Women’s Basketball Adds Janeta Rozentale
TAMPA, JUNE 15, 2018 -- USF women's basketball head coach Jose Fernandez announced today the addition of Latvian forward Janeta Rozentale to the Bulls' 2018 signing class.
Rozentale joins Fernandez's impressive 2018 recruiting class that includes fellow Latvian Luize Septe (Ventspills, Latvia). USF's 2018 signing class now numbers six with 5-10 combo guard Sydni Harvey (Nashville, Tenn.), 5-11 shooting guard Makaela Kestner (Bealton, Va.), and 6-foot wing Irida Tsafara (Athens, Greece) joining Septe, a 5-11 wing, Elisa Pinzan (Murano, Italy), a 5-8 point guard, and Rozentale.
"Rozentale is a versatile forward who can play inside and out," Fernandez said. "She has been very successful at the international level and we look forward to bringing that experience to our program."
A native of Dobeles, Latvia,Rozentale played for the club team TTT Riga Juniores, averaging 12.7 points and 12.5 rebounds per game in 2017-18. With TTT Riga in 2016-17, she stood out as the junior team's best rebounder with 9.1 per game and shot a team best .462 (36-of-78) to make up 9.6 points per game.
In the summer of 2017, Rozentale saw action with the Latvian Under-19 National Team World Cup, where she averaged 8.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. She also saw action with the Latvian Under-18 National Team in the European Championship, where she hit 12.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Three times in U18 European play, she recorded double-doubles and scored in double digits in five of seven games. Her top performance included a 20-point, 18-rebound outing to lead Latvia to an 81-72 victory over Lithuania.
Rozentale brings extensive experience at the international level, competing with Latvia at various levels since 2015, including campaigns at three different FIBA Women's European Championships and multiple FIBA Women's World Championships.
Harvey is rated as the No. 28 player at her position in the nation according to ESPN and is the all-time leading scorer in her high school's history.
Kestner holds the Faquier County (Va.) scoring record for boys or girls, with more than 1,500 points in her high school career.
Pinzanwas also rated a five-star recruit by both Blue Star Europe and Passion Hoops and has international experience, playing for team Italy in the Under-18 European Championships and the Under-19 World Cup. She averaged eight points, two assists, 2.9 rebounds and two steals per game in the European Championships.
Septewas tabbed a five-star prospect by both Passion Hoops and Blue Star Europe and played for the Under-18 Latvian National Team in the 2017 European Championship, where she averaged eight points, five rebounds, and two assists per game. She started at wing for the club team TTT Riga, averaging 10.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and two assists per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor and adding 1.8 steals per game.
Tsafara played for the Under-18 Ikaros Kallitheas club team in Greece, where she led her team to a second-place finish in the National A2 Division.
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USF notched its sixth consecutive 20-win season and fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017-18. It marked the ninth 20-win season in program history, with head coach Jose Fernandez at the helm for all nine. The Bulls posted 26 wins in 2017-18, just shy of the program record of 27 set in 2008-09 and 2014-15.
USF has made 14 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 18 seasons. The all-time winningest coach in program history, Fernandez has guided USF to nine 20-win seasons, two WNIT final four appearances, the 2009 WNIT championship and won more than 300 games.
