Nika Muhl has become a household name after her stellar performance in this year’s NCAA March Madness Tournament. The two-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year had Caitlin Clark completely shut down during her team’s Final Four Match-Up with Iowa State. In fact, UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley had Muhl pick up Caitlin Clark full-court during the first half of the contest, stopping her at 0-6 from downtown in the tournament’s semi-final.
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Further, the UConn guard was recently selected 14th overall, by the Seattle Storm, in this year’s WNBA draft. Before the festivities began, Muhl was greeted by Indiana Fever’s Aliyah Boston and internet celebrity Hannah O’Flynn who were on duty for the WNBA Orange Carpet, taking interviews of this year’s draftees.
O’Flynn asked Muhl if there were any players she was excited to go up against in the WNBA, and the draftee had a hilarious response. Instead of naming one of her idols, she wordlessly turned her gaze towards Aliyah Boston. The duo busted out laughing after the little non-verbal exchange. Muhl even explained for her wanting to match up with Boston,
” I won’t forget, she blocked me in my first year. She sends it off in the stands.”
Muhl seemed to remember her meeting with Boston and South Carolina rather vividly. However, Boston wasn’t the only player to make Muhl’s hit list, as WNBA star Diana Taurasi was her next pick. The list of her idols did not stop there as she also revealed her excitement about joining the same team as Sue Bird after breaking her college assist record last year.
Nika Muhl follows Sue Bird’s path
Muhl wasn’t just a defensive stopper in college, as she dished out over 686 assists during her time with the Huskies. In fact, last year, she broke Sue Bird’s single-season and All-time collegiate record, in assists, at UConn.
A year after this, Muhl has been drafted by the same team as Bird. The media even pointed out the parallels, which led to the former UConn guard nervously saying,
“It’s huge shoes to fill in.”
The WNBA season is poised to start in the second week of May. It will be interesting to see how the current batch of draftees match up against the league’s seasoned veterans, with many calling the current draft of players one of the best classes in WNBA history.
