KK Arnold embracing new role as UConn's 'menace'

The sophomore isn't starting anymore, but she's no less important to the Huskies.

Author

Daniel Connolly
December 05, 2024

Photo: Ian Bethune

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KK Arnold embracing new role as UConn's "menace"

With UConn healthier and deeper, KK Arnold is adjusting to a new role this season. After starting the final 33 games of her freshman year and averaging 30.2 minutes on a team that reached the Final Four, she’s no longer being asked to do so many things.

Instead, Arnold is tasked with bringing the intangibles. Or as she puts it:

“Just being a menace out there, it's kind of what I'm here for,” she said. “I like that word ‘menace’, just being out there, creating energy, creating havoc for my teammates, because that creates energy for us for the rest of the game.”

That starts on the defensive end where Arnold is a tenacious perimeter guard who excels at disrupting offenses. As a freshman, she tied with Paige Bueckers for a team-high 83 steals and led the way with a 3.6 percent steal rate. Arnold’s ability to play press defense along with her quick hands and instincts make life difficult for opposing teams.

“When I get in the game, if I get a defensive stop or anything, that really riles up our whole team — our bench and everybody,” she said. “It riles up me to keep doing that stuff, which creates for us.”

Yet Auriemma believes there’s another level she can still unlock. Prior to Wednesday, he’d been pushing her to be even more aggressive on the floor.

“I’d like to see her be more of a menace defensively. I’d like to see her create more opportunities for us on the defensive end,” Auriemma said on Tuesday. “We've been working with her on that: Where to position yourself so that you can be disruptive — more disruptive than you're being.”

Arnold took a step forward in that regard during the win over Holy Cross — even if it didn’t show up much on the box score. She only finished with eight points, two rebounds, one assist and no steals but passed her coach’s all-important eye test.

“After a slow start, I thought KK did some things in attacking mode that I want to see more of,” Auriemma said postgame.

It’s natural that Arnold is still a work in progress — and she’s not alone. Aside from Bueckers and Sarah Strong, the entire team is trying to figure out how they fit in with the Huskies. It helps that the sophomore point guard has a clearly-defined role and is still making an impact despite a reduction in minutes.

Using numbers per 40 minutes to account for the difference in playing time, Arnold’s scoring is down from 11.4 points to 8.1 but practically everything else has gone up. She’s more efficient, shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 70.0 percent from inside the arc — increases of 7.7 percent and 20 percent, respectively. Her steals are slightly down (2.6 from 2.9) but she’s grabbing more rebounds (4.4 from 4.1) while committing significantly fewer turnovers (0.9 from 2.6) and fouls (1.2 from 3.3).

“KK’s assist to turnover ratio is fantastic (6.7, fifth-best nationally),” Auriemma said. “So she's done a great job of making the right play.”

Arnold may not be a starter anymore, but that doesn’t mean she’s any less important.

“Ash[lynn Shade] and KK, you've got two guys have started 30-some games last year and played a huge part in us getting to the Final Four theoretically being the head of that second unit,” Auriemma said. “We've got something that we've never had at any time last year: The ability to change the complexion of games.”

That’ll be especially true as the season progresses.

“It's going to get even better for her,” Auriemma said. “So I like where she's at. I like where she is mentally and physically right now.”

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