UConn adds 5-star guard amid Paige Bueckers' departure
The UConn Huskies won their 12th national championship in program history, but one of the biggest questions facing the team next season was how they would replace star guard Paige Bueckers. Bueckers is off to the WNBA, entering her rookie season with the Dallas Wings. There is no replacing a player like Bueckers, but UConn made a big, late addition from the transfer portal with incoming sophomore guard Kayleigh Heckel, as per Talia Goodman of On3 Sports.
Kayleigh Heckel entered the transfer portal after her freshman season at USC, and will immediately bolster UConn’s backcourt depth. Not only did the Huskies lose Bueckers, but they also lost her backcourt partner in Kaitlyn Chen.
UConn has a couple of guards on the roster potentially in line for bigger roles with KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade. But Heckel will certainly help in that regard. The former five-star recruit was part of a heralded recruiting class for USC last season, one of the best in the nation.
Heckel came off the bench for the Trojans, but was able to make an immediate impact and solidify her role throughout the season and into the NCAA Tournament. She appeared in 34 games, including seven starts, at a little over 16 minutes per game. She averaged 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals with splits of 45.9 percent shooting from the field, 28.3 percent shooting from the three-point line and 78.3 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
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