Women's Fastbreak On SI

UConn Fans Commend Paige Bueckers About Religious Breakfast Assist for Teammate

UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers is getting a lot of love for how she's supporting a Muslim teammate during Ramadan.

Grant Young

Mar 8, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) returns up court against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2025; Uncasville, CT, USA; UConn Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) returns up court against the St. John's Red Storm in the first half at Mohegan Sun Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images

While UConn Huskies star Paige Bueckers is best known for her efficient bucket-getting ability on the basketball court, she's also a great playmaker for her teammates.

However, her facilitating for teammates isn't limited to the court. This was revealed in a March 24 article from CT Insider's Maggie Vanoni in heartwarming fashion.

"Bueckers has chosen to support the native of Egypt through Ramadan this year by getting up before dawn most days and cooking breakfast for El Alfy before her daily fast," Vanoni wrote.

"Such was the case Sunday, the day before the Huskies' NCAA Tournament Second Round meeting with South Dakota State. But El Alfy slept through her alarm, leaving Bueckers no other choice but to bang on El Alfy's bedroom door to wake her in time to eat before sunrise."

Bueckers is then quoted saying in the article, "'I was like, 'Jana, wake up! I didn’t make these scrambled eggs for nothing!'" It later adds, "The 6-foot-5 center said she tries to have a filling breakfast each morning in preparation for the day’s fast. Bueckers, being one of El Alfy’s roommates, often joins El Alfy in support for the early morning meal, which usually occurs before or around 5 a.m."

"We've had some pretty good meals together, just getting up, making sure we're getting the right nutrition," Bueckers said. She then added, "I'm her roommate, so just to be able to be there to support her, let her know we're here for her through everything, and we know what she's going through is tough to do -- to be able to do Ramadan, fast and play basketball at such a high level right now.

"So just anytime you can support somebody, especially when they're going through something; it's a lot better when you’re going through something with somebody," Bueckers continued.

Huskies fans are showing Bueckers a lot of love for supporting her teammate in this way. One X user posted screenshots of several quotes in the article and wrote, "I love how Paige and the team supports Jana during ramadan🥹🥹".

Another fan added, "This is what being on a basketball team is all about. Jana is away from her family in Egypt, but she has Paige and the rest of her UConn family to support her during Ramadan."

"Paige is as kind as she seems. What a team. Loving, supportive," wrote a third.

As if Huskies needed another reason to love Bueckers more than they already do, they now have one.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers Women’s Basketball, the New York Yankees, and the New York Mets for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years. However, he now prefers Angel Reese to Angels in the Outfield.

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