Amanda balionis responded seriously to Paige bueckers for showing her true character with a touching gesture for teammates and fans

 

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Amanda Balionis responds to Paige Bueckers showing her true character to teammate and fans
Amanda Balionis commended Paige Bueckers on social media after the UConn women’s basketball star showed her true colors with a touching gesture for teammate Jana El Alfy
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ByMatthew NeschisUS Sports Reporter
06:36 ET, MAR 25 2025
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Amanda Balionis applauded Paige Bueckers for displaying her leadership on and off the court (Image: Getty Images)
Amanda Balionis heaped praise on Paige Bueckers after the UConn star’s touching gesture for a teammate was made public.

Over the last three weeks, Bueckers has frequently woken up before dawn and cooked breakfast for Huskies center Jana El Alfy – who is actively observing Ramadan – per the CT Insider’s Maggie Vanoni. “We’ve had some pretty good meals together, just getting up, making sure we’re getting the right nutrition,” the First Team All-American said. “She makes me eat with her sometimes, and sometimes I’m like, ‘Bruh, I can’t eat right now, I’m going back to sleep.’”

While El Alfy has participated in the full-day fasting since she was 11 years old, this is the first time that the Cairo, Egypt native has had to compete in March Madness during Ramadan, which runs from February 28 through March 29. In order to support her teammate through the Muslim holiday, Bueckers has assumed the role of personal chef – either cooking or eating with El Alfy at around 5 a.m. in the morning.

Taking to social media, Balionis commended Bueckers for showing class both on and off the court. The CBS Sports reporter reshared a post highlighting the story on Instagram alongside the caption: “Allyship. Friendship. Leadership.”

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On the second day of Ramadan, Bueckers arrived at their shared apartment with “two big grocery bags,” and often makes scrambled eggs with avocado toast for El Alfy, as well as their roommates Caroline Ducharme and Allie Ziebell.

“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,” she said. “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.”

Paige Bueckers has agreed to help Jana El Alfy fast through Ramadan (Image: Getty Images)
The kind gesture is not lost on El Alfy, who credited her peers for helping her navigate the challenges that come with fasting and playing basketball. “It’s definitely tough. It’s an important month for me,” she said. “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.

“I feel like I’m blessed and grateful to be surrounded with this group. It’s a really, really special group, and they’re always asking questions, and they’re always like, ‘Oh, how are you feeling?’ or ‘I can’t imagine doing that.’ … I think I wouldn’t have done it or made it this far if it wasn’t for my teammates.”

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