When one hears the term “closer,” the first people they may think of are pitchers like Baseball Hall of Fame relievers Mariano Rivera and Trevor Hoffman. Closers like Hoffman and Rivera are a team’s top-tier bullpen arms who are consistently counted on to record the final outs and save leads.
Former Bleacher Report writer Josh Martin defined the basketball closer in a 2013 article as someone who takes clutch shots late in the contest. In his eyes, these are star players who dominate the fourth quarter and get a kick out of sinking game-winning buckets.
There is no shortage of players on the UConn women’s basketball team who might fit that criteria. Rising redshirt senior Paige Bueckers and rising redshirt junior Azzi Fudd are the first two names that come to mind. Although the latter has played in 42 games over her three-year career, I assume that any No. 1 recruit may have a knack for taking over contests.
Beyond those two superstars, six-time Big East Freshman of the Week KK Arnold has the best odds of also filling that closer role next season.
Arnold averaged 8.9 points, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game as a first-year student while starting 33 of the team’s 39 games. Her highlights included dropping 17 points against the then-No. 21 Creighton Bluejays on January 3 and a 10-point, seven-rebound outing in the Big East Championship Game.
Even with her successful rookie campaign, there is a chance that ESPN HoopGurlz’s No. 6 recruit in the 2023 class begins next season on the bench. Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen will likely fill the point guard void left by Nika Mühl, the program’s all-time assists leader. Fudd and her powerful three-point shot will need to go somewhere in the starting lineup when she returns. The odds of UConn going with a four-guard lineup to begin games seem even slimmer, especially when they face teams with lots of size.
Based on these assumptions, most people should expect Arnold to be one of the first substitutes, specifically at the point guard position, next season. It might make more sense to highlight a regular starter as a potential third closer, given that they will likely be on the court in close-game situations. Although that might be the case, the Big East All-Freshman Team selection provides several key traits and a valuable shot arsenal that can crush any comeback attempt.
Only four Huskies attempted more than Arnold’s 91 three-pointers and three of those four put up more than her 279 shots. Those numbers might slightly decrease as her role changes, but the McDonald’s All-American should have no issue getting a shot off when she gets a good look.
Giving Arnold the game’s biggest shot attempt does not need to come at the final buzzer. The Wisconsin native’s teammates have held confidence in her to take a game-sealing shot before. None were more important than third-seeded Connecticut’s second-round clash with the sixth-seeded Syracuse Orange on March 25 in Storrs.
With 31 seconds left in regulation and the Huskies up by just three, Bueckers tossed the ball over to Arnold near the left corner. Immediately, the three-time Wisconsin State Player of the Year released a shot that rattled around the basket before falling through.
Jubilation ensued amidst roars from the UConn-majority Gampel Pavilion crowd, but that three-point bucket, the biggest of Arnold’s career, put the dagger in Syracuse’s season. The Minnesota native trusting a true freshman to take that game-sealing shot should have a significant impact on the 2023 McDonald’s All-American going forward. Her shot selection will not be the only thing that guides her as she transitions into a new role, though.
Some of today’s Major League Baseball closers (i.e., Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran) are flamethrowers who constantly blow hitters away with their blazing fastballs. Arnold’s speed on the court is a little different when compared to late-game relievers, but she can utilize it to strike when opponents are not looking. The Jordan Brand Classic All-American led the team in steals with 90, 24 more than Bueckers recorded in 29 contests during her freshman campaign.
Beyond abruptly ending possessions, Arnold used her quickness to break away from the opposition and set up several buckets in transition. With how quickly she sped down the court at times, catching up to her was almost an impossible task for any opponent. It helped lead to several of the team’s fast break buckets last season and could be huge if the Huskies need a crunch-time defensive stop.
Possessing that speed to complement her scoring touch might make her even more dangerous if the Big East All-Freshman team selection is the one taking the final shot. She can essentially dash to any spot she wants in the offensive zone. Add in her 123 assists (third on the team behind Bueckers and Mühl), and Arnold possesses a potent “three-pitch mix.” That triple-threat combination can be compared to current All-Star closers like Clay Holmes and Camilo Doval.
Some of this may depend on how many minutes the McDonald’s All-American, who averaged 30.4 last season, gets next year. Even if she only averages around 20-25 minutes during the 2024-25 campaign (especially assuming she comes off the bench), Arnold is still going to be a tour de force.
Done right, the Wisconsin native could become the Daniel Gafford to Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, or the Kelvin Herrera to the 2015 Kansas City Royals bullpen. Adding a third closer would make Connecticut an even deeper and deadlier team to face in March Madness.
Bueckers is the player who should take the last shot when the game is on the line. Fudd is the backup plan if the Minnesota native is double-teamed or unable to get a good look at the basket. If both of those options are not feasible, Arnold should be the one attempting that final game-deciding shot.
Putting the ball in her hands, if worse comes to worse, will notably increase the Huskies’ chances of victory every time.
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