Unlike several of his BYU teammates, Jarkko Ahlbom didn't serve a mission for the LDS Church. But he can relate to that life-altering experience.
Ahlbom, a native of Rauma, Finland, doesn't know much about football, but he knows all about "the frozen tundra."The 6-foot-11 junior spent the mandatory eight months in the Finnish army, as is required of all his fellow Finns. While missionaries preach peace, his service was geared around "playing war in the forest." He spent much of that time on skis, trudging through the snow in the forests enduring frigid temperatures. When he reflects upon his military stint, it sounds an awful lot like he's talking about a mission.
"It was hard," Ahlbom said. "Physically it was tough. Long days, little sleep. After it was over I felt like it was a good experience and made me a better person."
Ahlbom is the latest in a long line of Finnish players to find his way to Provo. After prepping at Raumanmeren Lukio High School, Ahlbom was a member of the Finnish Junior National Team. In the 1995 Summer World University Games in Japan, he averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds.
That's where late BYU assistant coach Lynn Archibald first saw Ahlbom. Later, Archibald offered him a scholarship. Since Ahlbom didn't have any other offers to play in the United States, he took a visit to Provo and signed with the Cougars. "I knew nothing about the state of Utah or BYU," he said.
To nab Ahlbom, Archibald got an assist on the recruiting trail from former BYU star Timo Saarelainen, a Finn who lives in the U.S. and happened to be in Finland while Archibald was courting Ahlbom. Saarelainen's sales pitch on behalf of BYU made a strong impression.
Other Finns to play hoops over the years for the Cougars include Timo Lampen (1961), Kari Liimo (1967-69), Veikko Vainio (1969-71), Moni Sarkalahti (1971-73) and, of course, Saarelainen (1982, 84-85).
Longtime BYU trainer Ollie Julkunen, a native of Finland, said the Finnish Pipeline began when a former player, Robert Peterson, served a mission to Finland. Peterson later married a Finnish girl and made Finland his home. Working with the Olympic movement there, Peterson, who is now retired, would tip BYU coaches off about talented players in the Northern European nation of five million residents.
Right now, though, BYU rues the one that got away, Utah star Hanno Mottola, whom the Cougars recruited a couple of years ago.
"That's one we'd like to have," said BYU associate athletic director Pete Witbeck.
Ahlbom knows Mottola well. The pair, roughly the same size and weight, played on the Finnish Junior National Team together, often starting alongside each other. "We're good buddies," Ahlbom said.
"We try to keep in touch and talk during the season," he said, adding that he is not surprised by Mottola's success in his collegiate career.
As for Ahlbom's career, well, he's had his share of disappointments. After playing sparingly as a sophomore, Ahlbom was set to start. Then, in the opener against Cal-State Fullerton, he suffered a severe anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee, abruptly ending his season.
"I was the starting center. It was where I always wanted to be, then I got injured," Ahlbom said. "It was frustrating."
What followed was months of rehabilitation. He spent three hours a day working with trainers to get his knee back in shape. He started playing basketball again six months later, when he returned home to Finland and played with the Finnish National Team. He's still a little tentative about the knee.
"I wore the knee brace for longer than I should have," he said. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't reinjure it. I'm a little slower than I was before the injury. I'm not as fast. Maybe it's a mental thing."
He didn't show any ill-effects in the first game of this season at San Diego State. Ahlbom, who received a medical redshirt, scored 18 points and 11 points off the bench against the Aztecs, helping lead the Cougars to their first victory in a year.
That performance opened the eyes of coach Steve Cleveland - not because he doesn't think Ahlbom has the ability to rack up those types of numbers, but because he hadn't shown much intensity during pre-season practices.
"I want to be more aggressive," Ahlbom said. "The game is not as intense in Europe as it is here. It's more physical and faster here than it is there. I want to play harder. I am doing a lot of work on my offensive game. I think I am getting better."
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
BYU (1-4) at Boise State (3-1)
Time: 7:35 p.m. MDT
Where: Boise State Pavillion
TV, radio: KSL-TV, KSL-AM (1160)