Koponen departs as NZ Breakers coach
- 4 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Breakers have confirmed head coach Petteri Koponen will not be seeking a contract extension and will pursue new professional opportunities closer to his home country of Finland.
Koponen departs after victory in the inaugural NBL Ignite Cup but finishing out of the playoffs in seventh place on the NBL points table.
LATEST HEADLINES:
Koponen has decided the time is right to take the lessons he has learned in the NBL and apply them to a new basketball landscape.
"Petteri is a young coach on the rise and we support his desire to pursue opportunities closer to home." said Dillon Boucher, BNZ Breakers President of Basketball Operations.
"Professional coaching at this level demands immense sacrifice, especially half a world away from home. We’ve reached a mutual agreement that the time is right for Petteri to pursue his next professional challenge.
"He departs with his mana higher than ever and will always hold a permanent place within our Breakers whānau."
Koponen said he had learnt a huge amount in the role .
"My time in New Zealand has been one of the most rewarding chapters of my career. I fell in love with this country and the incredible community that supports the Breakers.
However, after two seasons of intense growth in the NBL, and the immense satisfaction of bringing the Ignite Cup to Auckland, I am ready for a new challenge.
I want to thank the Club, the players, and the fans for embracing me. I am proud of the culture we’ve built, and I leave with the highest respect for this club."
The Breakers have said will now undertake a global search to identify a head coach to build upon the high-performance culture, and capable of taking the club to the top of the NBL rankings.