Nika Muhl and WNBA Draft | Page 4 | The Boneyard

Nika Muhl and WNBA Draft

The majority of Boneyarders I'm sure are bitter sweet about her departure, they will greatly miss her but will continue to root for her in all that comes next. Some of us saw something special right from the beginning and others joined 'the bandwagon' along the journey. It's unfortunate that a few, for some unknown reason in their obsession with scoring couldn't see the forest through the trees in terms of Nika's overall contributions, they could never quite understand why her fans, teammates, and coaches truly valued her or appreciated and celebrated how special a Husky player she was. Their loss.

The enthusiasm, passion, energy, love of the game and of being a Husky literally burst out of Nika and, as she was as a player, she will always remain - a beloved Husky. It's truly been a joy to be along for the ride. I can't wait to see what challenges she conquers next. I along with many others, I am sure, love to watch Nika Mühl play the game!
 
Vancat said:
Wait a minute, who hates Nika????
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Womens Basketball Sport GIF by NCAA March Madness
 
MSGRET said:
I've been a Nika fan since the day that Geno took her out of the ball game in her Freshman year and sat her, I think it was her second game. She was very upset, Geno came over sat next to her and talked with her. She was in tears but she seemed to have a look on her face that said "I'll show you old man".
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Man, that was it for me too. I was hooked. I wanted her to succeed at UConn in the worst way from that moment on.

Part of the reason is that many of us who are passionate about a sport - in my case, baseball - actually, it could be anything in life - hit a brick wall, a time when it looked like we weren't going to make it, a time when we were totally over our heads. We know that the hardest thing in that situation is to not give up, to stay the course, to double down. The easiest thing is to give up, to throw in the towel. Well, her answer was to become the UConn all-time assist leader, and by quite a bit.

I saw her play in person probably 30 times or so and was always captivated by the way she went about things. Just pure intensity, fire, exuberance, spirit. Highs, lows, in betweens, it was captivating. What a character. What a warrior.

All the while reaching out to teammates and fans, a huge, generous, vibrant personality. She was just such a delight to watch.

My favorite Husky ever. Her basketball skills, while formidable, was only part of the story. It is the spirit she embodies. The zest, the drive, the passion.

I have a funny feeling the Liberty will pick her at eleven.
 
RSHERMVIKES said:
Vancat- - - There are a group of BYers that did not want Nika to start, "can't shoot, wild passes, doesn't deserve to start, blah, blah, blah......"
And when discussing this would get nasty trying to prove their point!
It seems that our coaching staff, most BYers and now the pre WNBA draft all have glowing things to say about Nika Muhl!
She may even go in the 1st round of the draft!
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Nice to see historical revisionism isn’t confined to history books.:rolleyes: The Nika thing was rarely (never that I saw) “nasty” and was really a logical debate between hose who felt more offense and less turnovers were needed (and available, with healthy players) at that position. Of course, there may have been some jerks who stepped over the line but those were probably interlopers and not ”normal & true” Bonyarders and I might add, were not confined to Nika.

However, be that as it may, I freely admit, as one of those who felt, in the early years, that a bigger, more offensively capable Caroline, for example, was a better choice, that she has completely won me over and and that she is now one of my favorite Huskies of all time. With her continual improvement in both percentage and willingness to shoot and her ferocious defensive intensity, she clearly, earned her place as an essential starting member of our team! My heart has rarely been touched (in a sports context) as it was when she was benched and in tears early in her career at UConn. It speaks to her character and greatness of spirit that she took that young low and turned it into maturity and greatness. She will not be forgotten!:)
 
MSGRET said:
I've been a Nika fan since the day that Geno took her out of the ball game in her Freshman year and sat her, I think it was her second game. She was very upset, Geno came over sat next to her and talked with her. She was in tears but she seemed to have a look on her face that said "I'll show you old man".
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Can someone post that clip if it can be found? It's an oft referenced event in Huskie history, but I never saw that particular game or that particular moment.

For as tough and stubborn as she is, Nika clearly takes coaching in the spirit in which it's intended. Big East DPOY recognition as a sophomore was an eyeopener to what was to come in her junior and senior seasons. I really really really hope she goes in the first round of the draft, and it would be a really really really cool gesture of sportsmanship to see CC give her a high-five as she leaves the podium.
 
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RSHERMVIKES said:
According to this WNBA mock draft Nika could go 1st round!
2024 WNBA Final Mock Draft

FIRST ROUND

  1. Caitlin Clark, Iowa - Indiana Fever
  2. Cameron Brink, Stanford - Los Angeles Sparks
  3. Rickea Jackson, Tennessee - Chicago Sky
  4. Kamilla Cardoso, South Carolina - Los Angeles Sparks
  5. Jacy Sheldon, Ohio State - Dallas Wings
  6. Aaliyah Edwards, UConn - Washington Mystics
  7. Angel Reese, LSU - Minnesota Lynx
  8. Nyadiew Pouch, Australia - Chicago Sky
  9. Georgia Amoore, Virginia Tech - Dallas Wings
  10. Alissa Pili, Utah - Connecticut Sun
  11. Charisma Osborne, UCLA - New York Liberty
  12. Nika Muhl, UConn - Atlanta Dream
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Predict Clark, Cardoso and Edwards will all be impact players next year.
 
jeff30189 said:
Can someone post that clip if it can be found? It's an oft referenced event in Huskie history, but I never saw that particular game or that particular moment.

For as tough and stubborn as she is, Nika clearly takes coaching in the spirit in which it's intended. Big East DPOY recognition as a sophomore was an eyeopener to what was to come in her junior and senior seasons. I really really really hope she goes in the first round of the draft, and it would be a really really really cool gesture of sportsmanship to see CC give her a high-five as she leaves the podium.
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I didn't exactly like it when he jabbed her with his finger, but I guess he needed to get her full attention. I felt sorry for her, but her toughness came through when he reinserted her into the game, and the rest is history. I wish I knew what he said to her, but I'm sure he told her how valuable she would be for the team, and she just had to step up and not feel sorry for herself.
 
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Nika to the Liberty. While the Liberty’s trio of guards, Ionescu, Sloot & Johannes can all score, they could really use a defensive stopper to lock onto high scoring guards like LV’s Young, etc.

Beyond giving the Liberty a defensive stopper, Nika would be an immediate fan favorite, given the proximity of the NYL to UConn. I can see all kinds of enhanced revenue opportunities for the Liberty; ticket sales, tv viewership, etc.
 
oldude said:
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Nika to the Liberty. While the Liberty’s trio of guards, Ionescu, Sloot & Johannes can all score, they could really use a defensive stopper to lock onto high scoring guards like LV’s Young, etc.

Beyond giving the Liberty a defensive stopper, Nika would be an immediate fan favorite, given the proximity of the NYL to UConn. I can see all kinds of enhanced revenue opportunities for the Liberty; ticket sales, tv viewership, etc.
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You and I are of one mind, OD. I mentioned earlier that Nika would give the Liberty a very different look when she came in to spell Sloot. Something that hadn't occurred to me, though, is that Sabrina spent her first three years at Oregon as the secondary point guard -- Maite Cazorla was the primary. So between Oregon and New York, Sabrina has spent a lot of time playing off the ball, or sharing point guard duties. Nika spent all of this season on a team with three point guards.

Between a natural fit, getting another UConn grad to join Stewie, and the fannies in the seats that you mention, Sandy Brondello and the Liberty brass must be taking a long look at Nika.
 
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HuskyNan said:
View attachment 99595
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I believe that Nika Mulhl dramatically improved her draft WNBA chances in that game. It was an impressive performance in fact I'll go so far as to say it was the best defensive performance in a loss I've ever seen. But for an unfortunate call that took the outcome of that game out of the hands of the players, it probably would have been the big story between that game and a Connecticut/South Carolina final.
 
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oldude said:
The more I think about it, the more I like the idea of Nika to the Liberty. While the Liberty’s trio of guards, Ionescu, Sloot & Johannes can all score, they could really use a defensive stopper to lock onto high scoring guards like LV’s Young, etc.

Beyond giving the Liberty a defensive stopper, Nika would be an immediate fan favorite, given the proximity of the NYL to UConn. I can see all kinds of enhanced revenue opportunities for the Liberty; ticket sales, tv viewership, etc.
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I want to hear the announcer say "Muhl to Stewart, Score!"
 
The game that Nika was crying in was against Butler, Nika's 5th game to play in. The next game was at Tennessee which she sat on the bench the whole game. The game after Tenn she started, it was against Georgetown, she would start the rest of the season until she injured her ankle in the first NCAA Tournament game against Highpoint after playing only 14 minutes. She played in a total of 23 games starting in 13 of those. I believe that if Nika had not twisted her ankle in the Highpoint game that UConn would have ended up in the Championship game and would have won it against Stanford.
 
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