Uncasville, Conn. — Any former UConn women’s basketball player can attest to how hard it is to impress Geno Auriemma.
Although, after a few months of showcasing her skills in practice, freshman Jovana Popovic has.
“[I’m] super impressed with how quickly she picks things up and how vocal she’s becoming,” Auriemma said to the media on Saturday. “I thought she’d be good, and she’s been everything I thought she’d be. I’m really impressed.”
Auriemma was so impressed that he gave her the nod in the starting lineup Monday night. With Azzi Fudd and Serah Williams graduating this past spring, it left a big question mark on who would play alongside Sarah Strong, KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade for the 2026-27 season.
While this matchup was only an exhibition game, Auriemma selected Jana El Alfy, who has experience as a starter. Due to Blanca Quiñonez still rehabbing from a shoulder injury, he also selected Popovic, a 5-foot-9 freshman guard.
“She plays at a pace that all good players play,” Auriemma said Monday when asked about the guard. “She doesn’t get sped up. She doesn’t lose her composure out there. She knows what she’s good at.”
Before even stepping foot on campus, Popovic collected many accolades. She played for ZKK Art Basket for the First League of Serbia and played for the Serbian National Team in the FIBA EuroBasket in 2025.
As a guard for Art Basket, she averaged 27.1 points per game, winning a championship in the 2023-24 season.
Just within the first few days she was playing with the squad, Auriemma had glowing remarks for Popovic.
“[She’s] smart, fits in easily, good student, picks things up quickly on the court. She’s a little taller than I thought,” Auriemma said this past June when asked about the guard. “For the first four, five days that she’s been here, I think she’s done what I hope she would do exactly,” Auriemma said on Monday.
In the exhibition matchup against the Orange, Husky fans saw her skills on full display.
Alongside six of her teammates, she also racked up points in double figures.
She finished the evening with 10 points, shooting 5-7 from the field, and dished out three assists. These stats were accumulated in 31 minutes on the court, the most out of anyone on UConn’s roster.
Making that transition from European to American basketball is tough for any player, but Popovic emphasized that hanging out with her teammates has helped her with that.
Popovic completes the puzzle for UConn this season, bringing an edge to the hardwood that Husky fans haven’t seen in years past.
“As she puts all the pieces together, she’s going to be a big, big help to us […] she’s found a little niche for herself,” Auriemma said on Monday.
To see Popovic back in action, the Huskies will clash against the Texas Longhorns on Monday, Oct. 19 for another exhibition matchup.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. from PeoplesBank Arena in Hartford, Conn. Husky fans can tune in to the matchup on WFSB or UConn+.