Fan who made lasting impact on Hurley, Huskies dies at 15
Aubrien Jimenez’s visit with the UConn men’s basketball team in March was fairly brief, but deeply impactful.
Jimenez, diagnosed in June, 2021 with Stage 4 esthesioneuroblastoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the olfactory system, made a special visit with her family from their Bradenton, Florida home to attend UConn’s Big East tournament game against Villanova, followed by the team’s Selection Show celebration inside the Werth Family Champions Center on March 13.
The visit meant everything to the Aubrien, a UConn fan through her dad, Mario, a Bridgeport native who graduated from Bunnell High in 2003.
“We weren’t sure what to expect, because it was so impromptu and spontaneous,” Mario recalled. “It was one of the greatest moments of her life. It made such an impact on our family.”
Aubrien died on June 22 at 3:11 a.m. at age 15, with her mother, Kimber, and Mario by her side. Her funeral was on Saturday.
Aubrien’s brother Mariano, 6, had received a UConn hat from coach Dan Hurley and his wife Andrea during the Jimenez’s visit. On Saturday, Mario placed the hat inside his sister’s casket, one of the few items that will be with her forever.
“That really just speaks to what that trip meant to our whole family,” Mario said.
But Aubrien’s visit wasn’t only impactful to her and her family. The UConn basketball family was greatly impacted, as well. On Thursday, just hours before his life would forever be changed as the Atlanta Hawks’ second-round pick in the NBA Draft, Tyrese Martin replied to a Twitter post from the Inspiration Academy Softball that announced Aubrien’s passing.
“Aubrien you were a fighter!,” Martin wrote. “It’s a blessing to say I was able to spend time and have a conversation with you this