Stop fouling or not playing.
It was as easy as that. The Hall of Fame coach then didn’t care that one true point he only had guards available. Paige Buckers Offseason ACL injury. The team needed to do better on Mule.
“I told her I was going to put her butt on the bench,” Auriemma said. I don’t care if we go down to one guard you ain’t gonna play change what i know you can change and we It’s going to be a phenomenal year if we change the things that need to be changed.”
With six games to go into the 2022-23 season, Mule not only held on to the end of the deal, but even exceeded Auriema’s expectations.
Mule leads the nation in assists per game with 11.0 (she’s the only player averaging over 10). She set her UConn assists-per-game record to her 15 in the third game of the year, becoming the only player in program history to record her double-digit assists in four consecutive games. rice field.
As a point guard, she leads UConn on and off the court. She sets the tone on defense and paces the Huskies during the transition. She’s the loudest voice in practice and games, and while she’s quick to dictate play, she can also blame others for their mistakes. Sure, she still fouls here and there, but over the past four months, she’s become a whole new player.
No replacement for Bueckers, but Mühl has done more than fill his shoes on the court. In just a handful of games, Mühl has already forged his own legacy as his UConn points his guard.
“It feels like it’s been a long process, and it’s still a process,” Mule said. “There have been ups and downs, this and that, good days and bad days, but I have gotten better. I am learning from my mistakes which is the biggest change for me. And only my teammates have my back. and my coaching staff has seen a lot of movies and a lot of preparations, so I still have a long way to go, but I’m happy with where I am now.”
change of paige
Darko Mule heard his daughter crying from the hallway bedroom.
Early in the morning in Croatia, around 5 or 6 am I think, Darko walked down the hall and tapped on Nika’s door to make sure she was safe.
She was on the phone with Bookers, who had just told Nika that she wouldn’t be playing this season after tearing her ACL during a pick-up game. Buckers began to comfort her on the phone.
“They were so close it was really heartbreaking for her.”
It was early August. It’s been three months since the team started practicing, but Mule was the only real point guard on the roster.
Mule substituted for Buekers in the starting lineup for 19 games last season when Buekers sat out with a knee injury. But Mule missed the time to deal with an ongoing leg injury, and he wasn’t being himself.
When Buckers returned late last year, Mule returned to the bench and became a defensive spark for the Huskies. She snatched her pass and dived after every loose her ball. She challenges her opponents, hitting them in the face and using her physical abilities to slow them down.
Sure, that aggression led to sloppy fouls at times, but she’s become a defensive weapon.In March, she was named the 2022 Big East Defensive Player of the Year.
“Nika plays the game a certain way and sets everything on fire,” Auriema said. “She’s that kind of player, like her ball flying all over the place. She’ll be flying all over the place.”
But taking over Bueckers for the entire season would be different. She is now the leader of UConn’s attacks, and with that comes more responsibility.
“A lot is expected of her now,” Auriyema said. “There is a lot of pressure on Nika right now to be perfect almost every night. To make sure she gives us what we need.” To make sure the transition game is going well, to make sure the right people are at the right time at the right time, and that she Don’t get in trouble for fouling against everything you believe. ”
growing up
Mule heeded Auriemma’s warning.
She had previously been benched for too many fouls, but this time she knew the team couldn’t afford to lose her due to foul trouble.
So she tried a new role.
She was already loud, but now she of voice.
It is she who is heard loudest and most often during practice. Well done… Come on guys! …pick it up!
She makes sure to give each player a high five, even after a good play or a quick warm-up. She directs the huddle during drills during the game, and yells at play when she’s on the sidelines.
If a teammate makes a mistake, she takes responsibility for it, even if she wasn’t involved in the situation. She knows that by making her mistakes, she is improving herself as well.
“When you blame people, you’re actually blaming yourself because you can’t make the same mistakes or people see you as crazy,” she said. said.
After UConn defeated Texas on November 14, Auriemma walked into the locker room and asked what the team had learned.
Mule was the first to react. She frankly said that the team was great when they were playing well, but terrible when they were rushing and playing sloppy.
“Nika has made a lot of progress,” Auriemma told media after addressing the team that night. She bears more responsibility for all the wonderful things.….I will not replace her.I will.Do not replace her with anyone today. please give me.”
“She never gives up”
Over 4,000 miles away, Darko can notice the difference in his daughter.
Due to the time difference, he watches as many UConn games as he can find online the next day. And we can already see Mule’s on-court skills improving.
“I think she’s making better decisions. That’s the biggest improvement,” he said. “…it’s not 100% perfect, but it’s improved. That’s what you can really see from the game. I think that’s why I’m making such calls.”
Darko said she also noticed an improvement in Mule’s defense. He sees her let go of her mistakes more quickly instead of dwelling on them.
“She always tries her best. I think that’s probably what makes her most proud because she never gives up,” Darko said. “She will die trying, that’s who she is”
The Mules lead UConn, the Big East, and the nation in average assists per game. She set a career-high total of 9 in her single game against Texas. She then increased her career-high to 15 in the next game against North Carolina State, where she claimed ownership of her UConn single-game record (Bueckers was previously her 14). ). Since then, she has recorded her double-digit assists in her last four games.
Her court vision has improved, making no-look passes a breeze and knowing exactly where Azzie Fudd or Lou Lopez Senechal is on the court at any given moment.
“I thought it was an unbelievable performance, unbelievable,” Auriemma said after the North Carolina State game. She “…has matured as a guard so she always keeps her head up and her eyes on the floor.”
And she brought even more energy to defense. She leads UConn’s guard with her 14 defenses her rebounds and 17 total rebounds. She leads her UConn with 2.5 steals per game and 15 total steals which puts her third in the Big East.
“There’s something wrong with her, right?” said Auriema. “Everything she does is contagious. She does it with heart. She never bows down to anyone. She doesn’t know how to play other than how she does now.”
Mule’s teammates also notice the difference.
Fairfield alum Lopez Seneschal has only played with Mule for the past two months and is already aware of the impact she’s made this season.
Lopez Senechal said, “I think it’s very special to have a point guard and a player like that on a team.” I appreciate it, you can see she loves the ball, she loves to pass the ball and she loves other people to score, her energy is contagious and it’s amazing .”
Mule credits his recent successes to his teammates, although he admits he has seen a change in himself.
“You need two people to assist,” she said. “Someone has to score, someone has to pass. So I have a lot of great scorers around me, and it seems like there are a lot of great people who set great screens and cut and run transitions. So I don’t think so. It’s very difficult for me, you know, there’s always someone open.”
The Huskies acquired backup point guard Innes Bettencourt in late August, making Fudd another distribution option, but Mule hasn’t slowed down despite the depth in her position now.
She showed further leadership when the team suffered another season-ending injury losing Ice Brady to a dislocated patella.
“Obviously I tend to be overwhelmed at times, but I’m ready for it,” Mule said. “…it was very overwhelming and challenging at the same time. I think that’s a good thing. I feel that pressure is a privilege, and the more pressure, the better.”
She later added:
Mule wants to be the team’s go-to point guard.
Those who know her say she already has.
“She’s like the heart and soul of our team, isn’t she?” said Auriema. “So it’s not a bad person to guide you.”
Maggie.Vanoni@hearstmediatct.com @maggie_vanoni
