A deep dig into UConn Women’s Basketball point guard pack
In Greek mythology, a three-headed dog named Cerberus guarded the Underworld. The hound of Hades prevented those who entered, mainly the souls of the dead, from ever leaving.
The reigning national champion UConn Women’s Basketball team has its own three-headed protector defending Geno Auriemma’s basketball domain. But rather than their three primary stars, all three individuals play the same critical position: point guard.
UConn Report men’s basketball writer Jake McCreven described the collective unit in a September 22 article for The Daily Campus as “paradoxically good.” He noted that each player displayed a different strength during an open practice at Sacred Heart University the day before. That could translate to the regular season, which tips off four weeks from yesterday.
It starts with the point guard who has been in Storrs the longest. KK Arnold will see an increased role as a junior, and it is a moment she will not be afraid to meet. Arnold is the quintessential glue girl, a game-changer on defense with back-to-back 60-steal and 110-assist seasons. Then there is Kayleigh Heckel, who joins the Huskies after a year at USC. In downtown Los Angeles, the New York native dished out 63 dimes and scored 6.1 points per game.
Kelis Fisher, meanwhile, is the collegiate newcomer and the No. 25 recruit in the 2025 class. Even though she has yet to appear in a game, the IMG Academy alum is no stranger to facing elite competition. That experience should come in handy against programs such as the Tennessee Lady Volunteers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Unlike years past, two starting point guards in UConn’s lineup might not be a possibility. Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade shot a combined 132-310 from downtown in 2024-25. Those two former Big East All-Freshman Team selections alone give the Huskies tremendous firepower at the guard position.
Because of this, the expectation is that Connecticut will send out one floor general at a time. That, like many things, can change between now and the season opener on November 4. Until it does, let us break down the ways college basketball’s winningest coach may handle the position.
First is what will likely happen on November 4 in Germany: Arnold gets the start, and Heckel comes off the bench. The Louisville Cardinals lost both of their star forwards, Olivia Cochran and Nyla Harris, from last year’s squad. Even with their in-house replacements, Connecticut might still possess the size advantage.
Louisville compensates its frontcourt losses with Imari Berry and Tajianna Roberts, the leading scorers among head coach Jeff Walz’s returning players. Shutting them down early will be key, and the 2024 Big East All-Freshman Team selection is the ideal table-setter for this approach. But if she faces any adversity, the guard known as K9 can enter and show off her bite.
Another possibility, potentially in non-conference battles against aggressive offenses, is that Heckel starts and Arnold becomes the substitute. It would be similar to how the program operated the position with Princeton transfer Kaitlyn Chen last season.
Compare this strategy to the way Dan Hurley operated the man in the middle on the 2024-25 UConn Men’s Basketball team. Samson Johnson (7.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 50 blocks), the program’s winningest player, started all 34 games he appeared in. Former Michigan Wolverine Tarris Reed Jr. (9.6 PPG, 7.3 RPG, 55 rejections) posted the stronger numbers off the bench, however. The Big East Sixth Man of the Year’s presence provided little relief to the centers that had to contest them.
Giving the Long Island Lutheran High School alum the nod would work the same way (no disrespect to her or Johnson). Heckel would stymie opponents first with her long-range prowess and swift-shifting intensity. The 2022 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Cup gold medalist’s defensive haymakers can detract an opponent’s attention when she checks in, however.
There might not be a situation where Fisher starts a game in her first collegiate campaign, given the depth ahead of her. If she does, then injuries have severely ravaged the program again. That does not mean the Baltimore native will not make an impact or, better yet, play 10+ minutes regularly in some capacity.
Fisher becomes a challenge inside the paint, whether she is driving down the lane or kicking the ball out. It is not the only area where the former Roland Park Country School student can force significant whiteboard revisions.
Should Auriemma want to implement a feisty defense for most of a contest, he could start Arnold and have Fisher back her up. Both guards can complement their speed with superb transition defense, allowing for relentless pressure on opposing ball-handlers. As selfish as they might want to be on defense, each of them can also be very selfless. That trait could result in more attempts from downtown for the Huskies’ sharpshooters (and Sarah Strong).
Alternatively, the 2025 Chipotle National Champion could back up Heckel at the one. This is the least likely scenario and would only happen if the three-time Wisconsin State Player of the Year were injured. If it becomes a reality, however, the defending women’s college basketball champions still have two vicious guards who can control a game’s tempo.
UConn’s point guard trio could be considered youthful (all three players are 20 or younger). With a maturing Arnold, a quickly acclimating Heckel, and an energetic Fisher, however, each court commander should be viewed much differently.
Despite their talented fleet, the Huskies’ success in 2025-26 starts with their floor generals. They establish the tone that the program carries out as well as the tenor for every game. If each 5-foot-9 guard settles into Connecticut’s style early, that three-headed pack makes a seventh successful title defense incredibly likely.
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