Former top-five recruit Kayleigh Heckel made a big move earlier this summer when she transferred from USC to UConn after her freshman season — which ended with the Trojans being eliminated by the Huskies in the Elite Eight of the 2025 Women’s NCAA Tournament.
Heckel has only been in Storrs for a month, but she already feels right at home. “It’s the place I need to be, and it’s the place that I think I can become the best version of myself,” she told reporters earlier this week during the team’s summer workouts.
Women’s transfer portal: UConn adds former USC guard Kayleigh Heckel in major boost to title defense
Jack Maloney
She’s also already doing her part to ensure the rivalry between the two programs continues.
“I think that we all just really love each other,” Heckel said of her new teammates and coaches. “And I feel like even only being here for a few weeks, I think I already feel the love here, and I think that it is really cool how close the team is and how much that we just really want to be a part of each other’s success.”
“(The intensity) is a lot higher than where I was previously at,” Heckel continued. “… I’m just excited that there’s people that really care about my development, and they’re going to try and make me the best version of myself.”
It’s rare to see a player take such a clear shot at her previous program and coaching staff. Heckel’s comments are also interesting in the context of USC’s mass exodus this offseason. In addition to losing Kiki Iriafen and Rayah Marshall to the WNBA, the Trojans had four players leave via the transfer portal, including Avery Howell, another top-ranked recruit.
Heckel, the No. 4 overall recruit in her class, per 247 Sports, averaged 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.3 steals during her freshman season with the Trojans, largely off the bench. She showed some improvement as the season went along, and her teammates praised her for her ability to change games with her energy, particularly on the defensive end.
“Kayleigh has a passion for the game,” UConn coach Geno Auriemma said in a press release announcing Heckel’s arrival. “She plays at a quick pace and can impact both ends of the court. She’s a great teammate and someone who wants to grow on and off the court. We’re excited to have her at Connecticut.”
The Huskies won their 13th national championship last season, and first since 2016, in dominant fashion. They’ll hope that Heckel can boost their backcourt as they push for a repeat without Paige Bueckers — the No. 1 pick in the 2025 WNBA Draft — and Kaitlyn Chen. No team has gone back-to-back since UConn won four straight from 2013-16.
“Just like the history of it, and obviously, like, the coaching staff is super-successful, and they’ve had so much success here,” Heckel said. “I’m just really hoping to be part of that and hoping to bring a national championship to UConn as well.”