The Huskies had 13 of their 15 players available for the first preseason practice Monday.
STORRS - The UConn women's basketball team's quest for title No. 13 began Monday afternoon with the Huskies' first official day of practice.
During the media viewing portion of the day, the Huskies ran 3-on-3 and 4-on-3 drills before finishing with a four-man weave. There was energy, loud voices, new faces and, for the first time in a long time, extra bodies.
And hanging above them on the crisp white walls of Werth Champions Center, hung a new lineup of celebratory banners, including the most recent addition from the 2025 National Championship.
"It doesn't feel real," graduate student Azzi Fudd said of Werth's new championship signage. "… I still get chills."
Geno Auriemma, in his 41st season at the helm in Storrs, reserves the first day of practices for instructions and preliminary run-throughs of drills. With five new faces and the new absence of superstar Paige Bueckers, that slow introduction is more important than ever.
While Auriemma and the Huskies know they can't replace Bueckers completely, the team is focused on finding players to fill her impact. New leaders have emerged as the Huskies begin the 2025-26 season with rejuvenated energy.
They're the defending champs, yet the new season brings a fresh, clean slate.
"You can feel just like the excitement, the energy, the intensity in the gym," said Fudd after practice on Monday. "I mean, this is a new team. Like, we've got a lot of new faces, a lot of returners, but five new faces. So, I don't think we really consider ourselves defending chimps. Moreso, (it's) like, same goal as last year, same mindset, but just some of us have the taste. So, now we want it even more."
Getting a glimpse of practice today
- Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) September 29, 2025
13 out of 15 Huskies are here
No Ayanna or Morgan
Blanca Quinoñez getting in reps after sitting out majority of the open practice last week
Ashlynn and Jana also here and dressed down but haven't seen them jump in yet pic.twitter.com/VFY8HFcQLp
UConn has 15 players on its roster this year. During Monday's opening day, only 13 were present with only 11 completing the whole practice. Both redshirt sophomore Ayanna Patterson (class) and sophomore Morgan Cheli (appointment) were absent from practice, while junior Ashlynn Shade and redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy were limited participants.
Auriemma told media that Shade (hamstring) and El Alfy (calf) are dealing with minor injuries, and their limitations are for precautionary reasons. The Hall of Fame coach said he doesn't have a timeline return for Cheli, who had season-ending ankle surgery in February. Auriemma also confirmed that redshirt senior Caroline Ducharme remains day-to-day following her return from concussions.
Patterson will return to the court this season for the first time after missing the last two seasons due to knee and shoulder injuries. Auriemma said the 6-foot-2 forward hasn't missed a beat in her return.
"She hasn't lost any of her athletic ability, that's for sure," he said. "You know, her energy. It's just, you know, when you think about it, it's a long time since I've seen her on the court. Her freshman year seems like forever ago. But she's still the same Yana, still the same defender, same rebounder. I think she's gotten a little more confident around the basket."
This season UConn welcomes three new freshmen - Kelis Fisher, Gandy Malou-Mamel and Blanca Quiñonez - and two transfers in sophomore Kayleigh Heckel and senior Serah Williams. Auriemma said Heckel and Williams are adapting well to the Huskies' system.
On Monday, Malou-Mamel was seen going through individual post work with assistant coach Jamelle Elliott off to the side while the team was running its 4-on-3 drills.
Quiñonez, who sat out the team's open practice, only joined the team in August when academic classes started, yet she's already impressed new teammates and coaches.
"She's fun to watch because she's unpredictable," Auriemma said of Quiñonez. "She has a lot of skills and can do a lot of things, and sometimes she tries to do them all at the same time. But she's fun to watch. She does some things every day that you really go only somebody that's played against really experienced players knows that."
Freshman Gandy Malou-Mamel working on some individual work pic.twitter.com/bpQlSSgpxm
- Maggie Vanoni (@maggie_vanoni) September 29, 2025
As the new players adjust, a handful of the Huskies upperclassmen have emerged as vocal leaders. Auriemma mentioned Shade, Ducharme and sophomore Sarah Strong as some of the team's most vocal players.
While no one can be Bueckers - Auriemma said the WNBA's Rookie of the Year texted him ‘I miss you' earlier in the week - the Huskies' head coach is hoping some players step up.
"It's a big adjustment, I think, for me, I think for the team," Auriemma said of Bueckers' absence. "There were, you know, more than a couple events today on the court that happened where you go, ‘hmm.' I think we're going to see more of that, because last year that would have been something different, and now you have to wait for somebody to fill that void, and no one's going to be able to fill it completely, but it'll start to show itself."
The Huskies first preseason test is on Oct. 13 when it faces Boston College in a doubleheader with the UConn men's basketball team at Mohegan Sun Arena. While not completely healthy, the extra depth gives players more rest and more room for lineup experimentation.
"We've had really good energy, the intensity is great," said Fudd. "We've got so many bodies none of us are really used to this, being able to compete against each other, go all out, because we know we'll have some rest, actually some sub in the lines. So that's been fun. It's been a new change. But I think just intensity in the competitive spirit has been great."
Added Auriemma: "I think we have an opportunity to play a different way than we've been kind of forced to play the last couple of years. I think we can put a few more different combinations out there than we have in the past few years."
UConn will also host Southern Connecticut on Oct. 26 before officially beginning the season on Nov. 4 facing Louisville in the Armed Forces Classic in Germany.
Category: General Sports
