USF Athletics

Greek Guard Tsineke Has Found Success, Happiness Quickly at USF

January 08, 2020

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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JAN. 8, 2020 – Curiosity in a cool, new sport eventually took Elena Tsineke across the Atlantic Ocean from Greece all the way to Tampa, where she's making an instant impact for USF women's basketball.

Ten games into her collegiate career, the talented guard from Thessaloniki leads the Bulls with 12.8 points per outing and recently announced her presence in The American with authority. Tsineke recorded her eighth double-digit scoring game of the season with a career high-tying 19 points in USF's 76-68 home win over Cincinnati on Jan. 5 that earned her AAC Freshman of the Week honors.

"I have come a long way," she said.

While she's nearly 6,000 miles away from home, the distance was much shorter for Tsineke to discover a sport that would make the five-star recruit's American hoops dreams become a reality.

As young teenagers, Tsineke and her twin sister, Katerina, were both focused on track and field until pickup basketball games started catching their attention on an outdoor court near their house.

"I had no idea about basketball and then I started watching," Tsineke said. "Then I said, 'Give me the ball. I want to shoot.'"

From there, the Tsineke twins became court regulars and it didn't take long for a local coach to catch wind of the promising players.

"He said, 'You should try to get on a team,' and I started playing," Tsineke said.

After beginning the sport at age 12 or 13, the Tsineke sisters climbed the national ladder quickly. Both guards played for Greece on the U16-U20 levels and gained more experience on premier club teams.

Tsineke was ecstatic about playing for Greece's senior national team this past year, saying, 'That was the best news I've had when I saw the calls."

"Playing with the national team really helped me because I was able to play against the big players," Tsineke said. "They have more experience than me and getting to play with them, I think it really got me better, my way of thinking in basketball and everything."

Performing on the world stage also opened the door for both sisters to continue their hoops careers in America, amazingly in the same conference.

While her sister has played in 10 games for East Carolina, Tsineke has quickly become a consistent Bull, shooting 40 percent from the field (42-for-100), 35.3 percent from long range (18-for-51) and 86.7 percent from the free-throw line (26-for-30). Tsineke put up 13 points in her USF debut against St. Francis (Pa.) on Nov. 24 and has been a go-to Bull ever since.

"I'm just thankful for the practices that we do," she said. "Things are really organized here and coaches are making sure that we work hard. That's what has helped me play well. I wouldn't have done this if coaches were not training me this way."

Tsineke will get to show her sister the progress she's made when the two take the same court again in Tampa next month. Fans, and Tsineke family members, should be in for a real treat when USF hosts East Carolina on Tuesday, Feb. 25 at 7 p.m.

"We do talk a lot about it," said Tsineke of facing her sister. "We know too much about each other. She's gonna know all my moves and what I will do when I get the ball. I'm gonna know what she's gonna do, too. It's gonna be tough to guard each other."

Tampa Feeling More Like Home for Tsineke
Tsineke was still in high school when she realized a very bright future could be in store for her in the game of basketball.

"I was watching big players like Candace Parker, Diana Taurasi and said, 'I wish I was like her right now, being able to play at the highest level,'" she remembered.

That desire for elite competition – and a college degree – drew Tsineke to the United States, where a "big adjustment" in life has become easier than expected in Tampa. Getting used to a new environment hasn't been as tough as Tsineke initially expected considering USF's global roster features student-athletes from nine different countries.

"This is such a great feeling for me. Coming over here, I thought I would be alone," Tsineke said. "But I saw all the girls and they were facing the same situation. They are from far away - many, many hours away traveling. That was really nice for me. I felt warmth right away when I came here. My teammates became my friends and that's the greatest feeling ever."

Now that she's feeling comfortable, self-proclaimed shy Tsineke has continued doing two things she's loved since childhood - dancing and singing - around the team.

"With my sisters, we dance a lot," Tsineke said. "We sing a lot. We do duets, acapella stuff."

Without Katerina, and her other sister, Stella, in Tampa, it's now a solo act for Tsineke, and an endurance test for the Bulls.

"They're bored of that," said smiling Tsineke of her teammates. "They say that I have to sign a contract in order for me to stop singing. I keep on singing and they've said, 'Yeah, she didn't sign yet.' Every morning, they wake up because of me."

With or without a signature on a (not) singing contract, Tsineke is committed to the classroom as she pursues a degree in psychology.

"It has a lot to do with interacting with people and helping them out," said Tsineke, who just took an intro to psychology course. "I really want to help people that face hard situations."

For now, Tsineke is enjoying her role with the Bulls at a place that's feeling more like home each day.

"I really like it," she said. "I like the people here. They are really supportive. They help me out with everything and I am grateful."
 
About USF Women's Basketball
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USF notched its eighth consecutive 19-win season and eighth straight postseason appearance in 2018-19. The Bulls celebrated two all-conference honorees in Enna Pehadzic and Sydni Harvey.
 
USF has made 15 postseason tournament appearances and had six NCAA Tournament berths in head coach Jose Fernandez's 19 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 350 games.