UConn remains high on Jana El Alfy's potential

"I can't wait for people to see her play," Geno said.

Author

Daniel Connolly
April 18, 2024

Photo: Ian Bethune

Welcome to the UConn WBB Weekly, a recap of everything that happened in the world of UConn women’s basketball over the past week from the team that runs The UConn Blog.

Sign up to get the Weekly in your inbox every Thursday or subscribe to get our premium newsletter which includes game coverage, analysis, recruiting updates, and more!

Headlines

News/Analysis

Last week’s Weekly

Despite injury, UConn still high on Jana El Alfy

As the transfer market heats up and speculation swirls around which available players could help fill the void left by Aaliyah Edwards in UConn’s frontcourt, one answer might already be on the roster: Jana El Alfy.

The 6-5 post player from Egypt arrived in Storrs as an early enrollee in January 2023 to get a head start on her freshman season but has yet to play for the Huskies after rupturing her achilles over the summer. Although it’s a notoriously difficult injury to return from, El Alfy will be 16 months into her recovery when the 2024-25 campaign tips off in November.

She’s done everything in her power to make sure she’ll be ready.

“She's been dying to get out there and do some things,” Geno Auriemma said during the Big East Tournament. “She has no life other than rehab because she wants to play so bad.”

Despite the severity of the injury and the fact that El Alfy has never played a collegiate game, Auriemma maintains high expectations.

“The more we see some of the things she does, the more we miss her because we realize what she could bring to our team,” he said. “I can't wait for people to see her play. She just has a real unique personality that I think people are going to really fall in love with.”

To put it another way: UConn is adding the No. 1 player in the class of 2024 with Sarah Strong, a 6-2 forward. Auriemma believes El Alfy would’ve been the top prospect in the class of 2023 had she hailed from North America instead of Egypt. He pointed to the FIBA U19 World Cup in which she led the entire tournament in scoring at 21.4 points per game — despite not even turning 18 yet — as proof.

“She was the best player out there — by far. By far,” he said. “These are the best [19] and under players in the world — including the US — and every coach that came back said she was the best player there.”

If the scouting report on El Alfy is accurate, she’s the total package down low. She’s got height (6-5) and length (a wingspan of 6-8, unofficially) that UConn has been missing for years in the post. El Alfy can also step out and hit 3-pointers — another area the Huskies’ bigs have been lacking since Napheesa Collier graduated.

She also isn’t afraid to get physical — so much so that UConn has to keep her in check.

“We don't let her have any contact right now because she loves the contact,” Auriemma said on his radio show in February. “She loves that kind of stuff. She loves playing like that.”

El Alfy has waited longer than anyone to play for the Huskies and still has to hold on for another five months to finally step on the court in a live game. The jury is still out on whether she can live up to the hype.

But as for El Alfy the person? Auriemma couldn’t help but gush about her.

“There's nobody that is enjoying life more than she is, that is totally engaged in what we're doing. Everything we do as a team, she feels as though it's happening to her. I can't say enough about her as a person,“ he said.

“Myself, the staff, the players, and everyone associated with our program has been really truly, truly blessed that she's come into our life because I can honestly say in 40 years, I've never coached anybody better at Connecticut —never in my life.”

Best of social media

It’s official:

All the feels:

From one point guard drafted by Seattle to another:

A word from Q:

A true Husky:

Join the conversation

or to participate.