OREM, Utah—Utah Valley University men's basketball head coach Mark Pope announced on Thursday that Joonas Tahvanainen has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Wolverines.
 
"We are thrilled to announce that Joonas is going to be a Wolverine," Utah Valley head coach Mark Pope said. "At 6-foot-7, his euro-style of play will have a big impact for us on the floor as he will stretch the defense by being able to post up on the block or shoot from distance. Joonas is an unselfish, smart player who plays big and has a real head for the game. It's exciting to think about his future here at Utah Valley and how he can help our team immediately."
 
The 6-6, 220-pound forward spent the last four years playing at the Helsinki Basketball Academy-Marksy where he was coached by former Utah Ute and Atlanta Hawk Hanno Möttölä.
 
Tahvanainen averaged 12.5 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this past season at the HBA-Marksy. He also connected on 44.0 percent of his shots from the field, 34.0 percent from beyond the arc and 89.0 percent from the charity stripe. HBA-Marksy was the only high school team to compete in the second division league in Finland.
 
"We are extremely proud and excited for Joonas signing with Utah Valley," Möttölä said. Joonas has given everything to our program and to his own development the last four years and this is a great day for him. He has been a two-year captain for us and has embodied that role and responsibilities the way any coach would love for his captains to do. Joonas is a hard worker and a great teammate. He will fit right into Coach Pope's program. I know Joonas will be in great hands and will develop into a really good collegiate player. Obviously, the state of Utah holds a special place in my heart and I am sure Joonas will enjoy his time there."
 
The Finland native is the captain of the under-20 Finland national team, which also features University of Arizona signee Lauri Markkanen and Stephen F. Austin signee Samuli Sieminen. Tahvanainen's will compete with the U-20 Finland national team at the FIBA U-20 European championship this July in Helsinki, Finland.
 
Tahvanainen will be eligible to play for UVU for the 2016-17 season.
 
 
 
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