Geno Auriemma’s UConn is boasting all the star power it has and Paige Bueckers is headlining the roster. Named to the preseason AP All-America Team, Bueckers and the Huskies are eyeing the championship in this upcoming season. And yet again, an injury scare could put them out of commission after Bueckers just came out of two injury-ridden seasons of her own.

The UConn squad will have key players now returning from injuries, including Azzi Fudd, Aubrey Griffin, Jana El Alfy, Caroline Ducharme, and Ayanna Patterson. The head coach will be looking for another successful go at the NCAA championship this season, having 11 already under his belt. Ranked No. 1 in the preseason NCAA women’s college basketball preview, the Huskies are already left to overcome the injury bug as Fudd, Ducharme, and Griffin are not expected to be ready for the start of the season.

Amid that, Per Daniel Connolly, publisher of UConn WBB weekly, UConn’s star Kamorea “KK” Arnold, coming off a brilliant freshman year, might have ankle issues. “KK Arnold rolled her ankle in practice yesterday, but it doesn’t sound too serious. ‘It’s not going to be two days, but it’s not going to be long,'” Connolly wrote on X.

Averaging 8.9 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.3 steals per game, Arnold led the team with 90 steals and was particularly dominant against Caitlin Clark’s Iowa in the 2023-24 Final Four, even if the Huskies ultimately lost. UConn women’s basketball boasts a long list of legendary guards with the likes of Jen Rizzotti and Nykesha Sales and goes into Moriah Jefferson and Paige Bueckers in recent years. Many predict that the next one could very well be Arnold, the highest-ranked player in the class of 2023 for the Huskies. In fact, Arnold is among the rare freshmen who have impressed Auriemma, who has been at UConn since 1985.

“KK’s probably the first point guard since Moriah [Jefferson] that plays at that pace and is a little bit stronger. She can push the tempo for us. Watching her play this summer, it was especially noticeable how aggressive she was getting into the lane, and defensively being disruptive. She’s a terrific leader and her teammates respond to her leadership. We think of all the point guards that are coming out of high school, she fits us better than anyone else,” Auriemma had said about the former student of Germantown High School. Auriemma is right, indeed. Look at Arnold on the court.

Sometimes a team needs someone to hype up the environment, someone who will score and let the other team know. Bueckers has brought that in to some extent, but Arnold has taken it next level. She brings an air of excitement to the court, where her every possession is something to watch.

The Germantown, Wisconsin native is remarkable offensively at all three levels. She is not scared of contact, rather she uses it to her advantage to finish at the rim. At 5-foot-9-inches, Arnold is indeed undersized, but she makes up for it with her determination. She routinely secures old-fashioned three-point plays, which nicely gel with modern ones.

Arnold is superb from behind the arc. While her stroke is not quite as effective as Fudd’s, it is still amazing. Her mid-range game is equally potent as her inside and outside, with impeccable touch and judgment. Something that holds the different aspects of Arnold’s scoring together is her handle and several dribble moves. As she creates space for herself, the move that helps her the most is her quick crossover, which compliments her in-and-out. They’re not too complex, but her execution makes them tough to defend.

As a passer, Arnold is also impressive. Her reading is good, and she can deliver the ball in different flashy, and conventional ways. Scoring is first for Arnold, but when the defense holds her back, she can effectively find her teammates. Her defense is great, with a fantastic effort for getting in the passing lanes and she can stay ahead of the offense. Her reading of the plays helps her on both sides of the ball and that is what makes her such an effective point guard. With all that, understandably, if Arnold is unavailable, that will be a major loss for the Huskies.

Last season, Auriemma had his starters put in heavy minutes, including Arnold, because of a short rotation owing to injuries. The upcoming season will pose the opposite problem as talent flocks in, given everyone stays healthy. The veteran head coach has more than 88% winning percentage, per SI, and KK Arnold is glad he’s decided to stay.

Geno Auriemma fan KK Arnold “relieved” at head coach staying at UConn

Geno Auriemma is one of those rare coaches under whom everyone wants to play. KK Arnold was one of them and would have been heartbroken to have gotten to the Huskies, only to have Auriemma retire too soon. Fortunately for her, he signed a 5-year $18.5 million deal to stay with UConn until April 2029.

“It was a great ease in the mind knowing that he’ll stay and just kind of just having that in the mind just saying he stayed, so I get to learn more and more from him for my next three years,” Arnold said on the Listen Up podcast with Philip Vecera and Ryan Renner. Alongside, she’ll also get to learn from two point guards who have already have their names etched in the UConn record books, while starting to make a name for herself. Arnold’s mother Kimberley is also excited at her progress.

“She’s headed to the Final Four as a freshman. Who would’ve thought,” an excited Kimberly had said ahead of UConn’s final-four game against Iowa.  She revealed that KK wanted to be a UConn husky since she was a little girl. “It gives me goosebumps and kind of brings tears to my eyes because people see the results, but they don’t see the work and the sacrifice,” Kimberley said of her daughter.

Meanwhile, riding on her pool of talented players including Arnold, the Hall of Famer coach will also have an opportunity to earn performance-based incentives, per the official website. Now all that remains for Paige Bueckers and Co. is to go forth and finally claim their first trophy since 2016! Fingers crossed the injury bug doesn’t bite the Huskies again.