UConn freshmen make postseason debuts
UNCASVILLE — The biggest unknown Geno Auriemma had about his 2023-24 UConn women’s basketball squad heading into the postseason was how his four freshmen would perform.
Would they meet the moment? Play through the pressure of win-or-gohome and all the bright lights and attention?
He couldn’t have imagined that he’d start three of them in the final two games of the Big East Tournament.
But Auriemma learned over the course of three days at Mohegan Sun that not only do his newcomers have what it takes to step up and lead, but they can be steady in big moments. And with UConn’s quest to return to the Final Four beginning next week, that reassurance comes at the perfect time.
“Some of these young guys have to grow up and they had to grow up fast and they did,” he said. “You don’t know until you’re put in that situation, what you can do. Sometimes you’re put in a situation where you have no choice, which I kind of love that. Because it brings out the best of you.”
The Huskies’ coach’s worries were put at ease in the team’s very first postseason game Saturday in the Big East Tournament quarterfinals.
KK Arnold was electric. She set the pace and the other Huskies followed.
Heads turned back and forth as the freshman point guard sprinted up and down the court, laying in buckets on one end and pressuring defenders on the other. Her feet hardly stay flat-footed and still for more than a single second.
She was second with 17 points and five assists on top of five rebounds and one steal in the quarterfinals. Two days later, Arnold led with four steals and recorded 11 assists
throughout the three days.
“KK is able to have that kind of impact on our team,” Auriemma said. “There’s an attitude or there’s something about her that’s somewhat infectious. It’s somewhat galvanizing that when you get somebody like that, that makes a big play at the defensive end and then comes down and makes a big play at the offensive end; you could see the entire team get lifted.”
Also in Saturday’s quarterfinals, Ice Brady was called into the most important moment of the game. The redshirt freshman became UConn’s lone forward available after Aaliyah Edwards broke her nose early in the third quarter and left the court.
Brady rose to the occasion. She played confidently and strong. She bodied defenders with her physicality, length and agility. And never once backed down.
The San Diego native, who sat out all last year with a knee injury, started in place of Edwards in both Sunday’s semifinals and Monday’s championship — playing the full 40 minutes both games. In the title game, she led UConn with eight rebounds and was second with 13 points.
Brady averaged 10.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 steals, one block and one assist in 34.16 minutes per game over the tournament. She was the only underclassmen to earn a spot on the All-Tournament team.
“I think once Aaliyah got hurt, I think the light went off and it’s like, (Brady) looked around and went, ‘There is no other option. I’m the only option.’ ” Auriemma said. “… There’s a lot more selfawareness of ‘What do I want to be? How do I want to be viewed? What kind of contributions do I want to make?’ And little by little, I think it has dawned on her that, ‘I can be a contributor. I want to be a contributor. And the only person that’s keeping me from being that is me. So, I have to change.’ ”
Ashlynn Shade proved she can be UConn’s steady rock. The Big East Freshman of the Year’s movements without the ball always made her a readily available option on offense. And her defense was just as impressive, attacking opponents with her quick feet and pressure. She was vocal when switching assignments and repeatedly ripped away loose dribbles.
Shade was the only other Husky to play a full 40minute game over the weekend (doing so in the semis vs. Marquette). She averaged the most minutes of UConn’s underclassmen at 35.3 per game.
“My goal is just to be the best version of myself and the best version my team needs,” she said.
With the bench depleted, Qadence Samuels showed she can be that go to sixth player that the team needs without Aubrey Griffin (ACL). She was quick to adapt to the game and get open. She didn’t get frustrated after she was called for a foul against Georgetown and instead responded by draining a 3-pointer the very next play. She finished with 5.3 points and 2.6 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per game off the bench.
While Auriemma expects Edwards to be ready to play for the opening round of the NCAA Tournament (March 22-24), he can exhale knowing his freshmen have proven themselves.
“I’d like to see it happen day after day with all of them. But you can almost know that that’s probably not realistic,” he said. “… Those three and Q came in and gave us some really good minutes. That’s all you want. Just come in and give us some minutes, give us some consistent minutes. And we’ll see where it takes us.”
The freshmen class’ first season in Storrs hasn’t quite gone as hoped. Who knows if they’d be seeing the court this much if not for another rash of injuries. But they’ve taken advantage of the opportunity.
“It’s been a crazy journey, honestly,” Arnold said. “At the beginning, we were just seeing the vibe of playing with everybody but as soon as that cut down low, we just really had to step into our role and be confident.
“That was one of the big things that we really learned, is how to be confident and that got poured into us by our leaders by Aaliyah, Nika (Mühl) and Paige (Bueckers). As we got that concept, we just played freely and played like ourselves and played our role. … We all have a role. We all knew what to do during these types of moments.”
Added Shade: “It’s absolutely incredible, like where we started and where we are now. We’ve really stepped up to the challenge when our team needed us and I’m just so proud of all of us because we work every single day. We push each other to become better and it’s just an incredible to see our hard work is paying off.”