The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Makurat getting more involved
STORRS — Anna Makurat didn’t need to tell anyone how she was feeling before her first official game at UConn. The look on her face made it blatantly obvious.
She was nervous, too nervous by Geno Auriemma’s estimation, to start Nov. 10 against California.
“It was the first game, so it was a little bit stressful,” Makurat said Friday. “Coach always does what’s best for the team.”
In this case, that meant scaling back the freshman’s responsibilities. She came off the bench and played 18 relatively uneventful minutes, scoring one point and missing the only two shots she took in a 7261 win.
“I thought Anna would cry if I started her,” Auriemma sarcastically said afterward. “I tried to make her feel a little bit better. … She looked paler than pale.”
From the moment Makurat arrived at UConn, Auriemma said she was more mature than most freshmen. He felt her game was more advanced because she had played professionally back home in Poland. She then backed up that assessment with a string of solid practices, leading Auriemma to start her in both exhibition games.
The adjustment hasn’t been as easy since then, though.
“The style of play is different,” she said. “I think the pace of playing here is much higher. In Europe, everybody’s focusing on setups, playing slow, but here it is much more fast break. You need to be more aggressive on defense. It’s a little bit different.”
Makurat came in with a reputation as a strong shooter, but she’s started 0for6 from the floor. Auriemma thinks she may be pressing, a point to which the 6foot1 guard agreed.
“She knows what to do with the ball, she knows where it’s supposed to go, she knows what the next pass is supposed to look like,” Auriemma said. “She’s got a great feel for the game of basketball, but the fact that the ball’s not going in has kept her from feeling real confident offensively.”
Said Makurat: “It’s time to make my shots right now.”
Makurat reentered the starting lineup in Wednesday’s 6451 win at Vanderbilt and failed to score, leaving her with just one point in two games, but she stood out as a passer. She dished out a teamhigh five assists, including a couple nifty bounce passes in transition.
“She’s a freshman. I feel like she has those jitters,” sophomore guard Christyn Williams said. “She’s slowly working out of them. She has to build her confidence, and that starts in practice.”
Makurat is still settling in. This whole experience has been eyeopening for her — made all greater by playing for the 11time national champions.
“Basketball in the United States is a big deal,” she said. “Nobody really watches women’s basketball overseas. It’s crazy. I love it here.”