Transfers Who Wear National Flag Blue and White

[Surly1]

NIL and the portal have altered collegiate athletics. Transfers in and out have become the norm, and with some schools you need a program to keep track of the comings and goings. While there have been players that have transferred out, there have been few to transfer in at UConn. Of course, previous rules required a player to sit out a year before playing. This post is a tribute to those who have made more than an impact on the court.

Evina Westbrook, or better known as "Mama E" took 7 freshies, including Paige Bueckers under her wing during the pandemic year. Although injuries may have taken a sting out of her game on the court, her impact was far greater off it. I think we all forgive her 2-year stint at the old "evil empire," but in our hearts she is forever Huskie.

Dorka Juhasz played for 2 seasons, transferring in after 3 years at OSU. It was so painful to see her break her wrist early on in the Elite 8 classic against NC ST. After the amazing win, I had tears watching the team collect around her, everyone overcome with emotion. She is more Huskie than Buckeye.

Dorka's fellow international, Lou Lopez Senechal only played one season after 4 at Fairfield. but oh, what a year it was. I can't imagine what UConn would have done if LLS wasn't there to fill Paige's shoes after she tore her ACL. I will never forget the game she had at Tennessee, shooting the lights out. Her last outing against Ohio St in the tournament was made more memorable finding out she had injured her knee and played the entire game. In my eyes, she's earned being a forever Huskie.

This year's team has brought in Kaitlyn Chen. The way she has ingratiated herself into the UConn culture makes it appear like she has played in a UConn uniform her entire career. Of course, she's a Princeton grad and there is more of the season to be played, but I feel she has sacrificed scoring, and playing time with KK Arnold without a peep of discourse.

Geno may be better known for his victories and NC's, but I think he does a pretty amazing job at picking the "right" kids to play at UConn. Look at all the graduates who keep in touch and proudly wear and bleed their UConn colors.

 

[Bigboote]

Geno and CD and staff also do a great job of taking in great people and making them even better people. I find that just as amazing as their basketball success.

 

[Jonathan14]

NIL and the portal have altered collegiate athletics. Transfers in and out have become the norm, and with some schools you need a program to keep track of the comings and goings. While there have been players that have transferred out, there have been few to transfer in at UConn. Of course, previous rules required a player to sit out a year before playing. This post is a tribute to those who have made more than an impact on the court.

Evina Westbrook, or better known as "Mama E" took 7 freshies, including Paige Bueckers under her wing during the pandemic year. Although injuries may have taken a sting out of her game on the court, her impact was far greater off it. I think we all forgive her 2-year stint at the old "evil empire," but in our hearts she is forever Huskie.

Dorka Juhasz played for 2 seasons, transferring in after 3 years at OSU. It was so painful to see her break her wrist early on in the Elite 8 classic against NC ST. After the amazing win, I had tears watching the team collect around her, everyone overcome with emotion. She is more Huskie than Buckeye.

Dorka's fellow international, Lou Lopez Senechal only played one season after 4 at Fairfield. but oh, what a year it was. I can't imagine what UConn would have done if LLS wasn't there to fill Paige's shoes after she tore her ACL. I will never forget the game she had at Tennessee, shooting the lights out. Her last outing against Ohio St in the tournament was made more memorable finding out she had injured her knee and played the entire game. In my eyes, she's earned being a forever Huskie.

This year's team has brought in Kaitlyn Chen. The way she has ingratiated herself into the UConn culture makes it appear like she has played in a UConn uniform her entire career. Of course, she's a Princeton grad and there is more of the season to be played, but I feel she has sacrificed scoring, and playing time with KK Arnold without a peep of discourse.

Geno may be better known for his victories and NC's, but I think he does a pretty amazing job at picking the "right" kids to play at UConn. Look at all the graduates who keep in touch and proudly wear and bleed their UConn colors.

Great post, @Surly1. One transfer player who didn't have as much impact on the court as Mama E, Dorka, Lou, and Kaitlyn has nevertheless really impressed me with her post-collegiate career: Batouly Camara, who came to UConn in the 2016–17 season from Kentucky. Batouly, who is Guinean-American, is the founder and CEO of WAKE, Women's and Kids' Empowerment, a nonprofit that supports "girls’ educational and social development needs in New York City and Guinea." She is also an advocate for other Muslim women and girls in sports. She's been recognized as a Forbes 30 under 30 and an ESPY Billie Jean King Sports Humanitarian honoree.

Here she is with some familiar faces at Geno and Chris's 40th anniversary night. (Swipe.)

 

[Vowelguy]

Other transfers in:

• Azura Stevens (Duke)
• Jess McCormack (Washington) [never played]
• Natalie Butler (Georgetown)
• Rashidat Sadiq (JUCO)
• Tihana Abrilic (JUCO)
• Rita Williams (JUCO -- Mitchell)
• Christine Rigby (Santa Clara)
• Brittany Hunter (Duke)
• Renee Najarian (South Carolina)
• Sarah Northway (Arizona)

 

[Centerstream]

I think Natalie Butler is the only player that transferred in and then as a grad student transferred from UConn to George Mason. She had a record breaking year for them.

 

[JoePgh]

I think Azura Stevens deserves more prominent mention in this thread. If she had stayed for her last year of eligibility, I think UConn would have another NC. For that matter, if she had played more minutes against Notre Dame in the NCAA semifinal, that might have been enough to produce an NC in the one year that she did play for UConn.