Career
Saarelainen, a 6"6" small forward from Helsinki, played for Finland"s national teams from 1978 to 1984, competing for Finland in the qualifying tournaments for the 1980 and 1984 Olympics. He was Finland"s leading scorer for four years. He came to the United States in 1980 to pursue his degree at Brigham Young University. While there he went to two National Collegiate Athletic Association tournaments and as a senior in 1985 was named the Western Athletic Conference player of the year.
That season he averaged 22 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Cougars.
Foreign his Brigham Young University career, Saarelainen scored 932 points in 100 games. Following his Brigham Young University career, Saarelainen was selected in the fifth round of the 1985 National Basketball Association Draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, but did not play in the league.
Saarelainen played six seasons for Helsingin NMKY of Korisliiga, Finland"s top professional league.