SPOKANE, Wash. — UConn women’s basketball forward Ice Brady is no stranger to the challenge of overcoming an injury after missing her entire freshman season with a dislocated patella.
But when Brady was sidelined for seven games by a shoulder injury at the end of this regular season, she said the experience felt completely different than the one she went through with her knee. That injury came during preseason practices in 2022 before Brady had ever stepped on the court in a UConn jersey, but with almost two full seasons of experience now behind her, the redshirt sophomore felt the sting of what she was missing out on much more intensely this time.
“Obviously I had a timeline that I was able to come back, so that helped a little bit, but I think I definitely learned a lot from my last injury with stuff like staying in shape and not taking little moments for granted,” Brady said. “I definitely missed the game … and just (have) a new appreciation for it. You know it can get taken from you any time, so I’m making sure that I play my hardest.”
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Brady has averaged just 3.1 points and three rebounds playing less than 13 minutes per game in six appearances since the injury, but coach Geno Auriemma said there was a noticeable shift in the forward’s energy and work ethic during her recovery process that has continued to translate in the postseason. She has become one of the most reliable defenders for the Huskies in the frontcourt, and is shooting with new confidence averaging 63.6% from the field with two of her three made 3-pointers on the season since returning.
“Success gives her confidence. She needs to feel and taste success, and when she does, she just blossoms right in front of your eyes on the court,” Auriemma said after Brady’s return on March 2 against Marquette. “This is the best condition, he best shape she’s been in since she since she got to Connecticut. She’s been working incredibly hard all year long. She’s gotten better and better defensively … Ice is really, really good when she feels like you really need her … and it makes us a different team.”
While Brady manages the challenge of readjusting to game speed during the most intense period of the season, redshirt freshman Jana El Alfy is also facing a learning curve in her first NCAA Tournament appearance. El Alfy watched from the bench during March Madness for the last two years, first as an early enrollee in 2023, then as one of six Huskies recovering from season-ending injuries during the team’s run in 2024.
El Alfy spent all of last year recovering from a ruptured Achilles she suffered while representing Egypt at the 2023 FIBA U19 World Cup, and her first season on the court has been a rollercoaster. She came off the bench for the first 12 games before replacing Brady in the starting lineup, and she is averaging 5.1 points and five rebounds in 16.6 minutes per game across her 23 starts.
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As the tallest player on the roster at 6-foot-5, El Alfy can be a game-changer for the Huskies at her best. She had one of her most complete performances of the season in UConn’s statement upset over No. 2 South Carolina with eight points and six rebounds, and she was a dominant presence with five points, six boards and two blocks in the team’s first-round NCAA Tournament win over Arkansas State. But Auriemma said he’s still waiting to see El Alfy truly live up to her potential and find the consistency the Huskies will need as their opponents get increasingly tougher.
“The confidence part is starting to grow,” El Alfy said. “I think it’s going to come with time, and (Coach) does a really good job with that, of pushing me and at the same time keeping me confident by putting me in the game … I understand my role better, and I know exactly what I need to do and what this team needs me to do, so I’ve just got to keep working on that every day.”
Auriemma has leaned heavily on a small lineup, with 6-1 freshman Sarah Strong playing the five for most of the season, but the No. 2 seed Huskies will need more size on the floor to match up with the teams in their path during the Spokane regional. UConn is set to face No. 3 seed Oklahoma in the Sweet 16 on Saturday (5:30 p.m., ESPN) anchored by 6-4 All-SEC center Raegan Beers, and the Sooners have four players 6-3 or taller on their roster.
If the Huskies advance, they’re guaranteed to face another elite post player in the Elite Eight between Kansas State star Ayoka Lee and USC forward Kiki Iriafen. Lee missed 14 games in 2024-25 with a foot injury, but she looked as good as ever in the Wildcats’ first two tournament wins averaging 16.5 points and 9.5 rebounds. Iriafen will become a centerpiece for USC after superstar JuJu Watkins’s season-ending ACL tear, and she earned the first All-American honors of her career this year after averaging 18.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.
“It’s a work in progress,” Auriemma said after UConn’s first-round win. “I think the more of these games she plays, the more teams that we play that have a true big guy, the more she feels comfortable out there defensively. We need to build on that, because we didn’t need her (against Arkansas State), but we’re going to need her. We’re going to need her a lot.”
