Caroline Ducharme isn't limiting her dreams in final year at UConn: 'Who's to say I can't get back to who I used to be?'

During UConn’s injury issues over the last four years, nobody’s personified those struggles more than Caroline Ducharme.

She burst onto the scene as a freshman, averaging a team-high 16.2 points over a 16-game span — while hitting a game-winner in the process — to keep the Huskies afloat when multiple key players went down. Then came the concussions. Ducharme suffered her first in January 2021 and more followed over the next few years, derailing her career just as it was getting started.

When she managed to get on the court, she struggled to make an impact. More often, she watched from the sidelines. Over the last three seasons, Ducharme played in just 38 of a possible 116 games (32.8 percent) — and only 13 over the last two campaigns.

Four games into the 2023-24 season, she stepped away to focus on her health. After 461 days away, Ducharme returned to the court with a brief cameo in the final minutes of UConn’s Feb. 22 victory at Butler. Now, as she prepares for her last season in Storrs, she’s closer to full health than she’s been in ages.

“It's been a couple summers since I've been able to have a full summer and actually come in pretty ready to go,” Ducharme said. “It's been good to actually be on the court and not be in the training room as much.”

After all she’s been through, Geno Auriemma wants to see her go out on a high note.

“I wish nothing but success for her this year,” he said. “It would really, really mean a lot if we were able to count on her for some things other than being the great teammate, great leader that she is.”

That’s not just blind hope, either. When Ducharme took the court during summer workouts, she reminded everybody why she was the fifth-best prospect in the country coming out of high school.

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