UConn's freshmen are drawing rave reviews

UConn’s freshmen have been on campus for less than a month and they’ve already made a strong impression. The group includes three true newcomers in KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, and Qadence Samuels along with Jana El Alfy, who arrived early in January.

So far, they’ve drawn rave reviews from their new teammates.

“They're looking like they're grasping the UConn standard and just taking everything with an open mind and open mindset,” Aaliyah Edwards said.

Of course, most freshmen will arrive wanting to make a good first impression in a new program. So what have UConn’s new players done that stands out?

“They listen, they want to listen, want to learn, [want] to ask questions — which is super important,” Nika Mühl said. “I feel like they just fit in so well in the style of our play and how aggressive we want to be this year.”

“They all work really hard,” Caroline Ducharme added. “They all came in [and] wanted to get better and they wanted to learn and they asked questions. They stay later and shoot, and they come in early and they're always ready on time.”

That work ethic has quickly endeared the youngsters to their teammates.

“They’ve already gained respect from the whole team,” Nika Mühl said.

It’s still early — the season is still over four months away and real practice hasn’t even started — but the veterans have high expectations for the freshmen.

“We're gonna see a lot of good from them, for sure,” Mühl said.

“They look really good,” Ice Brady said. “They can all go. They don't look like freshmen in my opinion — when they play like they hold their own. They're getting it they're able to read and react so they look really good. I'm excited for them this season.”

Azzi Fudd provided an individual scouting report on each of the newcomers.

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