“Walmart version” “Next Cooper Flagg?” - Fans have mixed reactions to 6’10 sophomore Miikka Muurinen’s latest performance

Miikka Muurinen is a name many basketball fans may be unfamiliar with at the moment. But as those who are following Nike’s EYBL 2024 can attest, he’s “inevitable.” With time, the hoops universe may have to adjust to the 6-ft-10 Finnish wonder who’s got what it takes to dominate the court.

Appearing for the Bradley Beal Elite against the Nightrydas Elite, Muurinen ran riot with 22 points, six rebounds, three steals, and two assists. This performance from Sunday has fans divided, with many being pleasantly surprised. More than a couple of Hoops fans on Instagram drew the comparison between Muurinen and Montverde Academy standout Cooper Flagg.

The similarity with Flagg, who is 6-ft-9 tall, sounded through @wesmiller569’s comment, as he wrote,

“Cooper Flagg all over again.”

Reaction to Miikka Muurinen's EYBL outing

Another fan @1ndonly_eli.t echoed this comparison, describing Muurinen as “a Walmart version of Cooper Flagg.”

Reaction to Miikka Muurinen's EYBL outing

However, his physical similarity with Flagg is not the only thing fans noted about the four-star power forward. @toptalentsinsports is enthusiastic about the Finnish playing for the Duke Blue Devils. They wrote, “Duke, get on that now.” Whereas, some fans just expressed their awe of Muurinen, such as @courtsiderese. They wrote,

“That rotation on the ball tho.”

Reaction to Miikka Muurinen's EYBL outing

Reaction to Muurinen's EYBL outing

Similarly, @coolon_yade just exclaimed, “OMG bro.”

Notwithstanding, there was still an indifferent fan, @qwerty123456208 who simply wrote, “ordinary.”

Reaction to Muurinen's EYBL outing

Reaction to Muurinen's EYBL outing

Exploring Miikka Muurinen’s recruitment

Miikka Muurinen is starting to draw the attention of college basketball programs. The four-star power forward played for Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas, last season as a sophomore. The prospect has now received not less than five offers from schools including Alabama, Cincinnati, Illinois, Texas Tech, and UCLA.

The interest in Muurinen’s profile is expected to experience a steady rise in the coming months, and more offers will consequently come in. It is not strange that college scouts would recommend Muurinen to coaches, neither should he be ignored by any coach. With the build of a modern forward, Muurinen is easy to spot at a single glance.

Beyond his physical advantage, the No. 2 Kansas prospect exhibits a great understanding of the game in his timing and movements, both with the ball and off it.

Muurinen’s rating and ranking are other things that should see a continuous rise as the offers are expected to keep flowing.