How former UConn players fared this past season

There were four former Huskies still playing across the country during the 2024-25 campaign.

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Daniel Connolly
May 08, 2025

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How former UConn players fared this past season

With the introduction of the transfer portal and the ability to change schools without penalty, player movement is at an all-time high in women’s college basketball. This year, over 30 percent of Division I players put their name in the portal.

Despite that, UConn has largely been immune. Over the last five recruiting cycles between 2020-24, the Huskies added 19 freshmen on scholarship and only six of them transferred — none of them major contributors.

Looking at this past season, there were still four former UConn players suiting up for other teams around the country.

Inês Bettencourt — Gonzaga

Bettencourt came to UConn as a last-minute addition to provide some depth in the backcourt following Paige Bueckers’ torn ACL in 2022 but never earned a spot in the rotation. After two seasons with the Huskies, she departed in search of playing time and ended up at Gonzaga.

A starter through the first nine games, Bettencourt dropped a career-high 16 points in the Bulldogs’ opener and followed it up with a 17-point effort soon after. She ultimately reached double-figures four times in her first seven contests.

Bettencourt continued to see regular minutes and helped Gonzaga reach the WBIT and make a run to the quarterfinals, where it fell in overtime to eventual champions Minnesota.

UConn eventually joined her in Spokane for the regionals and she showed up to watch the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight victories. After the Huskies punched their ticket to the Final Four, she came down to the court for the celebration.

Even though Bettencourt is no longer a member of the program, she remains beloved by her former teammates.

“That's one of my best friends and she always will be,” Azzi Fudd said.

Saylor Poffenbarger — Maryland

Aside from Bettencourt, the rest of the former Huskies all congregated at Maryland. Poffenbarger — a native of Middletown, Maryland — transferred in after spending the previous three seasons at Arkansas.

In her first year with the Terps, Poffenbarger played in 30 games, starting a little more than half. She ranked fifth in both minutes (796) and points per game (9.1) for a Maryland team that reached the Sweet Sixteen for the fourth time in the last five years.

Poffenbarger set a season-high with 19 points against Toledo in December and reached double-figures on 12 occasions. She also put up a ridiculous 17 rebounds in a conference loss to USC in early January.

Though she began her college career during the 2020-21 campaign, Poffenbarger has one final year of eligibility left, which she’ll use at Maryland.

Mir McLean — Maryland

Another Maryland native, hailing from Baltimore, McLean also returned to her home state in large part to reunite with her close friend Poffenbarger. After missing the 2023-24 campaign with a knee injury, she made it back to play in all 33 games off the bench this past season.

McLean’s playing time appeared to be waning down the stretch of the regular season before a meeting with head coach Brenda Frese turned it all around. She saw 23 minutes against Michigan on Feb. 17 — more than twice her total over the previous three games — and made some crucial plays in the fourth quarter to secure a victory.

In the NCAA Tournament, McLean played 36 minutes in the Terrapins’ double-overtime thriller against Alabama in the second round, finishing with eight points, 10 rebounds and a crucial steal.

Like Poffenbarger, McLean will return to Maryland for her sixth and final year of college ball.

Amari DeBerry — Maryland

After three seasons in Storrs, DeBerry also joined up with the Maryland Huskies. Though she started a pair of games at the start of conference play, she ultimately only saw action in 22 of 33 contests and averaged 7.7 minutes.

DeBerry featured in the rotation early on but eventually ended up at the end of the bench. She didn’t play more than 10 minutes after Jan. 26 and scored a total of 56 points.

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