Campanelli picks Kent State for future hoops
HUNTLEY — With the 2024-25 sports seasons just underway, a Huntley girls basketball senior heads into the final prep year with a big decision made.
Red Raiders standout Anna Campanelli has committed to Kent State University, a D-1 school which won the Mid-American Conference title last winter from Kent, Ohio.
“We are so excited for Campanelli and for the opportunity she has to play at Kent State,” Huntley girls basketball coach Steve Raethz said. “She has worked so hard to put herself in a position to play at the collegiate level and we are really excited to have the chance to coach her one more season at Huntley. She has had a great three years at Huntley, and she has improved so much as a player and as a leader on our team.”
Campanelli is excited about her future in basketball. “I am super excited and look forward to be playing at Kent State,” Campanelli said. “I think their style of play is super comparable to mine and I feel like it will be fun playing at the next level at such a highly competitive level.”
“I think at the next level, Campanelli’s game translates very well,” Raethz said. “She is 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.”
Campanelli averaged 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals a game last season. She earned All-Fox Valley Conference and Iowa Basketball Coaches Association All-State Sppecial Mention honors. HHS finished 24-7 and Fox Valley Conference champs.
A three-year varsity starter, she described the recruiting process which took many months and also praised her family’s help.
“The last couple of months my recruiting process was definitely very stressful but I am so thankful for the opportunities I was given,” Campanelli said. “I was mainly focused on D-1 schools because that was where most interest was coming from and I decided it was best to lock in on those specific schools.”
She added, “my family has been going through this process with me and they were very proud and excited for me when I made the decision. My teammates were also very supportive and super excited for me as well as my coaches.”
This summer she played in AAU basketball in the spring and summer season with M14 Hoops, also on the Adidas 3SSB circuit.
“We got to play some very talented teams from all over the country,” she said.
Campanelli enjoyed her start in hoops at the park district youth ranks, then moving on to travel ball in fifth grade. This winter, her success may well include joining sister Sammy in Huntley’s 1,000-points group.
