Tyrese Haliburton talks Olympics, Iowa State
Former Cyclone Tyrese Haliburton talks about preparing for the Olympics with Team USA and his abiding connecting to Iowa State
Storm Lake native Nate Bjorkgren got his first taste of international basketball competition more than 30 years ago.
Bjorkgren, 18 at the time, was playing for an all-star team of Iowans that spent 10 days in Belgium, Holland and France playing against other teams.
“I just remember being on that trip and having so much fun and thinking to myself, ‘Man, there’s a whole world out there where basketball can take you,’” Bjorkgren said in a phone interview with the Register.
Basketball is taking him back to France. Bjorkgren is an assistant coach for the Canadian men’s national team in this year’s Paris Olympics. The Opening Ceremony is Friday and competition continues through Aug. 11.
“I really enjoy it and man, is it fun to be part of,” Bjorkgren said.
Bjorkgren has been a part of big-time basketball for a while. The Buena Vista graduate and former Iowa Energy head coach was an assistant on Carroll native Nick Nurse’s 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA championship team. After winning the title, Nurse was offered the chance to coach Canada’s national team.
Nurse jumped at the opportunity and added Bjorkgren to his staff. Bjorkgren has been coaching the team ever since. He has spent most of the time leading the team during the winter months while Nurse handled things in the summer.
Bjorkgren stayed on even after Nurse was replaced by Jordi Fernandez. With Bjorkgren on the bench, the team has experienced plenty of success, winning a bronze medal at the FIBA World Cup. Now Team Canada has its sights set on winning a medal in the Olympics.
It’s a realistic goal with a roster jam-packed talent, including former Iowa State star Melvin Ejim. Bjorkgren is expecting big things.
“We’ve got good players, a good team and a good coach,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot of ups and downs and there’s been a lot of coaches and a lot of players who have helped us get here along the way.”
Bjorkgren returned to the Raptors as an assistant after spending one season as the head coach of the Indiana Pacers. He’ll be back on the bench again next season as an assistant for the Portland Trail Blazers.
“We have a young team, a real young team, and they work hard and they battle and compete and I’m really looking forward to it,” Bjorkgren said.