Aarnio has extensive national team experience including with the Finland Senior National Women’s Team
TAMPA (April 15, 2021) – University of South Florida head women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez announced on Friday the signing of Janette Aarnio to a National Letter of Intent during the recent spring signing period. She is expected to make an immediate impact during the 2022-23 season. Aarnio is the second player to sign this week with the Bulls, joining former McDonald’s All American and Syracuse transfer, Priscilla Williams.
“Janette is another experienced, versatile guard that has played this game at the highest level internationally,” said Fernandez. “She embodies everything that we expect in a player that is in our program.”
A 5-foot-11 guard, Aarnio currently plays for the Helsinki Basketball Academy (HBA) where she is averaging 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 points per game while helping to guide her team to the upcoming league semifinals, a first in HBA’s history. HBA also set a team single season-record for wins with 16 playing primarily against professional competition.
No stranger to international experience, Aarnio was a member of the Finland U16 National Team where she helped lead her country to a bronze medal in the FIBA U16 European Championships. During the tournament, she averaged 15.5 points per game along with 4.0 assists and 3.8 steals per outing, while also shooting 41.6 percent from the field.
In the opener against Albania, Aarnio nearly posted a quadruple-double with 17 points, 11 rebounds, seven steals and six assists. She also poured in 20 points and had eight steals against Bosnia and Herzegovina during the group phase, before eventually netting 19 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the bronze medal game against Belarus.
Aarnio has also spent time with the Finland Senior National Team, playing four games and averaging 9.8 points per contest before being sidelined due to an injury.
In addition, Aarnio has been part of three Nordic Championships and has been a three-time all-star.
This past season, South Florida posted a 24-9 overall record, and a 12-3 mark in the American Athletic Conference, and capped off the season with its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance, and its seventh trip to the Big Dance in the last 10 years.
Included in their 24 wins were victories over No. 9 Oregon, 71-62, in the third-place game of the Inaugural Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis, and a thrilling 57-54 win over defending national champion and No. 7-ranked Stanford.
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South Florida recorded its 10th 20-win season during the 2021-22 campaign while playing in its sixth American Athletic Conference championship game in its nine years in the conference. The Bulls achieved their highest national ranking of the season when it checked in at No. 13 in the Nov. 30 Associated Press Top 25 Poll, and advanced to their seventh NCAA Tournament appearance in the last nine years.
USF has made 17 postseason tournament appearances and had eight NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez’s 22 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to 10 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship, and has won over 400 career games. Fernandez was named a finalist for the WBCA and semifinalist for the Naismith National Coach of the Year Awards. He was also tabbed the 2021 American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the 2020-21 campaign.
The Bulls had three players, during the 2021-22 campaign, recognized by The American for impressive seasons, including Elena Tsineke (All-Conference First Team), Bethy Mununga (All-Conference Second Team) and Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu (All-Conference Second Team).
In addition, Tsineke and Mununga were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Tournament Team.
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