Geno Auriemma gets candid on UConn player entering transfer portal shortly after national championship win: "Good move for her"

Following UConn's victory parade on Sunday, Geno Auriemma shared his thoughts on the transfer portal and players that they can get ahead of the next season. The Hall of Famer coach, who won his 12th title with the Huskies, has a keen eye for new talents.

Apart from the senior class, most of the players of this Championship-winning team are returning. The only player to enter the transfer portal was sophomore guard Qadence Samuels.

Geno Auriemma was asked about the move and he was happy for the young guard as he understood Samuels' desire to get more game time.

"We got a lot of people back, lot of pieces back," Auriemma said (Timestamps: 8:46-9:10). "So there's no decision being made about anybody definitely coming. Q (Qadence Samuels) is in the portal, which was a good move for her. I think she loves to play. I think she will get good opportunity some place to play."

When asked about the players that UConn can get from the transfer portal, Geno Auriemma gave nothing away as he highlighted the importance of players being available that fit his system perfectly.

"It depends on what spots are most crucial, is anybody out there that fits," he said. "We have been so lucky with Dorka (Juhasz), Lou (Lopez Senechal), Kaitlyn (Chen), like it's been so perfect. Is it realistic to think that there are people out there that are perfect fit for us? I dont know."

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Qadence Samuels was down in the pecking order for Geno Auriemma at UConn

Qadence Samuels helped the UConn Huskies to reach and win the Championship against South Carolina in the 2024-25 campaign. The sophomore guard had a much more reduced bench role this season due to UConn's super-talented roster.

In her freshman year, Qadence had a decent campaign averaging 5.0 points, and 2.6 rebounds whilst registering 12.3 minutes on the court per game. She shot 40.2% from the field and 35.4% from the 3-point line.

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Rather than improving on her game time, it became exceedingly low as she only featured 5.5 minutes per game, scoring 1.3 ppg and 0.8 rpg. This happened due to UConn's exceptionally talented roster and Geno Auriemma had no other option but to restrict her to a fringe role.

The sophomore guard hardly featured in the NCAA Tournament for the Huskies, registering only 14 minutes on the court throughout the competition without scoring a single point.

While Qadence has not explained the reason behind her move, she will be hoping for a better season next year.