Fyllingen Basket's remarkable season has earned them a place in the European North Basketball League (ENBL), marking a significant milestone for Norwegian basketball. As the reigning champions of Norway's top-tier league with an impressive 27-3 record, Fyllingen Basket showcases the growing capability of Norwegian athletes beyond winter sports.
Fyllingen Basket is the first club from Norway to play in the ENBL.
Norway is well-known as a winter sports superpower.
The Nordic country won the most medals at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing – 37 in total, including 16 golds. Norwegians outcompeted Germans (27), Americans (25), and the hosts (15).
Now, basketball in Norway is on the rise. Unlike Iceland, Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, Norway has yet to compete at the EuroBasket.
However, Norwegians have played at the European Championship for Small Countries, earning silver medals in 1996 and 2018 – both times in San Marino, losing to Austria and Malta respectively.
In 2024, Fyllingen Basket will join the mix. This is great news – all Nordic countries will now play in European club competitions for the upcoming season.
Fyllingen Basket was founded in 1997, and represents the area Fyllingsdalen in Bergen – Norways second largest city. Eleven teams play in the BLNO, the highest tier of Norwegian club basketball.
Fyllingen Basket won the regular season with a dominating 27-3 record, and only lost one game in the entire playoffs, securing the club’s first championship by prevailing over Baerum Basket in the best-of-five finals series, 3-0.
Head coach Calix Black Ndiaye has coached the team since 2019 and brings a fun and uptempo playing style with his teams historically putting up a lot of points. Fyllingen Basket averaged an impressive 99 pts per game this past season.
The team this year will consist of a nucleus of some of the higher level Norwegian players who have all played college basketball in the US, as the likes of Lars Espe, Nikolas Skouen, Haji Jawara and Bouna Ndiaye, in addition to Swiss import Eric Fongue. With the expected addition of some more imports it will be interesting to see how the Norwegians do at the international level.
After a dominating domestic season, it’s time for Fyllingen Basket to test deeper waters.
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