GAME DAY - UMEÅ @ FRYSHUSET

Last season I was asked to come up to Umeå to help create content for a preseason tournament hosted by Umeå BSKT.
I got to know their head coach Boris couple of years ago, when he was in Wetterbyggden. The first time we met, I was working my camera as a photographer in the Swedish Cup where they played the semis. One of my assignments was to join each team in the locker rooms before or midway the games. I asked Boris if he was OK with me joining them at halftime, since some coaches really do not want anyone to be there if they are trailing in the game. He was the nicest person and asked me what I needed to do my job. That's what stood out to me. That, and his broken english and the fact that he always repeats himself twice when he's talking tactics. You'll see...

For the last two seasons Umeå barely made the playoffs, but the team always had good chemistry and worked hard. As I became close friends with some players and Boris, I really wanted them to get over the hump. You could tell that they loved working together and sooner or later, it could change. And it turned out to be sooner.

This year, they signed some new players but kept their core with Cole Well, Will Butler and Gustav Hansson. With some key signings in the off season, like sharpshooters David Czerapowicz and Daniel Hansson, they looked like this could be a year where they would take the next step. Little did we know that Gustav Hansson was gonna go crazy in the season opener and drop 46 points, which is a record for a Swedish player in the modern era of SBL Herr.

OK, so every player can have one great game right? And every team can get hot for a game or two. But now we are at the Xmas break midway thru the season and Umeå have been in the top all season, currently sitting at the second spot. And Gustav is what many experts and media are calling this years MVP, being the runner up in both the scoring league and assist league. He's the modern era Nate "Tiny" Archibald so to say (he led the NBA in both PPG and APG one year...).

As they had tied their all-time record for wins in a season, they traveled to Stockholm to play Fryshuset, we tagged along to watch them write history.