![]() 2019 as head coach of Merlins Crailsheim | |
Paris Basketball | |
---|---|
Position | Head coach |
League | LNB Pro A EuroCup |
Personal information | |
Born | Helsinki, Finland | 29 July 1982
Nationality | Finnish |
Listed height | 195 cm (6 ft 5 in) |
Listed weight | 89 kg (196 lb) |
Career information | |
Playing career | 2000–2014 |
Position | Shooting guard |
Coaching career | 2014–present |
Career history | |
As player: | |
2000–2003 | Kouvot |
2003–2006 | Espoon Honka |
2006–2009 | Kouvot |
2009–2011 | Espoon Honka |
2011–2012 | Torpan Pojat |
2012–2014 | Espoon Honka |
As coach: | |
2014 | Finland U-20 |
2014–2015 | Tapiolan Honka |
2016–2021 | Crailsheim Merlins |
2021–2023 | Telekom Baskets Bonn |
2023–present | Paris Basketball |
Career highlights and awards | |
As player:
As head coach:
| |
Tuomas Iisalo (born 29 July 1982) is a Finnish basketball coach and former player. He is currently serving as head coach of Paris Basketball of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroCup.
Standing at 1.95 m (6 ft 5 in), Iisalo played as shooting guard during his playing career. He also played for the Finnish national basketball team.
Tuomas Iisalo's father worked as a foreign correspondent in East Berlin in the 1980s.[1]
Both Tuomas and his younger brother Joonas 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 tells the story of a family in East Berlin.[1]
After the end of his playing career he was appointed as head coach of Tapiolan Honka and was an assistant with Finland U15.[2]
In March 2016, he signed with Crailsheim Merlins.[3][4]
At the end of the 2017–18 season, Crailsheim were promoted to the Basketball Bundesliga as the runners-up of ProA season.[5][6] Iisalo managed to establish the club in the Bundesliga and in 2020–21 guided the Merlins to their first ever Bundesliga playoff berth.[7]
In May 2021, he inked a two-year deal with fellow Bundesliga side Telekom Baskets Bonn.[8][9] In 2022, he was named the Bundesliga Coach of the Year.[10] Iisalo repeated as the Bundesliga Coach of the Year in the 2022–23 campaign.[11] In May 2023, he won the FIBA Champions League with Bonn and was presented with the FIBA Champions League Coach of the Year honours.[12] He helped the Bonn team to a trip to the 2023 Bundesliga finals, where they eventually fell short to Ulm.[13] Iisalo parted company with the Bonn outfit at the end of the 2022–23 season.[14]
On June 29, 2023, Paris Basketball of the French LNB Pro A and the EuroCup, announced the appointment of Iisalo as a head coach on a three-year deal.[15][16]
In December 2023, Iisalo was named the head coach of the Team World (French: Team Monde) in the LNB All-Star Game.[17] On 18 February 2024, Iisalo and Paris won the 2024 LNB Pro A Leaders Cup title, by beating Nanterre 90–85 in the final.[18]
On 6 April 2024, Iisalo was voted the EuroCup Coach of the Year, leading Paris to the 2024 EuroCup Finals with a record-tying 20 wins and only one loss, with the highest team average (98.4 points per game) in the EuroCup history.[19][20] On 12 April 2024, Iisalo led Paris Basketball to win 2023–24 EuroCup title, by beating JL Bourg-en-Bresse with 2–0 wins in the finals.[21] On 13 May 2024, Iisalo was named the Coach of the Year in LNB Pro A, after leading Paris to the record streak of 25 consecutive games unbeaten.[22][23]
On May 12, 2024, Iisalo was named the Best Coach of the LNB Pro A.[24]
According to reports, the Iisalo style has been based on pace, many three-point shots and strong offensive rebounding.[1]