Despite adversity-filled journeys, UConn seniors always stuck together

UConn is set for a unique senior day on Sunday. The Huskies will honor four players — Aubrey Griffin (2019), Paige Bueckers (2020), Azzi Fudd (2021) and Kaitlyn Chen (2024) — who all arrived in Storrs at different times.

“It's a weird makeup of a class,” Geno Auriemma said. “They haven't spent a lot of time together on the court. Usually when you have seniors — like last year where Aaliyah (Edwards) and Nika (Mühl) come in together and are fortunate enough to play four years together. It's an odd mix this year and each of them has their own story.”

For the trio that came in as freshmen and have spent their entire careers with the Huskies, they’ve all dealt with significant adversity throughout their time in Storrs. Bueckers had a pair of knee injuries impact two straight seasons. Griffin missed the 2021-22 campaign with a back injury then tore her ACL in January 2024. Fudd missed time in each of her four years — first a foot issue, then a knee injury followed by a torn ACL.

UConn’s injuries extended beyond the seniors, forcing the team to constantly deal with depleted rosters that made the program look vulnerable for the first time in recent memory. All of that came in the midst and aftermath of the Covid pandemic, too.

“It hasn't been easy for them,” Auriemma said. “Everybody says that when you were a teenager going through the whole pandemic cycle, that it did leave a mark — somehow, some way.”

“It’s the opposite of normal,” Griffin said of her career.

Ultimately, all the challenges they went through helped bring the group closer together. In fact, they all helped each other get through it all.

“We've been through so much and we've been rocks for each other, just pillars to lean on,” Fudd said. “Only we know the stuff that we've been through and how we've gotten through it. I don't think that any of us would have been able to make it this far with this same mentality and liveliness about us if it wasn't for each of us.”

Griffin is the only six-year player to this point in program history. When she joined the team, UConn was still in the American Athletic Conference and Covid was still some months off.

“It's been such a long time, I don't remember her freshman year,” Auriemma said earnestly. “That year was kind of a blur for me. I don't remember much of it.”

This won’t be her first time going through senior festivities. She participated last year but at the end of it all declared to the crowd that she’d be back for one more go-around. Now that this is it, a sense of finality is starting to set in for Griffin.

“Last year I knew I was coming back,” she said. “This year, I'm not so it's hitting different and making me a little emotional. But I'm just trying to embrace it and embrace everything and embrace like my last moments here.”

While Griffin admitted it’s “scary” that she isn’t sure what’s next, she knows that the coaching staff has prepared her for anything. She also can’t wait to be done with classes.

“I’m over the school part,” an exasperated Griffin said while doubling over with laughing. “The basketball part, I love it.”

Then there’s Bueckers, now in her fifth season. Like Griffin, she announced that she’d be back at senior day 2024 but is preparing for all the lasts of her UConn career.

“Last year, I sort of knew that I was coming back,” Bueckers said. “But this year, it definitely feels different. I’m still really not thinking about it, but it becomes more real as the time goes on.”

Fudd is the closest thing to a traditional senior having spent four years in Storrs. Though she’s participating in the festivities, she hasn’t decided whether she’ll be back next season. Either way, Fudd is in denial that senior day is finally here and will attempt to keep it that way so her emotions don’t get in the way of her performance against Marquette.

“I'm actually not thinking about it at all. Yeah, just a normal game,” she said. “I'm hopefully gonna stay in denial until after the game and then the emotions can come on. But I'm trying my hardest to not think about it.”

As for Chen, she spent the first four years of her career at Princeton before transferring to UConn for her final season of eligibility. Brought in to replace Nika Mühl as a veteran point, she’s done just that. Chen has started every game, recording the third-most assists (103) and fifth-most points (215) on the squad. The Huskies have also raved about her leadership qualities all season long.

“Kaitlyn has had a significant impact,” Griffin said. “She knows the game really well and she's the kind of leader that tells you where you need to be when — and she's just very vocal about it. She doesn't hold back anything. So I think it's great that we have her.”

It’s an eclectic group of seniors that’s been through a lot at UConn. Not just has gone right — individually or collectively — during their respective careers. But as it begins to come to an end with senior day, they all have each other.

“I'm glad that they're getting to finish it out in a way that they can be together — on and off the court,” Auriemma said. “They've been pretty tight together off the court, these guys, but it's nice for them to finish with all them on the court.”