“There’s a lot of angst in her”: Geno Auriemma discusses Jana El Alfy’s comfort-level post show out vs. BU
Jana El Alfy enjoyed a dream debut for the UConn Huskies in their season opener against the Boston University Terriers yesterday. While a lot of the attention was on Paige Bueckers beginning her final season of college basketball, El Alfy shone brightest for the Huskies. She finished with an impressive double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The 6-foot-5 center, who is the first-ever player from Egypt in the program's history, endured a difficult journey to get to this point.
El Alfy joined the Huskies in January last year, which meant she couldn't play the 2022-23 season for UConn. She then took a redshirt last season after rupturing her Achilles tendon in Egypt's game against Italy during the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain last July.
Huskies head coach Geno Auriemma was impressed by El Alfy's performance, which was seen during the postgame press conference after the team's blowout of the Terriers. He was confident that with more game time, El Alfy will find her ideal comfort level when taking to the court.
"I just think, the more she plays, the more comfortable she's going to be," Auriemma said. "We had a long talk yesterday about her expectations for herself, her frustration level when things don't go her way. There's a lot of angst in her, her game. So, I think just playing more games, being in more situations, getting feel, not going too fast.
"I thought she had a pretty good pace about her today. So, it was a great start for her."
Jana El Alfy finished as the Huskies' joint-top scorer in season opener
Although she was on the bench against the Terriers, Jana El Alfy made a strong case to become a starter in the coming days. In 18 minutes on the court, she finished the Huskies' joint-top scorer with 17 points along with Sarah Strong, the program's top recruit this offseason.
Bueckers, touted as a top pick in next year's WNBA draft, kicked off her final season of college basketball in style. She produced a typical all-round display, finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, seven assists, five steals and a block.
El Alfy will be keen to impress in UConn's first game in front of the Huskies faithful at Storrs, when they take on the South Florida Bulls, on November 10.