“She’s aggressive, she's doing a great job”: Paige Bueckers shares her first impressions of new veteran teammate Kaitlyn Chen
On Saturday, UConn star guard Paige Bueckers was impressed by Kaitlyn Chen's aggressive play. It was Huskies' first official practice before the season begins in November. She expects her new teammate to become a major contributor in the 2024-25 campaign
Chen transferred to UConn this offseason with three seasons of college hoops experience tucked under her belt.
The six-foot guard pointed out that Chen's veteran presence brings balance to the roster, especially since the Huskies' core is composed mainly of young players.
"We're a very young team we have a lot of new people ... a lot of second-year guys so for her to be experienced and play a similar offense to what we have and similar concepts. She's very smart and she knows how to play the game and she knows how to play amongst other good teammates," Bueckers said. [2:05-2:22]
The UConn guard also highlighted Chen's aggressiveness and praised the former Princeton star for her efforts.
"She's aggressive. I think we want her to be Kaitlyn like we didn't want her to come here to be anybody else. So she's still finding herself but she's doing a great job," she added [2:24-2:32].
In three seasons with Princeton, the 5-foot-9 Chen posted averages of 14.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.3 steals. She is expected to be a vital contributor in Geno Auriemma's system and will ease the load off Bueckers and Azzi Fudd on the offensive end.
Paige Bueckers works on her shooting and playmaking during the offseason
During the interview, Paige Bueckers pointed out that she worked on her shooting and playmaking abilities to strengthen her body to endure the grind.
Bueckers mentioned that the Huskies can now play positionless basketball with KK Arnold and Kaitlyn Chen helping her carry the ball up to their halfcourt.
They will also have an effective post presence, with five-star power forward Sarah Strong taking the lead. Bueckers was amazed by the freshman's high basketball IQ and her ability to switch to big guard when needed.
She also talked about Jana El-Alfy and how the Egyptian center will impact UConn's game in the coming months.
The UConn Huskies open the new season with an exhibition game against Fort Hays State on Nov. 3 before starting their non-conference slate against Boston University on Nov. 7.