Senior Katti Karkkainen is thousands of miles away from her native country of Finland. But when she’s on Seaholm’s basketball court, she feels right at home.
Karkkainen, a 17-year-old exchange student from Finland, recently broke the record of points scored in a Seaholm girls’ basketball game. Karkkainen, a 5’9” point guard, scored a school-record 31 points in Seaholm’s 51-47 win against Farmington High School.
Two weeks later she broke it, scoring 32 points in a 53-46 win against Hazel Park.
That’s not a surprise, considering she played basketball for ten years with Finland’s national team before coming here. However, basketball in Finland and basketball at Seaholm vary.
“There are no high school basketball teams in Finland, just clubs,” Karkkainen said.
During the winter, Karkkainen played with clubs. In the summer, she played with a national team. On the national team, she would play against different countries, and some of the tournaments would be in other countries.
“Katti is one of the best players in her age group in Finland,” Seaholm Head Coach Steve Hasler said.
The season is also longer in Finland. There, it lasts about six months, while Seaholm’s basketball season only lasts about four. Karkkainen also enjoys the fact that the games are played at different times.
“It’s nice that games are in the week,” Karkkainen said. “I used to play on the weekends.”
Some things, however, remain the same between both countries.
“The amounts of practice are the same,” Karkkainen said.
Katti’s playing abilities have helped the team a great deal. Her basketball skills have allowed the team to become stronger.
“She is by far the best player on the team,” senior center Paige Sienkiewicz said. “She’s a big asset to our team.”
Katti’s intense concentration allows her to shine. Not only does she focus intensely during the games, but she works hard during the game warm-ups as well. Katti’s effortless passes, shots, and steals effectively give the team an advantage during their games.
So far, the varsity girls basketball team’s record is 6-3. Though Seaholm lost their games against Berkley 48-40 and Groves 60-34, Karkkainen still managed to get 17 points for the team in each game. And for their wins against Lahser, Karkkainen scored 12 points.
“She’s not only the best player on our team, but also in the league,” Hasler said.
Karkkainen also gets along with the team very well.
“I like the girls,” she said.
And the feeling amongst the team is mutual.
“I think she has adjusted very well,” said Sienkiewicz. “Socially, [the team] gets along a lot.”
One thing is for certain: Karkkainen’s strengths have boosted the team immensely.
“Because of having Katti on our team, we have potential of being league champ,” Hasler said. “The season has just begun.”
