Latest news with #JanaElAlfy
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Women's college basketball's post-transfer top 25: Is UConn still on top? Did LSU jump?
With most transfers having landed at their destinations, it's time to relook at the way-too-early top-25 ranking from the end of the season. A few weeks remain for players to go into the portal, which has seen 1,500 entrants. The rich got richer in many cases (hello, UConn and South Carolina), but a few teams enjoyed successful transfer hauls that ushered them into the top 25 (welcome, Maryland). Advertisement Let's get to it: UConn and South Carolina remain at top The Huskies added Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams, perhaps the most sought-after transfer because of her unique skills and size. Her inside abilities would have allowed her to fit into most teams pretty seamlessly. Joining the reigning champs? Not bad. She'll solidify the interior, where the Huskies struggled with Jana El Alfy's and Ice Brady's foul troubles, while freeing up Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong's playmaking. South Carolina's additions of Ta'Niya Latson and Madina Okot impressed and intrigued. The Gamecocks, who largely take a committee approach, adding the nation's leading scorer was no small feat. Latson attempted 20 shots a game last season, nearly twice as many as the Gamecocks' leader in field goal attempts. She will be playing in a different system with different expectations, but nobody goes to South Carolina without understanding how its system works. Expect her shot numbers to decrease, but unlike at Florida State, she'll have a shot at a national title. Okot's commitment made me consider flip-flopping the top of the rankings. At 6-foot-6, she's the paint presence, rim-protecting player South Carolina lacked last season. She has a chance to be one of the most impactful transfers in the country next season. Showtime in Baton Rouge By acquiring South Carolina's MiLaysia Fulwiley and Notre Dame's Kate Koval, LSU made the biggest jump in the top 10. Questions around Baton Rouge — with Fulwiley, Flau'jae Johnson and Mikaylah Williams in the backcourt — might echo what we heard in South Bend a year ago: Is there enough basketball to go around? But on multiple occasions, Tigers coach Kim Mulkey has melded formidable teams made of players with big games. She might now have the SEC's — and maybe the country's — best and most exciting backcourt. We just watched two backcourt-heavy teams advance to the national championship game this season, so perhaps it's a bit of recency bias, but the Tigers look pretty darn promising. Ask me again after they've played no one outstanding in nonconference competition (argh) and we'll see, but I like how the roster has shaped up going into the 2025-26 season. The difference a year makes in Knoxville Last year at this time, I thought Tennessee might miss the NCAA Tournament. I wasn't sure how new coach Kim Caldwell's system would work against power conference opponents or whether players would buy into her hockey substitution patterns. One Sweet 16 later … here we are. Advertisement With its core returning and ESPN's No. 2 high school recruiting class incoming, Caldwell didn't need to add. But bringing in Janiah Barker (UCLA), Jersey Wolfenbarger (LSU) and Nya Roberston (SMU) is far more about bolstering the athleticism and versatility on her roster rather than just adding players. I love Tennessee's prospects with Barker and think she could thrive in Caldwell's fast-paced system. Robertson's 3-point shooting took a dip last season, but if she gets it back to 34 or 35 percent, she'll be in business. Bruins lose freshmen class, but not top-25 ground UCLA had last season's No. 4 high school recruiting class, inking three top-30 players and five-star international guard Elina Aarnisalo. Today, the Bruins don't have a single rising sophomore on their roster as each of those freshmen transferred (along with Barker and Londynn Jones). Yet UCLA remains not just in great positioning but a spot higher due to 3-point sharpshooter Gianna Kneepkens' commitment. Advertisement The 45-percent 3-point shooter adds an element to the Bruins' offense that makes them tougher to defend while providing a counterweight to Lauren Betts. Coach Cori Close has managed to keep most of this core together for a potential repeat Final Four run — and that's to be commended. When this entire group graduates, who knows if there will be players coming behind it. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, the Bruins hold serve and remain in the top five. Nothing slow about Terrapins' climb When the season ended, Maryland was outside the top 25 after losing Shyanne Sellers, Sarah Te-Biasu and Christina Dalce to the WNBA and graduation. Kaylene Smikle returned for next season, and Bri McDaniel will come back at some point after recovering from her torn ACL in January. But those two didn't offer enough talent to boost Maryland into the rankings. Enter: Oluchi Okananwa (Duke) and Yarden Garzon (Indiana). Suddenly, it looks like Maryland's offense — ranked 10th nationally in points per game (81) — might be even more high-scoring next season. Coach Brenda Frese also gets some benefit of the doubt here, considering this isn't her first rodeo with getting an instant return from incorporating several transfers onto a roster. The top of the Big Ten doesn't look quite like I thought it would before next season, but those top five teams — UCLA, Michigan, Washington, Michigan State and Maryland — should all be fun. TCU and Ole Miss' recipes for success Does any coach love the portal quite as much as TCU's Mark Campbell and Ole Miss' Yolett McPhee-McCuin (the self-proclaimed 'portalista')? Both teams saw turnover in terms of big minutes going to new players, but there's enough talent on each of these rosters to garner top-25 spots after being unranked in the initial way-too-early ranking. Advertisement After a historic Elite Eight run, TCU added Notre Dame's Olivia Miles, Cal's Marta Suarez and Kentucky's Clara Silva (a 6-7 center who was Clara Strack's backup last season), as well as three others. On paper, the group isn't as talented as last season's, but Miles is a point guard who can elevate everyone's play. The crown jewel in Ole Miss' portal class is Ohio State transfer Cotie McMahon, who is no stranger to big stages and big moments. The relentless rebounder will be an instant impact player to the Rebels, who made a Sweet 16 run last season. She'll be joined by seven other transfers, including Mississippi State starters Denim DeShields and Debreasha Powe. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. USC Trojans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Maryland Terrapins, UCLA Bruins, Tennessee Lady Volunteers, South Carolina Gamecocks, Ole Miss Rebels, TCU Horned Frogs, Connecticut Huskies, Women's College Basketball 2025 The Athletic Media Company
Washington Post
07-04-2025
- Sport
- Washington Post
Jana El Alfy's parents traveled from Egypt to watch the freshman center and UConn win a title
TAMPA, Fla. — 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.
Yahoo
06-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jana El Alfy's parents traveled from Egypt to watch the freshman center and UConn win a title
South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21) is double teamed by UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) and center Jana El Alfy (8) during the second half of the national championship game at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) UConn center Jana El Alfy (8), forward Ice Brady (25) and guard Morgan Cheli (23) react during the second half of the national championship game against South Carolina at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) UConn center Jana El Alfy (8), forward Ice Brady (25) and guard Morgan Cheli (23) react during the second half of the national championship game against South Carolina at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) South Carolina forward Chloe Kitts (21) is double teamed by UConn forward Sarah Strong (21) and center Jana El Alfy (8) during the second half of the national championship game at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) UConn center Jana El Alfy (8), forward Ice Brady (25) and guard Morgan Cheli (23) react during the second half of the national championship game against South Carolina at the Final Four of the women's NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, April 6, 2025, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux) 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. Advertisement 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. Advertisement '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. Advertisement 'It's awesome,' Ehab El Alfy said about his daughter winning a national title. ___ AP March Madness bracket: and coverage: Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UConn women to face USC in the Elite Eight
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — A win Monday would put the UConn women into the final four for the 24th time in program history. But they are only focused on one number. A 12th national title, and the first for Paige Bueckers. It was the Paige Buckets show Saturday in Spokane. Every game might be her last with UConn, and she is playing like it. A career-high 40 points against Oklahoma. UConn women hold send-off ahead of the Sweet 16 She hit six 3-pointers and left the game to a standing ovation. The Huskies were down by four at the half and made a big comeback to win by 23. 6-5 center and Buecker's roommate, Jana El Alfy, knows how lucky they are to have Bueckers on their side. 'That was incredible, amazing to see. I'm really, really honored and grateful to be able to, you know, see that is here and do great things like that. She's been a role model for all of us, a person to look up to. She's going to be leader, been there for all of us whenever we needed her. So just she deserves the best. And that's I mean, I'm not surprised that she dropped 40 yesterday. I mean, that's what she does,' Jana El Alfy said. They are hoping she keeps doing it. The Huskies face USC Monday to decide who goes to the final four. A lot of fans had been looking forward to an Elite Eight matchup between Bueckers and USC star Juju Watkins, but last week, Watkins tore her ACL. The Trojans got by Kansas state by 6 points Saturday, but they are a 13 and a half point underdog to the Huskies tonight. We will see what happens. Monday's tipoff is at 9 p.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
22-03-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Stifling defense leads UConn to a dominant win in NCAA tournament opener against Arkansas State
STORRS, Conn. (AP) — When UConn hit the court in its NCAA Tournament opener, there were times when the game resembled a track meet instead of a basketball contest. Jana El Alfy had the first of UConn's NCAA Tournament program record 13 blocked shots just 44 seconds into the game. It was a sign of things to come. By the end of the first quarter, the Huskies had seven steals and five blocked shots. The 41 fast-break points and 34 points off 20 Arkansas State turnovers told the story of the Huskies' first-round blowout with the Huskies winning 103-34 in a game when no player was on the court for more than 22 minutes. 'I haven't had a feeling like that in a long time when we were (creating) that much chaos, got out in transition and got easy layups,' UConn senior guard Paige Bueckers said. 'We were trying to deny everything and make things difficult for the other team. 'We fuel off of each other's energy and everybody contributed.' Many of freshman Sarah Strong's 20 points came when she beat the Arkansas State players down the court for fast-break layups as the Huskies made quick work of the Sun Belt tournament champions. Each of the first UConn starters had at least two combined steals and blocked shots. It resembled the glory days of UConn women's basketball when defense was turned into offense. 'I feel like that is our identity, creating things on our defensive end and that creates things for our offense,' UConn sophomore guard KK Arnold said. Strong, who joins Maya Moore as the only UConn player to rank in the top 10 among freshmen in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots, finished with five blocked shots as the Huskies made life miserable for the undersized Arkansas Red Wolves. 'It was a lot of fun being out there with my team,' Strong said. 'Everything was pretty much going our way, so that really helped. Excited for the next one.' ___
