"It's sickening": UConn hooper KK Arnold makes feelings known on stepping into upperclassmen role ahead of 2025-26 season

UConn Huskies guard KK Arnold was key in coach Geno Auriemma's team winning the national championship last season. During her sophomore season, Arnold was the first option for the Huskies off the bench and her minutes dropped from 30.3 to 21.2 per game last season.

While speaking to reporters after practice on Tuesday, Arnold admitted her feelings about being an upperclassman next season and highlighted the opportunity to take on a different role.

"It's kind of sickening I'm not gonna lie, it's sickening to think about but like I said, it's a new opportunity, new role so I'm excited" KK Arnold said.

"I've had different roles the past two years. So I'm coming in this year knowing the type of voice I have, knowing the underclassmen we have, knowing the ropes, knowing what we want, knowing what Coach wants, what we want as a team and how we need to go about things."

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KK Arnold garners teammate's praise

KK Arnold earned all-Big East freshman honors during her first season in Storrs as she was inserted into an injury-hit UConn Huskies lineup by coach Geno Auriemma and she helped to guide the team to the Final Four of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

With the arrival of Kaitlyn Chen and star guard Azzi Fudd being fit again last season, Arnold's minutes significantly reduced. However, she still averaged 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists mostly from the bench.

While speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Fudd, who won the 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four's Most Outstanding Player and who will also return to Storrs next season lavished praise on Arnold's work ethic during the off-season.

"This summer session she (Arnold) came in with this new confidence," Fudd said. "You can see it. I just had a workout with her and the way she was attacking and being aggressive shooting the ball ... She's strong, really strong. I took a hard hit from her last week, and, oooh, I did not recover well from that.

"But her confidence this offseason has been really great to see and she will carry that over. I'm super proud of her to see her being vocal, being confident on the floor. This is her year. This is her team. She's going to be great."

KK Arnold will likely fight for minutes with USC Trojans transfer Kayleigh Heckel and highly rated freshman Kelis Fisher. However, she holds the advantage of being a key contributor to a national championship-winning team.