Nika Muhl has high hopes for Paige Bueckers and the rest of her former UConn college basketball teammates heading into the next NCAA season.
The Seattle Storm rookie, who helped the Huskies to the Final Four this year, spoke exclusively with Mirror Sports U.S. discuss UConn's future. Muhl praised the additions the Huskies made to replenish their talent as she gave a rosy overview of what she expects to happen in 2024-25.
"I'm expecting a national championship, but if you ask me every year that I was in college, I was expecting a national championship," the guard told Mirror Sports U.S. this week. "That's the standard. That's how it is at UConn."
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"It's always the expectation, no matter what team you have, no matter how many players you have on the court, that's the standard that we practice upon and that we play upon at the end of the day," she continued. UConn awarded legendary head coach Geno Auriemma a five-year extension after the campaign, which Muhl said she was thrilled to see .
Muhl was drafted by the Storm No. 14 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft. Despite having a hectic schedule as a rookie, the 23-year-old still keeps tabs on what is going on with her former squad. That is why she is so confident in UConn's chances to be a powerhouse once the season starts.
The Croatian guard credits much of her own development to Auriemma, praising the culture he has instilled in the program.
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"He is the G.O.A.T. He's the greatest of all time in my eyes and so many people's eyes. And it's just a fact," Muhl said when asked about her former head coach's extension. "I'm so, so, so proud of myself to have been able to be coached by that person in life and on the basketball court for four years, because now when I look at myself mentally where I'm at, so many things that I've learned came from him and the way he approached basketball in life."
Muhl was affectionately known as the "glue piece " during her time with the Huskies, the cog that kept the team running as efficiently as it did, and her loss certainly will be felt. Despite moving on, Muhl believes UConn has what takes to be the very best in the country, with a resurgent Bueckers running the show , KK Arnold taking on a more vocal role and the additions of top recruit Sarah Strong and transfer Kaitlyn Chen bolstering the roster.
Auriemma, too, believes UConn "got it right" by adding Chen and Strong for the coming season. "Just watching them work out, being around them every day, I think we got it right. I think we got it right last year, and I feel really, really good about where we are right now," the 70-year-old said.
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With the pieces in place, Muhl believes UConn has what it takes to end its championship drought . After winning four straight national titles and six of eight from 2008 to 2016, the farthest Auriemma's squad is still looking for another crown.
Muhl is confident in UConn's chances to achieve the ultimate goal after coming close earlier this year when the Huskies sustained a tight loss to Iowa in the Final Four.
"Looking at their team this year and to hear how the summer workouts went and with Paige's mentality this year, especially, I'm expecting big things and I think they're going to go all the way," Muhl concluded.
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