As the San Francisco women's basketball team prepares to embark on the 2014-15 season, the Dons are ready to reload the roster. Ninni Salmi, Dagny McConnell and Jaylin Jones have signed national letters of intent to play for the Green and Gold, announced today.
 
"All three of our signees bring unique skill sets to the team that fit very well in our system," said head coach Jennifer Azzi. "We are excited to welcome Ninni, Dagny and Jaylin to the USF basketball family."
 
Salmi hails from Kauhajoen Karhu, Finland, and will stand as the third international player on the roster, joining current freshmen Anna Seilund (Denmark) and Michaela Rakova (Slovakia).
 
The 6-2 shooting guard has spent time on the Finnish national team and was a significant contributor in the 2014 U-18 Division B European Championships. During that competition in July, she pulled down seven offensive rebounds against Luxembourg and followed it up with a 13-rebound game in Finland's 59-52 win over Montenegro.
 
All told, she's played in 58 national team games, along with seeing success for her club team, Kauhajoen Karhu. No stranger to the West Coast Conference, Salmi's mother, Mariliisa, is in the BYU Hall of Fame after becoming a four-time All-American for the Cougars from 1984-87.
 
"I am excited about the opportunity to coach Ninni," remarked Azzi. "She will be an outstanding addition to our program.  She brings a winning mindset and Finnish National Team experience.  As a 6-2 shooting guard she provides us the ability to extend our offense. Ninni is a high-motor defender with the versatility to guard any position on the court."
 
Jaylin Jones comes to San Francisco by way of Placentia, Calif., a product of El Dorado High School. The All-CIF Division 2A selection in 2014 was tabbed as MaxPreps Southern Section All-Century League co-MVP, and earned a first-team All-County nod by the Orange Country Register. The Hawks finished the year with a 28-6 record and an appearance in the CIF Southern California Division II semifinals keyed by Jones' contributions of 19 points, nine rebounds and three assists per game.
 
A perimeter threat with a strong frame, Jones comes to the Dons from one of the top AAU organizations in the state, Cal Sparks Gold, coached by Elbert Kinnebrew. USF senior Taj Winston also played her AAU ball in the Cal Sparks program.
 
"Jaylin is a very skilled three-point shooter and also very versatile," said Azzi. "From one of the top club programs in the country and played on Cal Sparks top team this summer. Signing a player of her caliber continues to take the program to a higher level."
 
Dagny McConnell, a 6-3 post player, is a two-time all-league OSAA honorable mention player at Beaverton High School.  She has served as team captain for the Beavers for two seasons, and is entering her fourth year of varsity action. She is consistently listed as one of the top shot-blockers in the state of Oregon. 
 
In fact, at the 6A state tournament, McConnell posted seven total blocks, an average of 2.3 per game, to lead all players in the tournament. In Beaverton's semifinal contest against South Medford she posted four blocks. The Beavers finished the 2013-14 season with a 20-9 record en route to the 6A semifinal appearance, and McConnell played an integral role with averages of 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks per game. In AAU competition, McConnell played for Oregon Elite, the same organization that fostered current Don Alicia Scafidi.
 
"Dagny is a rare player in this day and age," noted Azzi. "It's unusual to find a 6-3 post player that wants to post up, runs the floor extremely well, has a good mid-range game and is from one of the top programs in Oregon."
 
The trio is slated to join the Dons' roster in 2015-16. USF's current team opens the season at home Friday as the squad meets up with Columbia at War Memorial Gym at 7 p.m.