UConn star Aubrey Griffin shows support for former teammate Aaliyah Edwards during preseason debut with Mystics: "Yeah alifam"

UConn guard Aubrey Griffin was in attendance at Gateway Center Arena in College Park, Georgia, to watch former Huskies teammate Aaliyah Edwards make her Washington Mystics debut. Saturday afternoon's exhibition game against the Atlanta Dream ended in defeat for the Mystics, as they lost 87-84.

Griffin reposted a picture of herself at the matchup on her Instagram stories with the caption:

"Yeah alifam @aaliyahedwards_24."

Griffin's IG stories

Edwards, who was picked No. 6 overall by the Mystics in the WNBA draft, showed her appreciation to her former teammate on her Instagram stories.

"Appreciate you Aub. Thanks for coming out to support," Edwards wrote.

Edward's IG stories

Aubrey Griffin and an interrupted UConn career

Aubrey Griffin joined the UConn Huskies during the 2019-2020 season and has had an inconsistent career in Storrs, never fully taking off and establishing herself as a key member of the team.

She had back surgery in 2021-2022 and missed the entire season, and last year, just as she started playing more, she got an ACL injury that ruled her out for the rest of the season as UConn won the Big East title and reached the Final Four.

During a news conference last season, UConn coach Geno Auriemma revealed the type of person Aubrey Griffin is and how she can get to the next level in her gameplay.

“She's (Griffin) a sensitive kid that wants to please, wants to make a big impact,” Auriemma said. “And like a lot of kids today, they don't want to disappoint anybody. So sometimes they're not as risk-taking as I like for them to be. That an issue with a lot — well, I don’t think Paige has that problem — of these kids.

“Aubrey, if I could help her in any way, I would try to help her be less thoughtful and be less concerned with things she can’t control, and just take the game.”

Griffin has started 40 games out of 105 played during her UConn career, appearing mostly as a bench option. She had started five consecutive games before her injury against Creighton in January.

She was averaging 9.5 rebounds and 6.0 assists before her ACL injury, including tallying 20 points and eight rebounds against Kansas in a Cayman Classic clash.

"I think her (Griffin's) confidence level varies," Auriemma said. "It's sometimes very high and sometimes not so high. But it's not because she doesn't put the work in. She’s got a really soft, honest personality that every kid on the team feels connected to her. Everybody does."

During senior night, Aubrey Griffin was one of the players who revealed her intention to return to UConn next year for a fifth year to utilize her extra year of eligibility alongside superstar Paige Bueckers.

The hope among Huskies fans is that her UConn career will finally take off and she will form the spine of the team alongside Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, who will return from a season-ending injury.