I hate seeing any pro athlete or any athlete for that matter suffering a long term injury. I honestly do wish Nika a speedy recovery and successful rehabilitation. She should have tremendous support both psychologically and otherwise from her Ex UCONN teammate Gabby Williams who suffered two ACLs as a teenage basketball baller and world class high jumper. Nika Muhl will be back stronger and better than ever. Get well soon Nika.
Biggest question I have is who will take over for Nika when it comes to defending the other team's best guard. If it's Paige, that's a lot to ask her to lead the team offensively and defensively
As a youth coach I suspect most coaches love having Nika Muhls on their team.. stubborn, loyal, hard working, tough nosed, full ownership kind of kid. Automatically makes your team better by example.. even when they can be erratic and inconsistent from time to time.
I am looking forward to seeing how Kaitlin Chen fits in as well. As stated last week I am also looking forward to Jana El Alfy. This is going to be a really talented team.
For Chen, we have to keep in mind that those are her Princeton numbers and UConn is a very different situation player-wise. She was the star of her team and was taking a lot of iffy shot attempts because she was the only one who could reliably do it (and as a result she was often getting targeted and double teamed). Like she mentioned in her interview a couple days ago, UConn is different in that there's a lot of good players which creates more openings and takes the weight off her shoulders, so hopefully her percentages will go up and she won't be taking those risky shots anymore. We'll have to see how she performs in the season, of course. There's also the variables of the quality of the teams she's been playing against, although I know she's been performing well against top teams. I suspect she will probably be in the starting lineup, if not because of that and her experience but also because Geno has only really had high praise of her and has made an eyebrow-raising comment during his interview about how if Chen had been at UConn since freshman year, they'd be talking about an All-American and very high draft pick. Starts around 19:58, the exact quote is 21:05 or so.
Nika is not hard to replace for me. And I think Geno might be a better coach now that Muhl isn't around to be a blind spot for him. She was sort of a limited player. And it was sometimes 4 on 5 offensively for UConn with her on the floor. KK has a higher ceiling for me. Especially on defense. I do feel sorry for Nika though. I think this will be hard for her WNBA career. It reminds me of Christyn Williams (a more talented player imo). And Williams has never really overcome her injury to have even a crack at the wnba. (More teams in the wnba helps though.)
Overall Nika did well at UConn as was put in a impossible position of replacing Paige and did as well as she could. Last year did everything Geno wanted and did it well. They will miss her shooting & defence. In terms of wnba, - overall it is a tought to learn to play Pg in WNBA. I suspect she would be better off playing a few year in Europe like Uzon & mystic Pg... Can't think of her name.
all due respect she’s not hard to replace. maybe you miss her energy and character, but as far as basketball production, chen brings that and more. overrated defender and didn’t shoot enough to say we’ll miss her shooting. wishing her a speedy and safe recovery though of course ❤
Thanks for posting this video and no race baiting this time. 😉Why not have Sarah Strong start as well? I hope Geno plays all his #1 picks from HS in the same lineup, Paige, Sarah, Azzi and blowout the competition.
@@back2sports There are times I am your poison and at other times I am 100% percent with you. Nobody is perfect, we all have our opinions and overall I truly enjoy your takes and that is why I am always here. You and Ry ROCK!
Baseball Kids ruin their arms , throwing too much . Girls Basketball i see at High school level , too many injuries from overuse . Nika went from August non stop until April . Then WNBA: Need more REST and RECOVERY . Problem is the salary is too low - so its enticing to play overseas . She will be back . Geno is the greatest coach to have as your Mentor .
Ulnar collateral ligament ruptured and surgery is over use injury as each time a throw is made it puts stress on the ligament. ACL ruptured is acute injury and more higher in women due to biomechanics (increased q angle - wide hips) - generally more hyper mobile than guys which put more stress on ligament and more at risk to rupture if land in awkward position. So don't buy over use theory.
No so sure - tend to think it might be - Paige, Fudd, Shade, Strong , & El Alfy. I suspect that will be their best line up. But i can't wait to see what combinations are on the floor and how they play together. That should be fun.
From what I heard a day or two ago it sounded like Geno was saying Azzi would not be available the first two weeks...maybe I misunderstood his statement.
@@usveteran9893 yeah, eventually i think it will be azzi. It will be shade or KK during the first game imo. Depends on whether geno wants a PG or SG out there.
Don't think UConn will be as athletic as they've been in years past and their defense will suffer. And Geno's best teams have had bigs that can run (Lobo, Cash, Jones, Charles, Stewart, Collier, N-O). Strong doesn't fit that mold.
The loss of Nika isn't going to hurt Uconn at all. With the players coming will ONLY help Uconn get Paige her Championship. This will also make Paige more aggressive. Looking forward to seeing both Jana and Sarah Strong play alongside each other. This will ONLY make Uconn stronger especially the way Sarah plays inside. She's a great rebounder..and Jana is big enough to be a shot blocker at center which Uconn hasn't had in years. Go huskies.
I find it hard to like this coach. His self-importance and his, to some extent, disparaging comments about the very young Caitlin Clark are annoying. He seems to prioritise his system over the development of the players as both people and players. The Iowa coach seems to have more humanity and wisdom.
Oh Good Lord, get over the Caitlin Clark thing. Geno has always been snarky, but if he was such a bad coach he wouldn’t have won 11 NC, and his players wouldn’t stay in touch. His players love him and that’s all that matters. You don’t have to like him.
I hate seeing any pro athlete or any athlete for that matter suffering a long term injury. I honestly do wish Nika a speedy recovery and successful rehabilitation. She should have tremendous support both psychologically and otherwise from her Ex UCONN teammate Gabby Williams who suffered two ACLs as a teenage basketball baller and world class high jumper. Nika Muhl will be back stronger and better than ever. Get well soon Nika.
🙏 for speedy recovery. Wishing her the best. She is a very good player, hoping she keeps her head up and all will work out for her.
Biggest question I have is who will take over for Nika when it comes to defending the other team's best guard. If it's Paige, that's a lot to ask her to lead the team offensively and defensively
As a youth coach I suspect most coaches love having Nika Muhls on their team.. stubborn, loyal, hard working, tough nosed, full ownership kind of kid. Automatically makes your team better by example.. even when they can be erratic and inconsistent from time to time.
I wish her the best! She was such a vital part of UCONN Women's Basketball during her time there.
I am looking forward to seeing how Kaitlin Chen fits in as well. As stated last week I am also looking forward to Jana El Alfy. This is going to be a really talented team.
Chen's stats at Princeton are no better than Muhl's, don't get your hopes up.
That kind of injury will take about a year to heal properly and she may never be the same after.
For Chen, we have to keep in mind that those are her Princeton numbers and UConn is a very different situation player-wise. She was the star of her team and was taking a lot of iffy shot attempts because she was the only one who could reliably do it (and as a result she was often getting targeted and double teamed). Like she mentioned in her interview a couple days ago, UConn is different in that there's a lot of good players which creates more openings and takes the weight off her shoulders, so hopefully her percentages will go up and she won't be taking those risky shots anymore.
We'll have to see how she performs in the season, of course. There's also the variables of the quality of the teams she's been playing against, although I know she's been performing well against top teams. I suspect she will probably be in the starting lineup, if not because of that and her experience but also because Geno has only really had high praise of her and has made an eyebrow-raising comment during his interview about how if Chen had been at UConn since freshman year, they'd be talking about an All-American and very high draft pick. Starts around 19:58, the exact quote is 21:05 or so.
Nika is not hard to replace for me. And I think Geno might be a better coach now that Muhl isn't around to be a blind spot for him. She was sort of a limited player. And it was sometimes 4 on 5 offensively for UConn with her on the floor.
KK has a higher ceiling for me. Especially on defense.
I do feel sorry for Nika though. I think this will be hard for her WNBA career. It reminds me of Christyn Williams (a more talented player imo). And Williams has never really overcome her injury to have even a crack at the wnba.
(More teams in the wnba helps though.)
Overall Nika did well at UConn as was put in a impossible position of replacing Paige and did as well as she could. Last year did everything Geno wanted and did it well. They will miss her shooting & defence.
In terms of wnba, - overall it is a tought to learn to play Pg in WNBA. I suspect she would be better off playing a few year in Europe like Uzon & mystic Pg... Can't think of her name.
@@back2sports Melbourne, Mystic PG that the Storm let go instead of Muhl.
all due respect she’s not hard to replace. maybe you miss her energy and character, but as far as basketball production, chen brings that and more. overrated defender and didn’t shoot enough to say we’ll miss her shooting. wishing her a speedy and safe recovery though of course ❤
Thanks for posting this video and no race baiting this time. 😉Why not have Sarah Strong start as well? I hope Geno plays all his #1 picks from HS in the same lineup, Paige, Sarah, Azzi and blowout the competition.
2:59 man Nneka is the best
Hey I like your takes you are fair
Thanks. Some Ilke & some hate. At this point I don't care. Just do the best that can and let it be judged. Love & poison are welcome!
@@back2sports There are times I am your poison and at other times I am 100% percent with you. Nobody is perfect, we all have our opinions and overall I truly enjoy your takes and that is why I am always here. You and Ry ROCK!
Do you mean how Seattle Storm is going to manage without Nika?
No didnt want video to be just a funeral on Nika injury so wanted to look at how UConn will replace her
Baseball Kids ruin their arms , throwing too much . Girls Basketball i see at High school level , too many injuries from overuse . Nika went from August non stop until April . Then WNBA: Need more REST and RECOVERY . Problem is the salary is too low - so its enticing to play overseas . She will be back . Geno is the greatest coach to have as your Mentor .
Ulnar collateral ligament ruptured and surgery is over use injury as each time a throw is made it puts stress on the ligament. ACL ruptured is acute injury and more higher in women due to biomechanics (increased q angle - wide hips) - generally more hyper mobile than guys which put more stress on ligament and more at risk to rupture if land in awkward position. So don't buy over use theory.
The salary is too low? I wish I was earning $65k-$75k a year!
I ultimately see Paige, Fudd, Chen, Strong, and El Alfy as the primary starting lineup.
No so sure - tend to think it might be - Paige, Fudd, Shade, Strong , & El Alfy. I suspect that will be their best line up. But i can't wait to see what combinations are on the floor and how they play together. That should be fun.
From what I heard a day or two ago it sounded like Geno was saying Azzi would not be available the first two weeks...maybe I misunderstood his statement.
@@usveteran9893 yeah, eventually i think it will be azzi. It will be shade or KK during the first game imo. Depends on whether geno wants a PG or SG out there.
@@TheDisruptiveOne, I am not saying she won't play; it may just be the first one or two games. I expect her to play after that.
Not Fudd, nope.
Don't think UConn will be as athletic as they've been in years past and their defense will suffer. And Geno's best teams have had bigs that can run (Lobo, Cash, Jones, Charles, Stewart, Collier, N-O). Strong doesn't fit that mold.
You are 100% correct. PB will never be a Stewie, nope.
Once Strong gets into DI college shape, we'll see. It's a bit premature to make such an assessment.
I think she will be back for the season-7 months is enough to come back but she will have to be aggressive in PT
The loss of Nika isn't going to hurt Uconn at all. With the players coming will ONLY help Uconn get Paige her Championship. This will also make Paige more aggressive. Looking forward to seeing both Jana and Sarah Strong play alongside each other. This will ONLY make Uconn stronger especially the way Sarah plays inside. She's a great rebounder..and Jana is big enough to be a shot blocker at center which Uconn hasn't had in years. Go huskies.
Paige will not get "her NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, only the Big EASY one.
I find it hard to like this coach. His self-importance and his, to some extent, disparaging comments about the very young Caitlin Clark are annoying. He seems to prioritise his system over the development of the players as both people and players. The Iowa coach seems to have more humanity and wisdom.
This isn't a Caitlin Clark post. We are all sick of those. Geno is an outstanding coach and his players all graduate and respect him.
@@Paul15. Right on !!! Geno is loyal to his Team after they graduate . Including his 11 Nattis .) Evan Saban cant top that ....
Oh Good Lord, get over the Caitlin Clark thing. Geno has always been snarky, but if he was such a bad coach he wouldn’t have won 11 NC, and his players wouldn’t stay in touch. His players love him and that’s all that matters. You don’t have to like him.
Free us from CC police. I could be talking about the weather and CC police would.tell me how unfair the disrespect she receives.
Nobody cares about what he said about CC. SHUT UP