In Tryggvi Hlinason’s experience, there’s only one event that can cause a traffic jam in his native country of Iceland: when the men’s soccer team plays.
“You should just see Iceland when we score a goal,” Hlinsason said. “You can’t even imagine the people. It’s insane. It’s insane.”
Hlinason grew up in the Nordic island nation of about 330,000 people. He was raised on a farm in a remote province called Þingeyjarsveit. He knows first-hand what a powerful force the sport can be.
Hlinason will be watching when Iceland kicks off World Cup group play against Argentina on Saturday. The 20-year-old is attempting to carve out a career as a professional athlete himself, only not in the sport his compatriots are hooked on. The 7-foot-1, 260-pound big man is improbably trying to climb the rungs of professional basketball.
Hlinason, who worked out for the Nuggets on Thursday, didn’t start playing organized basketball until he was 16. As a boy, he was expected to go to school and work on his family’s farm.
“Sheep farm. Animal farm I guess,” Hlinsason said. “But we had horses. All kind of animals.”
Hlinason got his first big break when he was asked to play on Iceland’s under-18 national team. Hlinason said that in some ways his experience tending to livestock, bailing hay and riding snowmobiles helped as he began playing 5-on-5.
“My body wouldn’t be the same if I was some city boy,” Hlinason said. “There’s nothing wrong about that. But staying at home and doing one or two physical jobs every day is different from being on a farm because you’re waking up at 7 or 8 every day and going out and working physical jobs all day and coming home. You get this basic core strength and all these things. My body grows to be stronger. So of course it matters.”
Last summer, he averaged 16.1 points, 11.1 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per game at the Under-20 European Championship, displaying impressive mobility and dexterity for someone with his size and lack of experience.
“He’s a skilled big guy who moves pretty well,” said UCLA’s Thomas Welsh, a 7-footer who worked out with Hlinason in Denver. “He’s got really good jump hooks out of the post. He brings a different look to the game. He was a lot of fun to compete against today.”
Last year, Hlinason played for the EuroLeague team Valencia in Spain. He didn’t see the court very often, which was to be expected on a club that’s more focused on winning now than developing prospects. Hlinason is hoping an NBA team will take a chance on him next week. He’s ranked 66th on ESPN’s top 100 prospects list. A team could select him in the second round and likely let him continue to develop overseas.
“When you look at it, it’s insane,” Hlinason said about his journey over the last five years. “It was quite sudden how it developed from you can play with the under-18s next year, and I was like, ‘OK, that’s amazing. I’ll try that.’ And then the under-20s. And then the national team. Then I’m going from Iceland to Spain. That was a big step. The idea was to be there a while until I was good enough to try out there. Here I am.”
