Birgir Mikaelsson
{{Short description|Icelandic basketball player and coach}}
{{use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Icelandic name|Birgir}}
{{Infobox basketball biography
| name = Birgir Mikaelsson
| image =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|9|27|df=y}}
| birth_place = Akureyri, Iceland
| height_cm =
| weight_kg =
| nationality = Icelandic
| high_school = Thomas Jefferson
(Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania)
| college = Tarkio College (1986–87)
| career_start = 1981
| career_end = 2017
| coach_start = 1990
| coach_end = 2004
| career_number =
| career_position =
| years1 = 1981–1982 | team1 = KR
| years2 = 1984–1986 | team2 = KR
| years3 = 1987–1990 | team3 = KR
| years4 = 1990–1994 | team4 = Skallagrímur
| years5 = 1994–1995 | team5 = KR
| years6 = 1995–1996 | team6 = Breiðablik
| years7 = 1996–1997 | team7 = KR
| years8 = 1997–1999 | team8= Snæfell
| years9 = 1999–2000 | team9= Skallagrímur
| years10 = 2001 | team10= Skallagrímur
| years11 = 2001–2003 | team11= Þór Þorlákshöfn
| years12 = 2003–2004 | team12= Ármann/Þróttur
| years13 = 200?–2017 | team13= KR-b
| cyears1 = 1990–1994 | cteam1 = Skallagrímur (M)
| cyears2 = 1994–1995 | cteam2 = ÍS (W)
| cyears3 = 1996–1997 | cteam3 = Breiðablik (W)
| cyears4 = 1998–1999 | cteam4 = Snæfell (M)
| cyears5 = 2001–2003 | cteam5 = Þór Þorlákshöfn (M)
| cyears6 = 2003–2004 | cteam6 = Ármann/Þróttur (M)
| cyears7 = 2010–2011 | cteam7 = Valur (assistant)
|highlights =
As player:
- Icelandic champion (1990)
- 2× 1. deild winner (1991, 1998)
- Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team (1993)
- 1. deild Domestic Player of the Year (1998)
- 1. deild Domestic All-First Team (1998)
As coach:
- 2× 1. deild winner (1991, 1998)
- 1. deild Coach of the Year (1998)
| medaltemplates=
| stats_league = Úrvalsdeild karla
| stat1label = Points
| stat1value = 4,411 (14.0 ppg)
| stat2label = Games
| stat2value = 316
| cstats_league1 = Úrvalsdeild karla
| cwin1 = 33
| closs1 = 57
| cstats_league2 = Úrvalsdeild kvenna
| cwin2 = 9
| closs2 = 33
| cstats_league3 = 1. deild karla
| cwin3 = 58
| closs3 = 24
}}
Birgir Mikaelsson (born 27 September 1965) is an Icelandic former basketball player and a former member of Icelandic national team. In 1990, he won the national championships with KR. During his career, he played in four different decades.{{cite news |title=Fjögurra áratuga klúbburinn |url=https://www.fusijama.tv/2020/01/fjogurra-aratuga-klubburinn/ |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Fúsíjama TV |date=19 January 2020 |language=Icelandic}}
Early life
Birgir was born in Akureyri, Iceland, before moving with his family to the capital city of Reykjavík at a young age.{{cite news |title=Strákarnir mínir jörðuðu þá alveg |url=https://timarit.is/page/2669085 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagur |date=6 May 1983 |page=3 |language=Icelandic}} There he started playing basketball along with football and handball.
Playing career
=Early career=
Birgir debuted with KR in February 1981 at the age of 15, becoming one of the youngest players to play in the Úrvalsdeild karla.{{cite news |title=Þetta kom mér mjög á óvart |url=https://timarit.is/page/3503625 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Vísir |date=2 March 1981 |page=2 |language=Icelandic}} He appeared in 20 games the following season, averaging 4.0 points per game.
=High school=
In 1982, Birgir moved to the United States to attend Thomas Jefferson High School in Jefferson Hills, Pennsylvania at the beheast of his KR coach and former ABA player Stew Johnson. He played for the school's basketball team, The Jaguars, where he averaged around 13 points per game during his first season.
=Return to Iceland=
After two years in the States, Birgir moved back to Iceland an initially planned to play for his hometown team Þór Akureyri in the second-tier 1. deild karla.{{cite news |title=Birgir til liðs við Þórsara |url=https://timarit.is/page/2671608 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagur |date=20 August 1984 |page=6 |language=Icelandic}} In September however, he signed back with KR to play in the Úrvalsdeild.{{cite news |title=Birgir ekki með |url=https://timarit.is/page/2671740? |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagur |date=10 September 1984 |page=6 |language=Icelandic}} During the 1985–86 season, he led the league in free throw percentage by making 90.1% of his free throws while also averaging a team high 20.8 points per game, good for third in the league.{{cite news |title=Pálmar og Linda best í körfunni |url=https://timarit.is/page/1629648 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Morgunblaðið |date=15 March 1986 |page=54 |language=Icelandic}}
In 1986, Birgir again moved to the United States, this time to attend Tarkio College.{{cite news |author1=Jón Sigurðsson |title=Körfubolti |url=https://timarit.is/page/7271482 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Íþróttablaðið |page=58 |language=Icelandic}} He returned to KR the following season.{{cite news |title=Úrvalsdeildin hefst í kvöld |url=https://timarit.is/page/2912028 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Þjóðviljinn |date=16 October 1987 |page=15 |language=Icelandic}} During the 1989, Birgir announced that he would sign with Þór Akureyri but later renegaded on his decision and continued to play for KR.{{cite news |title=Næst munum við hlæja að honum |url=https://timarit.is/page/2561670? |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagblaðið Vísir |date=15 August 1989 |page=17 |language=Icelandic}}{{cite news |title=Birgir Mikaelsson hættur við að ganga til liðs við Þórsara |url=https://timarit.is/page/2688261 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagur |date=16 August 1989 |page=11 |language=Icelandic}} In April 1990, he helped KR to its first national championship since 1979.{{cite news |title=Bikarinn í vesturbæ |url=https://timarit.is/page/2570249 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagblaðið Vísir |date=9 April 1990 |pages=24–25 |language=Icelandic}}{{cite news |author1=Skapti Hallgrímsson |title=Gullinn bjarmi yfir Vesturbæ |url=https://timarit.is/page/1720830 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Morgunblaðið |date=10 April 1990 |page=4B |language=Icelandic}}
After retiring following the 1999–2000 season, where he led the league in free throw percentage, he returned to Skallagrímur in March 2001.{{cite news |title=Þar lágu Keflvíkingar í því |url=https://timarit.is/page/3012834 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagblaðið Vísir |date=5 March 2001 |page=21 |language=Icelandic}} He helped the team win two of its last three games, securing the 8th place and last seat in the playoffs. In the playoffs, Skallagrímur lost 2–1 to Njarðvík in the first round.
Icelandic national team
Birgir played 66 games for the Icelandic national team from 1985 to 1993.{{cite web|url=http://kki.is/landslid/karlar/leikjafjoldi/a-landslid/|publisher=kki.is|title=KKÍ | A landslið |accessdate=2020-11-13}}
Coaching career
Birgir's first coaching stint was with Skallagrímur with whom he became a player-coach in 1990. He guided the team to first-place finish in the 1. deild karla in 1991 and promotion to the Úrvalsdeild.{{cite news |title=Rannsakar af hverju svona sterk hefð er fyrir körfubolta í Borgarnesi |url=https://timarit.is/page/7156771 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Skessuhorn |date=15 October 2015 |page=30 |language=Icelandic}}
In 1997, Birgir was hired as a player-coach for Snæfell. He guided the team to a lossless season in the 1. deild and promotion to the Úrvalsdeild. He resigned from his coaching duties in January 1999 with the team in 8th place.{{cite news |title=Þjálfaraskipti hjá Snæfelli |url=https://www.mbl.is/greinasafn/grein/442526/ |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Morgunblaðið |date=13 January 1999 |language=Icelandic}}
Birgir was a player-coach for Þór Þorlákshöfn from 2001 to 2003. In his last season, he guided the team to promotion to the Úrvalsdeild.{{cite news |title=Birgir þjálfar í Þorlákshöfn |url=https://timarit.is/page/3047823 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Dagblaðið Vísir |date=11 June 2003 |page=37 |language=Icelandic}}
During the 2003–2004 season, he was a player-coach for Ármann/Þróttur in the 1. deild. He served as an assistant to Yngvi Gunnlaugsson with Valur for the 2010–2011 season in the 1. deild and helped the team to promotion to the Úrvalsdeild.{{cite news |title=Báðir meistaraflokkarnir leika í efstu deild og yngri flokkarnir eflast |url=https://timarit.is/page/6477678 |accessdate=13 November 2020 |work=Valsblaðið |date=1 May 2011 |pages=136, 139 |language=Icelandic}}
=Coaching record=
| class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" | ||||||
| Season
! League ! Team ! Wins ! Losses ! % ! Playoffs ! Notes | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="text-align:left;"|1990-91 | Skallagrímur | 8 | 4 | 67%| | ||
| |Promoted to Úrvalsdeild | ||||||
| style="text-align:left;"|1991-92 | Skallagrímur | 6 | 20 | 23%| | ||
| | | ||||||
| style="text-align:left;"|1992-93 | Skallagrímur | 14 | 12 | 54% | 1st round | |
| style="text-align:left;"|1993-94 | Skallagrímur | 7 | 19 | 27%| | ||
| | | ||||||
| style="text-align:left;"|1994-95 | ÍS | 8 | 16 | 33%| | ||
| | | ||||||
| style="text-align:left;"|1996-97 | Breiðablik | 1 | 17 | 5%| | ||
| | | ||||||
| style="text-align:left;"|1997-98 | Snæfell | 18 | 0 | 100% | Winners | Promoted to Úrvalsdeild |
| style="text-align:left;"|1998-99 | Snæfell | 6 | 6 | 50% | Resigned in January 1999 | |
| style="text-align:left;"|2001-02 | Þór Þorlákshöfn | 11 | 7 | 61% | DNQ | |
| style="text-align:left;"|2002-03 | Þór Þorlákshöfn | 11 | 5 | 68% | Finals | Promoted to Úrvalsdeild |
| style="text-align:left;"|2003-04 | Ármann/Þróttur | 10 | 8 | 56% | Semi-finals |
Titles, awards and accomplishments
=Titles=
- Icelandic champion: 1990
- 1. deild karla (2): 1991, 1998
=Awards=
=Accomplishments=
- Úrvalsdeild karla Free Throw Percentage leader (2): 1986, 2000
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://gamli.kki.is/tolfraedi_ferill_leikmanns.asp?Felaganumer=16773 Úrvalsdeild statistics] at Icelandic Basketball Association
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mikaelsson, Birgir}}