It is rare to see players playing 14 minutes of a Betclic ELITE match being (almost) completely unknown before the game. A fortiori, even more when it is already international in its country. And yet, Luke Danger (2.06 m, 20 years old) is not supposed to play in the league with the SIG this season, non-JFL supernumerary player and included on the scoresheet on Saturday at Bourg-en-Bresse following Ike’s forfeit Udanoh, shot in the back.
We naively thought that the young Alsatian n ° 20 would only enter the money-time, if the match was already folded. But no, Lassi Tuovi launched him from the first quarter and trusted him throughout the meeting, for a very honorable record (2 points at 1/2 and 4 rebounds for 5 evaluation in 14 minutes ). Beyond the numbers, Vaara displayed a few interesting qualities: good hands and surprising mobility in the first place.
Luukas Vaara, here in the background, for his club debut with the pros on Saturday at Ékinox
(photo : Jacques Cormarèche)
So who is this Luukas Vaara? When we see his origins, he who is of Finnish nationality, there is no need to look far for the reasons for his arrival at SIG. The native of Artjävi landed on the banks of the Ill this summer thanks to the network of his compatriot Lassi Tuovi, who convinced him to favor Strasbourg over a university experience in the United States. International A since June and a double opposition against the Czech Republic in Prague, formed until then between Lahti, PuHu Juniorit and the Helsinki academy (8.3 points at 57% and 4.7 rebounds in D2 Finnish in 2020/21), he was hired to train full time with the pros and to be the starting pivot of the Espoirs team, a status brilliantly assumed during his debut against Cholet at the weekend last (16 points at 7/11, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks for 25 evaluation).
“Obvious progress over the past month”
Ike Udanoh’s injury gave him the opportunity to show up faster than expected on the top floor and he recovered relatively well, despite some obvious limitations, inherent in a slight lack of athletic qualities. What to attract the praise of his coach Lassi Tuovi.
“Luukas is a promising, hard-working youngster. He had a very good performance last week in Espoirs during the victory against Cholet. He mainly came to play with the Espoirs, while helping us during training, and there he found himself playing 14 minutes in Bourg against a EuroCup team. I am impressed. But when you have such a work ethic and you’ve been invested alongside the guys all preseason, they don’t look at you like a stranger when you come on the pitch in a game. Of course, as an assistant coach for the national team, I am very happy with his obvious progress over the past month. “
Described internally as a boy “humanly very good, serious, educated and with a real training culture”, Luukas Vaara seems particularly well surrounded at SIG. Classic interior, very good screen installer, it can be overseen by a reference in the field. Thus, when he returned to the bench after his first stint on the pitch, Georgi Joseph, 18 years his senior, was seen telling him to come and sit next to him and talk to him at length. He only missed the victory (57-65) for his great debut to be fully successful but at least, if he is again called to help out in Betclic ELITE, Luukas Vaara will no longer return with the label of the perfect stranger. .
In Bourg-en-Bresse,
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