Back on April 30, the UConn Women’s Basketball team secured a commitment from their top transfer portal target: Serah Williams. Nearly three weeks later, the reigning national champions landed another player from the Big Ten Conference.
Former USC Trojan Kayleigh Heckel announced her commitment to UConn via her X and Instagram accounts Tuesday evening. Heckel, who scored 10 points in two games against the Huskies last season, will have three years of eligibility remaining.
Combined with the incoming first-year class, Connecticut has reached its scholarship limit for the 2025-26 season. Six of those 15 roster spots belong to rising sophomores (that includes players who have redshirted at least once). All four of the Huskies’ true sophomores next year were top 15 recruits in ESPN HoopGurlz’s 2024 class.
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The No. 13-ranked prospect averaged 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals in her first collegiate campaign. In a seven-person recruiting class, Heckel was one of three first-year Trojans who played 15+ minutes a game. Kennedy Smith earned consensus Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors while Avery Howell finished second on the team behind JuJu Watkins with 59 three-pointers. Only Smith returns to Los Angeles among those three standout phenoms; Howell committed to the University of Washington last month.
The 2024 McDonald’s All-American played a combined nine minutes across two Big Ten Tournament contests. But those two games do not define Heckel’s first college postseason; her showing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament does. Against the ninth-seeded Mississippi State Bulldogs, the 2024 Jordan Brand All-American dropped 13 points and shot 5-7 from the field off the bench.
That 20-minute outing served as the highlight of her decent rookie season. Heckel scored 14+ points three times versus non-conference opponents, all at home, and crossed double figures twice against the Big Ten. Both of those performances, as well as one of her nine-point showings in league play, came on the road. A lower competition level in the Big East Conference could result in the 2023 [high school] national runner-up dropping at least five points a night.
Heckel possesses a very sneaky but powerful all-around game. While she did not have one as a first-year student, the youngest of three children secured three triple-doubles and a quadruple-double in high school. During her career at Long Island Lutheran High School, Heckel recorded 2,400+ points, 500+ assists, 500+ rebounds and 500+ steals.
The Port Chester, New York, native is as efficient a shooter as she is a dynamic player. Heckel took the fewest shots among Southern California players with 150+ attempts last season, but she had the third-best success rate at 45.9%. The two-time MaxPreps All-American shot 53.8% on two-pointers alone, the second-best mark among all players behind senior center Clarice Akunwafo.
Heckel’s tendency to aggressively drive toward the basket helped her make more than half of those shots from within the perimeter. That determination, especially when the ball is not in her hands, should remind people of Nika Mühl, the program’s all-time assists leader.
UConn would have likely been the Associated Press’ preseason No. 1 team in October even if they did not plunge into the transfer portal. After all, the Huskies return all-Big East selections Azzi Fudd and National Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong. With Williams and Heckel on the roster, Connecticut should receive that preseason honor almost unanimously.
Heckel’s potential impact in Storrs
Heckel spent most of last season behind Talia von Oelhoffen at the point guard position on USC’s depth chart. That will also be the case next year, where she will likely be behind KK Arnold and ahead of first-year student Kellis Fisher. The 2023 MaxPreps New York Player of the Year should average 10+ minutes next season, especially if Arnold runs into foul trouble.
Now Heckel has experience in a starting role. The 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup gold medalist started seven consecutive games between November 23 and December 10. Across those three weeks, Heckel averaged 6.1 points, 2.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals. Starting a game in Storrs next season, however, will only happen under extreme circumstances.
But she can still provide a significant impact off the bench. Against the Cal Poly Mustangs last November, the two-time Naismith All-American dropped a career-best 16 points and matched Watkins as Southern California and the game’s leading scorer. Achieving that feat in just her second-ever collegiate contest should help Heckel succeed in Storrs.
So will her ability to find open teammates. The four-time New York all-state selection had 10 games with 3+ assists last season, a number bound to increase as a sophomore. Mixed with her pace-setting skills and off-ball feistiness, Heckel could turn into a near-clone of the Germantown, Wisconsin, native.
That statement does not just apply on offense for the player nicknamed “K9.” Most opponents will primarily focus on breaking the Huskies’ press defense or outsmarting players like Arnold or Strong. Heckel should thrive in the transition game because of this. With her speed, the three-sport athlete at Port Chester High School can turn steals near the basket into breakaway buckets on the other end.
Head coach Geno Auriemma helped Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen improve several aspects of her game in just one season. Those adjustments led to the Golden State Valkyries selecting her in the third round of last month’s WNBA Draft. Over time, the Basketball Hall of Famer could set the 2022 Nike TOC champion down that same path.
Kayleigh Heckel’s arrival bolsters one of the nation’s deepest backcourts. Even if the results do not consistently appear in the final box score, the former Trojan can still swing any game in UConn’s favor.
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