The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Special sendoff
Juhász set for second Senior Night, this time with mom
Dorka Juhász looked straightforward as a highlight reel of her first year competing for UConn women’s basketball played on the big screen inside Gampel Pavilion. She watched while holding a bouquet of flowers.
Paige Bueckers and Piath Gabriel stood to the right of Juhász, their faces hidden behind tissues and puffy eyes. Nika Mühl and Aaliyah Edwards stood to the left of the graduate forward, both also red-eyed from crying and holding tissues to their faces.
The Huskies had only played with Juhász for a little less than a season last spring on Senior Night, yet in that short time the transfer from Ohio State had become family.
And while she didn’t tell anyone yet, Juhász knew then she wasn’t done with UConn.
Juhász, UConn’s first player from Hungary, will take part in her second Senior Night as a Husky this week. Whether it was watching the team play for her after her wrist injury or becoming a vital point in the Huskies’ frontcourt this season, she’s solidified herself as a fan favorite in the two years she’s been in Storrs.
On Monday, in front of a Gampel Pavilion home crowd, her parents — including her mom, Hajnalka Balázs, who first showed her what was possible with basketball — will finally get to experience in person the deep appreciation the Husky team and fanbase have for Juhász.
“It’s just the picture-perfect ending that they’re able to make it,” Juhász said.
Juhász came to college as the No. 12-ranked international player in the Class of 2018 despite tearing her ACL in her final year in high school. She dreamed of playing basketball on the highest stages and knew attending college in the United States was the first step.
As a 17-year-old, she moved from Hungary to Ohio. She played her first three collegiate seasons at Ohio State. She played in 27 games with 25 starts as a
freshman and led the Buckeyes in scoring (11.7 points) and rebounds (9.0 boards per game).
She was twice named a First Team All-Big Ten selection and finished her junior year averaging 14.6 points and 11.1 rebounds. But Juhász wanted more, so she entered the transfer portal.
“I loved being at Ohio State,” she said. “I just felt like I needed some more challenge in my life, you know, on the basketball court only because everything else was awesome. I had so many friends. I love the university . ... and, you know, it could have been easier just to say, ‘Hey, after three years I’m going home and play professionally.’ ”
In the spring of 2021, Juhász made her next move official. She’d transfer to UConn to be taught by the sport’s very best on its highest stage in the college world.
“I was like, ‘You might as well take a chance on something bigger and come to UConn and see what am I made of,’ ” Juhász said. “I’m really happy that I did that because, I mean, I’ve been challenged these past two years like I’ve never been before.”
UConn coach Geno Auriemma remembered coaching against Juhász, prior to her transfer, when the Huskies beat the Buckeyes 85-53 in their season opener in Storrs during Juhász’s freshman year in 2018. Juhász scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 21 minutes against UConn.
A picture of her trying to grab a rebound around Olivia Nelson-Ododa during that game was taped on the wall of Juhász’s apartment in Ohio. She looked at it for motivation.
Three years later, she became teammates with Nelson-Ododa.
“She’s a lot like the majority of those international kids that come over to America to play basketball,” Auriemma said. “They’ve come over for a purpose . ... They understand, ‘I’m here for a reason. And I’m here to accomplish some things. And I have goals in mind.’ And they’re pretty driven to accomplish those goals. It didn’t take Dorka being here more than a day or so to figure that out.”
Juhász played in 32 games last season, her first as a Husky, with 15 starts. She averaged 7.3 points and was second on the team with 5.7 rebounds.
When Senior Day came around last February, she was already thinking she wasn’t ready to say goodbye. She knew she could be better and still had room to grow. Yet, she went through the ceremony nonetheless with her teammates by her side since her parents weren’t able to make the trip.
A month later, Juhász suffered a season-ending gruesome wrist injury in UConn’s Elite Eight against NC State. After the doubleovertime thriller, Bueckers grabbed Juhász and kissed her on the top of her head. She told media members UConn won that game for Juhász.
Those moments from her teammates meant the world to Juhász. As a transfer, she was always worried about joining a new team that already had close bonds, but the Huskies welcomed her with open arms and cared for her when she most needed it.
“They mean everything,” Juhász said. “... They’ve always been there for me. And obviously last year senior night, I mean, it was just so emotional and nice that they walked me out. This group and even last year’s group was so special and I think our bond is just so strong that like, I don’t know if I’ve ever been in a team that like everybody loves each other that much as our group does, and you know, just having another year with them. It’s just been so special … They (were) a huge part of me coming back.”
The wrist injury sidelined Juhász for both the Final Four and the national title games. She said it was the “exclamation point” in her decision to return to Storrs for her final year of eligibility.
“Going into the (NCAA) tournament, I was already like, thinking like, ‘Hey, I think I want to do it again,’ ” Juhász said. “... I made the right decision just based on how my season was last year, a lot of ups and downs. You know, I didn’t feel like I’ve shown enough and I’ve given my all.”
UConn fans mailed letters to the Hungarian, wishing her a healthy recovery. And it wasn’t just a few letters from a few friends, it was “hundreds,” she said last June.
Juhász started this season, her final collegiate year, healthy before breaking her thumb during UConn’s game against Texas on Nov. 14. She fought through the pain and played 39 minutes, grabbed nine rebounds and four steals, dished out four assists and scored six points against the Longhorns before sitting out the next seven games.
She returned on Dec. 18 and scored 15 points and swatted a career-high five blocks in 34 minutes in UConn’s win over Florida State.
“Dorka is just a boss woman,” Mühl said Saturday. “You can tell. I know you all can tell. And I love that about her a lot.”
The extra year has paid off for Juhász. She’s now a starting piece of UConn’s frontcourt and has improved in all areas on the court.
Juhász recorded a career-high 18 rebounds at Creighton on Dec. 28 and twice has dished out a career-high seven assists. She leads the team with 11 double-doubles and is averaging 14.3 points and a teamhigh 10.0 rebounds per game. She and Edwards both lead UConn with 31 blocks so far this season.
“That competitiveness that I’ve been exposed to here every single day in practice, you know, going against the guys, every single game, you know, everybody’s coming for us, you know, everybody wants to beat us, like, I think that’s something that kind of brings that edge out of you,” Juhasz said. “And I think that’s just something that I don’t know if I had before, like in Europe. I’ve never been exposed to this much competitiveness. But I’ve definitely found out that I love being competitive and I love pressure. I love being challenged.”
On Saturday at DePaul, Juhász fought through a sprained ankle to make a crucial defensive stop for UConn late in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
“It’s what Dorka does,” Edwards said after the game. “She’s always on the go and she doesn’t give up possessions.”
It’s because of this selfless determination that Juhász has found herself as a top-10 candidate for the 2023 Lisa Leslie Award and a projected first-round WNBA draft pick.
“Deciding to transfer, I was definitely nervous of like, you know, like, I’m gonna be at a whole different place, not knowing anybody, a new system, and especially, you know, coming to UConn that had the culture, the program that was, you know, 11 National Championships, it was definitely a little like, scary at first,” Juhasz said. “... It’s definitely been just challenging because of the pressure to be perfect, to win a National Championship every year and, you know, the standard is much higher than I think everywhere else in the country.
“So, it definitely was hard to adjust, but I think that’s what I always been craving my whole life, you know, just to be challenged how I am challenged here. And I’m very happy that I took on that opportunity. I didn’t shy away from it. … I’m just happy that I chose to come here and I’m very glad you know, grateful for everybody in this program.”
Juhász will be graduating this spring with two undergraduate degrees (one in psychology from Ohio State and one in general studies from UConn) and a master’s degree in sports management. When she’s done with basketball she wants to help athletes as a sports psychologist.
Monday will be the first time her parents watch one of her UConn’s games in person. Her mom stays up until the early hours of the morning in Hungary just to watch the Huskies’ games on TV. Juhász credits her passion for basketball to her mom after watching her play professionally when she was a kid.
“She’s just been my role model since the start and she’s always been in my corner, always been my biggest supporter and also obviously biggest critique,” Juhasz said. “... I don’t know where I would be without her. And, you know, I don’t think without her I would be playing basketball.
“But she definitely was the person that started for me and I’m just so excited for her to be here ... and just her feeling that support that I’ve been getting from the fans. Like, she already knew that I’m in great hands, you know, everybody cares about me all the fans care about me, but now she’s gonna be able to see like how much people love me here. So I think it’s gonna be a very special moment.”