"Can't beat them join them" "Should've stayed at USC": Fans divided as Kayleigh Heckel announces UConn commitment

Kayleigh Heckel will be playing for the UConn Huskies in the 2025-26 NCAA season. Maggie Vanoni, who covers the UConn women's basketball team for the Hearst Media Group, shared the news of Heckel's transfer from USC on his X (formerly Twitter) account on Tuesday, drawing various reactions from college hoops fans.

Vanoni shared an image of Heckel's Instagram post announcing her commitment to join the UConn Huskies. Heckel has three years of eligibility remaining in her college basketball career, making this a massive acquisition for Geno Auriemma and UConn.

Kayleigh Heckel included a short caption for her post, which has already received more than 31,000 likes.

"k9 by name, husky by nature. see you in storrs! go huskies," Heckel wrote.

Not all college hoops fans were thrilled with Heckel's move to UConn.

"Should’ve stayed at USC you would’ve had the keys next year oh well," one fan wrote.

"if u can't beat them join them," another fan pointed out.

"as a uconn fan, i don’t understand why she would leave with juju being out, she’s guaranteed a bigger role???" one fan asked.

Other UConn supporters were thrilled with Heckel's move to Storrs, adding another talented guard to the Huskies' deep lineup.

"LET'S GOOOOOOOOOOOO. Super talented, I like her game a lot. Welcome to the UConn family Kayleigh!" one fan replied.

"What do we think about this Husky fam? I personally like it . She was real solid her freshman season at USC," another fan shared.

"Gonna need to plan for another parade next April," one fan posted.

"Ayyyy we are now solid in the game pg position for the next 3 seasons," another fan tweeted.

Kayleigh Heckel played 34 games for USC in her freshman year, averaging 6.1 points, 1.9 dimes, 1.4 boards and 1.3 steals during the 2024-25 season. She made seven starts under coach Lindsay Gottlieb.

How Kayleigh Heckel fared for USC in the 2025 March Madness

The USC Trojans secured a spot in the 2025 March Madness after finishing the regular season and the Big Ten Tournament with a 28-3 slate. They entered this year's NCAA Tournament as the top seed in the Regional 4 bracket.

Kayleigh Heckel in action against the Kansas State Wildcats during the Sweet Sixteen round of the 2025 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Photo: Getty

Kayleigh Heckel helped USC reach the Elite Eight of this year's Big Dance, averaging 9.7 points. 2.7 assists and 2.0 steals in the wins over UNC Greensboro, Mississippi State and Kansas State.

USC's title hopes ended in the regional final, though, losing 78-64 to eventual champions UConn. Heckel struggled in that showdown, scoring just five points on 2-for-7 shooting.