Ashlynn Shade ready to live out NCAA Tournament dream

The freshman has watched March Madness all her life. Now, she'll finally get to take part herself.

Author

Daniel Connolly
March 21, 2024

Photo: Ian Bethune

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Ashlynn Shade ready to live out NCAA Tournament dream

Basketball has always been central to the Shade family. Ashlynn has followed in her dad’s footsteps by playing in college while her grandfather ran a basketball academy in Indiana.

That love for the sport means they take March Madness seriously. Very seriously. The entire family — Ashlynn, her twin brother Jack, mom Kasey, and dad Matt — make brackets and compete with each other each year. Bragging rights aren’t the only thing on the line.

“We would have a little trophy on who would win the brackets,” the freshman guard explained. “It’s like a little dinky one. It's just a joke with our family and it's kind of a pride thing. We're all competitive.”

Shade claimed the title on a handful of occasions throughout her childhood.

“Usually my men's brackets were pretty accurate — and the women's,” she said. “I think I won maybe a couple of times.”

Before the tournament started, her dad would get everyone in the spirit by playing the iconic song “One Shining Moment” and then they’d all make sure they could watch every minute of every game.

“Me and my family would bring every single TV we had — [even] the small ones from the bedroom — and we would put them in our basement so that way we had multiple TVs, multiple games, and that we were able to watch men and women's games at the same time,” Shade said.

Now after years of watching the NCAA Tournament on television, Shade will be a part of it with UConn. The Huskies begin on Saturday vs. 14-seed Jackson State and have their sights on a deep run after being knocked out in the Sweet Sixteen last season. It’s all still a little hard for Shade to fathom.

“It's very surreal for me right now,” she said. “We just watched the Selection Show. I mean, I've always watched at home with my family and I'm here actually getting ready to play in the tournament. It’s super surreal but I'm so excited and I can't wait for it to begin.”

Shade isn’t just along for the ride, either. She’s started the last 27 games and has established herself as a crucial piece of the lineup. It’s hard to believe that in UConn’s second game of the season, Geno Auriemma didn’t even play her in a 92-81 loss to NC State. The Huskies were a much different team back then and to her credit, Shade has become a much better player.

“It's definitely something that I look back on every now and then just because of how far the season’s gone and how far I've come,” she said about not playing that game. “My aggression on the court scoring-wise and defensively from there until now, I'm like a completely different player and person. “But I mean, I knew I had it in me.”

As the NCAA Tournament dawns, Shade won’t be watching from afar anymore. She’ll be on the floor herself playing a role in how far UConn goes — and she doesn’t expect an early exit.

“I strongly believe in us,” Shade said. “I honestly don't care too much what seed we are. It's just a number. It doesn't define who you are. It doesn't define your path or your journey in this tournament. I just think it's how we handle it best and if we stick to who we are, we’ll be most successful.”

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