She missed the Final Four and UConn fell to South Carolina. 64-49 at the national convention.
A silver lining to injury timing is that Juhaas has had a full offseason to recover. However, while her wrists are improving, they are still not perfect.
“It’s not 100%,” Juhas said Thursday. “I feel really good because I think there’s still a lot of basketball that I missed when I was wearing braces.
“I haven’t done a lot of full 5-on-5 touches because I didn’t want to rush at home. I did a lot of individual and it felt great. I feel like obviously this week preseason is going to be more of a practice for me and just getting in touch. Realize that everything is fine.
For Juhas, it’s essential to have confidence in yourself, not just your wrist.after losing Paige Bookers Heading into a season of ACL injuries, UConn needs each player to step up.
At 6-foot-4, Juhas is a physical presence who recorded three double-doubles last season and streaks of 20-plus points against Marquette and DePaul in February. She averaged 7.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in her first season at UConn after transferring from Ohio State.
Juhász is expected to have two lead roles, especially with post player Olivia Nelson-Ododa graduating, which should give her more playing time. To prepare for the increased playing time, Juhaas spent the offseason focusing on conditioning.
“I still have a lot to do to play 5-on-5 because I think it’s a different type of conditioning,” she said. “Obviously, I did a lot of conditioning at home[in Hungary]and also training. Surgery after losing strength.
“But I think it will be very important for me this preseason to do a lot of basketball moments like open gyms and 5-on-5s with the girls. I’m back in shape and I feel pretty good where I will be when the season starts.”
Juhash wasn’t the only one who used the summer to heal. Caroline Ducharm battled her hip injury all season, but she still averaged 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists as a freshman.
She knew time was on her side during the offseason, Ducharme decided to undergo surgery on his left hip at the end of April.
“When I first started running, I could see that my back was no longer dragging and I was feeling better,” she said. So obviously there’s still a lot to recover and rehab. It’s a long process. Years will make a difference.”
Ducharme said the last few weeks have had the biggest impact on her health and fans can expect her to be on court this season.
“I feel good,” said Ducharm. “I feel like I’ve been at a turning point in the last few weeks. It’s pretty clear that I do almost everything. I’m ready to practice and see if I can handle it.”
Also finally ready to join practice is forward Aubrey Griffin. However, he dealt with her injury differently than Ducharme.
She tried to battle ankle and back injuries in the 2021 preseason camp, but decided the pain was too much. Had a discectomy on January 10th She missed the entire season.
Griffin averaged 6.2 points per game in the 2020-21 season and played 16.3 minutes per game as a reserve. She also shot an impressive 52.3% of her shots from the field.
Bueckers said Griffin’s return could be vital for UConn.
“We missed her so much last year, but I don’t think people really realized how much we missed her,” Buckers said. I know how much we missed her and the coaching staff know how much we missed her, she’s such an important part of our team, she does it all on the floor. So I’m looking forward to seeing her healthy and playing.”
Since April 2021, Griffin’s play has been closed to the public. With Griffin returning with a healthy Ducharme and Juhas, UConn should have a deep roster, even in Bookers’ absence.
“We haven’t really played together. We played a little bit in the summer, but obviously I wasn’t out, Caroline[Decharme]was also out.
“So obviously it’s going to be really important this time around. Find that chemistry and this preseason and the next few weeks and when the season comes, I think we’re going to do well.”
christine.butterfield@hearstmediact.com; @C Bonsports
