Helena Sverrisdóttir

Helena Sverrisdóttir (born 11 March 1988) is an Icelandic professional basketball player for Valur of the Icelandic Úrvalsdeild kvenna. Helena has been named the Icelandic Women's Basketball Player of the Year 12 times.[1] She has won the Icelandic championship four times and the Slovak championship two times.

This is an Icelandic name. The last name is patronymic, not a family name; this person is referred to by the given name Helena.
Helena Sverrisdóttir
No. 24 – Valur
PositionForward
LeagueÚrvalsdeild kvenna
Personal information
Born (1988-03-11) 11 March 1988
Iceland
NationalityIcelandic
Listed height184 cm (6 ft 0 in)
Career information
CollegeTCU (2007–2011)
WNBA draft2011 / Undrafted
Playing career2000–present
Career history
As player:
2000–2007Haukar
2011–2013Good Angels Kosice
2013–2014Diósgyőri VTK
2014–2015CCC Polkowise
2015–2018Haukar
2017–2018→ Good Angels Kosice
2018Ceglédi EKK
2018–presentValur
As coach:
2015–2016Haukar
2020–presentValur (assistant)
Career highlights and awards
As player:

As coach:

Medals
Women's basketball
Representing  Iceland
Games of the Small States of Europe
2005 AndorraTeam
2009 CyprusTeam
2013 LuxembourgTeam
2015 ReykjavíkTeam
2017 San MarinoTeam
2019 BarTeam

Early life

Helena grew up in Hafnarfjörður and played basketball and football in her youth.[2]

Club career

Helena first played for Haukar's senior team in 2000, at the age of 12.[2][3] After winning Division I in 2002 with Haukar, Helena took the Úrvalsdeild by storm in 2002-2003,[4] averaging 17.1 points, 9.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists. She was named the Úrvalsdeild Young Player of the Year and was widely regarded as the top prospect in the country. Despite her performance, Haukar finished last in the league and were relegated back to Division I.[5]

In 2003-2004, at the age of 16, Helena averaged a quadruple-double in the Icelandic Division I with 37.6 points, 13.3 rebounds, 11.6 assists and 10.2 steals.[6] Out of the 16 games she played, she posted a quadruple-double in six of them. Her best scoring output came against Ármann/Þróttur where she scored 86 points.[7][5]

Helena returned to Haukar in 2016 after 9 seasons away[8] and helped the club achieve the best regular season record in the Úrvalsdeild kvenna. For the season she averaged 24.4 points, 13.3 rebounds and 6.8 assists, and was named the Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year.[9] Helena missed most of the 2016-2017 season due to being pregnant of her first child.[10][11] She returned to the floor on March 19 in a loss against Stjarnan, five weeks after the birth of her daughter.[12][13][14]

On December 20, 2017, Haukar loaned Helena to Good Angels Kosice until the end of January 2018.[15] On January 21, Helena helped the Good Angels win the Slovak Basketball Cup.[16][17]

On April 30, 2018, she helped Haukar to win the national championship, their fourth championship and first one in nine years.[18] Helena was named the Úrvalsdeild Playoffs MVP[19] after averaging 20.2 points, 12.2 rebounds and 10.8 assists in the finals series.[20] On May 4, Helena was name the Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year and to the Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team.[21]

On 16 May 2018, Helena signed with Ceglédi EKK of the Hungarian Nemzeti Bajnokság I/A.[22] In November she left the club after a contract dispute.[23][24][25]

On 15 November 2018, Helena signed with Úrvalsdeild kvenna club Valur.[26] On 16 February 2019, she won the Icelandic Cup after Valur defeated Stjarnan in the Cup finals, 74-90. In the game, Helena had 31 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists.[27] On 27 April 2019, she helped Valur win its first ever national championship after beating Keflavík in the Úrvalsdeild finals 3-0.[28] After the season she was named the Úrvalsdeild Domestic Player of the Year for the second straight year and to the Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team.[29]

Valur opened the 2019–20 season by defeating Keflavík, 105-81, in the annual Icelandic Super Cup where Helena posted 14 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists.[30] It was Valur's first Super Cup win and the victory made them the holders of all four major national crowns, the others being the national championship, the national cup and the league championship which is awarded for the best regular season record in the Úrvalsdeild.[31]

In December 2019, she was named the Icelandic Women's Basketball Player of the Year for the 12th time in her career.[32]

On 29 May 2020, Helena announced that she was pregnant with her second child.[33]

Icelandic national team

Since 2002 Helena has played 66 games for the Icelandic national basketball team.[34]

Personal life

Helena's sister, Guðbjörg Sverrisdóttir, plays for Valur in Úrvalsdeild kvenna and was named to the 2016 Úrvalsdeild Domestic All-First Team. She has also played for the Icelandic national team since 2014.[35][34] Her brother, Kristján Leifur Sverrisson, played for Haukar in Úrvalsdeild karla.[36][37]

Helena is married to former Icelandic national team player Finnur Atli Magnússon[2][38] with whom she has one daughter.[39]

Awards, titles and accomplishments

Individual awards

Iceland

Slovenia
  • Slovak champion (2): 2012, 2013
  • Slovak Basketball Cup (3): 2012, 2013, 2018

Accomplishments

References
  1. Körfuknattleiksfólk ársins 2016 · Gunnhildur og Martin
  2. Svanur Már Snorrason; Davíð Eldur (11 January 2021). "Helena Sverrisdóttir: „Tólf ára ætlaði ég að verða best á Íslandi"". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  3. "2. deild kvenna - Haukar" (in Icelandic). Icelandic Basketball Association. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  4. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (3 December 2002). "Sú fjórtán ára er fremst allra". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). p. 27. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
  5. "Fjórföld tvenna að meðaltali". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 April 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  6. Tölfræði - Haukar
  7. "Helena skoraði 86 stig í stórsigri Haukaliðsins". Mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 22 March 2004. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  8. Jónsson, Starri Freyr (13 May 2016). "Nýr kafli að hefjast hjá Helenu". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  9. Þórðarson, Tómas Þór (6 May 2016). "Helena: Þarf hjálp við að fá systur mína yfir". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  10. Sæmundsson, Ingvi Þór (26 July 2016). "Helena missir af næsta tímabili". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  11. Grétarsson, Benedikt (26 July 2016). "Helena ekki með Haukum í vetur". Mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  12. "Helena spilar fimm vikum eftir fæðingu". Mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  13. "Helena sneri aftur en Stjarnan fagnaði sigri". Mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 19 March 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  14. Sverrisson, Sindri (21 March 2017). ""Mun hressari en ég hafði ímyndað mér"". Mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  15. "Helena á leiðinni aftur til Slóvakíu". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  16. "Pohár sa vracia do Košíc". goodangelskosice.eu (in Slovak). 21 January 2018. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
  17. Benedikt Bóas (23 January 2018). "Stal bikartitlinum í Slóvakíu: Þetta var svo dramatískt". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  18. Jóhann Ingi Hafþórsson (30 April 2018). "Haukar Íslandsmeistarar í fjórða skipti". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  19. Böðvar Sigurbjörnsson (30 April 2018). "Helena best í úrslitakeppninni: „Man ekki eftir að hef séð hana svona góða"". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  20. Ingvi Þór Sæmundsson (30 April 2018). "Helena með þrefalda tvennu að meðaltali í úrslitunum". Fréttablaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  21. Henry Birgir Gunnarsson (4 May 2018). "Kristófer og Helena valin leikmenn ársins". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 4 May 2018.
  22. Einar Örn Jónsson (16 May 2018). "Helena til Ungverjalands". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 16 May 2018.
  23. Ástrós Ýr Eggertsdóttir (13 November 2018). "Helena og Finnur á leiðinni heim". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  24. Ólafur Þór Jónsson (13 November 2018). "Helena laus frá Cegléd – Á leið heim?". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  25. Kristján Jónsson (13 November 2018). "Helena á heimleið". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). Retrieved 13 November 2018.
  26. Davíð Eldur (15 November 2018). "Helena Sverrisdóttir í Val". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  27. "Valur bikarmeistari í fyrsta sinn". RÚV (in Icelandic). 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  28. Valur Páll Eiríksson (27 April 2019). "Valskonur Íslandsmeistarar í fyrsta sinn". RÚV (in Icelandic). Retrieved 27 April 2019.
  29. Óskar Ófeigur Jónsson (11 May 2019). "Helena og Kristófer valin best annað tímabilið í röð". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  30. Anton Ingi Leifsson (29 September 2019). "Vandræðalaust hjá Val gegn Keflavík í Meistarakeppni KKÍ". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  31. "Valur bætti fjórða bikarnum í safnið". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 29 September 2019. Retrieved 30 September 2019.
  32. "Körfuknattleiksfólk ársins 2019 - Helena og Martin". Icelandic Basketball Federation (in Icelandic). 13 December 2019. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  33. Davíð Eldur (30 May 2020). "Helena Sverrisdóttir með barni". Karfan.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 30 May 2020.
  34. "KKÍ | A landslið". kki.is. Retrieved 2017-12-02.
  35. Jónsson, Óskar Ófeigur (19 November 2015). "Fjórar systur á leið með landsliðinu til Ungverjalands". Vísir.is (in Icelandic). Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  36. "Frændsystkinin Kristján Leifur og Sólrún Inga í landsliðshópum 15 ára og yngri". haukar.is (in Icelandic). p. 1 February 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  37. "Ívar áfram og blásið til sóknar". Mbl.is (in Icelandic). Morgunblaðið. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 11 August 2017.
  38. "Finnur Atli og Helena trúlofuð". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 4 May 2015. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  39. "Helena spilar fimm vikum eftir fæðingu". Morgunblaðið (in Icelandic). 19 March 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
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