Iceland men's national basketball team

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This article is about the men's team. For the women's team, see Iceland women's national basketball team.

Iceland
Icelandic Basketball Federation.png
FIBA ranking47 Decrease 1 (9 August 2021)[1]
Joined FIBA1959
FIBA zoneFIBA Europe
National federationKörfuknattleikssamband Íslands (KKÍ)
CoachCraig Pedersen
Nickname(s)Strákarnir okkar (Our Boys)
FIBA World Cup
AppearancesNone
EuroBasket
Appearances2
MedalsNone
Championship for Small Countries
Appearances3
MedalsGold Gold: (1988, 1990)
Bronze Bronze: (1994)
Games of the Small States of Europe
Appearances14
MedalsGold Gold: (1991, 1993, 2007)
Silver Silver: (1987, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2015)
Bronze Bronze: (1989, 1995, 1997, 2013, 2017, 2019)
First international
 Denmark 38–41 Iceland 
(Copenhagen, Denmark; 16 May 1959)
Biggest win
 Iceland 123–59 Norway 
(Reykjavík, Iceland; 15 March 1968)
Biggest defeat
 Iceland 51–124 Croatia 
(Murcia, Spain; 24 June 1992)

The Iceland men's national basketball team (Icelandic: Íslenska karlalandsliðið í körfubolta) represents Iceland in international basketball tournaments. The team is controlled by the Icelandic Basketball Association.

Iceland has qualified for the EuroBasket twice, with the national team making their first ever appearance in 2015. They also participate at smaller European tournaments, such as the Games of the Small States of Europe. Although Iceland has yet to make their debut entrance on to the global stage at the FIBA World Cup.

History[]

EuroBasket 2015[]

On 28 August 2014, Iceland qualified for the EuroBasket 2015, entering the finals of the top European competition for the first time in its history. The national team though didn't fare too well in their maiden voyage at the EuroBasket. Finishing (0-5) in their Group B pool, played in Berlin with defeats at the hands of Germany, Italy, Serbia, Spain, and Turkey. Overall it was a memorable moment for Iceland, where they finally achieved the feat of competing at a major international tournament, after numerous failed qualifications in the past.[2]

EuroBasket 2017[]

On 17 September 2016, Iceland repeated their success and qualified to the continental tournament once again. The national team finished its qualification group as the runners-up behind Belgium, and above Cyprus and Switzerland, with four wins and two losses.[3][4][5]

As in the previous edition though, Iceland finished their participation with five loses in five matches played in their Group A pool in Helsinki.[6]

EuroBasket 2022 qualification[]

After failing to qualify for the 2019 FIBA World Cup,[7] Iceland turned the page toward EuroBasket 2021. To attempt to qualify for three consecutive EuroBasket appearances, Iceland was placed into Group C to begin their pre-qualifying campaign, which began with two straight loses to Portugal, and Belgium. Although the national team would pick up their first win in their third game, a rematch with Portugal at home in Reykjavík. In their final match of group play the team fell to Belgium, and would have to survive the final window of pre-qualifiers if they were to advance.

For the final phase of pre-qualifiers, Iceland was placed into Group H, alongside Portugal once again, and Switzerland. The national team opened up group play with an tough lost on the road against Portugal 80–79. Looking to even their record at (1-1), Iceland was at home against Switzerland. The match stayed close throughout until Martin Hermannsson's heroics showed up late in the fourth quarter for Iceland; where his jumpshot in the final seconds gave the home side an momentous 83–82 victory.[8] Heading into their next match the national team looked to capitalize on their last win. They did so in thorough fashion, dismantling Portugal 96–68 to set up one last show down with the Swiss.[9]

Heading into the final match day with a place in the qualifiers on the line, Iceland needed to defeat Switzerland on the road in an hostile environment. The specifics for Iceland was clear, either win to clinch a spot, or avoid losing by 18 or more points. Unfortunately, the unthinkable happened. As the national team not only lost to Switzerland, but failed to cover the point difference needed to advance. Losing 109–85, eliminating any chance for Iceland to reach the finals for the third straight time.[10]

Competitive record[]

Results and fixtures[]

  Win   Loss

2020[]

20 February 2020
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round
 Kosovo  80–78
0 		 Iceland Pristina, Kosovo
0
19:00 Scoring by quarter: 22–13, 13–21, 25–23, 20–21
Pts: Berisha 18
Rebs: Hajrizi 8
Asts: Hajrizi 6 		Boxscore Pts: Jónsson 21
Rebs: Hlinason 12
Asts: Vilhjálmsson 6 		Arena: Palace of Youth and Sports
Referees: Ciprian Stoica (ROU), Ivor Matějek (CZE), Mehmet Karabilecen (TUR)
23 February 2020
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round
 Iceland  83–74
0 		 Slovakia Reykjavík, Iceland
0
20:00 Scoring by quarter: 17–14, 26–20, 20–20, 20–20
Pts: Hlinason 26
Rebs: Hlinason 17
Asts: Ermolinskij 11 		Boxscore Pts: Brodziansky 16
Rebs: 8
Asts: 5 		Arena: Laugardalshöll
Referees: Marek Maliszewski (POL), Nikola Bejat (NOR), Steve Bittner (GER)
26 November 2020
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round
 Iceland  90–76
0 		 Luxembourg Bratislava, Slovakia* [note 1]
0
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 23–24, 11–14, 32–21, 24–17
Pts: Hlinason 17
Rebs: Hlinason 11
Asts: Steinarsson 5 		Boxscore Pts: 26
Rebs: 8
Asts: 4 		Arena:
Referees: Christoph Rohacky (AUT), Simon Unsworth (GBR), Sergiy Chaykovskyy (UKR)
28 November 2020
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round
 Iceland  86–62
0 		 Kosovo Bratislava, Slovakia* [note 1]
0
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 21–17, 24–12, 22–14, 19–19
Pts: Vilhjálmsson 22
Rebs: Hlinason 9
Asts: Guðmundsson 7 		Boxscore Pts: 12
Rebs: Hajrizi, 6
Asts: 4 		Arena:
Referees: Ciprian Stoica (ROU), Sergiy Chaykovskyy (UKR), Vasileios Pitsilkas (GRE)

2021[]

18 February 2021
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round
 Slovakia  79–94
0 		 Iceland Pristina, Kosovo* [note 1]
0
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 20–20, 19–23, 16–36, 24–15
Pts: Brodziansky 25
Rebs: Brodziansky, 9
Asts: 4 		Boxscore Pts: Guðmundsson 29
Rebs: Hlinason 14
Asts: Friðriksson 10 		Arena: Palace of Youth and Sports
Referees: Semen Ovinov (RUS), Ali Şakacı (TUR), Jan Baloun (CZE)
20 February 2021
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 1st round
 Luxembourg  84–86
0 		 Iceland Pristina, Kosovo* [note 1]
0
16:00 Scoring by quarter: 23–29, 20–28, 26–14, 15–15
Pts: 20
Rebs: 13
Asts: , Laurent 5 		Boxscore Pts: Hlinason 25
Rebs: Guðmundsson 10
Asts: Guðmundsson 9 		Arena: Palace of Youth and Sports
Referees: Nikolaos Somos (GRE), Sergio Rodríguez (ESP), Polat Parlak (BUL)
12 August 2021
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 2nd round
 Montenegro  83–69
0 		 Iceland Podgorica, Montenegro* [note 2]
0
20:00 CEST (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 16–8, 23–25, 21–20, 23–16
Pts: Ivanović, Todorović 18
Rebs: Barović 7
Asts: Cobbs 4 		Boxscore Pts: Friðriksson 16
Rebs: Nathanaelsson 6
Asts: Friðriksson, Steinarsson 4 		Arena:
Referees: Marius Ciulin (ROU), Zafer Yılmaz (TUR), Gintaras Vitkauskas (LTU)
13 August 2021
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 2nd round
 Iceland  91–70
0 		 Denmark Podgorica, Montenegro* [note 2]
0
20:00 CEST (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 22–23, 21–16, 22–12, 26–19
Pts: Friðriksson 30
Rebs: Hlinason, Vilhjálmsson 9
Asts: Steinarsson 7 		Boxscore Pts: 27
Rebs: , 5
Asts: 8 		Arena:
Referees: Georgios Poursanidis (GRE), Ivor Matějek (CZE), Valentin Oliot (FRA)
16 August 2021
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 2nd round
 Iceland  80–82
0 		 Montenegro Podgorica, Montenegro* [note 2]
0
20:00 CEST (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 25–27, 21–14, 25–20, 9–21
Pts: Hlinason 21
Rebs: Hlinason 10
Asts: Vilhjálmsson 6 		Boxscore Pts: Radončić 19
Rebs: Radončić 7
Asts: Ivanović 5 		Arena:
Referees: Marius Ciulin (ROU), Georgios Poursanidis (GRE), Gintaras Vitkauskas (LTU)
17 August 2021
2023 FIBA World Cup pre-qualifiers – 2nd round
 Denmark  73–89
0 		 Iceland Podgorica, Montenegro* [note 2]
0
20:00 CEST (UTC+2) Scoring by quarter: 18–26, 21–21, 12–23, 22–19
Pts: 14
Rebs: 6
Asts: 5 		Boxscore Pts: Friðriksson 21
Rebs: Acox 9
Asts: Friðriksson 8 		Arena:
Referees: Marius Ciulin (ROU), Zafer Yılmaz (TUR), Ivor Matějek (CZE)

Team[]

Current roster[]

Roster for the 2023 FIBA World Cup Pre-Qualifiers matches on 12 to 17 August 2021 against Montenegro and Denmark.[13]

Iceland men's national basketball team roster
Players Coaches
Pos. No. Name Age – Date of birth Height Club Ctr.
PG 3 Ægir Steinarsson 30 – (1991-05-10)10 May 1991 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) Gipuzkoa Spain
C 5 Ragnar Nathanaelsson 29 – (1991-08-27)27 August 1991 2.18 m (7 ft 2 in) Stjarnan Iceland
F 6 Kristófer Acox 27 – (1993-10-13)13 October 1993 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Valur Iceland
PG 10 Elvar Már Friðriksson 26 – (1994-11-11)11 November 1994 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) Antwerp Belgium
PG 12 Kári Jónsson 23 – (1997-08-27)27 August 1997 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in) Girona Spain
PG 13 Hörður Vilhjálmsson 32 – (1988-12-18)18 December 1988 1.92 m (6 ft 4 in) Keflavík Iceland
G 14 Kristinn Pálsson 23 – (1997-12-17)17 December 1997 1.97 m (6 ft 6 in) Grindavík Iceland
F 21 Ólafur Ólafsson 30 – (1990-11-28)28 November 1990 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) Grindavík Iceland
PG 25 Hilmar Smári Henningsson 20 – (2000-09-03)3 September 2000 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Stjarnan Iceland
G 31 Davíð Arnar Ágústsson 24 – (1996-11-05)5 November 1996 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) Þór Þorlákshöfn Iceland
C 32 Tryggvi Hlinason 23 – (1997-10-28)28 October 1997 2.15 m (7 ft 1 in) Zaragoza Spain
G 66 Sigtryggur Arnar Björnsson 28 – (1993-03-07)7 March 1993 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) Tindastóll Iceland
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • Club – describes last
    club before the competition
  • Age – describes age
    on 12 August 2021

Depth chart[]

Pos. Starting 5 Bench 1 Bench 2
C Tryggvi Hlinason Ragnar Nathanaelsson Tómas Þórður Hilmarsson
PF Kristófer Acox Pavel Ermolinskij Ólafur Ólafsson
SF Haukur Pálsson Gunnar Ólafsson Kristinn Pálsson
SG Jón Axel Guðmundsson Kári Jónsson Hörður Vilhjálmsson
PG Martin Hermannsson Elvar Már Friðriksson Ægir Steinarsson

Head coach position[]

Individual records[]

Players with the most caps (games played)[]

  • Players in bold are still active.
Rank Player Years Caps
1. Guðmundur Bragason 1987-2003 169
2. Valur Ingimundarson 1980-1995 164
3. Jón Kr. Gíslason 1982-1995 158
4. Logi Gunnarsson 2000-2018 147
5. Torfi Magnússon 1974-1987 131
6. Hlynur Bæringsson 2000-2019 125
7. Guðjón Skúlason 1988-1999 122
8. Jón Sigurðsson 1968-1984 120
9. Teitur Örlygsson 1986-2000 118
10. Friðrik Stefánsson 1997-2008 112
11. Herbert Arnarson 1991-2002 111
12. Falur Harðarson 1989-2000 106
13. Jón Arnar Ingvarsson 1990-2000 102
14. Jón Arnór Stefánsson 2000-2019 100

Past rosters[]

2015 EuroBasket: finished 24th among 24 teams

3 Martin Hermannsson, 4 Axel Kárason, 5 Ragnar Nathanaelsson, 6 Jakob Sigurðarson, 8 Hlynur Bæringsson (C), 9 Jón Arnór Stefánsson, 10 Helgi Már Magnússon, 13 Hörður Vilhjálmsson, 14 Logi Gunnarsson, 15 Pavel Ermolinskij, 24 Haukur Pálsson, 29 Ægir Steinarsson (Coach: Craig Pedersen)

2017 EuroBasket: finished 24th among 24 teams

1 Martin Hermannsson, 3 Ægir Steinarsson, 6 Kristófer Acox, 8 Hlynur Bæringsson, 9 Jón Arnór Stefánsson, 10 Elvar Már Friðriksson, 13 Hörður Vilhjálmsson, 14 Logi Gunnarsson, 15 Pavel Ermolinskij, 24 Haukur Pálsson, 34 Tryggvi Hlinason, 88 Brynjar Þór Björnsson (Coach: Craig Pedersen)

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches in the November 2020 and February 2021 windows were played behind closed doors in select host cities.[11]
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all matches during the European Pre-Qualifiers second round window in August 2021 were played in a single location in select host cities.[12]

References[]

  1. ^ "FIBA Ranking Presented by Nike". FIBA. 9 August 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
  2. ^ "Iceland Fall But Still Make History". FIBA Europe. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  3. ^ Ísland spilar í Helsinki á EM 2017 í körfubolta
  4. ^ Ísland á EM í annað sinn í röð
  5. ^ Eurobasket 2017 Qualifiers
  6. ^ "Iceland at the EuroBasket 2017". Retrieved 17 September 2017.
  7. ^ "Iceland during the 2019 FIBA World Cup European Qualifiers". Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  8. ^ "Martin Hermannsson, and Iceland stun Switzerland". Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Iceland eliminates Portugal to set up winner take all match against Switzerland". Retrieved 17 August 2019.
  10. ^ "Iceland during the EuroBasket 2022 Pre-Qualifiers". Retrieved 21 August 2019.
  11. ^ "Statement regarding the November 2020 and February 2021 Qualifiers". Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  12. ^ "Find out who is hosting the European Pre-Qualifiers Second Round". Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  13. ^ "Iceland during the 2023 FIBA World Cup European Pre-Qualifiers in Aug. 2021". Retrieved 12 August 2021.

External links[]

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