Look who’s back in Storrs | The Boneyard

Look who’s back in Storrs

ERWUC65 said:
Hopefully we will get an update. Looks mostly recovered from injury? Is she still with the Storm? Perhaps we can ask her to inject some of that NIka tenacity into the team for the SC game.
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The injury occurred in October 2024 and the surgery wasn't until late October/early November. ACL and meniscus. So unfortunately she still has a long way to go.

Maybe she will return to Besiktas in Turkey and be ready to play there by November/December 2025. If not there, somewhere in Europe.

I wonder if she is here for a brief visit or if she will do some rehab in Storrs. Probably heading out to Seattle at some point also, and maybe tending to some endorsement deals. Also sister Hana in NYC.

She has such an infectious energy, I wonder if it will give everyone a little more bounce in their step. Gotta believe Paige is "in the roof" with her being here. (If you get that reference, you have been paying attention.)

Anyhow, I will be there tonight and I will be looking for her. I'm sure she will get an amazing reception!
 
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victor64 said:
I know Geno connects with a lot of his players but he and Nika seem a level above normal.
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I'd agree with this. Croatia shares a history and food culture with Italy. Geno has a real soft spot for Nika, and for internationals in general and challenges they face in academics dealing in a second (or third language). Nika only added to this, as she was in her own right just a pretty special kid.:)

Maybe she will be giving a motivational speech to the team for the SC game!:mad:
 
Boy could they use her toughness on this team..great to see her!
 
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There was a character in an episode of “Kung Phoo (curse filter issue)” of whom it was said he could “peel a potato at 20 yards just by hatin’ it.” I heard that the UConn coaching staff was bringing Jen Rizzotti in to give a seminar on that to the team, and Nika wanted in on it — part student, part instructor. :cool:
 
Bigboote said:
There was a character in an episode of “Kung Phoo (curse filter issue)” of whom it was said he could “peel a potato at 20 yards just by hatin’ it.” I heard that the UConn coaching staff was bringing Jen Rizzotti in to give a seminar on that to the team, and Nika wanted in on it — part student, part instructor. :cool:
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A lot of humor in your post, but also a lot of truth. It seems the next logical tactic for Geno is to work on the psyche of the team leaders - the talent is certainly there with the game (verb) lying just below the surface.
 
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hoopsfan22 said:
Was great seeing Nika at the game last night. Bet she wishes she could be out there with the team.
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Nika is one of my all-time favorites, but if she wanted to be out there with the team she would be there. Didn't she have a Covid year?
 
Tina Charles is headed back to the Sun. If former players are allowed to use training facilities in return for their mentorship to the team, there could be an opportunity for mutual benefit. In any case, it is great to see former players back on campus.

Nika is one of my favorite players.
 
Skeets said:
Nika is one of my all-time favorites, but if she wanted to be out there with the team she would be there. Didn't she have a Covid year?
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I am pretty sure that she had a covid year, being a freshman in the 20-21 season.
I don't know if she ever explained her reason for entering the draft (she doesn't have to IMHO) but maybe the (almost) full roster for this season may have played a part. I think we only had two scholarships available. If she stayed, it would have been down to one. But this is pure conjecture on my part.
 
Unlike other members of the 2020-21 entering class, neither Aaliyah nor Nika lost significant time to injuries in their four years with the team. So they got the full basketball experience at UConn. That makes it understandable that they would be ready to move on.

I wouldn't be surprised if Geno told them that he agreed with that decision. He did have a nearly full roster without them, even with the departures of Amari and Ines.
 
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She did have a covid year and many of us hoped she would use it, but totally understandable that she elected to move on even if we do not know for certain what the thinking was behind her decision.

She was 23 when she graduated. Many like me graduated at 21 and are/were ready to move on. The thought of grad school may not have appealed to her. She may have felt she got as much out of UConn as she could have expected. Financial considerations may have played a large part.

She must have known that a big bright undefined future lay ahead of her and I can understand that she must have been eager to dive in and start the next adventure.
 
Dogdude said:
Sometimes kids just want to grow up and move on with their lives, as much as it might hurt us or their parents.
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I agree with you and JoePHG. It would have taken an act of God for me to put in a 5th year in college "just for the hell of it". I respect kids who put it 4 years, less for those who don't. One of the reasons I like that women's game more that the men's game.
 
Huskee11 said:
She did have a covid year and many of us hoped she would use it, but totally understandable that she elected to move on even if we do not know for certain what the thinking was behind her decision.

She was 23 when she graduated. Many like me graduated at 21 and are/were ready to move on. The thought of grad school may not have appealed to her. She may have felt she got as much out of UConn as she could have expected. Financial considerations may have played a large part.

She must have known that a big bright undefined future lay ahead of her and I can understand that she must have been eager to dive in and start the next adventure.
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She got her degree and had a chance to start earning money. Basketball players only have a certain amount of time to make good money and build connections for after Basketball.
 
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