Geno not confident Morgan Cheli, Ice Brady will return this season

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Geno Auriemma said on Wednesday that he’s not confident Morgan Cheli (foot/ankle) and Ice Brady (knee inflammation) will return to play this season. Cheli has missed the entire campaign so far while Brady has been sidelined for the last 15 contests.

“If they are (back), I’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Auriemma said.

Meanwhile, Jana El Alfy appears to be nearing a return after missing two games with a concussion. She went down in practice on Jan. 5 after getting hit in the head with a ball.

“Jana has done a couple workouts, so we're really close with her,” Auriemma said. Maybe the next day or two. I'm not sure.”

Cheli has been out 11 months since undergoing ankle surgery in late February. In November, Auriemma explained that she dealt with “a lot of piddly stuff that was a result of things that happened in high school” and indicated the team wanted to get her fully healthy before coming back. In early December, the coach said he hadn’t discussed the possibility of redshirting with Cheli.

“I don't think we're at that point at all. At all,” he said. “I'm still expecting her to be available.”

On Dec. 27, Auriemma said Cheli was “making some progress, which is a good sign” but mentioned last week that she still hadn’t returned to on-court activities. If she doesn’t play this season, the sophomore can redshirt and preserve a year of eligibility.

As for Brady, she played in UConn’s first two games before sitting out the win over Loyola Chicago on Nov. 12 with knee inflammation. Afterwards, Auriemma described the issue as “nothing serious.”

“She has some information in her knee. It's been bothering her for a little bit now,” he said. “Just gonna wait, day-to-day, and see if it comes down.”

Brady missed her entire true freshman campaign in 2022-23 with a dislocated patella in her right knee — the same knee that’s giving her trouble now. Like Cheli, Brady should qualify for a medical redshirt if she doesn’t return this season.

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