Kayleigh Heckel shares one 1-word reaction as former high-school rival Chloe Sotell commits to SEC program

Kayleigh Heckel, a USC Trojans transfer who is on the move, reacted to Chloe Sotell's commitment to the Missouri Tigers. Sotell, who spent her freshman year at Pepperdine University, confirmed her transfer on Monday.

Sotell shared Instagram photos donning Tigers gear — including one with new Mizzou coach Kellie Harper. She captioned the post with alternating yellow and black heart emojis, representing the team's colors.

Heckel, a 5-foot-9 guard who competed against Sotell at the high school level, responded to the post with one word.

"omggggggg," she commented.

Screenshot via Instagram (@chloesotell/IG)

Kayleigh Heckel played high school ball at Long Island Lutheran, while Sotell was a two-time national champion at Montverde Academy in Florida.

Both were among the highly rated prospects coming out of high school last year. Heckel committed to USC, where she started seven games as a freshman, averaging 6.1 points and 1.9 rebounds.

Sotell played 30 games for the Pepperdine Waves, averaging 10.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 3.0 apg. She will join coach Harper's first recruiting class at Mizzou after the latter was hired to replace Robin Pingeton last month.

Kayleigh Heckel joins UConn, her versatile game suits Geno Auriemma's vision

Following her entry to the transfer portal in April, there was speculations over her next destination. Geno Auriemma's UConn and Niele Ivey's Notre Dame were considered the frontrunners.

On Tuesday, Heckel put an end to the swirling rumors, announcing her commitment to UConn. The Huskies, fresh off winning the national championship, lost their star player, Paige Bueckers, to the WNBA.

Heckel is expected to fill that void alongside Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade in the backcourt.

The New York native described herself as a "pure point guard" who likes to get her teammates involved more and enjoys finding them open for easy baskets, matching Auriemma's coaching style for UConn.

"I really like to find people when they're open and get them for easy buckets and stuff," Heckel said during an interview with Autumn Johnson in March. "Just like to make sure everyone is feeling good throughout the game ... I'm from New York, so I like playing with that New York energy, too. So, I feel like uptempo, high energy is definitely my game."

Kayleigh Heckel is one of the two transfers Auriemma is adding to the UConn roster, alongside senior Serah Williams from Wisconsin.