The Player of the finnish national team will stay for 3 three years in Frankfurt. The long term contract with the 23 years old Matinen underlines the concept of the OPEL SKYLINERS to integrate young talented players to form an european top team in the Rhine-Main region.
Jukka Matinen comes with the recommendation of a double finnish champion. The 2,03 meters Matinen played with Tapiolan Honka in the last two years and became finnish champion with the team from Espoo in the play times 2000/2001 and 2001/2002.
International experience
The new forward of the Frankfurt team made international experiences in taking part in the finnish national selection, in the Saporta Cup and in the NEBL (Northern European basketball League).
Matinen is considered as an athletic, variable and agil player, who can bring in his experience on the positions 2,3 and 4.
Coach Gordon Herbert: "Jukka Matinen is one the top talented players from Scandinavia and we are very glad that we could get him for the OPEL SKYLINERS. He brings along a good shot, is very flexible, he's a good defender and has the necessary athletic condition. In Espoo Matinen had very much play time. Internationally - in the nationaldress, in the Saporta Cup and in the NEBL he became generally high accepted, although he is still relatively young. I know Jukka very well from my time in Finland, where I coached him as the youth national coach. His large potential already showed up at that time."
Manager Gunnar Wobke says: "Beside Mario Kasun Jukka Matinen is the second new player we signed for the upcoming seasons who we consider as highly talented. If Jukka develops the way we hope, he can become a constant size in our future-team. Together with him we can achieve the long term goals of OPEL SKYLINERS."
Jukka Matinen: "I'm very happy to come to Frankfurkt. The OPELS SKYLINERS offer an extremely professional surrounding and a strong team. I like the way and the concept to become an european top team with the integration of young talents and I would be glad to help. In addition I already learned about the way of playing Basketball of coach Gordon Herbert which I like a lot."
