Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies are looking to help the program win its first NCAA tournament since 2016, and the star guard is going above and beyond as she aims to ensure the entire team is in peak condition during March Madness.
Connecticut's center Jana El-Alfy is in her freshman season with the program. A native of Cairo, Egypt and a practicing Muslim, El-Alfy has been fasting from sunrise until sunset while observing Ramadan throughout most of the month of March.
Bueckers has supported her teammate throughout her fast by waking up early before the sun rises in order to cook El-Alfy breakfast.
El-Alfy has observed Ramadan since her youth, but she's never had to deal with the difficulties that come with fasting during the NCAA tournament. Having Bueckers put in the effort to get up early and make her scrambled eggs in the morning has meant a lot to her.
"That was really, really sweet of her," El Alfy said, via CT Insider. "And it meant a lot because obviously, being away from home, that’s tough, and my teammates made it so much easier for me.
"It’s definitely tough. It's an important month for me. I try as much as I can to fuel whenever it's time to eat and manage it with playing. Obviously, it's hard. It wasn't easy at all. But my teammates really helped with that, and the staff, they were all supportive."
El-Alfy has been fasting since the evening of Feb. 28. She will continue to fast until Ramadan ends on March 29. As such, she's been fasting throughout the entirety of UConn's conference tournament run, as well as the opening few rounds of the NCAA tournament.
In her NCAA tournament debut on Saturday, El-Alfy logged 19 minutes and provided five points, six rebounds and two blocked shots during the 103–34 win against Arkansas State.
The Huskies play their second round game on Monday evening against South Dakota State, with tip-off set for 8:00 p.m. ET
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Paige Bueckers Made Breakfast for UConn Teammate Observing Ramadan During March Madness.
