How Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell's friendship predates UConn

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Headlines

News

• UConn among finalists for three top 2025 recruits

• Paige Bueckers signs NIL deal with Unrivaled Basketball

• UConn women’s basketball to face USC at the XL Center

Last week’s Weekly

• Morgan Cheli fitting in quick with UConn

Elsewhere

• Two former UConn Huskies providing life lessons at basketball camp for girls (NBC Connecticut)

How Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell's friendship predates UConn

Morgan Cheli and Allie Ziebell’s paths have been intertwined for awhile. The two both arrived in Storrs together as members of UConn’s 2024 freshman class, but their friendship predates their time as teammates — or even fellow commits.

“We met at a camp one time and then got really close there,” Ziebell said.

Since then, their respective basketball careers have only brought them closer.

Ziebell picked the Huskies in December 2022 while Cheli followed suit the following April. From there, they took their official visit to UConn together in October 2023.

That was just the start.

While Ziebell has long been a blue-chip prospect, Cheli burst onto the national scene in her final high school campaign. She elevated her game by improving her distribution and shooting, which helped her play a key role for Archbishop Mitty when it won Nike’s Tournament of Champions this past December.

That pushed Cheli into the top tier of recruits alongside Ziebell. Once their senior years wrapped up, they both played in the McDonald’s All-American Game, the Jordan Brand Classic and the Nike Hoops Summit.

Even though they grew up in different parts of the country — Cheli in California, Ziebell in Wisconsin — they always ended up at the same events. Now as teammates — in the same position group as guards nonetheless — they’ll see plenty of each other over the next four years.

“We've gotten very close,” Ziebell said. “Love her. She's awesome.”

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