Puisis is the second transfer signee that was a McDonald’s High School All-American.
TAMPA (April 26, 2022) – University of South Florida head women’s basketball coach Jose Fernandez announced on Tuesday that Sammie Puisis has signed a grant-in-aid and will be transferring to South Florida. Puisis, who attended Florida State for the past three seasons, is expected to make an immediate impact during the 2022-23 campaign. Puisis is the fourth player to sign with the Bulls during the spring signing period, joining Ole Miss transfer Caitlin McGee, Finnish guard Janette Aarnio and Syracuse transfer, Priscilla Williams.
Puisis is also the second former McDonald’s All-American to sign with the Bulls, along with Williams.
“Sammie is an elite shooter,” said Fernandez. “When addressing our needs for next season’s roster, we looked at her making an immediate impact in our system.”
A 6-1 guard, Puisis played in 81 games for the Seminoles, earning 41 starts and averaging 6.0 points per game and 2.7 rebounds per contest. In addition, she shot 36.2 percent (165-for-456) from the field, 35.8 percent (26-for-352) from behind the three-point line and 73.0 percent (27-for-37) from the charity stripe during her time with the Noles.
During the 2021-22 campaign, she averaged 5.8 points per outing and scored double figures in five games. Puisis shot a career-best 38.3 percent (62-for-162) from the floor, including 37.9 percent from three-point range. She also shot at a career-high 86.7 percent clip (13-for-15) from the free-throw line. Puisis finished the season with 44 three-pointers, making her just the third Seminole in program history to lead her team in threes for three straight seasons.
Puisis averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds as a sophomore while recording four double-figure scoring games. She recorded a career-high 18 points in a double-overtime win over Clemson and logged a pair of nine-rebound performances against Virginia and at North Carolina.
As a freshman, Puisis averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest and shot 37.8 percent (56-of-148) in 20.8 minutes played. She had 16 games with multiple three-point field goals made.
During her scholastic career, Puisis led the Greater Miami Conference in scoring with 17.5 points per game, shooting nearly 38 percent from beyond the arc as a senior, and knocking down 44 three-point field goals. She also averaged 6.7 rebounds, 2.2 steals, 1.3 assists and shot 82.8 percent from the free-throw line.
For her efforts during her senior season, Puisis was named to the prestigious McDonald’s All-America Team, scoring 11 points and hitting a trio of three-pointers in the 2019 All-America game, while also being selected as a Jordan Brand Classic participant. In addition, she was rated the 37th best player in America – and the seventh-best at her position – by ESPNW Hoopgurlz.
Puisis was a 2019 First Team Ohio Sports Writers Association selection while also being named to the 2018-19 All-USA Today Ohio Girls Basketball First Team. She concluded her career by being named a finalist for the Ohio Ms. Basketball award and earned a spot on the 2019 Naismith Award Watch List.
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.
–#GoBulls –
