Basketball season ended just over two weeks ago, but it’s never too early to talk about next year, especially when it comes to Connecticut, the Basketball Capital of the World. There’s been some movement for the UConn women’s basketball team, with benchwarmers Amari DeBerry and Inês Bettencourt transferring out and Sarah Strong, the class of 2024’s late-deciding top recruit, committing.
Today’s goal is to say fewer than 100 words about every scholarship player who is currently slated to suit up for the Huskies in 2024-2025. They’re categorized into three tiers, with the first being projected starters, which are players who I think would assume starting roles if the season began today. Next up is players who are starter-caliber or are near that zone. If there are no injuries, they’ll probably be on the bench, but will be getting key rotational minutes. The last category is players who will be further down on the bench. At least in recent history, coach Geno Auriemma hasn’t played more than nine players in a rotation. These four are talented enough to be in the rotation, but likely won’t get that opportunity if UConn stays healthy, which is no easy feat.
PROJECTED STARTERS
KK Arnold – Some might be wondering why Arnold is here as opposed to her freshman counterpart Ashlynn Shade, who won Big East Freshman of the Year honors. That’s because Arnold will return a defensive intensity to the starting five that UConn is losing with Nika Mühl’s departure. Though the freshman did have some lulls in her confidence as a shooter, she’s incredibly aggressive as a driver and on defense while passing well. Expect a big sophomore jump with Mühl out of the fold.
Ice Brady – It’s tough to figure out who’s going to be the center in the lineup, but Brady is a fine assumption for now. She’s more of a hybrid of forward and center, but assumed the role of the backup five this past season. Brady wasn’t amazing by any means with an average of 4.5 points and 3.3 boards, but she did step up in big moments. Most notably, she hit timely shots in UConn’s Elite Eight victory over USC as the team battled foul trouble, something she’ll hope to carry over into next year.
Paige Bueckers – Not much needs to be said about the reigning All-America selection and once National POTY. She’s incredible and will likely be the frontrunner for NPOTY heading into this campaign. Bueckers can score from all three levels and has improved her defensive game, having to adapt to guarding the opposing team’s power forwards. As long as she’s healthy, the Huskies have a chance to go deep, and if she can play her true position, then the team will be in even better shape.
Azzi Fudd – Fudd has had her past two seasons hampered by injuries, missing a chunk of the 2022-2023 campaign with a knee injury and all but two games this past year with a torn ACL. People forget just how good Fudd was in the first third of that 2022-2023 season before the initial injury. She torched any team she played against with 88 points across three wins over top 10 opposition. If she can get anywhere near that form, she’ll be a huge help for the Huskies.
Sarah Strong – Any freshman brings question marks, but Strong is about as good as they come. She has good size and can do it all on the court, with a solid post game and guard skills. Her best two assets are her shooting and her Magic Johnson-level passing abilities. It’s unclear what will translate on day one and what won’t, but Auriemma has a track record of starting top-recruits from the jump. For more on Strong, read here.
POTENTIAL STARTERS/FRONT OF BENCH
Caroline Ducharme – Another player whose impact is fairly uncertain is Ducharme. She had a great freshman year with exceptional confidence and positional size but has had her past two seasons wrecked by concussion complications. She appeared in just four games this past year and hasn’t looked like herself. When healthy, she’s a competent defender and reliable scorer, but getting healthy appears to be more of a hurdle than everyone would hope.
Jana El Alfy – El Alfy was anticipated to be a big piece on last year’s team after enrolling early but lost her chance to do so when she ruptured her Achilles while playing for the Egyptian national team over the summer. Auriemma has advertised her as being everything the Huskies need from a center – and her 6-foot-5 frame is a great place to start. She could definitely take the starting role from Brady, but as things stand, she’s still an unknown entity.
Aubrey Griffin – The redshirt senior was relegated to the bench five games into this past season, a place where she was much more comfortable for UConn. Griffin thrived as a sparkplug, but just as she was truly finding her niche, she tore her ACL. She’s a great defender and has shown flashes of a shot, but has been the most successful at showcasing her elite athleticism. As she recovers from the knee injury, it’s unclear what role she’ll have.
Ashlynn Shade – It may be strange to have this year’s Big East FOTY on the bench, but if Fudd returns in form, then that’s likely the way it’s going to be. Fudd is an amazing shooter, and Shade is excellent in her own right, but what they bring to the floor is comparable. Shade will still get minutes, but Fudd’s return will limit her playing time. The projected demotion is not a dig at Shade but is more a case of the Huskies getting healthy (knock on wood).
ROLE PLAYERS/BENCH
Morgan Cheli – Cheli is an interesting prospect, but with the amount of talent the Huskies have, it’s tough to see her finding much playing time without injuries to others. She’s a do-it-all guard who can score, rebound and pass at a high level with a 6-foot-2 frame. Toughening up in practice will be huge for her before she gets minutes next year, though if the past few years are any indication, she may get thrown onto the floor earlier than expected.
Ayanna Patterson – Patterson missed all of this season with a back injury and her timeline for a return is unclear. She hasn’t shown her best self in 30 games in Storrs, averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 boards in 10 minutes. When she’s not battling an ailment, Patterson is a force on the glass and the defensive end, but getting there could be a challenge.
Qadence Samuels – Samuels struggled in limited minutes her freshman year, but she wasn’t expected to play much – if at all – in the first place. Injuries to others put her on the floor in many more situations than would have been expected, including 14 minutes in the Elite Eight. Samuels is long and has a solid 3-point stroke, though it’s tough to see her getting minutes as long as everyone else is healthy.
Allie Ziebell – The top-5 freshman in the class is a bit undersized at 5-foot-10 and has been touted by Auriemma as having a Fudd/Bueckers level of intensity. However, similar to Cheli, there just is not a lot of room for minutes early on during her time in Storrs. While she’s set to be a high-level scorer whenever she hits the floor, fans will likely have to wait to see that.
With this much talent Geno needs to play more players and keep the team on the floor fresh. That means take a lesson from South Carolina.
The most important thing for next year is to avoid the injury curse that has plagued them the last few seasons. It has already reared its ugly head with a knee injury to Sarah Strong. We are still waiting to see how serious that injury is. This team is deep, but fragile. Aubrey, Azzi, and Jana are all coming off serious injuries. Patterson needs to prove she is healthy. And then there is Caroline. We are all pulling for her and can only hope her Post Concussion Syndrome symptoms are behind her for good. Finger crossed, Hurley can burn some sage, and Geno should hire an experienced protector from evil spirits for the staff. Bleed Blue Go Huskies!
I think you have glossed over the key element of “ full recovery from injury.” Aubrey, for example, won’t even be fully healthy ( if all goes well) until February. Caroline needs one knock to her head and she will be out for the year ( probably, she should retire now). Azzi has almost no chance of being fully fit by opening day. And Patterson has shown little so far. Even if we write her performance off to multiple, unattended injuries, she won’t be healthy until late in the season either. And we no zero about Jana, other than an Achilles rupture is really hard to come back from.
Can’t healthy UConn women’s basketball players