Rising Basketball Star Ruptures Achilles Tendon, Out for 2023-24 Season

Jana El Alfy was making an impact on the basketball court this summer.

By Brian Jones

A rising basketball star will miss the 2023-24 season. Jana El Alfy, who plays for the UConn women's basketball team, ruptured her Achilles tendon during the 2023 FIBA U19 Women's Basketball World Cup in Spain in July. The redshirt freshman underwent surgery, and the injury happened she was backing away from the free throw line in the second quarterback of Egypt's matchup vs. Italy in the 11th place game. 

El Alfy is from Egypt and has been a member of the Egyptian national team program since 2021. She averaged 21.4 points and 11.0 rebounds per game during the FIBA U19 World Cup this year and is the first player from Egypt to play for UConn. Alfy joined the Huskies in January and was expected to play a big role in the team's frontcourt rotation this upcoming season. 

"I'm really excited, honestly, being able to get here early also helped me a lot, you know, I settled in quickly thanks to my teammates for sure. And I'm really excited for this year,"  El Alfy said in June, per CT Insider. During the 2022-23 season, El Alfy sat on the bench for every game and learned how Aaliyah Edwards and Dorka Juhász played under the basket. 

"She was still very present, you know, always trying to learn, always trying to up her game and her skill set," Edwards said. "It's one thing I like about Jana, she's always trying to seek more and always learning. I mean, we love those types of people. I love those types of people as a teammate because it just helps you as a person and just basketball IQ rises it for sure."  

UConn head coach Geno Auriemma has been impressed with how much El Alfy has improved over the months. "She's on a mission and her body has changed in the time that she's been here," Auriemma said. "Her game is improving every day and her physicality is so impressive. Here's a kid that competes every day against our practice players one-on-one, and when she loses, she is (frustrated). She's not a happy camper. She's competitive in everything that she does."

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