- UConn WBB Weekly
- Posts
- How shared injury struggles bonded Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson
How shared injury struggles bonded Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson
While other players came through the training room for various lengths of time, Ducharme and Patterson have been constants for one another.
Daniel Connolly
July 29, 2025
Photo: Ian Bethune
To this point in their respective UConn careers, Caroline Ducharme and Ayanna Patterson have both spent more time recovering from injuries than actually playing basketball. Those absences have largely lined up together, though.
In 2022-23, Ducharme suffered a concussion on Jan. 2 and Patterson went down with one just three days later. The next season, Patterson missed the entire campaign while Ducharme only played in four contests before shutting it down the rest of the way. Last year, they both watched from the sidelines until February when Ducharme returned to game action.
Amid all their own struggles, the pair leaned on each other and forged a deep bond through their shared adversity.
“She not only became a sister to me but she was my best friend,” Patterson said.
