Getty Geno Auriemma and Nika Muhl during an April 2 game with the UConn Huskies.
Seattle Storm rookie Nika Muhl spoke with reporters after her May 24 WNBA practice.
At one point, the former UConn standout was asked by Storm Chasers if she had spoken with her coach at UConn, Geno Auriemma, since being drafted.
“Yeah, of course,” Muhl responded, per the Storm Chasers X account. “He texts me every day. We talk every day. Basketball-related, non-basketball-related, but he makes sure that he checks up on me as well as every other coach on my team.
“Like, truly, I expected to keep that relationship,” Muhl continued. “Never doubted it because for four years, I was so close to all of them. It’s just super special. And never doubted it. For my four years at UConn, every alum that came back, we always knew that they kind of kept that relationship with the coaches. And I knew it was going to be like that for me, too.
“And I love that. I love the fact that even though I’m miles away, different time zones, different city, they still make sure and make time even with their own schedules, families, things that they have to do. They still make time to check up on me and I appreciate that. And I have a lot of respect for them for that. I’ll always make sure that I check up on them too,” Muhl concluded.
Muhl was also asked about playing against her former UConn teammate Aaliyah Edwards, who she’ll matchup against on May 25 when the Storm play the Washington Mystics.
“I’m just excited to see Aaliyah, and, you know, to hug her, and play against her,” Muhl said, per Watching the W’s YouTube account. “But, you know, the focus is on my team.”
How Will Geno Auriemma Fare Without Nika Muhl and Aaliyah Edwards?
Geno Auriemma’s UConn women’s basketball team overcame a slew of injuries during the 2023-24 NCAA season, just to make it to the Final Four. Ultimately, they lost to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes, 71-69.
Losing Muhl and Edwards to the WNBA is a tough blow for Auriemma. But at least he still has Paige Bueckers.
A March 29 AOL article quoted Bueckers’ reaction to Auriemma saying that he thought Bueckers was the best player in the country.
“You sort of wouldn’t expect him to say it because of what happens in practice and what happens in the game, how much he yells at you during that,” Bueckers said. “But just very humbling, very grateful. Obviously he’s a great basketball mind, has a lot of love for the game, so you respect everything that he says.”
Sarah Strong is Next Up at UConn
On May 14, Geno Auriemma announced UConn’s signing of Sarah Strong, who is the No. 1 overall recruit in the 2024 women’s college basketball recruiting class, according to ESPN.
“We’ve been very close with Sarah for a long time, and we’ve seen her grow and develop into as good a player out of high school as we’ve seen in quite some time,” Auriemma said, per UConn’s press release.
“The skill set that she has is both brand new and fits today’s game perfectly, and it’s also a throwback to an age when it didn’t matter what size players were, they played the entire game. They passed, they shot, they handled the ball, they rebounded. I think we’re getting a pretty special player and a special person,” Auriemma added.