The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
‘A second home in Storrs’
UConn freshman adjusts to life, hoops outside of Croatia
STORRS — Nika Muhl knew there’d be pressure. Lots and lots of pressure.
That comes with the territory, for better or worse, when you play for the most dynastic program in women’s basketball.
Coming all the way from Croatia, Muhl was prepared for this. She figured there might even be days when it seemed too much to bear.
And yet?
“I’m thankful for those days,” the UConn freshman said this week. “Those days make you better.”
As long as there’s pressure, there’s opportunity.
“It’s good when they put pressure on us,” Muhl said of Hall of Fame coach Geno Auriemma and his staff. “When you know he’s putting pressure on you, that’s when you know he cares. When he stops putting pressure on you, that’s when you’re in trouble. As long as the pressure’s there, everything’s fine.”
Muhl’s acclimation on the court hasn’t been smooth. A preseason foot injury cost her valuable practice reps; she’s only now catching up.
“I had a good tempo when I started here,” Muhl said. “My conditioning was really good, everything was pretty good with the team, too. When I got hurt, obviously, it hit me hard.”
Then during the first five games of her college career — sandwiched around another injury — the 5foot-10 Muhl shot a combined 1-for-14 and had thrice as many turnovers (nine) as points. Adjusting to a different style of defense and officiating has proven to be difficult, too.
“In Europe, they let us use our body and our hands for defense much more,” Muhl explained. “That has been a huge adjustment for me. Every practice (assistant coach Shea Ralph) always tells me what’s not a foul, what is a foul. I always have my mind on that part.”
Those struggles have made her an easy target of Auriemma’s signature sarcasm.
“Nika is a very emotional player. I’m glad she’s true to her heritage,” Auriemma quipped recently. “Every time she fouls, she swears she didn’t touch them, and every time she misses on a drive, she swears she got killed. So, she’s got that going for her.”
But Muhl, to her credit, has stayed resilient in that sense. Following Saturday’s win over Georgetown, in which she started in place of point guard Paige Bueckers (sprained ankle) and had six points and five turnovers in 36 minutes, Auriemma said Muhl does
“a lot of things that are going to make you want to pull your hair out.”
Told of his comments, Muhl laughed and fired back: “He makes me want to pull my hair out, too. We are both very stubborn in our own kind of ways.”
All joking aside, Muhl, 19, realizes she can’t always do things her way. That goes for practice, games, whatever.
“Obviously, he’s always going to win,” Muhl said of Auriemma. “I don’t think I really understand that yet. Hopefully in my time here, I will understand that I’m never going to win so I’ll stop fighting a little bit.”
Her father, Darko, says she’s always been wired that way, and that she’s bound to learn one way or another.
“Since she was a little kid, she’s stubborn as hell,” he said. “Sometimes that’s good, sometimes that’s bad for her. Sometimes it goes in her benefit, but sometimes it causes problems. She needs to be mature enough to figure it out. … She will learn to loosen up a bit. She can’t always be smarter.”
‘HIGH EXPECTATIONS’
Separated by more than 4,000 miles, Muhl talks at least once a day with her parents, Darko and Roberta, and younger sister, Hana, 17. Sometimes they chat about the games, which Darko generally has to watch on tape delay because of the six-hour time difference. Sometimes they chat about school, about food, about adjusting to life in America.
“She has high expectations for herself,” Darko said. “She’s not happy with how she’s performed in the games. But in general, she’s happy with the program. She’s growing, and that’s the most important part.”
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Muhl’s college experience has been abnormal. She’s been in Storrs since late July. Campus is practically empty, and classes are conducted virtually.
Muhl, who is living in an apartment with junior Evina Westbrook and freshman walk-on Autumn Chassion, misses home but is trying to stay positive.
“Obviously, it has taken a toll on me mentally because it’s hard to accept the reality that we’re living in right now, but I’m never a person that’s going to stay miserable and feel some type of
way about it,” she said.
Muhl has settled in quickly to her new home and culture. She’s already fluent in English as it’s a mandatory course in Croatian schools. And she’s taught her teammates some words in Croatian.
“I can’t say which kind of words,” she said with a laugh. “They started using them, too. The coaches don’t understand it, so it’s easy to do.”
She’s been introduced to new music, especially rap, and new foods. She can’t get over how big the portions are.
“She says everything is on a larger scale,” Darko said.
“Here, it’s just different in its own way,” she added. “I never really ate mac and cheese. That’s been a discovery for me.”
Darko would love to visit but knows he’ll probably have to wait until next year. Right now, the trip is just too complicated, too expensive and too unpredictable because of quarantine protocols.
Fortunately, Muhl said: “I’ve found a second home here in Storrs.”