Jana El Alfy's parents traveled from Egypt to watch the freshman center and UConn win a title
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Jana El Alfy's parents flew from Cairo to Poland to New York to Tampa to watch their daughter play with UConn for the first time.
They got to see her celebrate a championship with the Huskies.
El Alfy, a 19-year-old starting center, was limited by foul trouble and had two points and two rebounds in UConn's 82-59 victory over South Carolina on Sunday. The powerful, 6-foot-5 Egyptian played a key role in a semifinal victory over UCLA and should be a major force for Geno Auriemma's program next season and beyond.
'I'm so happy to watch my daughter live in the final,' her father, Ehab El Alfy, told The Associated Press at halftime. 'I'm so proud of her. It's an amazing moment for me.'
Ehab El Alfy and his wife, Dina Gouda, traveled 25 hours to see their daughter play in person. They waited for UConn to make the Elite Eight, hoping to see two games. Jana had six points, eight rebounds and four blocks against UCLA to help the Huskies advance.
UConn fans treated Ehab El Alfy and his wife like celebrities on the concourse of Amalie Arena. They were stopped by several Huskies supporters to pose for selfies.
'This is a wonderful team, wonderful teammates and staff,' Gouda said. 'I love all of them. All of them are like sisters, like family. Everywhere I walk, I feel the love and I see how much they love Jana. I'm very proud.'
El Alfy's love for basketball came from her dad. Ehab El Alfy is the head coach of the Egyptian women's national team. Jana led the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup with 21.4 points per game and was fourth in the tournament with 11.0 rebounds per game. She led the 2022 U18 African Championship tournament with 24.0 points and 11.5 rebounds per game, powering Egypt to silver. Jana also competed at the 2021 FIBA U16 African Championship and the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup.
'From 5 years old, she started playing basketball and she followed me every game,' Ehab Al Alfy said. 'She always played (up). I expected her to play at a high level. I'm so happy she's playing at UConn.'
Jana averaged 5.1 points and 5.2 rebounds in the regular season, coming back from an Achilles tendon injury that forced her to redshirt as a freshman.
'It's awesome,' Ehab El Alfy said about his daughter winning a national title.
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