Confidence building
Juhász playing her best heading into clash vs. South Carolina
Dorka Juhász sat on the sideline. Her left arm was held straight up against her chest thanks to a heavy-duty sling and cast combo. Her mood appeared somber.
It was the Final Four and UConn women’s basketball was playing in the national championship game against its latest rival, South Carolina. All Juhász could do was watch from the sideline after breaking her wrist just six days prior.
Little did Juhász know her impact was still felt on the team, on the program, and on the fans watching her during the day’s open viewing portion of practice ahead of the title game.
When a young fan wearing a UConn t-shirt in the stands was asked who her favorite player was, she replied without hesitation: “Dorka.”
Juhász looked up at the jumbo screen showing the fan and beamed after hearing her name. She waved back to the fan with her good arm and the crowd responded with a collective “aww.”
This Sunday, Juhász will get the chance to be on the court against the No. 1ranked Gamecocks in a rematch of last year’s championship game when the No. 5 Huskies host the reigning national champion in a Sunday matinee at the XL Center (noon / FOX).
And after recovering from her wrist, and also a broken thumb earlier this season, Juhász enters Sunday’s matchup playing some of her best basketball of the year and as one of UConn’s two post weapons against South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston.
“I think her confidence is really, really high right now because, you know, she’s playing well, and she’s somewhat healthy considering,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said Wednesday after UConn’s win at Providence. “She’s playing like someone her age needs to play, who’s played enough basketball to know. That’s what you hope when you have someone her age, who has played that much basketball and figured that out.”
Juhász is the only Husky averaging a double-double of 15.0 points and 10.4 rebounds (she’s played in 16 games this year). She’s also third on the team with 57 assists and second with 20 blocks and a 33.9 minutes-pergame average.
In UConn’s latest stretch of five games in 12 days, the Hungary native