Does Kayleigh Heckel’s UConn commitment spell the end for freshman Qadence Samuels? A look at what's next for UConn transfer

UConn guard Qadence Samuels entered the transfer portal on April 11 after two seasons with the Huskies.

The six-foot sophomore out of Forestville, Maryland, had a good freshman season for the Geno Auriemma-coached team, playing 36 games and averaging 5.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 12.3 minutes per game.

She helped an injury-depleted UConn squad reach the Final Four and lost by two points to Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Based on her contributions in the 2023-24 season, Samuels' usage rate and production should've picked up last season. Unfortunately, the exact opposite happened.

The return of Azzi Fudd and the heavy playing time given to Paige Bueckers, Kaitlyn Chen, Ashlynn Shade, and KK Arnold made it hard for the guard to show her stuff.

All the guards above were healthy, and this relegated Samuels to become a bench warmer, averaging 1.3 ppg and 0.8 rpg in 5.5 mpg.

During the offseason, the reigning women's basketball national champions bolstered their lineup by adding USC player Kayleigh Heckel from the transfer portal. Heckel started in seven of 34 USC games and tallied 6.1 ppg, 1.4 rpg, 1.9 apg, and 1.3 spg.

She stepped up for the Trojans after losing superstar guard JuJu Watkins to a season-ending knee injury in the NCAA Tournament. Heckel's addition would boost UConn's guard corps that already has Azzi Fudd, KK Arnold, Ashlynn Shade, Morgan Cheli, and freshman Kelis Fisher at its disposal.

Though she won a national championship, Qadence Samuels felt she had to look for a new team that would use her more often. This led the guard to place her name in the transfer portal.

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What's next for Qadence Samuels after Kayleigh Heckel commits to UConn?

Qademce Samuels' decision to venture into the portal already means that she isn't satisfied with her playing time at UConn. She could return to the Huskies this season, but the chances of playing have diminished even further.

UConn has already built a strong guard lineup with last season's star Azzi Fudd and veterans KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade leading the backcourt.

The trio will share duties with freshman Kelis Fisher, sophomores Kayleigh Heckel, Allie Ziebell, and Morgan Cheli, senior Caroline Ducharme, and possibly first-year wing Bianca Quiñonez. It gives Samuels a tiny to zero opportunity to make it to the 2025-26 lineup.

It's also uncertain whether UConn coach Geno Auriemma would welcome her back as the team's composition is just up for finality. Fifteen players are already in the fold, including prized transfer forward Serah Williams and key frontcourt players Sarah Strong, Ice Brady, Jana El Alfy, and freshman forward Gandy Malou-Mamel.

Also coming back next season is Ayanna Patterson, which makes it very unlikely for Qadence Samuels to be inserted into the Huskies' lineup.

The transfer portal decision may have led to Qadence Samuels' current situation. No team has shown interest in picking her up and might head back to UConn, where she'll have to fall back in line to gain an opportunity to play.