Intensified Impact: How Morgan Cheli’s aggressive play will further boost UConn Women’s Hoops
From late April until late October last year, I wrote a column about almost every player on the 2024-25 UConn Women’s Basketball team. The only four people who did not get a column were Ayanna Patterson, Jana El Alfy, Caroline Ducharme and Morgan Cheli.
Patterson did not play a game last season because of a lingering shoulder injury that ultimately required surgery in December. Ducharme returned in late February and checked into twice as many postseason contests (six) as regular season ones (three). El Alfy started 27 straight games, averaging 4.7 points and 4.9 rebounds in that stretch while shooting 53.4%.
Cheli, meanwhile, made 24 appearances off the bench in her rookie campaign. Across those games, the California native averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 boards in 13.3 minutes. Only KK Arnold played more minutes per game (21.2) last season among players who did not start once. Cheli also sported a 2.0 assist-to-turnover ratio before she went down with an ankle injury in February.
ESPN’s No. 11 recruit in the 2024 class played 10+ minutes in nine of her final 12 contests in her rookie campaign. All of those instances came against Big East Conference teams that did not receive a ranking at any point in the season. Competition level aside, losing Cheli robbed the Huskies of someone who could provide impressive defense and valuable minutes down the stretch.
The injury did not affect Connecticut too much, however, as they won each of their final 15 games by 14+ points. Having a dynamic trio and a talented rotation behind them helped out tremendously in that regard.
All but two players, Paige Bueckers and Kaitlyn Chen, return from last season’s well-rounded primary core. Sarah Strong packs a deadly combination of versatile offense and lockdown defense. Azzi Fudd and Ashlynn Shade are each unstoppable when they start draining three-pointers. Arnold brings electrifying speed and intense off-ball peskiness. El Alfy and Ice Brady supplement the team’s size with their play down low.
Even with the incoming transfers and first-year students, Cheli could find herself in the mix with this year’s group.
Consider that the 2022 All-WCAL First Team selection had five points, five boards, three assists and three steals in her first-ever Big East game. Most of those numbers came in the first half, but it resulted in Cheli starting the third quarter on the floor. She followed that up with a five-rebound, two-steal performance in a 60-point thumping of the Seton Hall Pirates a month later.
The 2024 McDonald’s All-American experienced some foul trouble; she committed at least three fouls in six separate games. Despite this, she never had an outing where she did not record at least one rebound, assist, steal or block.
Add in a 3-3 start from downtown across her first two career appearances, and Cheli can impact nearly every part of the game. On offense, the four-time NorCal Open champion possesses the skills of a point guard who can unselfishly find her teammates. Defensively, Cheli can be a problem for anyone in transition and in the paint. Her aggressiveness could force more turnovers than opponents might expect.
“Morgan [Cheli] is just really great at adapting to whatever role and whatever position she has to play out on the floor,” Bueckers said about the Archbishop Mitty High School alum following the Huskies’ league-opening 35-point victory over the Georgetown Hoyas last December. “She is really easy to play in any sort of situation with any group out there.”
With her versatile skillset, it might be best for Cheli to play a wing position. She would not take the most shots, but the Naismith First Team All-American could blossom into someone whose contributions extend beyond the box score. If all goes well, she could take on the role Shade held for most of the season.
“Morgan is just really great at adapting to whatever role and whatever position she has to play out on the floor.”
Paige Bueckers on Morgan Cheli following UConn’s first win over Georgetown in December 2024
All of this depends on when Cheli returns from the ankle injury she suffered five months ago. Head coach Geno Auriemma told the press on June 16 that the rising sophomore was not yet back on the floor. The later Cheli rejoins team practices, the longer it might take for her to be ready for the fierce competition the Huskies face.
Fudd’s decision to return and Strong’s first-year dominance alone could secure a near-unanimous No. 1 preseason ranking for UConn. Their impact, as well as Arnold’s, is well known. Kayleigh Heckel, Serah Williams and a fully healthy Ducharme further scratch the surface of the reigning national champion’s overall potential.
It could result in a noticeable decrease in the minutes that Cheli averages next season. Simultaneously, however, the lack of attention on the 2024 WCAL Player of the Year may allow her to wreck opposing strategies. Bueckers consistently mentioned how the two former sophomore guards—Arnold and Shade—changed the game’s tenor whenever they entered. The same could potentially ring true for Morgan Cheli.
Regardless of how the season transpires, Cheli should hear her name called at least once in every game that she is available. A significant portion of those requests could arise when a starter needs a breather or runs into foul trouble. The 2024 CCS Player of the Year’s overall game allows her to answer Auriemma’s call in multiple ways.
It has been nearly 25 years since the Huskies won a title that was not part of a stretch of consecutive championships. With her profound all-around impact, Cheli will be the secret piece that helps Connecticut continue that impressive streak.
