USF Athletics

Women’s Basketball Adds Third Five-Star Recruit in Beatriz Jordao

July 18, 2018

TAMPA, JULY 18, 2018 – USF women's basketball head coach Jose Fernandez today announced the addition of yet another five-star recruit to the Bulls' 2018 signing class with the addition of 6-3 center Beatriz Jordao. 

Rated as a five-star recruit by both Blue Star Europe and Passion Hoops, Jordao joins fellow five-star signees Luize Septe (Ventspills, Latvia) and Elisa Pinzan (Murano, Italy) in the Bulls' class of 2018. USF's 2018 signing class now numbers seven with 6-1 forward Janeta Rozentale (Dobeles, Latvia), 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, Pinzan, a 5-8 point guard, and Jordao. 

"We are very excited about this seven-member class and the talent, attitude and work ethic they will bring to our program," Fernandez said. "This group of players will come in and compete and help us continue to build on the success we have had."

A native of Pombal, Portugal, Jordao played for the club team Quinta dos Lombos, averaging nine points and five rebounds per game. Most recently, at the FIBA under-20 Women's European Championship, the center scored in double figures in five of seven games and finished with 11.9 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.

In the summer of 2017, Jordao started on the Portuguese under-18 team at the European Championship, where she averaged 10 points, 8.5 rebounds and two blocks per game. 

"Beatriz is a big, physical player that has tremendous potential and will have a great presence on the block for us," Fernandez said. "She is competitive and has great international experience playing at a high level." 

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, scoring more than 1,500 points in her high school career.

Pinzan was 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.

Septe was 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.