When you think of sports in Sweden, there's a pretty good chance that the first sport to come to mind is hockey. The number of Swedish legends to have success in the National Hockey League makes that easy to see.
 
But how far down the line would you have to go until you get to Swedish basketball?
 
Enter Pelle Larsson.
 
Growing up, Larsson would have to travel almost a thousand kilometers north – into the Arctic Circle – to a specialized sports academy to play competitive basketball at a high level. He wanted to pursue basketball because his father, Christian, played for the Swedish men's national team in 1995 and because basketball was his passion.
 
"As a kid growing up in Sweden," Larsson said, "You are taught to be humble and not brag about yourself. Just do what you are supposed to do and move on to the next thing. But in the basketball world, that isn't always the case. So I have had to learn that on the fly and adjust as my career has taken me to different countries."
 
But chasing that passion would take a few more turns before ending up in Tucson.
 
After earning all-tournament honors at a FIBA tournament in 2019, Larsson turned down professional opportunities in Sweden to come to the United States and attend the University of Utah.
 
As a freshman, he started 18 games for the Utes and shot 46% from the 3-point line. But when a coaching change was made at Utah following that season, Larsson entered the transfer portal and eventually ended up at Arizona.
 
Under new Arizona head coach Tommy Lloyd, Larsson flourished in a starring role off the bench. He was named Pac-12 Sixth Man of the Year in 2021-22 as the Wildcats went 33-4 on the year and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.
 
As he entered the 2022-23 season, he was poised to take on a starting role for the Wildcats. He was in the starting lineup for the first 18 games and was averaging 9.9 points and 5.2 rebounds while shooting 41.7% from the floor but just 28.6% from the 3-point line.
 
When head coach Tommy Lloyd conveyed that he would like to make an adjustment to the starting lineup and it would mean that Larsson would be coming off the bench, the Swede took it in stride. And excelled in the new, but familiar, role.
 
"I met with Pelle and I told him I was thinking about doing it," Lloyd said. "But I wasn't going to do it if he wasn't comfortable. He gave me the go ahead and said, `Coach, let's do it.' "
 
His scoring remained the same, 9.9 points per game, but his field goal percentage jumped 12% to 53.4% and his 3-point percentage increased to 48.4%. On top of that, Arizona was 13-4 with Larsson coming off the bench and captured the Pac-12 Tournament championship for the second straight season.
 
Despite the changes during the season, Larsson reverted back to what he was taught growing up in Sweden – keep your head down and move on to the next goal.
 
While he looks to play a prominent role on the court for Arizona in the future, he also remains focused on the next thing in line for him off the court – earning a degree.
 
The CSC Academic All-District honoree is pursuing his undergraduate degree in Business Administration and he's thankful for the opportunities Arizona has provided him.
 
"Without the support of the donors to Arizona Athletics, who knows where my journey may have taken me," Larsson said. "Arizona is a special place because of so many special people and I'm thankful that my path has led me here."
 
From the Arctic Circle to the Sonoran desert, the game of basketball and higher education truly reach all corners of the globe.