KK Arnold, Ashlynn of Uconn, a excited shade while Qadence Samuels is committed to NC State

The Uconn Huskies won the national championship last season, breaking a drought that went up to 2016. However, as with most of the championship teams, it is difficult to keep it together. The most notable departure of the team was the Superstar Paige Bueckers, which started its WNBA career shortly after the championship race.

Coach Geno Auriemma and Huskies also lose one of their promising young players. Sophomore Qadence Samuels entered the transfer portal after the season. On Friday, it was announced that it was committed to the NC State Wolfpack.

While the former Samuels teammates are probably sad to see her leave, they still support her and wish her the best of her career. KK Arnold republished the Instagram message on its Instagram history on Friday evening.

“Congratulations qq,” said Arnold.

Ashlynn Shade also republished the news of her Instagram history.

It should be noted that Arnold and Shade have republished the story because the three have been part of the team for two seasons. They all played their first games for Uconn in the 2023-24 season. Unfortunately for Samuels, while Shade and Arnold showed a lot of promises at the start of their university career, Samuels had trouble getting a constant playing time. As a result, she chose to transfer.

KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade will try to settle more like stars on Uconn next season

With Qadence Samuels leaving the Uconn Huskies for the NC State Wolfpack, there is less competition for playing time for KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade next season. The two players will try to participate in full -time departure roles when they enter their junior seasons.

Ashlynn Shade is the most established of the two players, with an average of 7.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.4 interceptions per game. However, she had a smaller role last season after the Huskies added several players to improve the team for its championship race. In the first year, it collected an average of 11.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 interceptions per match.

KK Arnold has had a similar trajectory in the last two seasons. As a first year, she seemed to be a future star, with an average of 8.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 interceptions per game. However, it reduced its role last year and only made 5.5 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.5 interceptions per game.

It will be interesting to see if Shade or Arnold can earn larger roles next season and return to their first year form.