Samu Adler, who will join the Butler Basketball program on campus in July, will first represent his country once again as a member of the Finland National Team.
 
Adler is a member of the roster that is expected to include fellow countryman and NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen.
 
Finland will play 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifying games against Hungary (July 3 in Helsinki) and France (July 6 in Pau). Those three teams and Belgium comprise Group G of the European Qualifying. The top three teams in each group will advance to the Second Round, where they will battle it out for the 12 tickets reserved for European teams at Qatar 2027. Finland has already secured a spot in the second round of European Qualifying.
 
Adler was also on the Finland roster for an earlier window of qualifying games in 2026 as Finland played Belgium twice.
 
The 6-6 guard has played in the Korisliiga, the top league in Finland, for the past two seasons.
 
Adler earned 2026 Finals MVP honors, leading his Salon Vilpas team to the Korisliiga title. In his team's Game 7 win over Kataja Basket, he posted 32 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
 
Adler averaged 19.7 points per game in the 2026 Finals and 17.8 points per game during the 2026 playoffs. He scored 20 or more points seven times during the playoffs.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS: Butler alum Ronald Nored takes over head coaching duties at his alma mater after spending the last decade on coaching staffs in the NBA. The Bulldogs return five players from last season's roster, headlined by starters Jalen Jackson and Drayton Jones. Jackson helped the Bulldogs to the 2025 Greenbrier Tip-Off title and 5-1 start to the 2025-26 season before missing the remainder of the campaign due to injury. Butler's newcomers include Asim Djulovic, who starred for Mega Superbet in his native Serbia, and Samu Adler, who led his Salon Vilpas team to the Korisliiga league title and earned Player of the Year honors in his native Finland. Three of the team's incoming transfers averaged double figures last season: Treyson Anderson (North Dakota State), Jordan Ellerbee (Florida Gulf Coast), and Christian Moore (The Citadel); that trio joins two power conference additions in Eduardo Klafke (Ole Miss) and Samis Calderon (Kansas).
 
SEASON TICKET INFORMATION: Season tickets for the upcoming 2026-27 basketball season are on sale now at butlersports.com/seasontickets. The Bulldogs will once again host all 10 BIG EAST rivals at Hinkle Fieldhouse. Fans can email tickets@butler.edu or call the ticket office at 317-940-3647 for more information on securing season tickets.