Florida State women's basketball guard, Finland product Sara Bejedi finally finding herself
Sara Bejedi fears that most people have the wrong impression of her.
As a senior guard and third-leading scorer for the Florida State women’s basketball team, Bejedi brings an aggressive playing style. The Seminoles even call her their “irritant,” which references how she likes to provoke opponents and embrace the dirty work.
But Bejedi insists that her fierce persona as a basketball player is nothing like how she is off the court.
“Fans will say, ‘Oh, I was scared to approach you for years, but you are the sweetest person ever,’” Bejedi told the Democrat. “I wish I could have a whole podcast for people to see my real personality.”
That misconception Bejedi described only reveals a small portion of what there is to know about her.
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For instance, Bejedi grew up in Espoo, Finland with parents from Morocco (mother, Mounia) and Cameroon (father, Justin). She also is a polyglot, comprehending six languages to varying degrees: English, French, Finnish, German, Swedish and Arabic.
Understanding Bejedi begins with knowing that her identity and interests extend well beyond basketball.
“I spend my time at home writing, painting, singing at home and writing lyrics,” Bejedi said. “And then fashion has been a passion of mine.”
Who the multi-talented Bejedi is outside of basketball carries some relevance to how she plays on the court. To reach her potential at FSU, Bejedi explained, she needed to embrace that she is more than just a basketball player.
Otherwise, the pressure could feel suffocating for her at times.
“Basketball affected my mood,” Bejedi said. “If basketball did not go well, I was not well.”
That concept largely explains why Bejedi struggled to start this season before she found her rhythm earlier this month.
Through her first 17 games, Bejedi averaged 9.1 points while shooting just 30.5% from the field and 14.2% from 3-point range. Bejedi then caught fire against Boston College on Jan. 8, scoring a career-high 26 points in the 77-71 overtime loss.
That performance started her ongoing five-game streak of impressive play. Bejedi has averaged 21.2 points during that span, shooting 50% from the field and 46.9% from beyond the arc.
“I struggle to let things go, because I'm so hard on myself,” Bejedi said. “So it really showed, because after I had a few bad shooting nights, I was like, ‘OK, I can't do this.’ Just doubting myself.
“At one point (head coach) Brooke (Wyckoff) said, “Don’t even come to the gym and get extra shots. It is mental.’ So after that Boston College game, it definitely came back to me.”
Since Bejedi regained her confidence, the Seminoles have been playing some of their best basketball.
No. 24 FSU (18-4, 7-2 ACC) entered this week ranked in the AP Poll for the first time all season and will next challenge No. 7 Notre Dame (16-2, 7-1) on the road at 8 p.m. Thursday (TV: Bally Sports Sun).
“Her success is coming from the fact that she is focusing on the right things that she is in control of game in, game out, and are the things that we need from her that she brings that no one else does,” Wyckoff said.
“She is a great shooter. But when you are good at anything and you overthink it, it can be a problem. So that is what I have seen her do over these last few weeks. It is nice to see her reap the benefits of that.”
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Bejedi needed to adjust to United States, women’s college basketball
Bejedi instantly faced adversity to start her collegiate career.
In her first season, Bejedi played for Arizona State and received limited playing time. She then transferred to FSU, but the COVID-19 pandemic prematurely ended her 2020-21 season. And after last season, Bejedi saw longtime Seminole coach Sue Semrau retire and seven of her teammates transfer to other programs.
Those were new types of challenges for Bejedi, who experienced immediate success after starting basketball later than most at 13 years old. It only took her a few years playing the sport to land on the Finland Senior National Team and receive interest from several of the top women’s college basketball programs.
How often Bejedi felt homesick also held her back.
“I struggled with mental health being away from home,” Bejedi said.
The culture shock intimidated Bejedi at first. She not only moved to a new country. She not only went from playing at the professional level to college. But she also had never been on her own as the youngest of five siblings.
Bejedi eventually learned to cherish some of the differences between the United States and Finland, which partly helped her push through the obstacles she initially faced.
“It is like unseasoned food there,” said Bejedi about Finland. “No eye contact. No loud noises. No emotions. And then here (in the U.S.), you will be on the street and a random person will be like, ‘Hello.’ The honking, the catcalling, the culture.”
At 12 years old, Bejedi sang in a televised competition, The Voice Kids, in Finland. But she otherwise could hardly be herself compared to now.
“Here, I can be more sassy, flashy and express myself and my fashion,” Bejedi said. “But then in Finland, it is more conservative. I am not going to stand out wearing a neon jacket where everybody is wearing white, gray and black.”
FSU adopting a new system this season – the pace-and-space concept – reinvigorated Bejedi as well.
In her first three collegiate seasons, Bejedi remembers having more of a pass-first role. Now, she is encouraged to be a major part of the No. 5 scoring offense (85.8 points per game) in the country.
And it is a system that reminds Bejedi of the way her teams in Finland played.
“It is very fun. It is a team that loves each other,” Bejedi said. “You know that there is not going to be any acts of selfishness. Even if somebody has a bad shooting game, and they keep trying to find their rhythm, it is always positive reinforcement.
“Like, ‘You got this.’ Or, ‘Oh, that is a good shot.’ Or, ‘Oh, you could have gotten a better shot, but you can still do it.’ So it's a healthy environment. It makes it 10 times more fun.”
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What the future holds for Bejedi
Ta Vérité.
That French phrase translates to “your truth” and is what Bejedi plans to name her unisex clothing line, which she plans to officially launch this summer.
Bejedi having experience with mental health issues heavily influenced the name and concept behind her apparel. She plans for her clothing to spread mental health awareness through the messages included in the design.
One sweatshirt Bejedi showed the Democrat had a message printed on it that read: “Restart, reset and readjust as many times as we need to.”
The Ta Vérité logo is an image of the comedy/tragedy masks with an X across them.
“Instead of hiding behind masks, you’ve got to wear your truth and tell your truth,” Bejedi said.
After Bejedi completes her criminology degree and basketball career, she may look to focus on Ta Vérité full time. Or maybe she will follow her dream to be a sports agent. Or maybe she will pursue being a lawyer, artist or any of the other various careers that intrigue her.
But before that time comes, Bejedi has at least the rest of this season and another year of eligibility in college. She then will hope to play in the WNBA. Now that Bejedi is finally comfortable playing basketball again, she feels confident about what is ahead.
“It is rare that a team is more talented than us,” Bejedi said. “It is very rare right now because of how good we are. So trusting what we do, being even more committed to what we do in this program. And if we hold on to that, I do not think we have any limits.”
GAME INFORMATION
Who: No. 24 Florida State (18-4, 7-2 ACC) vs. No. 7 Notre Dame (16-2, 7-1)
When/Where: Thursday, 8 p.m.; Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
TV: Bally Sports Sun
Reach Carter Karels at ckarels@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter @CarterKarels. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Finnish FSU women's basketball guard Sara Bejedi finally finding herself
