UConn’s Jana El Alfy smiles while speaking to members of the media at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn., Sunday, March 22, 2026. UConn hosts No. 9 Syracuse in an NCAA Fort Worth Regional 1 second-round game at Gampel Pavilion Monday.
Dave Zajac/Hearst Connecticut Media
STORRS — The longest-tenured player on the UConn women’s basketball 2026-27 roster — one of only two starters remaining from the Huskies’ 2025 national championship game — has scored in double figures in only eight games with a career scoring average of 4.5 points per game.
Despite that lack of production, several teammates used the word dominant this week in describing 6-foot-5 redshirt junior center Jana El Alfy.
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“I expect her to have a really great year,” junior Allie Ziebell said. “This summer already she has shown a lot of improvement in her stamina. Also, in her finishing around the basket I feel like she has been more of a dominant presence this year, which is really cool to see.”
El Alfy came to UConn from Egypt a semester early in January of 2023 so she could acclimate herself to the program at practice and contribute immediately the following season.
Unfortunately, that summer before what would have been her freshman season, she tore her left Achilles tendon while having a dominant FIBA U19 World Cup in Spain. So, her UConn debut was delayed a year, but in her very first game she was dominant again as she tallied 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. Boston University on Nov. 7, 2024.
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To date, that remains her only college statistical double-double, but if this summer is any indication that could change this coming season.
“I think she has definitely grown more confident this summer,” Gandy Malou-Mamel said. “I think she is going to show everyone what they expect. She is going to be a very dominant player this year.”
UConn center Jana El Alfy (8) looks to shoot as Xavier guard Savannah White defends in the first half of an NCAA college basketball game, Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, in Storrs, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Jessica Hill/AP
El Alfy averaged only 4.0 points and 4.1 rebounds per game last season in 35 games (one start), but she did so while averaging only 11.4 minutes per game. She was efficient and also had the best field goal percentage on the team at 62.8%.
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Last season during the NCAA Tournament, associate head coach Chris Dailey said a few injuries last season, including a concussion that sidelined her four games, kept El Alfy from showing the improvement they expected to see in her.
Still, she remained a very important and well-respected part of the team thanks to her work ethic, her flashes of strong defense in the post as well as the energy and support she provided for her teammates from the bench.
“She is such a big force energy-wise and physical-wise,” Malou-Mamel said. “Without her, it is a much quieter team. She is such a big supporter for all of us, and we are big supporters of her.”
Now she is healthy, motivated and feeling better than ever about her readiness to be a significant contributor for the Huskies.
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El Alfy started 27 games during the Huskies’ 2024-25 national championship season, including the title game against South Carolina, and averaged 5.0 points and 5.1 rebounds. Although the stats dropped slightly last season as she came off the bench behind Serah Williams, she feels she has gained valuable experience.
UConn center Jana El Alfy (8) reacts after teammate Blanca QuiÃonez, not visible, scored a three-point basket against the Notre Dame during the second half in the Elite Eight of the NCAA college basketball tournament, Sunday, March 29, 2026, in Fort Worth, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
LM Otero/AP
Her biggest lesson learned is to be OK with making mistakes and figuring out how to bounce back from them.
“I feel more comfortable going into workouts in terms of what to expect and what is expected from you,” El Alfy said. “Day by day, you get more confidence and you get more comfortable.
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“I feel great. I definitely am embracing knowing that I can have a big role or a bigger role. It is a responsibility, and I try to get there every day.”
She realizes she needs to keep improving and must find more consistency in her game. She certainly has the physical tools to do that. She has the height, length and physical stature to be a considerable force if she plays with confidence and a short memory.
She used to beat herself up over mistakes, but she is learning to play through them now. She wants to be a leader on the team, especially to the growing core of international players and to the Huskies’ young post players sophomore Malou-Mamel and freshman Olivia Vukosa.
“She brings a lot to the team,” Vukosa said. “I love her to death. She does so much on the court and off the court, and she is just a mentor to me, especially because we play the same position.
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“I can ask her any questions I have about spacing on the court or about talking (defensively). She has all the answers for me right now. I look up to her as a big sister.”
With the summer session ending, most of the team will be heading home for a few weeks. El Alfy will be one of them. Her time with family may be the one final component she needs to focus on making the necessary changes that can make her the impact player the Huskies need her to be.
UConn center Jana El Alfy (8) drives towards the basket as Xavier guard Mariyah Noel falls to the floor while trying to defend during the third quarter of an NCAA college basketball game, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Tanner Pearson)
Tanner Pearson/Associated Press
“Getting to see family absolutely means a lot to me, especially after a long time of not being home,” El Alfy said. “Finally going back helps a lot mentally, physically and everything.”
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Senior point guard KK Arnold already likes the aggressiveness El Alfy has shown this summer. She is looking to score first when she gets the ball inside rather than create for others or pass up shots.
“She is also being very vocal on the back side of the defense,” Arnold said. “We need that aggressiveness from Jana. She understands that, and each and every day she is showing that side of her that we are going need this year. It’s great to see.”