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UConn Guard Addresses Leadership In Post-Paige Bueckers Era
Apr 6, 2025; Tampa, FL, USA; Connecticut Huskies guard Paige Bueckers (5) and guard KK Arnold (2) hug during the second half against the South Carolina Gamecocks of the national championship of the women's 2025 NCAA tournament at Amalie Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

UConn Guard Addresses Leadership In Post-Paige Bueckers Era

Originally posted on UConn Huskies on SI
By Shivani Menon  |  Last updated Nov 7, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The UConn Huskies are entering unfamiliar territory this season. For the first time in four seasons, no Paige Bueckers in the huddle. Her voice once carried across every timeout, but now, that sound has been replaced by someone new.

Recently, KK Arnold was a guest on the Listen Up podcast, where she discussed what the locker room feels like without Bueckers' voice leading the team. Arnold admits it’s been a shift. The ball is in her hands now, literally and figuratively.

KK Arnold Joins Azzi Fudd and Sarah Strong in Leading the New Era

As Arnold sees it, “Of course, we’re going to miss that void of Paige being out there. But just knowing that this team, like I said before, we have different pieces to this puzzle and just focusing on the now.”

It’s that “now” she keeps circling back to, the shift from replacement to reinvention.

For Arnold, that means becoming a better communicator, someone who doesn’t just run the plays but runs the room.

“Whether that’s me becoming a better leader, getting a better voice, that comes alongside Sarah Strong and Azzi Fudd,” she added.

The trio has become UConn’s new core of composure and command. While Fudd’s leadership is subtle and measured, Strong’s is fresh and infectious, and Arnold’s is still finding its rhythm. Together, they’re creating a leadership-by-committee model that feels distinctly different from the Bueckers era.

When Buckers left, many assumed Fudd would automatically inherit the leadership role. However, inside UConn’s huddles, something unexpected happened: Strong started talking first.

“Every huddle she’s in, she’s the one doing the talking,” head coach Geno Auriemma said after their exhibition against Boston College.

That wasn’t the case last season. Strong’s transformation as a vocal leader has energized the Huskies. And right beside her, Fudd has stepped up in a way that surprised even her teammates.

“She just came out looking very assertive,” Strong said about Fudd. “Seeing her talking more was really shocking.”

Yet, somewhere, the world expected that from Fudd and Strong. However, Arnold’s growth and voice have been surprising. Then again, Arnold’s growth didn’t happen overnight. It came from practices where she was the loudest on the court one minute and the calmest the next.

“We all have to be the top player that we can be each and every game,” she said.

That mentality is translating. Arnold’s leadership now shows in her tempo, in how she directs the offense, pressures the ball, and keeps her teammates focused. “

"Paige is Paige. This team is this team,” Arnold emphasized. “So just going out there, focusing on what pieces we have, and just kind of gluing that together. And, you know, like I said, each day working on it in practice and it translates over into the game.”

What Does Paige Bueckers Think of KK Arnold Stepping Into Her New Role?

Even from afar, Paige Bueckers has noticed what’s happening back in Storrs. Watching Arnold steer the Huskies through their season opener against Louisville, a 79–66 statement win, Bueckers couldn’t help but sing praises.

“Yeah, just the passion and intensity that she’s always played with,” Bueckers said. “I was very excited for her to take ownership of the team. She’s learned from Nika (Mühl), she’s learned from me, she learned from Kaitlyn Chen. So for this to be her team and her time to run the team as the point guard, she’s doing a great job.”

Arnold’s stat line from that opener said as much. She had 13 points, seven rebounds, two assists, and three steals on 60 percent shooting. A year ago, she averaged 5.5 points per game. Now, she’s setting the tempo and tone.

The Huskies’ post-Bueckers identity is still forming, but one thing’s clear: they’re not searching for a single voice to replace her. Instead, they have a trio of stars capable of leading the team to another championship.

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This article first appeared on UConn Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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