UConn’s frontcourt noticeably deeper, more experienced
STORRS — There’s a lot Geno Auriemma likes about Dorka Juhasz, one of four newcomers on UConn’s deep and potentially NCAA championship-caliber roster.
Juhasz, a graduate transfer from Ohio State, is versatile, can shoot, and has what the Hall of Fame coach calls an “old-school” work ethic. He insists she’s also taller than advertised.
“They said this kid was 6-3, 6-4. She’s all of 6-5,” Auriemma said Thursday outside Gampel Pavilion, where he staged his first in-person availability since before the pandemic. “She’s long and aggressive as hell. So yeah, she’s fitting in nicely in a lot of ways.”
As much as Juhasz has impressed her new coaching staff, it’s still too early to determine where she will fit in the rotation. The Huskies have lots of options in the frontcourt, making it plausible — perhaps even likely — the former
All-Big Ten forward will come off the bench this season.
Every key player is back, including the 6-foot-5 Olivia NelsonOdoda, 6-3 Aaliyah Edwards, who made the Canadian Olympic team, and 6-1 Aubrey Griffin. The competitiveness
between them in practice has caught Auriemma’s attention.
“It’s just been really, really good,” Auriemma said. “It’s actually given Liv a real jolt of confidence. She plays with so much more confidence right now. Hopefully we can build on that the rest of the summer and in the fall.”
For all of Nelson-Ododa’s raw talent and desire, confidence has been an issue for her at times. Just when she appeared to find her comfort zone last season, she wilted in the Final Four against Arizona, managing just one point in a 69-59 loss. Now a senior, one of three returning alongside guards Evina Westbrook and Christyn Williams, Nelson-Ododa is running out of time to put it all together.
If she doesn’t, the Huskies have options. Edwards was Big East Sixth Woman of the Year as a freshman, and has been impressive on the international stage this summer with Canada. At 18, Edwards was the youngest player to make the Olympic squad and is one of three still in college.
And there’s also Juhasz, a native of Hungary who averaged 14.6