KATAJA (Basketball Champions League) – Securing a berth in the Regular Season of the Basketball Champions League on Thursday night not only marked a significant milestone in the history of Kataja Basket. It also came about after they prevailed in their two-leg tie against Swedish champions Södertälje Kings by an aggregate difference of 32 points, which certainly made the occasion that much sweeter for the Finns.

Despite the impressive eruption of Finnish basketball in recent years, a combnation of circumstances have meant that Kataja are the only representative of the Nordic country in European competitions this season.

In case they had fallen to Södertälje, Kataja would of course still have continued their European campaign in the FIBA Europe Cup, but their success in Qualification Round 2 this week has meant that they will be able to do so by competing at the highest international level the club has ever experienced.

Kataja had taken part in three consecutive editions of the EuroChallenge, from 2012/13 through 2014/15 and last season competed in the inaugural edition of the FIBA Europe Cup. It is fair to say the Finnish side wanted to take a step up this year, and they passed the test with flying colours.

The key to their success in Qualification Round 2 was their relentless display in the first leg at home. “We must keep it simple, these games are more about character than about creativity,” Kataja head coach Greg Gibson had told his players. They certainly took note, because the game ended in a 97-58 demolition of Södertälje and of course rendered meaningless the 66-59 loss in the reverse fixture.

Kataja will now get the chance on 19 October to showcase the character that their coach demands on the biggest stage the club has ever stepped on, when they play host to Israeli champions Maccabi Rand Media Rishon in the Group B opener.

The only player on the current Kataja roster who has a significant amount of experience in games of this level is of course 36-year-old point guard Teemu Rannikko. The legend of Finnish basketball returned home in 2013 following a great international career, aiming to help Kataja enjoy the kind success they are enjoying today. Who is to say he will not cross paths with his former club Pallacanestro Varese at a later stage of the Basketball Champions League?