The full circle moments that made Nika Mühl's draft night special

When Nika Mühl made the decision to come to UConn all the way from Croatia, she didn’t expect it to be easy. In fact, she picked the Huskies because she knew it’d be hard.

Now as Mühl begins her professional career after being selected 14th overall by the Seattle Storm in the 2024 WNBA Draft, she feels like history is repeating itself.

“Going back to when I had to make my college decision, UConn was a challenge,” she said. “I feel like it's kind of like a similar thing for me going to UConn and going to this place (Seattle). Obviously, this is the next level but I feel the same. I feel eager to learn. I feel eager to be challenged and eager to fail and rise up. I feel like that coaching staff and that team will do it for me.”

It’s not the only full circle moment that Mühl experienced on Monday night in Brooklyn, either.

During her career, the point guard drew plenty of comparisons to Sue Bird — they both donned No. 10, wore their brunette hair in a pony tail and ran the point for the Huskies. When Mühl broke UConn’s single-season assists record in 2022-23, she passed the mark that Bird set back in 2001-02.

Now there’s another connection: They were both drafted by the Seattle Storm.

“I love Sue. I love her so much. I remember watching her when I was a kid, trying to mimic her moves. Being at UConn after her has been a huge deal for me. Very, very humbling experience,” Mühl said. “She's one of the greatest. To be able to have this opportunity again, I mean, it's a full-circle moment for me.”

It’s a perfect way for her UConn career to end and her professional career to begin.

“I can't believe it. It's got to be some higher power, something else going on, because I have no words for this,” Mühl said. “It's a full-circle moment for me, and I'm just so blessed.”

Of course, their paths don’t align perfectly. Bird went first overall while Mühl had to wait until the second pick of the second round to hear her name called. The latter will also have to find a new jersey number — Bird’s No. 10 is retired by the Storm.

Mühl’s not worried about that right now, though.

“I honestly have no idea,” she said when asked what number she’ll pick. “That's honestly the last thing on my mind.”

Mühl’s parents couldn’t make the trip over from Croatia to be with her at the draft but she had plenty of others there to support her. She sat between her sister, Hana, as well as Geno Auriemma, her old head coach who she called her “best friend”. Also at her table were assistant coaches Chris Dailey, Jamelle Elliott and Morgan Valley while fellow assistant Ben Kantor as well as former teammates Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, Caroline Ducharme and Aubrey Griffin all watched from the crowd.

One table over sat Aaliyah Edwards and her family. With Edwards going sixth overall to the Washington Mystics, it’s fitting the pair will enter the WNBA at the same time. Not only were they the only two players to make it through UConn’s last four seasons without a season-ending injury, they’ve also known each other the longest.

Back at the 2019 Final Four, Mühl and Edwards were roommates at an NBA Academy event in Tampa before either had committed to the Huskies.

“Aaliyah has been there from the start. That's my sister. That's my family,” Mühl said. “It's so many full-circle moments I can't even fathom right now.”

Growing up in Croatia, Mühl couldn’t watch WNBA games. Even now, it’s still difficult to do so. Yet she ate up as much about the league as she could find on the internet and recalled putting on YouTube videos of Brittney Griner in her living.

Now, Mühl is set to join the league’s ranks.

“I feel like this was something that I didn't even dare to dream about,” Mühl said about playing in the WNBA. “I always felt like it was such a reach. It was something far more beyond me and bigger than me. But luckily I had people around me, my teammates, my friends, my family, my coaches, everybody that made me believe in it, too.”

Mühl isn’t quite there yet, though. She still has to earn a roster spot out of training camp and stick around after that as well. But just as she did when she arrived at UConn, Mühl is ready to embrace the challenge.

“I always trust my work ethic. I feel like that's my best asset, how hard I work, how I don't give up, how I learn from my mistakes,” she said. “Obviously I'm going to fail, and that's fine — but it's how you react to it. I'm ready for all the challenges. I'm ready for whatever is thrown my way. But I know I'm going to respond in a positive way and how a true competitor does.”