One of the biggest adjustments Nika Mühl will experience in her transition from UConn women’s basketball to the WNBA is the extra foul allowed at the professional level.

Instead of fouling out after five personal fouls, she’ll now have a little more wiggle room.

“Much more contact allowed which I like. I like that a lot,” Mühl said with a grin. “Six fouls, honestly, I had no idea that that is the case (in the WNBA). So, I’m very excited about that.”

Mühl, who is known for her aggressive fouling and physical defense, begins her professional career this spring as a rookie point guard for the Seattle Storm. She’s spent the past week competing in the team’s training camp for a spot on its 2024 roster. The adjustment has been challenging, of course, but the former Husky is enjoying learning the ropes at a place known for turning great UConn players into WNBA legends.

“It’s been fun. It’s been very competitive,” Mühl said during the Storm’s Media Day on Thursday over Zoom. “A lot of learning. A lot of new things. A lot of being challenged, feeling challenged, but overall, just getting to know everybody on and off the court, everybody in the program, the players, the coaches just connecting (with) them and figure out those relationships. It’s been a lot, but I like it.”

Mühl was picked No. 14 overall by the Storm during this year’s draft in Brooklyn on April 15. She’s the eighth Husky all-time to be drafted by the franchise, joining former Husky greats Sue Bird and Breanna Stewart. Mühl’s draft stock rose immensely after her defense held No. 1 overall pick Caitlin Clark to just six first-half points in the Final Four. Prior to the national semifinal, Mühl was projected as a late second-round pick.

“I never thought of myself as ever being at the draft,” Mühl said. “I never thought of myself ever of getting drafted. I’m not saying I didn’t believe in it or didn’t work hard towards it. It was just something that seemed so far away and so much bigger than me. I kind of learned how to take it day by day and just put my head down and work and be focused on each game at a time.”

Her preparation for the WNBA started less than a week later.

Mühl was one of three Huskies invited to attend Kelsey Plum’s Dawg Class at IMG Academy in Florida. The three-day skills clinic focuses on helping small guards prepare for the expectations of the league through Plum and her resources. Azzi Fudd and KK Arnold also attended this year’s camp (Per the Athletic, Fudd did not participate in shooting drills since she’s still recovering from her knee injury).

“Oh my God, that was one of the best experiences of my life. Hands down. It was so much fun,” Mühl said. “… I was like, ‘There is no better way for me to go to training camp and get prepared for training camp then to go over there and learn from the best.’ Being surrounded with so many younger players that are already impacting the game and are going to be impacting the game in the future, it (was) so competitive, but also fun and just relaxing.

“And I could get my mind off of a lot of things that were stressing me out at the time. But to be able to learn from Kelsey, and I was also annoying with her too, I was trying to ask as many questions as I can. She is such a great role model and not a lot of players do things like this, and she definitely takes her time to make an impact and give back. I felt it and I think she prepared me so so so well for this.”

The Croatia native made a quick stop back in Storrs after Florida to say goodbye to the UConn program, including an emotional goodbye with Geno Auriemma. She then jumped on a plane to the complete opposite corner of the country to begin her professional career in the State of Washington.

Mühl wore No. 10 throughout her four-year career in Storrs. However, the Storm retired No. 10 last summer in honor of Bird, who played all 19 years of her WNBA career in Seattle. Mühl chose No. 1 as her new number.

While Bird has reached out to offer her support, Mühl has been learning in camp under the team’s current vetaran guards Jewell Loyd, Sami Whitcomb and Skylar Diggins-Smith.

“I have great support from my coaches and teammates, and they answer all my questions,” Mühl said. “I’m being very annoying, trying to be as annoying as I can. But they’re super patient, super understanding. And I mean, I just have great people around me here so I’m thankful for that.”

Mühl said some of the biggest differences so far, she’s noticed in camp versus at the collegiate level is the physicality and the sheer number of offensive plays she has to memorize and learn. She also said Seattle coach Noelle Quinn takes a calmer approach than Auriemma.

“I feel like Coach Noelle is so different than all the coaches that I’ve previously had. She’s so calm. She’s really such a poise coach, and I love that energy,” Mühl said. “She’s my first female head coach that I’ve ever had in my life. And I just love it and I love her energy and she just brings a calmness to this team.”

Mühl knows her spot on the Storm isn’t guaranteed. But that’s a pressure she’s used to.

“I’m just trying to stay present. I’m trying to stay focused,” she said. “I come from a place where there is a lot of pressure, UConn. There’s a lot of expectations over there. So, I’ve kind of gotten used to things like that. But overall being at the camp for a couple of days, we’ve just thrown into a lot of stuff.

“The season is so quick. I was talking to Sami the other day and I was just like, ‘I feel like I played against Iowa yesterday.’ … Some people might find it very draining and stressful. Which it is. But I try to shift my mindset and look at it as another challenge and something that I can learn from and something that I can ultimately get better at.”

Seattle opens the regular season on May 14, hosting Minnesota at 10 p.m. ET (ESPN 3).