Paris Basketball has confirmed the appointment of Tuomas Iisalo as the team's head coach on a multi-year deal. Iisalo is coming off a memorable campaign with Telekom Baskets Bonn of Germany, having secured the club's first-ever title in the Basketball Champions League and guided the team to the German League finals, where it came up short against ratiopharm Ulm. At just 40 years of age, Iisalo is one of the most promising coaches in Europe and he now has a chance to lead Paris's exciting project, following the departure of former head coach Will Weaver. Next season, Iisalo will coach in the 7DAYS EuroCup for the first time in his career.
Paris names Tuomas Iisalo as its new head coach
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“I am really excited about the idea of joining this unique project embodied by Paris Basketball. As a man of challenges, the ambitions of the club really speak to me. The management, previous staff and players have done an impressive job of growing the club in such a short time. There is enormous potential around basketball in the Paris region, and this is what drives me to want to help the club take a new step," Coach Iisalo said. "My biggest goals will be to create a great work environment and help the team grow. I will also work to develop a special connection between the team, the club and its fans. The ambition will be to make people want to identify with Paris Basketball and be proud of it."
Paris impressed in its first-ever season in the EuroCup in the 2022-23 campaign, finishing with a 10-8 regular-season record, which meant it was the No. 5 seed entering the playoffs. Once in the postseason, the French side defeated 7Bet-Lietkabelis Panevezys 97-98 on the road in the eighthfinals but then lost to eventual champ Gran Canaria, 104-74, in the quarterfinals. With the arrival of Iisalo, Paris will be hoping to take the next big step in its development.
Iisalo's journey to Paris
Iisalo had a 14-year playing career between 2000 and 2014, in which he remained in his native Finland and played as a shooting guard. He played for the Finnish national team, too. His coaching career began with Finland's Under-20 side in 2014, but soon after he took charge of Finnish side Tapiolan Honka in the 2014-15 season. Iisalo's next job saw him move to Germany in March 2016 to sign a deal with Crailsheim Merlins, which was playing in the German Second Division. In the 2017-18 season, Iisalo helped Crailsheim get promoted to the German First Division.
After a couple of years of establishing itself as a top-flight side, Iisalo's Crailsheim made history in the 2020-21 campaign by reaching the German League playoffs for the first time. In the summer of 2021, he decided to accept a job offer from Bonn, where he went on to make more history. Iisalo was named the German League Coach of the Year in both 2022 and 2023, while he also earned Basketball Champions League Coach of the Year honors in 2023. Having led Bonn to the BCL title in 2022-23, the first in the club's history, Iisalo will forever be remembered in the German city.