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Dom Amore: Now among Huskies’ elders, KK Arnold has learned pace, balance. Is her best yet to come?
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- Dom Amore: Now among Huskies’ elders, KK Arnold has learned pace, balance. Is her best yet to come?
STORRS — It may be hard to believe, but KK Arnold is about to embark on her senior year at UConn. She came in as such an exuberant freshman, known for making videos for social media, talking and playing hundred miles per hour and it seemed like that was a few weeks ago.
But here she is: KK Arnold, elder statesperson.
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"It's crazy that it's already here," Arnold said, "but I'm very grateful to make it to my senior year and be able to play with all my sisters."
Everybody's kid sister has become the big sister, now up to 830,000 followers on TikTok, and her years have been eventful, even more that the usual four-year arc for the women's basketball team at UConn. As a freshman, she was unpolished, prone to go too fast, but before coach Geno Auriemma could really teach her when to slow down, when to turn it on, injuries forced him to play her far more than expected, starting her in 33 games. Her role moderated as a sophomore, to an off-the-bench change of pace role, and it ended with a national championship. Then last year, after grad transfer Kaitlyn Chen left, the keys to the family car were passed back to Arnold.
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"Sophomore year to junior year, last summer, I felt like I was finally understanding the pace I need to play with," Arnold said, "how to be a point guard, how to distribute, how to help my teammates, how to talk to them and put them in the best position. Last year was best year in my personal transition."
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Arnold started 38 games, averaging 6.9 points and 4.6 assists. The couple of games she missed with a nasal fracture in December indicated how important she had become as glue of the team, then she returned with a protective mask. The devastating injuries the team has suffered, the superstars who have come and gone, the great victories and stinging defeats, most recently to South Carolina at the Final Four three months ago, have tempered Arnold, made her tough, made her a mentor, made her a leader by word and deed.
"KK is the one, when we have a huddle, she's going to speak up and say something," said junior Allie Ziebell, like Arnold a Wisconsinite. "Very well respected, she has so much experience, too. It's really cool watching her develop and grow. I saw her as a sophomore, and now she's a senior and it's just so cool to see she can use that experience and just be a voice for everyone, that everyone looks up to."
The plan is for Arnold to eventually pass the torch to one of the younger players she is helping to mentor; Kelis Fisher, now a sophomore, is so reminiscent of Arnold as a younger player.
"It's a blessing getting to be with KK," Fisher told reporters during the last NCAA Tournament. " Very energetic. Teaching me a lot of things. Giving me a lot of advice. It wasn't going to be easy here, so obviously I needed people in my corner to help me, and she was definitely one of them."
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During this summer's workouts, Fisher noted Arnold was, indeed, still in her corner. The incoming guards from overseas, Marine Dursus and Jovana Popovic, will also have KK in their corner and watching over them, as will the other players, all trying in one way or another to be more aggressive, more confident. Arnold, the senior, has polished her game, and her leadership, communication skills have come with that process.
"I definitely have found a balance," Arnold said. "Everybody knows it's business. When I yell at you, don't take it personal, take it as another thing to get better at, constructive criticism. But I definitely have found that balance more and more, especially during this summer session. Everybody knows me off the court; yeah, I'm going to goof around, but that's earned, not given right away. So I make sure I have a good balance and good boundaries. How do I lead by example and not let anybody else fall short of what they can become?"
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When Arnold, from Germantown, Wis., came to UConn, she was used to hard coaching back home. At UConn, she found a new level. One might call it "Constructive Criticism, Fra Diavolo." But she adjusted to Geno Auriemma's hot sauce.
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"I was never nervous," Arnold said. "When I came in and he started yelling, I was like, 'ummmmmm.' … During in AAU I was used to coaches like that, it was just another step up. The first couple of weeks here, I understood what he wants. He wants the best version out of every one of his players, so understanding that and not taking that to heart and going out there and trying to be the best version. I like that. I'm like, "coach is on me? Another challenge accepted.' So I take it like that."
Now Arnold can often be found in Auriemma's office, asking questions, going over film or situations, all the things that make a point guard what a point guard is supposed to be — the coach's extension on the floor.
"Telling (the others) what's needed from them, setting that tone on defense, keeping that intensity up," Arnold said. "That's the biggest thing. In practices, when we get to that point of learning defense, that's the biggest thing, learning it each and every day."
Meanwhile, she continues to refine and expand her skills. She has maintained a consistent ratio of assists-to-turnovers of nearly 4-to-1, last year with the 4.6 assists, 2.7 steals and 1.1 turnovers, and she showed more confidence in making and taking shots. Arnold shot 33.3 percent on 3-pointers last season, a marked improvement over 2024-25. After years of playing with Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, Arnold knows the value of the mid-range, pull-up shot and is working to improve that."
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And there is an exciting thought, for some at least, to put in the back pocket for some point down the road. If and when the NCAA's "five-in-five" rule kicks in, it could have a huge impact on women's basketball, where there is no G League, and the WNBA, even as it expands, will have nowhere near as many roster spots as the NBA. Imagine what a player like Arnold could do with an extra year to develop for The W, what UConn could do with five full seasons of her.
"It gives an opportunity for those who haven't had the full four years, due injuries or whatever," Arnold said. "It's a great opportunity for another year of either learning or a lot of growing, gets you another year to settle down and get another year of college before the pro level, so I think it's a good thing."
