The NCAA championship last season saw the rise of a lot of stars. From Dawn Staley earning Coach of the Year honors with a 38-0 record to the growing fame of Caitlin Clark, the 2023-24 season was one for the record books. However, UConn freshman KK Arnold still managed to make a thunderous entrance in the College Women’s Basketball scene. Averaging 30.6 minutes per game as a rookie for the UConn Huskies, she stood out as a force to be reckoned with.

Born as Kamorea Arnold, this point guard from Germantown, Wisconsin cemented herself as a staple for the Storrs, and her commitment to UConn felt less like a surprise and more like her destiny. Arnold was a lifelong fan of the game and was practically born a Husky, who was sure about joining UConn from as early as third grade.

KK Arnold: From UConn superfan to rising star

“I was crazy with it,” she shared while recalling how her bedroom was decked out in UConn posters and gear. However, she would have to wait till her junior year to announce her commitment to play for a program she once only admired from afar.

Reflecting on her decision, Arnold explained in an interview with W7 Productions that, “What really tipped it towards UConn is the competitive style they have — competitive nature. Especially when I went to go visit, the community was all around you. Even though I wasn’t a player yet, they still came up and said hi. Then just overall, the players, when I hung out with the players I felt super comfortable around them. And like I said, the coaching staff is really great. One of the greatest coaching staffs around.”

Arnold would Choose UConn over offers from programs like Baylor, Duke, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Notre Dame, Ohio State, South Carolina, UNC, and Wisconsin.

Once on campus, Arnold’s personality and charisma quickly became apparent. Known for her energy, she is never shy about letting her personality shine, especially through her favorite pastime—dancing. According to On3.com, her TikTok account, @k2timez_, with nearly 50,000 followers, offers a glimpse into her vibrant character and a behind-the-scenes look at her life outside the court. This presence hasn’t gone unnoticed in the world of NIL (Name, Image, Likeness), where Arnold holds an undisclosed valuation but ranks #31 among college women’s basketball players.

And on court, she is quite the role player for the Huskies.

Geno Auriemma has expressed the same on multiple occasions. “Watching her (KK) 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,” shared the Head Coach while talking about why KK Arnold is a good fit for UConn.

Interestingly, Arnold’s journey to UConn itself began with a childhood admiration for Geno Auriemma. In fact she treats it as an honor to learn from Auriemma. “It’s pretty awesome,” she said with a laugh, while, sharing how Geno’s Feedback has helped her improve a lot.

KK Arnold: UConn’s next great guard

Beyond her infectious personality, Arnold’s performance on the court has already impressed Auriemma and her teammates. In her freshman year, she played in 39 games, while starting for 33 of them.

She would go on to average 8.9 points and 3.2 assists, for the 2023-24 season. However, the stat bloc she truly stood out in was steals, where she would average 2.3 per game. As for the offense, she managed 19 games with a double-digit score and ended up snagging six BIG EAST Freshman of the Week titles.

In the NCAA tournament, she shone on the big stage with a 14-point, five-assist, and five-steal performance against Iowa in the Final Four. As she gains more experience, she is poised to carry on the program’s legacy, bridging the gap between generations of UConn stars.

For Auriemma, her value goes beyond her stats, he sees her as an athlete whose “explosive energy” and willingness to vocalize sets her apart. “She’s been the biggest surprise,” Auriemma admitted.“I’ve always said that the people who communicate the most, talk, are always engaged. They’re the ones that get my wrath more than anybody else because I love the fact that they’re holding themselves accountable by holding everybody else accountable. Which means I can hold them accountable even more than the guys who don’t put themselves out there like that. So right from the beginning, KK comes out here and puts it out there. … I just think that kids like that love to play hard and that’s why she came here.”

This speaks volumes of KK Arnold’s tenacity, and her accomplishments reflect it. In fact, before she even arrived at UConn, she won gold at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship. She would also back this performance up once again by winning gold at the 2022 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup.

At Germantown High School, she also amassed over 2,400 points, 765 rebounds, and 695 assists, while leading her team to a state championship. She would also notch eight career triple-doubles in the process, which set high expectations for her role at UConn.

As a natural leader on and off the court, Arnold seems to be a natural bridge between Paige Bueckers generation and the upcoming. Her adaptability, resilience, and energy are qualities Auriemma and her teammates appreciate, making her an ideal successor to UConn’s lineage of iconic guards.