Henna Sandvik: From Finland to Indiana Women's Basketball

Get the scoop on how Indiana freshman Henna Sandvik was discovered by Indiana women's basketball even as she was more than 4,500 miles away in Finland. The 6'0" guard gained her confidence back after a week of playing on her Finnish Women National Team in late November and from doing extra work in the gym.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana women's basketball freshman guard Henna Sandvik is more than 4,500 miles away from her home in Helsinki, Finland. How did she find her way to Indiana?

The 6'0" guard was on the Hoosiers' radar ever since COVID-19 hit. Associate head coach Rhet Wierzba is in charge of international recruiting for Indiana and made some trips to watch Sandvik play. He liked her size and skillset that the staff felt could be developed over time at Indiana. 

"We were trying like crazy to get her over here because she really wanted to visit," Indiana head coach Teri Moren said.

"She wanted to make visits to other institutions, and it could just never happen for her to get over here."

Because of COVID-19, Sandvik didn't have a traditional recruitment process any other freshman would have in years when the world isn't on lockdown.

"I think we were one of the ones who stayed after her from a recruiting standpoint in terms of our communication, tried to get her on Zoom calls, she and her mom, dad, just to get them to feel comfortable about perhaps sending their kid over here to Bloomington, Ind. with sight unseen," Moren said.

Since her arrival, Sandvik has played in six out of 10 games and averages 1.5 points and 1.2 rebounds per game. Aside from starting freshman guard Yarden Garzon, Sandvik averages the most minutes of any Hoosier freshman with 11.7 per game.

She clocked her career-high 17 minutes in the Hoosiers' 87-63 win over then-ranked No. 6 North Carolina on Dec. 1.

Before that game however, Moren said Sandvik went through a period most freshmen go through — a shock of being here in the States while playing at a fast tempo and training like a Hoosier.

Sandvik returned home to Europe in late November for a week to play in the European Championships for the Finnish Women National Team. There, her team lost both games to France and Lithuania.

She was a perfect 2-for-2 from downtown in Finland's 103-77 loss to France and went 2-for-4 from the field in the team's 65-56 defeat to Lithuania.

Even though Sandvik returned to the States with a pair of losses, she gained the one component Moren thought was missing.

"I don't know what happened, but when she returned, she returned with a different level of confidence which we really liked," Moren said.

Maybe being home for a bit was what Sandvik needed as she confidently shot a big three in the North Carolina game and from there has been a better player with an improved mindset. She can hit her shots, but Moren is also pleased with how she's adapted to the Hoosiers' emphasis on defense.

"She's been great for us defensively," Moren said. "She's smart. She pays attention. She understands the scout. She understands our coverages, what we're trying to do, what we're trying to take away. That's why you've seen her get more minutes."

Moren added Sandvik gets to practice early and leaves late on top of having good days at practice. To give her another boost of love, her parents Pia and Tom came to Bloomington to watch her play a combined 31 minutes in the Hoosiers' pair of wins over the Tar Heels and Illinois in early December.

"They loved it," Moren said. "She's starting to hit her stride."

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