The University of Connecticut women’s basketball team hosted an open practice in Fairfield, CT on Sunday.
Below is my compiled list of lineups and rotations, injuries to note and players that impressed in the team’s first open practice of the 2025-26 season.
Kayleigh Heckel impressed in her (de facto) Husky debut
Heckel turned heads on Sunday with a confident display of shooting (particularly from three) and on-ball defense. The USC transfer ran the floor extremely well when she was tasked with being the lead facilitator.
The sophomore sprinted tirelessly up and down the court, diving for balls, slithering between screens and pacing the offense with an uptick tempo.
The “starting” lineups… what to make of them – if anything
The two teams competed against each other for one segment of practice and comprised 10 of the 11 available Huskies. Arnold, Fudd, Sarah Strong, Ducharme and Ice Brady wore blue, while Kelis Fisher, Heckel, Allie Ziebell, Ayanna Patterson and Serah Williams wore white.
I wouldn’t read too far into the assortment. Two factors are confounding here; one lineup appears disproportionally bigger than the other (Strong got Ziebell in the low post) while both played without four impact players.
Ashlynn Shade, Jana El Alfy, Blanca Quiñonez and Morgan Cheli all did not fully participate.
Shade, El Alfy and Quiñonez warmed up when the team when it came onto the court, participating in lay-up lines and initial half court drills with no limitations. When the team split for scrimmages, however, they went to the bench.
Shade was seen with a wrap on her right thigh (just above her kneecap) shortly afterwards. El Alfy and Quiñonez had no visible wrap or cast but sat out the entirety of the team scrimmage portion.
Cheli did not participate in any team drills. The sophomore forward missed the final two months of last year with an ankle injury, which required season-ending surgery. When introduced on Sunday, Cheli walked with a noticeable limp. She remained present and on the court during the entirety of practice.
Additionally, Ziebell practiced with a face mask on. She participated fully in both warmups and the team scrimmage.
The available frontcourt players were not afraid to shoot
Williams, Brady and Patterson spent most of the day in the post for the Huskies in the absence of El Alfy.
Patterson made her impact on the glass, routinely pulling down rebounds on the defensive end while also notching a pair of baskets under the rim.
Both Williams and Brady were willing shooters, from the block to the elbow.
Williams, who transferred from Wisconsin this off season, was particularly aggressive with the ball in her hands.
The point guard trio is paradoxically good
Arnold, Heckel, Fisher.
Wiry, tough and intelligent – yet also wildly different.
Arnold is likely to be the starter out of the three, but both Heckel and Fisher will vie for time in the rotation.
Arnold has established herself as the team’s “junkyard dog” defender with a tenacious on-ball presence and penchant for creating turnovers.
She’ll mentor Fisher, who should see playing time after an impressive showing, particularly as a passer, on Sunday. I counted several times when Fisher drove deep into the paint only to slice it out to a teammate for an open three.
Heckel’s aforementioned energy on both sides of the ball will inevitably give her a role on floor. It is worth noting that both Arnold and Heckel were on the court together in multiple rotations.
Arnold will bring the defensive energy, Heckel the consistent three-point shooting and Fisher the facilitating. They’ll all, however, play sticky on-ball defense and run the floor efficiently.