NET GAIN: Kaitlyn Chen is all smiles as she cuts down a piece of the net after helping the University of Connecticut women’s basketball team defeat South Carolina 82-59 in the NCAA championship game on April 6 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Former Princeton University women’s hoops star Chen, who played for UConn as a grad transfer, scored two points and had four assists in 17 minutes of action in the title game. Point guard Chen averaged 7.1 points and 3.2 assists per game this winter as the Huskies went 37-3 on their way to the program’s 12th national championship. (Photo provided courtesy of UConn Athletics)

By Justin Feil

Kaitlyn Chen celebrated winning the NCAA Division I women’s national championship with two basketball families.

First, there was the University of Connecticut team that she helped capture a 12th national title in program history with an 82-59 dismantling of South Carolina in the NCAA championship game on April 6 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

Then, there was the Princeton University family – basketball players and coaches and friends who had been in school with her the previous four years before she used her graduate transfer year at UConn. They were also in Tampa, there to cheer on Chen.

“It meant so much to me, and it made winning and that moment just 10 times more special because those are the people who have sort of been on my journey with me for the past four years,” said Chen, a 5’9 native of San Marino, Calif., who piled up 1,276 points, 313 rebounds, and 359 assists at Princeton and was named the 2023 Ivy League Player of the Year. “Those are the people that I trust and love the most, and to have them there with me to experience that was incredible.”

Chen started the title game and played 17 minutes, had four assists — one off the team-high — to go with two points, a rebound and no turnovers as UConn finished the season 37-3 and earned its record 12th national crown. It’s a lasting memory from her final college season that will stick with her.

“Just how incredible it was to do it with my teammates and the group that we have,” said Chen. “And just because of how close we all are, and also seeing my friends and coaches and my Princeton teammates there. That was one of the best parts of that whole day.”

The championship came 30 years after Princeton head coach Carla Berube played on the first UConn team to win a national title in 1995 under legendary Huskies coach Geno Auriemma. Berube was invested in this year’s UConn title because of her connection to the program and to Chen.

“It was awesome,” said Berube. “I was able to watch some of her games throughout the year. And we were in touch a lot. And then to watch them en route to their 12th national championship and being down in Tampa, watching her live and being among my teammates, the UConn alums, which is just a huge really close-knit family, also among some of Kaitlyn’s Princeton teammates, some of my graduates here, it was amazing.”

Berube kept in touch with Chen throughout this season. They talked often before and after UConn games, and there were also an active text chain between them and Princeton assistant coach Lauren Dillon.

“They were such a big part of my life for the past four years that I don’t think that just goes away like that,” said Chen. “I think I’m really lucky to have had them as my coaches at Princeton just because of how close our relationship is and, as expected, nothing changed when I moved a few hours away.”

Berube had given Chen advice on playing for Auriemma and at UConn as she narrowed her choices. Chen was sought by many of the country’s top programs, according to Berube, but she narrowed her choices to UConn and UCLA, another final four program that UConn knocked out in the national semifinals. UCLA was only about 30 miles from her hometown.

“I picked UConn because I thought it’d be the best fit for me and the school that would give me the best chance to potentially win a national championship,” said Chen, who is finishing her master’s degree in sports management at UConn.

She was right.

The only real experience that Chen had with UConn was going against the Huskies. Chen scored 18 points and had seven assists as a junior when Princeton lost 69-64 to Auriemma and the Huskies at UConn in December, 2022. There was mutual admiration.

“He didn’t forget that,” said Berube.

Chen, too, didn’t forget what it was like playing at Storrs, Conn. She had watched their success from afar, and now has an even greater appreciation for it after joining the program.

“Just to be able to be a part of everything, from just how historic the program is,” said Chen. “I remember coming into Gampel (Pavilion) when we first played. I’m looking up at all the championship banners and thinking it’s pretty amazing that we even get to play here. Also being able to play in front of our fans and have them actually cheer for you instead of against you is great because I think we have the best fans that care so much about our team and UConn women’s basketball specifically. They create such a fun high energy atmosphere to play in. That’s really hard to replicate probably anywhere else.”

The journey to the national title wasn’t easy.

“There was some point at the beginning where she said, ‘I didn’t know it was going to be this hard,’” said Berube. “And I said, ‘Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you.’ It’s just the level of perfection they ask. We have high standards here, but we don’t practice for three and a half hours like they can do there. And I told her it was going to be a challenge, but it’s going to be really rewarding in the end, and I think that’s certainly how it ended up.”

Chen could see subtle signs that Berube came from the Auriemma basketball tree. The two coaches say some of the same things and some of the drills were the same.

“‘Play hard, play smart, have fun’ is the big one that I know Coach Berube took from here,” said Chen. “I think they’re both just really great coaches, and I’m lucky to have been able to play for both of them.”

Chen had to make several adjustments at UConn. It began early. She was in Storrs two days after her graduation from Princeton to start working with the team.

“That was definitely weird at first, but my teammates are super, super welcoming,” said Chen. “And they did their job and whatever they could to help me fit in and make me feel at home. So I really appreciated that.”

Chen needed that reassurance from her new teammates after she had grown so comfortable with the Princeton staff and players. She couldn’t be sure what she was walking into starting over with a new team.

“Obviously you have concerns,” said Chen. “There are always thoughts in your head that you try not to let affect you, I guess just like fitting in, and I understood that it would be hard to get as close with them as my Princeton teammates, just because it’s just like four years of your life. That’s a lot of time you spend getting to know someone. So I think just sort of knowing that in the back of my mind helped, not expecting it to be the same.”

Chen had confidence that she was capable of contributing, but also worried about just how much she would be able to contribute and in what sort of role she would be. She ended up starting all 36 games she played in, averaging 7.1 points per game, 3.2 assists per game and shooting 50 percent from the floor and 83 percent from the foul line. She came in willing to adjust from being the top scoring option for the Tigers to a new role for the Huskies who trotted out a starting lineup that also included such standouts as Paige Bueckers, Azzi Fudd, and Sarah Strong.

“It definitely took some time to be able to figure out how I would fit into our system just because it’s a whole new team and playing with people you’ve never played against or played with,” said Chen. “It definitely took me a little bit of time to get used to our style of play and just to figure out what exactly is my role and how can I best play my role or how can I play my role to the best of my ability.”

She still had some big games and plenty of big moments. She scored 15 points in UConn’s elite eight win over USC to go to the final four. Throughout the season, she continued her growth as a player in the new setting.

“Her role was to make the plays, be that point guard that’s facilitating the offense and putting her teammates in the best positions to score the basketball,” said Berube. “Also, I thought she defended really, really well. She was that first point of defense. She sometimes picked up full court. So I don’t think she was something other than what she was here; she just didn’t have to score as much. Kaitlyn came through when they needed her to.”

Playing at UConn was another step toward playing at the next level. Chen is hopeful she will have a chance to continue her career in the WNBA. Last Monday, that desire became a reality as Chen was selected by the Golden State Valkyries as the fifth choice in the third round and 30th overall pick of the WNBA Draft.

“She can do a lot of everything,” said Berube. “I would hope GM’s and the European scouts too will see that she’s a three-level scorer. She can defend. She’s smart. She just plays really, really hard, has a really intense work ethic. And I think it translates well to the professional level. And she certainly can play on the big stage and never got rattled either. She’s really composed and confident and a really great leader and teammate.”

Chen had a lot of those qualities coming out of high school. But they weren’t yet to the point they are now, and she wasn’t the caliber of player then that could contribute and start for a national championship team at UConn. She developed over her Princeton career into the player that could help take the Huskies to the pinnacle of college basketball because of the opportunities, coaching, and teammates she had in the previous four seasons. It’s why it was perfect that she could celebrate the NCAA crown not just with her current UConn basketball family but her Tigers too.

“I don’t think I would be where I am now if it wasn’t for my time at Princeton,” said Chen. “I needed my time at Princeton to sort of grow and develop as both a player, physically and also mentally and in a maturity aspect. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for my time at Princeton.”