Why UConn didn't necessarily need to use the transfer portal this offseason

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Why UConn didn't necessarily need to use the transfer portal this offseason

UConn women’s basketball didn’t need to add anyone out of the transfer portal this offseason. Even with Paige Bueckers off to the WNBA, the Huskies already looked to have one of the best rosters in the country.

They still had All-American talent in Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd. The much-maligned frontcourt proved it could win a national championship on its own. Between development, the incoming freshman class and players returning from injury, UConn had enough to replace its outgoing production.

The Huskies were confident in their group.

“We were ready to just run it back the way it was with whoever we have coming in,” Geno Auriemma said.

Despite that, UConn didn’t sit idly by when the transfer portal opened. Instead, they sought to reinforce and even upgrade an already-strong roster. The Huskies ultimately landed their top two targets: Serah Williams from Wisconsin and Kayleigh Heckel from USC.

“We felt like we needed to have an experienced post player, so there just happened to be one: Sarah Williams was available and is the right kind of kid,” Auriemma explained. “We thought we could use another guard that's played college basketball. So there happened to be one available [in Kayleigh Heckel].”

UConn is somewhat of a unicorn in modern college basketball. While most schools have to prioritize the transfer portal to stay afloat, the Huskies don’t rely on it. They still build the foundation of their roster by signing high school recruits and developing them over the course of four years, then augment that group with transfers.

“That's kind of what the portal is for us,” Auriemma said. “Can we fill a need? If we can't, fine.”

Even with that philosophy, the portal has paid dividends for UConn in recent years. While Williams and Heckel are just the fourth and fifth transfers to join the program since 2021, the Huskies hit home runs on the previous three.

Kaitlyn Chen proved invaluable as a veteran point guard on this past season’s national championship squad. Lou Lopez Sénéchal was a revelation and kept the Huskies afloat without Bueckers during the 2022-23 campaign. Dorka Juhász proved to be a quintessential UConn big and nearly averaged a double-double in her final season in Storrs.

The Huskies hope Williams and Heckel will continue that trend. They didn’t need either player to be national title contenders next season. But with Bueckers gone and no like-for-like replacement available, UConn instead tried to build a stronger roster top-to-bottom and turned to the transfer portal for the finishing touches.

“Somebody said, ‘Wow, you’re going to be way better than you were last year.’ I said, ‘We just lost the national player of the year and I don't remember signing one,’” he quipped. “Nor were we trying to replace Paige. That wasn't going to happen. We were just trying to fill a couple needs.”

Best of social media

The reunions keep coming:

Sarah Strong is never far:

Kaitlyn Chen officially made her WNBA debut:

International duty for Kayleigh Heckel:

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