Heckel to UConn (merged threads)

[StarMan]

Glad to have you with us, Kayleigh!

 

[uconnbill]

Welcome to Storrs Kayleigh

She was my second favorite player in her class behind Sarah

 

[cferraro04]

Welcome to Storrs Kayleigh

She was my second favorite player in her class behind Sarah

And, now we have both of them...

 

[Boreifs]

Imagine an AAU roster of 15 where everyone MUST play, necessitating three five-woman rotations.
C- SerahJana,Gandy
PF- Sarah, Ice,Ayanna
SF-Carol,Blanca,Morgan
SG-Azzi,Ash,Allie
PG-KK,Kayleigh,Kellis

There is Zero chance Geno will pigeonhole the players in this way, but it does illustrate just how incredibly deep this roster really is. 25-26 may require Geno’s greatest coaching job, because keeping everyone satisfied will be an enormous challenge. Withstanding injuries, however, may end up being the least of his problems

 

[PacoBlaze]

Huh?
If you’re referring to WCBB, it’s been 15 for decades.

That's helpful.

 

[SCNCHuskie]

According to Just Women’s Sports (JWS) and ESPN!

 

[caseyb7]

According to Just Women’s Sports (JWS) and ESPN!

Wow - great to hear & took a while.

I actually went over to ESPN to check as there have been so many false starts - thanks for being right on & early here.

While the Heckel & Williams news is great of its own merit - I hope the broader implication is this cements Geno/CD in for the foreseeable future. Obviously contingent upon their own circumstances & health needs, but as a fan - I want this ride to continue.

Congrats to all the UConn folks who contributed to this and continue to make the program something I/we enjoy so much.

In my opinion, there is no better team to watch in sports - and I like lots of teams/sports.

Welcome transfers.

 

[Bald Husky]

Welcome Kayleigh, now I don't have to check my computer 4 times a day looking for your decision. It should be interesting when UConn travels to USC this coming year. We will see what kind of fans they are way over on the left coast. Pumped for next year, no way we won't win again.

 

[Skeets]

And K9 = Canine, as in she's a dog. ( in a good way.)

Destined to be a Husky.

 

[jazz]

She is a very good addition. Not a great talent but a very good one. She appears to be smart, plays hard and is a K9 on defence. I think the defence is the big selling point for GA.

I think she has the potential to help even more than Chen did last year. No let up or drop off when she comes into the game.

If she makes a sophomore jump, well...then we stole one....

 

[Bone Dog]

She is a very good addition. Not a great talent but a very good one. She appears to be smart, plays hard and is a K9 on defence. I think the defence is the big selling point for GA.

I think she has the potential to help even more than Chen did last year. No let up or drop off when she comes into the game..

I’m having trouble reconciling these two statements. Anyone on this roster who can enter the game with no drop off is almost by definition a great talent. And I completely agree with second one — this is exactly my expectation too.

 

[Geew1992]

Skim Milkey has been saying Heckel to UConn is a possibility though since 2 weeks ago, and they’re almost always right. Perhaps they're the "source" WER is using.

Skim is pretty much spot on. He/she said right after Heckel hit the portal

 

[HuskyNan]

The Killer K's!

Don’t forget Kashlynn

 

[DemonDeac22]

I disagree about needing to pick up another ball handler. I think we would have been fine but as I believe Kate Harpring is not coming, I can see why Geno brought her in. Needed or not, she is a Husky now and I’m fully on board. This roster is just unbelievable! Now the only thing darkening my basketball horizon is having to wait five long boring months til practice starts!

You can never have “too many” great guards…I’m not giving up on Kate Harpring joining UConn Nation.

 

[Puppy Love]

I’m sure I’m a very tiny minority, but I’m not over the moon about this addition. I thought the team seemed complete without Kayleigh and that we already had quality players who would sit for lack of playing time.

 

[oldude]

I’m sure I’m a very tiny minority, but I’m not over the moon about this addition. I thought the team seemed complete without Kayleigh and that we already had quality players who would sit for lack of playing time.

I have two words for you - “Kaitlyn Chen.”

 

[Forego]

You are correct. But all 15 were not scholarship players.

You got me curious so I found the 95-96 roster and did a deep dive into scholarship status of the players. From what I could find in articles on the individual players, all had scholarships and there were no walk-ons. So, I am still curious. Whom did I miss?

 

[Bigpetunia]

I don't know a "heck" of a lot about Kayleigh's game, but I am told by folks whose knowledge exceeds mine that she is regarded to be a particularly strong defender, always a good thing. Can anyone edify me?

 

[huskeynut]

So the suspense of over. K-9 is a Husky.

Now the fun really begins. Geno is going to have a field day putting this team together. If people thought he out coached the competition on the way to #12, I think it's safe to say "you ain't seen nothin' yet."

 

[Puppy Love]

I have two words for you - “Kaitlyn Chen.”

I don’t see a comparison. Kaitlyn Chen played three years at Princeton and was a proven performer. To be blunt, there is no way that at least one of Allie, Morgan, Kelis, KK or Ash won’t feel ‘recruited over’, especially because Heckel has 3 years of eligibility. I know, they all have equal opportunity to earn minutes, but this is a lot of competition. Hopefully, I’ll be wrong, but I don’t see this as a net positive.

 

[HuskyNan]

I don’t see a comparison. Kaitlyn Chen played three years at Princeton and was a proven performer. To be blunt, there is no way that at least one of Allie, Morgan, Kelis, KK or Ash won’t feel ‘recruited over’, especially because Heckel has 3 years of eligibility. I know, they all have equal opportunity to earn minutes, but this is a lot of competition. Hopefully, I’ll be wrong, but I don’t see this as a net positive.

The No. 13 player in the class of 2024, Heckel spent her freshman season with the USC Trojans, averaging 6.1 points, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in 16.9 minutes per game.

She’ll slot in as UConn’s backup point guard behind KK Arnold and will provide some much-needed ball-handling. Without Heckel, the Huskies would’ve needed to rely on Azzi Fudd, Morgan Cheli and Kelis Fisher — none of whom are true floor generals — to spell Arnold, which would’ve left them vulnerable if anything happened to the rising junior.

UConn signs USC transfer Kayleigh Heckel

The Huskies add a much-needed ball-handler in the backcourt.

www.theuconnblog.com

 

[oldhusky]

She is a very good addition. Not a great talent but a very good one. She appears to be smart, plays hard and is a K9 on defence. I think the defence is the big selling point for GA.

I think she has the potential to help even more than Chen did last year. No let up or drop off when she comes into the game.

If she makes a sophomore jump, well...then we stole one....

If you compare her freshmen overall per minute numbers to KK, Ashlynn and Kaitlin as freshmen, they are all very close to each other. Different in certain categories, but overall very very close. A certain amount of sophomore jump should be expected. KK and Ash showed substantial bumps last year, but I do think at least some of that was due to not being forced to play excessive minutes in their first year due to injuries.

I believe KK has another factor that could produce another significant bump this year. She finally gets to spend most of her court time at her natural PG position. She had Nika two years ago, and Kaitlin last year consuming most of those minutes, and of course usually had another PG on the floor in Paige. This should make a big difference.

K9 can back her up and also be considered some at the 2, particularly if Ashlynn winds up getting a lot of minutes at the 3. With this addition, if healthy, we can be pretty much assured of having a high level backup at every position, and one injury to the guards could be covered pretty easily.

 

[Urshurak]

I don’t see a comparison. Kaitlyn Chen played three years at Princeton and was a proven performer. To be blunt, there is no way that at least one of Allie, Morgan, Kelis, KK or Ash won’t feel ‘recruited over’, especially because Heckel has 3 years of eligibility. I know, they all have equal opportunity to earn minutes, but this is a lot of competition. Hopefully, I’ll be wrong, but I don’t see this as a net positive.

They know exactly what they signed up for with Geno. It was made crystal clear. If they feel “recruited over” then that’s on them to get better. In my opinion, Geno brings in players with a team first mentality. Remember how he has to practically threaten Paige and Azzi to shoot? Those are the kind of players he wants. It’s not about “feelings and puppy love.” Never has been and never will. Not with Geno there anyway.

 

[CL82]

Finally, the wait and debate end. Now on to does she start...

No.

 

[CL82]

The table is now set for #13.

Easy there hoss.