Work hard and embrace those that push you | Petteri Koponen

MUNICH (Germany) - It's crazy to see how the world has changed in just the blink of an eye. The coronavirus pandemic and shutdown has shown us how free we were before, that we could do so many things which we took for granted.

One positive for me in this difficult moment is that I've been able to spend a lot of time with my two sons and my wife, something I was never able to do before, and have really enjoyed it.

I've also had time to reflect, to remember. I have much to be thankful for, especially to those who taught me the value of hard work, and forced me to challenge myself.

"ONE POSITIVE FOR ME IN THIS DIFFICULT MOMENT IS THAT I'VE BEEN ABLE TO SPEND A LOT OF TIME WITH MY TWO SONS AND MY WIFE."

I learned early on about hard work. It started with my mother, Sonja. She was a single parent and it wasn't always easy for us, but my mom did everything she could to provide me with what I needed.

She played basketball in the top league in Finland but it wasn't professional. Mom also worked as a playground supervisor at a kindergarten. She wanted the best for me and sent me to the Russian School of Helsinki.

She also used to take me to her basketball practices, which were long. I did not like being there. Honestly, it made me want to play football instead, which is actually what I did at first. I started playing when I was four and I used to love the Brazil national team and how they won while showing so much flair.

"WE CLEANED THE MALMI GYM WHERE I USED TO PRACTICE ... IT TAUGHT ME THAT YOU DON'T GET ANYTHING EASY IN LIFE, AND THAT IF YOU WANT SOMETHING, YOU HAVE TO WORK FOR IT."- Petteri Koponen on earning money to pay for a trip to the USA to play in a basketball tournament

One day, basketball came back.

My godfather took me to watch some streetball as his son was playing, and a coach there said to me, "Hey, come and play with us," and it started from there. I'd go to school and then take a bus across town to the Malmi Sports Hall to play basketball. I soon began to dominate my age group and was put up against boys that were one and two years older.

I continued with football, though, and went from one practice to another practice until I was 13, when a coach told me I had to make a choice because of all the practices and games. I chose basketball, although I still like football and believe it helped me with my basketball. I think kids should play more than one sport for as long as they can.

A younger Petteri and his coach at Espoon Honka, Mihailo Pavicevic

In 2000, my mother taught me a valuable lesson. My basketball team was planning a trip to the United States to play in an annual Biddy Ball tournament but we had to pay for the trip. We had no money, so my mother said, 'Okay, you're going to have to help me out and earn if you want to go.'

So we cleaned the Malmi gym where I used to practice and I also worked in the cafeteria selling coffee, all kinds of things. It taught me that you don't get anything easy in life, and that if you want something, you have to work for it.

I also learned that lesson from my first big coach, Mihailo Pavicevic, who took over Espoon Honka in 2000 and led the team to a three-peat of league championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Pavicevic saw me play for the first time at Honka tryouts in the summer of 2004 and liked how I played point guard.

He brought me into the team but immediately put me in his doghouse. He was so hard on me. In rebounding drills, for example, he'd have me go up against 20- to 30-year-old players. I was just 16.

I had to give 100 percent in every practice at every moment or those guys would eat me alive. The experience made me tougher, and better. At the same time, I was lucky to be playing with Honka juniors so I could get my confidence there. It's not always easy for young players to find a coach that lets you make mistakes on the court and grows you through this and gives you the opportunity to play at that level and I really owe Pavicevic a lot.

Finland coach Henrik Dettmann has also been good for me. He brought me into the main national team in 2006, right after a FIBA U20 European Championship that I had played in.

Playing for Finland has often been my refuge. If I've had a tough time at my club, the national team has been like my family and given me my confidence back. Coach Dettman has always trusted me and given me the opportunity to show my talent.

Some of my greatest thrills have been with Finland.

We played in Helsinki in front of a full arena at EuroBasket 2017. It was amazing, especially considering that when I came into the national team, we beat Serbia in front of maybe 1,000 fans in Vantaa. Bilbao and the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2014 was also incredible with 10,000 Finnish fans behind us, and the year before at the EuroBasket in Koper, Slovenia, was huge, too.

None of those experiences with Finland would have been possible had I not put my head down and worked. If you embrace the coaches, the teachers and the bosses that push you because they want to make you better, you will be better. With hard work and perseverance, anything is possible.

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Petteri Koponen

The Finnish sharpshooter is usually the national team's first option when it needs a basket in crunch situations. He plays both guard spots and has been a fan favorite since bursting onto the senior national team stage as a teenager in 2006.  Koponen was the 30th pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by Philadelphia but he has spent his entire pro career in Europe.  More details on Koponen's life can by found in his biography, Malmin Jääräpää, authored by Hippo Taatila.