It’s a win once again for Geno Auriemma and the UConn Huskies. This Sunday, the Hall of Fame coach saw his team return stronger after their second loss of the season to the USC Trojans at home. The convincing 67-41 win was a bounceback they needed for their final Big East game, ranked 7th. However, despite the glory, Auriemma’s choice of lineup failed to get everyone on board.

Auriemma gave redshirt freshman center Jana El Alfy her first career start, replacing Ice Brady, who’s been averaging 5 points. But, the move didn’t go as planned, and El Alfy struggled early. After giving up an offensive rebound and allowing Emily Archibald to score, she was pulled from the game midway through the first quarter.

Things didn’t improve in the second quarter either. El Alfy missed an open layup and failed to grab a defensive rebound, leading to her substitution just 44 seconds into the third quarter.

Auriemma, ever the strategist, explained, “At some point, we need to keep experimenting to see what does work, what could be better, and just give us a different kind of look. Right now, her head is getting in the way of her game. Putting her in the starting lineup may help.”

El Alfy, who missed the 2023-24 season due to an Achilles tendon tear, had limited playtime on Sunday. She scored two points and grabbed two rebounds in just 10 minutes. As expected, the fans were quick to react, but their response wasn’t what many expected.

Fans had Jana El Alfy’s back

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I like El Alfy over Brady. But this is Geno giving El Alfy tough love, and meantime we have a...more

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Debate

Instead of criticizing El Alfy’s performance, the majority of the comments on social media showed immense support for the young player.

One fan wrote, “I hate how quickly Geno pulls Jana. Let her grow from these mistakes. She can’t learn if you’re pulling her out every time she makes one.”

While her performance was underwhelming, 10 minutes might not be enough to get the estimations right. This allowed her to only attempt 3 field goals, out of which mere one was buried.

Another added, “Maybe this is just me, but I feel like Jana would do so much better if Geno let her play through her struggles. Taking her out the second she makes a mistake and then leaving her on the bench the whole half is only going to make her overthink things even more.”

This isn’t the first time fans have expressed frustration with Auriemma’s decisions regarding El Alfy. Even in the recent loss to USC, El Alfy was benched after only 17 minutes on the court. Despite putting up six points and seven rebounds. Fans have been vocal about their belief that there might be favoritism at play, particularly when El Alfy’s opportunities seem limited compared to others on the team.

“There’s some clear favoritism going on which sucks” penned a user. “i don’t really like the favouritism. it just seems like some players are allowed to make mistakes and others aren’t.” added another.

Balancing the immediate need to win games with the long-term development of players is always tricky. Auriemma’s track record speaks for itself, but the current backlash from fans suggests that a more supportive approach might be what El Alfy—and other young players—need. One fan put it: “Jana is an inside presence this team needs badly post-Aaliyah. She needs to develop.”

The freshman is averaging 15 minutes, right below Azzi Fudd, who returning from an injury herself. “She was the best player out there — by far,” Auriemma had said of Alfy during her time on the U-19 World Cup roster. He believes she brings something unique to the team. So no doubt we might see more of the centre but it will likely be a wait.