The University of Utah women’s basketball program just added a powerhouse forward to the team who is said to make an immediate impact for the Utes.
Head coach Lynne Roberts announced Wednesday that they have added Elli Koskinen to the 2017-18 roster. The 6-5 forward comes to the Utes from Finland where she played club ball for the National team.
Let us introduce U to our newest Ute, a 6'5" center all the way from Finland - Elli Koskinen #GoUtes #Elevate https://t.co/qLSTPM5lC4 pic.twitter.com/KdStzy7GVE
— Utah WBasketball (@UTAHWBB) July 6, 2017
“We are really excited about Elli joining our Utah family,” Roberts said. “Her size, mobility, and skill set are a perfect fit for our program and the direction we are headed.”
“During her visit, it was an instant connection and we saw that she would fit in great with our team and the culture surrounding our program. We are looking forward to having her on campus this fall,” Roberts added.
Playing with the National team and for various club teams, Koskinen has proved that she is a threat on both ends of the court. This past season she played for Forssan Alku, and before that she spent three years playing Turun Riento, where she was close to averaging a double-double, scoring 8.5 points and grabbing 8.5 rebounds through 17 games in the 2015-16 season.
Not only does Koskinen dominate the glass on the boards, she also keeps the lanes clear after leading the U19 league and U16 league in blocks per game. In international play, she has had multiple standout games, including a double-double against Latvia in a 2014 U18 European Championships qualifier game where she chipped in 12 points and 13 rebounds.
The freshman class for the 2017-18 season is already stacked, so adding Koshkinen’s depth and size to the front-court with her international playing experience, is seen as a plus. With Koskinen in the mix, the Utah newcomers average over 6-1 in height, have multiple state championships between them and bring two highly recruited international stars in Koskinen and Maurane Corbin to the table.
Corbin comes to Salt Lake City from Saint-Bruno, Quebec, and stands even with Koskinen at 6-5. The pair will enter the 2017-18 season as two of the tallest freshmen in the Pac-12 this year.