Katie Meier will never forget the day she first saw Stefanie Yderstrom in person. It was three years ago, and she had just flown 5,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean from Miami to Ostertalje, Sweden, to see the promising high school guard. Meier, the University of Miami women’s basketball coach, was standing on a balcony above the court when Yderstrom’s team jogged out.

One problem: The players were wearing warm-up jerseys so you couldn’t see their numbers. And many of them looked alike.

“A bunch of 5-7 blondes come running through there with no numbers, and I saw this little feisty kid running out, and I said to myself, ‘Gosh, I hope that’s Stefanie,’ ” said Meier, whose sixth-ranked Hurricanes (20-3, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) play No. 23 North Carolina at BankUnited Center on Wednesday night. “She was passing, demanding things, really vocal, and I was like, ‘Please when you take your warm-up off, please be No. 8.’ I knew it was between us and Duke at that time, and she was really gritty.”

Meier is sold

Yderstrom didn’t shoot well that afternoon, but she took five charges, ran the floor intelligently and Meier was sold.

It is no accident that Yderstrom, a 5-8 junior, is athletic. Her father, Dick Yderstrom, was a famous hockey player in the 1970s and 1980s. Her mother, Charlotta, was a soccer player. And her stepfather, Jan Enjebo, who raised her since she was 8, is a professional basketball coach in Luxembourg.

She also comes from a town known for its rich sports history. Among its famous natives: tennis legend Bjorn Borg. Yderstrom became interested in UM because of Sandra Jansson, a former Hurricanes basketball player from her hometown. Once Yderstrom met Meier, her decision was made.

“She is so passionate about the game, and so approachable,” Yderstrom said. “I found her easy to talk to, very strong and inspirational.”

The Hurricanes were coming off a 13-17 season and ended the year with six consecutive losses. Meier knew she had a special pair of sophomores-to-be in Shenise Johnson and Riquna Williams, but she thought Yderstrom could provide court vision and leadership.

“At the time, we were really athletic, but not fundamentally sound, and Stef had such a fundamental grasp of passing lanes and angles,” Meier said. “I didn’t have anyone who could keep all that talent together and facilitate. I knew Stef was a deep range shooter and anytime you have slashers like we do, you want have a shooter out there with them.”

In a groove

Yderstrom leads the ACC with 51 three-pointers through 23 games and averages 9.9 points overall. She scored a career-high 22 on 7-of-10 shooting in the win over Virginia Tech, and had 14 against Wake Forest and 15 against Boston College.

She has played on the Swedish national team since age 15, won a silver medal at the 2007 World Championships, and was named last year to the All-ACC Academic team. She was smart enough to know when she got to UM that she’d have to toughen up.

“I was so worried because I thought all the girls here are like super women, so athletic, and when they first saw me, they probably wondered, ‘Is this blonde girl going to be good?’ but I don’t take crap from anybody,” she said. “I was in good shape, played hard, took charges, and they accepted me right away.”

Yderstrom’s roommate is Swedish swimmer Sofia Johansson, but her team roommate on the road is Michelle Woods, who says the Swede is beloved in the locker room. “She is super outgoing, great heart, such a good teammate,” Woods said. “And she listens to Lion King in Swedish, which is really cool.”