University of Richmond Athletics
Coaching Andre: Finnish Legend Hanno Möttölä Talks About The Newest Spider
05/02/2018 | Men's Basketball
When it comes to Finnish basketball, Hanno Möttölä is the biggest name in the game. Standing 6'10", Möttölä made headlines in his home country when he elected to cross the Atlantic Ocean to play for Rick Majerus at Utah in 1996. Möttölä's trailblazing decision resulted in a trip to the national title game in 1998, an All-WAC selection in 1999, and a second-round selection by the Atlanta Hawks in 2000. Möttölä, the first Finnish player in NBA history, averaged 4.6 points over 155 games with the Hawks over the next two seasons before returning to Europe to continue his professional career.
In 2012, he joined the coaching staff at the Helsinki Basketball Academy. It was there he met Andre Gustavson. Gustavson averaged 11.6 points per game in his final season for HBA in 2017-18 before signing with Richmond this spring. Möttölä talked to RichmondSpiders.com about the newest Spider.
Jason Vida (Associate Director of Athletic Public Relations): What are some of the best aspects of Andre's game?
Hanno Möttölä (Coach - Helsinki Basketball Academy): I think Andre fits a modern player profile pretty well. He can certainly pass, shoot and dribble and is very eager to get better and learn with an open mindset. He has improved many parts of his game a lot the past couple of years and I don't see any reason why he wouldn't continue to do that. I am very excited about his future and I know Coach Mooney and his staff will push him hard to reach his potential.
JV: How do you think he'll fit into Richmond's offense and fare against Atlantic 10 competition?
HM: I see a lot of similarities the way Richmond plays and the way we at HBA and in the Finnish national team programs want to play. Andre is used to playing modern fast-paced offense with good ball and player movement, shooting a lot of threes and driving hard to the basket. I think, with his experience playing internationally at high level, he can step in and play well as a freshman. Obviously any freshman will have an adjustment period going from high school to college and certainly to high level like A-10.
JV: Why do you think Finnish basketball players have had such success playing in the United States?
HM: Players leaving from HBA to college in the last 4 years, 12 in total, not counting this class, have had their ups and downs. Certainly Lauri Markkanen has fared fairly well being one of the top rookies in the NBA. The Finnish Basketball Federation started HBA to give our best high school players the best possible tools to succeed in the careers after high school. We have tried to elevate the level of our daily training year around. But of course you need good talent and we have been able to get more talented kids to play basketball in Finland in general.
In 2012, he joined the coaching staff at the Helsinki Basketball Academy. It was there he met Andre Gustavson. Gustavson averaged 11.6 points per game in his final season for HBA in 2017-18 before signing with Richmond this spring. Möttölä talked to RichmondSpiders.com about the newest Spider.
Jason Vida (Associate Director of Athletic Public Relations): What are some of the best aspects of Andre's game?
Hanno Möttölä (Coach - Helsinki Basketball Academy): I think Andre fits a modern player profile pretty well. He can certainly pass, shoot and dribble and is very eager to get better and learn with an open mindset. He has improved many parts of his game a lot the past couple of years and I don't see any reason why he wouldn't continue to do that. I am very excited about his future and I know Coach Mooney and his staff will push him hard to reach his potential.
JV: How do you think he'll fit into Richmond's offense and fare against Atlantic 10 competition?
HM: I see a lot of similarities the way Richmond plays and the way we at HBA and in the Finnish national team programs want to play. Andre is used to playing modern fast-paced offense with good ball and player movement, shooting a lot of threes and driving hard to the basket. I think, with his experience playing internationally at high level, he can step in and play well as a freshman. Obviously any freshman will have an adjustment period going from high school to college and certainly to high level like A-10.
JV: Why do you think Finnish basketball players have had such success playing in the United States?
HM: Players leaving from HBA to college in the last 4 years, 12 in total, not counting this class, have had their ups and downs. Certainly Lauri Markkanen has fared fairly well being one of the top rookies in the NBA. The Finnish Basketball Federation started HBA to give our best high school players the best possible tools to succeed in the careers after high school. We have tried to elevate the level of our daily training year around. But of course you need good talent and we have been able to get more talented kids to play basketball in Finland in general.
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