league titles won, with 14. The top level Finnish league for women is the Naisten Korisliiga.
Gordon Walter Herbert is a Canadian-born Finnish professional basketball coach and former player. He was named the head coach of the Germany national team in 2021 and guided them to a bronze medal at the EuroBasket 2022, and to the gold medal at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.
Nokia Arena, also known by its non-sponsored name Tampere Deck Arena, is an indoor arena in Tampere, Finland, which hosts ice hockey games and large cultural events. It is the home arena of Ilves and Tappara of the SM-liiga. Its construction was approved by the City Council of Tampere on 19 May 2010, and it was officially opened on 3 December 2021.
Topias Palmi is a Finnish professional basketball player who plays for Karhu Basket of the Finnish Korisliiga and the FIBA Europe Cup. A 194 cm tall guard, Palmi last played for Vanoli Cremona of the LBA.
Juhani Keto was a Finnish basketball player.
Annika Alexandra Holopainen is a Finnish professional basketball player and a member of the Finnish national team. She played college basketball for the University of Portland and later Old Dominion University. Following her college career, she has played professionally in Europe.
Harold Aidoo Fiifi is a Ghanaian-Finnish professional basketball player for BC Nokia of the Korisliiga.
Awak Sabit Bior Kuier is a Finnish basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), but she'll be skipping the 2024 WNBA season, and the Finnish national team. Kuier also plays for Italian team Reyer Venezia in LBF and EuroCup. Selected by the Wings with the second overall pick in the 2021 WNBA draft, she was the second Finnish player in the history of the league after Taru Tuukkanen to be drafted, and she became the first Finnish player to play in the WNBA in May 2021.
Miro Little, is a Finnish college basketball player for the Utah Utes of the Pac-12 Conference. He represents the Finland national team.
Jussi Tapani Laakso is a Finnish professional basketball coach, currently working as the head coach of the German Bundesliga side Crailsheim Merlins.
Daniel Jansson is a Finnish basketball coach and a former player. He is currently working as the head coach of German Bundesliga team USC Heidelberg, and an assistant coach of the Finland national team.
Severi Tino Kalevi Kaukiainen is a Finnish basketball player who plays as a point guard for Estonian club Kalev/Cramo in the Korvpalli Meistriliiga and Latvian–Estonian Basketball League.
Perttu Juhani Blomgren is a Finnish basketball player who plays for Slovenian club Helios Suns in Slovenian First League and ABA League Second Division.
Olivier Robinson Nkamhoua is a Finnish basketball player. He played college basketball for the Tennessee Volunteers and Michigan Wolverines. He began playing basketball with Helsingin NMKY.
Luukas Vaara is a Finnish basketball player who plays for Salon Vilpas in Finnish Korisliiga. He started basketball in youth teams of Namika Lahti and Lahti Basketball.
Remu Raitanen is a Finnish professional basketball player who plays for Spanish club Cáceres in LEB Oro. Raitanen started playing basketball in youth teams of Torpan Pojat, continuing his senior career in 2014 with Helsinki Basketball Academy team HBA-Märsky, competing in Finnish second-tier Koripallon I-divisioona.
Thomas Tumba Exaucia is a Finnish basketball player who plays for Kataja in Korisliiga. Previously he was known as Thomas Exaucia, but since 2022, he started to use his mother's surname Tumba officially.
Erik Sajantila is a Finnish basketball player who plays for Helsinki Seagulls in Finnish Korisliiga. He played for Helsinki Basketball Academy team HBA-Märsky during 2017–2021, before starting his senior career with Lahti.
Miikka Muurinen, is a Finnish high school basketball player for AZ Compass Prep.