“Every player has a dream to play for the national team and mine is no different. I will keep working hard and wait for this dream to come alive,” were Nika Muhl’s words when she was setting the floor on fire on the other side of the Atlantic. Spotted by Geno Auriemma among many others, Nika Muhl has always been the go-getter, never shying away from expressing her thoughts on the court. Further recognized for her basketball IQ and versatility, Muhl is sure on the radar. But the wait for the biggest stage is not yet over for the 23-year-old.

Nika Muhl made it as the second-round 14th overall pick by the Seattle Storm in the 2024 draft. While she succeeded over there, Muhl hasn’t been included in the Croatian national roster as of now. Moreover, the team hasn’t been victorious in securing a berth at the Paris Olympics 2024. So the dream still brews underneath for Muhl as she figures out herself in her first season as a WNBA professional athlete. Especially, playing around 8000 miles away from her home in Zagreb, Croatia.

Nika Muhl from Croatia to Connecticut

The Seattle Storm rookie has played a fair share of domestic basketball before coming to play for the Huskies. She was a member of ZKK Tresnjevka 2009 club (a team in Zagreb) in the Prva Zenska Liga or the First Women’s Basketball League of Croatia from 2016 to 2020.

Therein, Muhl grew under the guidance of head coach, Dean Nemec who also was the team’s president, marketing manager and their van driver. The now 23-year-old, entered the club to average 6.4 points and 2.8 assists in her first year and exited in 2020 with an average of 8.6 points and 7.1 assists. Apart from the club, the point guard had her foot in two other contests.

In her second season for the club, Nika Muhl made her presence felt in the Women Adriatic Basketball Association (WABA) with 11.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game. She continued on the momentum to remain consistent and eventually fetch herself the attention of several NCAA programs by 2019. Several offers made their way to Muhl but when UConn called, she had her pick. Coach Auriemma even flew down to Croatia to watch the point guard play and make sure she felt valued.

But the whole process was a daunting one for Nika. Though she had a few friends from her club who previously walked the path, getting into UConn – a place with so much traditions and so many big names – was still “scary and overwhelming” for Muhl as she iterates via SNY. But she goes by, “if you want to, you really can.” She now finds it all worth it, even glad to be a guiding light for so many little girls from Croatia aiming to make their way here.

Muhl went on to shine at the NCAA making it twice as Big East Defensive Player of the Year and twice as Second-team All-Big East member. In the process, making it to the international stage on senior team still remains a quest for Muhl but when she makes it, one can expect a beast going by her previous presence there.

Muhl’s impressive Youth National Team run

Every year from 2016 to 2019, Nika Muhl participated in the U16 and U18 Women’s European Championships. In the 2016 FIBA U16 Women’s European Championship – Division A she averaged 5.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists per game.

The next year, she again competed in the U16 level in the 2017 FIBA Women’s European Championship Division -A place where she doubled her force and averaged 12 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists per game with a doubled efficiency of 14.7. But the grand highlight came her way when she delivered an astonishing quadruple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and 17 assists in just 17 minutes in an U17 game for Croatia.

In 2018, she grew to participate at the U18 level and scored an average of 10.9 points, 5 rebounds, and 5.7 assists in every game with maintaining her efficiency level at 14.9. That year, Muhl caught attention for her performance. If she hadn’t made some noise in the U16 Championship, she sure did in this one.

All the while, the WNBA legend, Maya Moore had been an inspiration for the rising star. “this is still my biggest dream [FIBA 2018]. Maya Moore is the one that I really adore, since she makes all the complicated things look so easy,” said Muhl. At the time, Moore was the reigning EuroLeague Women champion.

Besides her, Muhl got the opportunity to learn from the Croatian Women’s basketball legend and the expert play-caller, Anda Jelavic. “A very special thing,” he said on training under the national team coach. The sport had been her one true joy since she was a kid and any excelling opportunity was a welcome for the Storm rookie. She also has her parents, Roberta and Darko Muhl to thank in part for helping her get introduced to the sport.

“My parents both played basketball and that helped a bit too. I kept playing it because it became the most enjoyable part of my life. In fact, I don’t know if I could really be the person who I am without basketball.” And Nika Muhl continues making a worthwhile far away from home.

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