Finnur Freyr Stefánsson
Finnur coaching KR at the 2015 Icelandic Cup finals.
Valur
PositionHead coach
LeagueÚrvalsdeild karla
Personal information
Born (1983-10-29) 29 October 1983
Iceland
NationalityIcelandic
Career history
As coach:
2004–2008KR (men's) (assistant)
2013–2014KR (women's)
2014–2018KR (men's)
2014–2020Iceland (men's) (assistant)
2014–2017Iceland men's U20
2017Iceland (men's)
2019Valur (women's) (assistant)
2019Iceland (men's)
2019–2020Horsens IC
2020–presentValur (men's)
Career highlights and awards
As coach:

As assistant coach:

Medals
Head Coach for  Iceland
men's national basketball team
Games of the Small States of Europe
Bronze medal – third place 2017 San Marino Team
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Montenegro Team

Finnur Freyr Stefánsson (born 29 October 1983) is an Icelandic professional basketball coach. With KR, he won the Icelandic championship five years in a row from 2014 to 2018 and the Icelandic Men's Basketball Cup in 2016 and 2017.[1] He has served as an assistant coach to the Icelandic men's national basketball team from 2014, helping the team to EuroBasket 2015 and EuroBasket 2017.

Coaching career

Club career

Finnur started his coaching career as an assistant to Herbert Arnarson on KR men's team in 2004 and served there until 2008.[2] He was the head coach of the KR women's team during the 2012-2013 season and in 2013, he was hired as the head coach of the KR men's team.[3] On 30 April 2017 he won the Icelandic championship with KR for the fourth consecutive season, earning him the nickname "Finnur sem allt vinnur" (English: "Finn(ur) that everything Wins").[4][5][6][7] Finnur was named coach of the year in the Úrvalsdeild karla in 2014 and 2016.[8]

On 28 April 2018, Finnur won his fifth straight Icelandic championship after KR defeated Tindastóll in the Úrvalsdeild finals.[9] After the season he was named the Úrvalsdeild Karla Coach of the Year for the third time in his career.[10] On 5 June 2018, KR announced that Finnur had decided to step down as head coach.[11][12]

In August 2018, Finnur was hired as a junior team coach with Valur.[13] On 14 April 2019, Finnur guided the Valur women's team in game four of its semi-finals playoffs series against KR in the absence of head coach Darri Freyr Atlason, who was serving a one game suspension. Valur won the game and advanced to the Úrvalsdeild finals.[14]

In June 2019, Finnur was hired as the head coach of Horsens IC of the Danish Basketligaen.[15] He guided the team to the Danish Cup finals where it lost to the Bakken Bears in February 2020.[16] He left the club in May 2020 after the season had been canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic in Denmark.[17]

On 4 May 2020, Finnur Freyr was hired as the head coach of Valur men's team with a two-year contract.[18] On May 18 2022, he won his sixt national championship after Valur defeated Tindastóll in the Úrvalsdeild finals.

On 2 October 2022, he won the Icelandic Super Cup with Valur.[19]

On 14 January 2023, he guided Valur to its first Icelandic Cup win in 40 years, after the team defeated Stjarnan in the Cup final. He led Valur to a Úrvalsdeild finals rematch against Tindastóll but this time the Tindastóll came out on top, winning the series 3–2.

On 24 September 2023, he won the Icelandic Super Cup again after Valur defeated Tindastóll 80–72.[20]

National basketball team

In 2014, Finnur was hired as an assistant coach to Craig Pedersen for the Icelandic men's national basketball team, and as the head coach of the Icelandic men's national under-20 basketball team.[21]

Finnur served as head coach of the men's national team during the 2017 Games of the Small States of Europe.[22]

He stepped down as the head coach of the U-20 team on 28 July 2017, after leading them to an 8th-place finish at the 2017 FIBA Europe Under-20 Championship.[23]

In February 2018 Finnur came under heavy criticism after five Haukar players were selected to a short 20-player training camp, the day before Haukar met KR in an important regular season game on February 18. No KR players were selected to the camp which aimed to help the coaching staff select two players for the remaining rosters spots prior to Iceland's games against Finland and the Czech Republic in the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup qualification later that month.[24] Iceland's national team head coach, Craig Pedersen came to Finnur's defence, stating that himself had the final say in player selections, not Finnur.[25] Due to the criticism and the Icelandic Basketball Federation silence on the matter, Finnur stated that he was contemplating resigning from the national team.[26][27]

On 13 September 2018, Finnur was hired as the manager of Iceland's junior national teams program.[28] In May 2019, he was slated to head the team during its games at the Games of the Small States of Europe.[29]

Honours

Club

Individual

1 As assistant coach.

References

  1. ↑ Kristinn Páll Teitsson (6 June 2018). "Kveður eftir ellefu titla á fimm árum". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 9 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (5 May 2018). "Ætlar ekki að standa og falla með ákvörðunum annarra". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  3. ↑ "Finnur tekur við karlaliði KR til fimm ára". Mbl.is. Morgunblaðið. 5 July 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2017. (in Icelandic)
  4. ↑ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (4 March 2019). "Finnur "sem allt vinnur" í Körfuboltakvöldi í kvöld". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  5. ↑ Stigum til baka úr hvirfilbyl hugsananna
  6. ↑ "Munum stefna á þann fjórða í röð". Mbl.is. Morgunblaðið. 6 May 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2017. (in Icelandic)
  7. ↑ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (2 May 2017). "Hinir fjórir fræknu hjá meistaraliði KR". Visir.is. Retrieved July 29, 2017. (in Icelandic)
  8. ↑ Viðurkenningar - Besti þjálfari úrvalsdeildar karla
  9. ↑ Kristján Jónsson (28 April 2018). "KR meistari fimmta árið í röð". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 28 April 2018.
  10. ↑ Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (4 May 2018). "Kristófer og Helena valin leikmenn ársins". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 May 2018.
  11. ↑ Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (5 June 2018). "Finnur Freyr hættur hjá KR". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  12. ↑ Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (5 June 2018). "Finnur Freyr: Ég var hættur að njóta körfuboltans". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  13. ↑ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (10 August 2018). "Þjálfari Íslandsmeistara KR farinn að þjálfa hjá Val". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  14. ↑ Guðlaugur Valgeirsson (14 April 2019). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: KR - Valur 81-84 - Valskonur í úrslit". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 April 2019.
  15. ↑ Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (21 June 2019). "Finnur Freyr tekur við dönsku bikarmeisturunum". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  16. ↑ Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (2 March 2020). "Finnur Freyr væntanlega á heimleið". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  17. ↑ Runólfur Trausti Þórhallsson (3 May 2020). "Finnur Freyr hættur sem þjálfari Horsens og á leið heim". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 May 2020.
  18. ↑ "Fimmfaldur Íslandsmeistari á Hlíðarenda". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 4 May 2020. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
  19. ↑ Árni Jóhannsson (2 October 2022). "Umfjöllun og viðtöl: Valur - Stjarnan 80-77 - Valur Meistarar meistaranna eftir spennuleik". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  20. ↑ Arnar Skúli Atlason (24 September 2023). "Leik lokið: Tindastóll - Valur 72-80 - Valsmenn meistarar meistaranna eftir sigur á Króknum". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "KKÍ ræður landsliðsþjálfara". Ruv.is. RÚV. 5 March 2014. Retrieved July 29, 2017. (in Icelandic)
  22. ↑ Smáþjóðaleikar 2017 · Landslið karla og kvenna á leikunum
  23. ↑ "Finnur hættur með U20 ára landsliðið". Mbl.is. Morgunblaðið. 28 July 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2017. (in Icelandic)
  24. ↑ Anton Ingi Leifsson (17 February 2018). "Körfuboltakvöld ræddi um æfingahóp landsliðsins: "Algjörlega útilokað að fatta þetta"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  25. ↑ Anton Ingi Leifsson (17 February 2018). "Craig um gagnrýnina á Finn: "Algjörlega fáránleg"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  26. ↑ Smári Jökull Jónsson (18 February 2018). "Finnur Freyr: Mér sárnaði umræðan svakalega". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  27. ↑ Anton Ingi Leifsson (19 February 2018). "Finnur Freyr: "Hefur hvarflað að mér að hætta hjá KKÍ"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 19 February 2018.
  28. ↑ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (13 September 2018). "Finnur Freyr nýr yfirþjálfari yngri landsliða KKÍ". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  29. ↑ Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (22 May 2019). "Sigurður Gunnar kemur aftur inn í landsliðið og er reyndasti maður hópsins". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 24 May 2019.
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