Girls basketball: Huntley guard Anna Campanelli finds future home at Kent State

Anna Campanelli started getting looks from interested colleges after her freshman season at Huntley.

But it wasn’t until recently that Campanelli, now entering her last year of high school, found one that felt like a natural fit.

On Monday, Campanelli, a 5-foot-10 guard, announced her commitment to NCAA Division I Kent State. She visited the Mid-American Conference school in Kent, Ohio, during the last weekend of June and made her commitment to the Golden Flashes official July 3.

“I feel really blessed to have the opportunity, and I’m super excited to play at the next level,” Campanelli said. “I put in a lot of hard work. Developing through high school and even AAU, it’s always been a big dream of mine. Being able to accomplish it is really important.”

Campanelli also had offers from Northern Illinois, Wright State, Green Bay, Tulsa, St. Louis, Western Michigan and Valparaiso, among others.

Kent State felt familiar.

“I’ve been talking to schools since right after my freshman year, so it’s been a long process,” she said. “When I started talking to Kent State I felt like it was the right fit. I got along with the coaches really well, and when I went on my visit it felt like home.

“Obviously the facilities and the school is really nice, but the girls and coaches felt like family. I’m very close with my high school team and my high school coaches, and [Kent State] reminded me of that. It just made me have a very good feeling about the school.”

With four of five starters graduated from the previous season, Campanelli took on a bigger role as a junior and shined for the Red Raiders, who won their third straight Fox Valley Conference title. Campanelli averaged 14.1 points a game, along with 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals, and earned Northwest Herald All-Area first-team honors.

She was one of three local players named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s All-State team, earning special mention in Class 4A.

Huntley coach Steve Raethz believes Campanelli will find success in college.

“I think at the next level her game translates very well,” Raethz said. “She’s a great two-way player, and she plays extremely hard on the defensive end. She just has so much versatility with her ability to guard different positions. It’s been great to watch her offensive game evolve as well. Her ability to score at all three different levels really suits her well.

“I can’t wait to see what she does.”

Campanelli, who plans on studying early education, was able to meet some of her future teammates on her visit.

“Just being with them throughout that day felt normal and like I fit in with the team,” she said. “Meeting the players was really big for me.”

Since the end of her junior year, Campanelli has focused on improving her shooting accuracy and getting stronger. She plays for the AAU travel club M14Hoops, and is on the same team as Cary-Grove senior forward Ellie Mjaanes.

“I’m very close with my high school team and my high school coaches, and [Kent State] reminded me of that. It just made me have a very good feeling about the school.”

—  Anna Campanelli, Huntley guard

On Tuesday morning, Campanelli was among a local group training with Ryan Hartman, who played at Northern Michigan and coached boys basketball at Prairie Ridge. That group also included 2023 Huntley graduates Jessie Ozzauto (Lehigh) and Sammi Campanelli (Lewis), Anna’s older sister, and Crystal Lake South junior Laken LePage.

Anna and Sammi played together for two years in high school.

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Anna Campanelli said. “I’ve been training with [Sammi], both lifting and basketball, so it’s been really good to have her home. I’m just trying to get stronger and more built to get ready for the next level.”

Campanelli is excited about the prospects of her senior season as the Raiders try to win their fourth straight FVC title. Huntley will return the majority of its team.

After high school, she is excited to tackle a new challenge.

“I’m really excited to play with everyone that has the same mentality,” Campanelli said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun.”