Latest UConn commit Kayleigh Heckel sends sweet wish for Exodus guard Taylor Brown on her special day

UConn women's basketball commit Kayleigh Heckel recently celebrated Exodus NYC point guard Taylor Brown's birthday on social media. Brown is currently rounding up her high school basketball program with Long Island Lutheran.

On Tuesday, Heckel shared a photo that showed the former USC freshman posing with the high school basketball star.

"Happy birthday tayyyy. @tay_theglove have a great day love," she captioned the photo.

Kayleigh Heckel wishes high school basketball star Taylor Brown a happy birthday on IG story. Image via @heckel_kayleigh

Heckel and Brown were teammates at Long Island Lutheran. During her time at LuHi, she was ranked the No. 13 recruit in the 2024 signing class and named to the McDonald's and Jordan Brand All-American.

Meanwhile, Brown continues to shine at LuHi, earning the Naismith All-American Honorable mention. She is also a highly coveted point guard, attracting interest from top college basketball programs, including Louisville, Maryland, Michigan State, Alabama, Florida State, Indiana, and BYU.

Kayleigh Heckel's high school coach reacts to her transfer to UConn

The 2025 women's basketball national champions, UConn, landed the highly rated Kayleigh Heckel. The Huskies made the transfer announcement on Monday. Following the news, Heckel's former head coach at Long Island Lutheran, where she played high school basketball, expressed her excitement and confidence in her former student being a good fit for the Huskies next season.

“She’s a winner,” LuHi head coach Christina Raiti, said per CT Insider. “She is respectful. She will do anything for her teammates. She is a team-first, individual-second type of kid, which is rare these days. I don’t worry about her finding a role there at all."

“I’m happy she found a home that will take care of her but also push her and demand the most out of her abilities. That is a very important balance. I definitely think she is a culture fit at UConn. She is a really good kid, a home run of a kid," Raiti added.

With Paige Bueckers in the WNBA, UConn needed a point guard to take care of both ends of the court and found the answer in Heckel. The Port Chester, N.Y. native averaged 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 16.9 minutes a game with the stacked USC team last season. She also shot 45 percent from the floor and 28 percent from three-pointers for the Trojans.

Heckel may have struggled with playing minutes in her lone season with USC; however, she is expected to shine under Geno Auriemma's supervision at UConn next season.