SAN FRANCISCO – In the final segment of episode four of Behind the Mask we take a look at men's basketball senior forward
Remu Raitanen.
Raitanen begins the segment discussing where his love of basketball began. He started playing hoops at the age of five and says one of his earliest memories is watching his father play professionally.
Head coach
Todd Golden goes on to discuss what the four-year player has meant to the organization. A stretch-four, Raitanen has played in 117 career games, which is tied for seventh- most in USF history. A tremendous student, Raitanen was one of two players who earned a 4.0 GPA in the fall. In 2018-19, he was named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Honors Court, which honors upperclassmen with a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher.
The segment ends with Raitanen talking about his experiencing representing his country. The native of Helsinki, Finland began playing for the junior national team at 13.
Episode four also features a special segment on USF Director of Athletics,
Joan McDermott. The San Francisco native grew up a Dons' fan, going to games with her father when she was in the third grade. McDermott, a rabid sports fan, explains how her love of sports led her to become a successful coach and athletic administrator.
The three-part show will also feature a segment on women's basketball graduate transfer Mikayla Williams, a native of Meath Park, Saskatchewan, who came to the Hilltop by way of UC San Diego. Williams has played in 26 games for the Dons, starting 24, and is averaging 15.0 points per game and 8.7 rebounds per contest.
Raitanen and the Dons are back in action on Thursday when they travel to Spokane, Wash., to take on the second-ranked Bulldogs. USF will return home on Saturday for a showdown against Pepperdine. Saturday's game is slated for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff. Tickets for Saturday's contest are available at USFDons.com/mbbtix.
Check local listings for your cable provider's station guide and additional air dates and times each month. Segments from the show, as well as past seasons of "Behind the Mask" can also be found on-demand on USF Athletics' Youtube channel.
To tune in to the show in the San Francisco Bay Area, NBC Sports California can typically be found on channel 698 for DirecTV customers, 438 on the Dish Network, 412-01 on Dish Hopper packages, 767 on U-Verse and 41 on most Comcast packages. NBC Sports Bay Area can be generally be accessed at channel 40 on Comcast, 41 on the Dish Network, 696 for DirecTV subscribers, and at 770 on U-Verse.
