STORRS — The 2025 Big East Sixth Player of the Year award only has UConn guard Ashlynn Shade’s name engraved on it, but in the sophomore’s mind, her trophy belongs just as much to classmate KK Arnold.
“Everything we do, we do it together, and I wouldn’t be the player or person I am without having experienced that alongside her,” Shade said. “So she deserves it every bit as much as I do, and I always like to give her credit where credit is due, because she’s outstanding and we’ve both been able to … step into the roles that were needed to contribute to this team and for this team to be successful.”
Coach Geno Auriemma often lumps Shade and Arnold together when he discusses their impact on the Huskies, and the pair have typically come as a package deal on the court throughout their first two seasons in Storrs. Both were top-15 recruits when they signed with UConn in the Class of 2023, but neither expected to play a major role in their freshman campaigns until the roster was decimated by an unprecedented series of season-ending injuries.
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They made 33 starts apiece and both averaged more than 30 minutes per game for most of the year, including during the team’s run in the 2024 NCAA Tournament. Arnold had one of her best games of the season in the Final Four with 14 points, five assists and five steals against Iowa, while Shade dominated the early matchups averaging 22.5 points and five rebounds across UConn’s first- and second-round games.
The roles for Arnold and Shade in 2024-25 has looked more like what Auriemma hoped their freshman seasons would be. With star sharpshooter Azzi Fudd back from last year’s ACL tear and freshman Sarah Strong dominating from the moment she arrived on campus, the sophomore guards are both coming off the bench and averaging less than 25 minutes per game in the Huskies’ regular nine-player rotation.
“Players feel like they can go all out on every possession knowing that we can give them a breather when they need it, which is different than before,” Auriemma said. “They also feel they have to be very efficient when they’re out there, because you’re not going to be able to go 0-for-10. I think with those two things, we can do more things defensively that we could … and we have more scorers than we’ve had, so that’s giving everybody a lot of confidence.”
Despite the decrease in time on the court, Arnold and Shade have both come into their own identities as players this season. Shade is UConn’s second-best 3-point shooter behind Fudd hitting a career-high 41.1%, and her stats per 40 minutes are nearly identical to last year’s with notable spikes in her steals, offensive rebounding and assists. Arnold is also shooting with career-high efficiency both from the field and at the free throw line, but her biggest impact is more intangible as an unwavering burst of energy whenever she steps on the floor. The pair feed off of each other’s intensity, often checking into games at the same time, and each time they go to the scorer’s table with a simple, shared mission: Cause chaos.
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“We always tell each other let’s go do it, let’s create some havoc, and I feel like every time we go out there we do that, and we communicate very well,” Arnold said. “It’s definitely something that comes with reps, but also just communicating with each other more. Me being goofy with her, her being goofy with me, it kind of just opened us up more and creates more opportunities for us on the court … Ashlynn, she’s a quiet one, but she can match it.”
The Huskies head into the 2025 NCAA Tournament in a far different — and unquestionably better — place than they were in 2024, but Arnold and Shade will still be essential if UConn intends to make a run to the national championship. The sophomores have an unprecedented amount of postseason experience for their age, and though the Huskies are facing enormous pressure to bring home the program’s first title since 2016 this year, Shade said she feels like they are in just the right mental state heading into their first round matchup with 15-seed Arkansas State on Saturday (1 p.m., ABC) at Gampel Pavilion.
“Last year was so much fun, but it was a lot, especially as a freshman, so it just kind of builds up,” Shade said. “I think at this point in the season, knowing that we have so many assets and so many awesome pieces to our team just kind of gives you more energy and excitement … We had to expect perfection last year if we wanted to really do something, but I don’t think really that mindset has changed, because we still want to execute and be as perfect as we can.”
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