The UConn Huskies girls’s basketball program retired Sue Hen’s jersey quantity (No. 10) earlier than the group took its ninth straight win over DePaul on Sunday.
She joins Rebecca Lobo (No. 50) and her teammate, Swin Money (No. 32), as the one gamers to have their jersey numbers retired within the historical past of the UConn Huskies’ girls’s basketball program.
Given the numerous gifted athletes to go by UConn, the Huskies of Honor embody 34 gamers, head coach Geno Auriemma, assistant coach Chris Dailey, and championship groups. Amongst these honored are Paige Bueckers, Napheesa Collier, Maya Moore, and Diana Taurasi.
“It’s actually a spot the place I grew up, a spot the place lots of who I’m as an individual and as a participant, that basis was constructed,” Hen advised reporters earlier than Sunday’s ceremony.
Throughout her collegiate profession with the Huskies, Hen received two Nationwide Championships and famously hit a buzzer-beater to win the Massive East title over Notre Dame in 2001.
She had a stellar senior season, taking residence 5 main honors: the Honda Sports activities Award, Wade Trophy, Naismith, AP, and USBWA Participant of the 12 months awards.
Submit-UConn, the Christ the King (Queens, N.Y.) product was drafted first total within the 2002 WNBA Draft by the Seattle Storm and went on to guide the group to 4 championships over her 19-year profession.
In August, Hen turned the primary WNBA participant to have a statue in Seattle and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame the next month.
SUE BIRD! pic.twitter.com/TaCpk8HE4H https://t.co/gOLTHgUyc4
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) June 12, 2023
Subsequent UConn Husky Jersey Retirements?
There have been many gamers who’ve made an amazing affect on the Huskies’ program and on the sport itself.
In 1985, Auriemma was employed by UConn to take over a struggling program which had just one profitable season previous to his arrival.
Since then, he has led the group to 12 nationwide titles and 36 appearances within the NCAA Girls’s Match, turning into the winningest coach in school basketball historical past with 1,250 wins (and counting).
Listed here are the UConn alums who ought to someday see their jersey numbers hanging within the rafters of Gampel Pavilion.
No. 3: Guard Diana Taurasi (2000-2004)
Hen has a particular friendship with longtime teammate and finest buddy, Diana Taurasi, wherein they shared the courtroom collectively from their days at UConn to their tenures with the USA Girls’s Nationwide Crew.
She made a reputation for herself in her hometown of Chino, California, the place she performed for Don Lugo Excessive College and completed second in state historical past behind Cheryl Miller in factors scored with 3,047 on the time of her commencement (Miller’s document has since been surpassed in response to the Cal-Hello Sports activities State Document Ebook).
Taurasi went on to guide UConn to 3 consecutive NCAA titles from 2002 to 2004. Auriemma made a notable assertion about why UConn was the very best group within the nation: “We have now Diana. You don’t.”
Throughout that point, she additionally received the Honda Sports activities and the Naismith Participant of the 12 months awards twice in her junior and senior seasons. She additionally had a powerful junior marketing campaign, profitable a Wade Trophy and USBWA, and AP Participant of the 12 months awards in 2003.
Taurasi was drafted first total by the Phoenix Mercury within the 2004 WNBA Draft after her four-year tenure with the Huskies. She went on to guide the group to 3 WNBA Championships and turn out to be the WNBA’s All-Time main scorer with 10,646 profession factors throughout her 20-year profession.
She additionally received six Olympic Gold medals with Crew USA, wherein she turned the primary basketball athlete to realize that feat within the Paris Olympics. Earlier in February, Taurasi introduced her retirement after enjoying within the WNBA for 20 years.
Since then, a three-episode documentary, Taurasi, was launched in August and is offered to stream on Amazon Prime.
No. 23: Ahead Maya Moore (2007-2011)
Throughout her basketball profession, ahead Maya Moore received in any respect prices, from highschool at Collins Hill (Suwanee, Ga.) to the skilled degree, whereas making an enduring affect on the sport.
She is the all-time main scorer at UConn with 3,036 profession factors and holds the one season scoring document with 868 factors throughout her senior season.
Throughout her collegiate profession, Moore was outstanding, profitable three Wade Trophy, two Picket and two Nationwide Participant of the 12 months awards.
After main the Huskies to back-to-back nationwide championships in 2009 and 2010 alongside Tina Charles, Moore was chosen first total within the 2011 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx.
She went on to guide the Lynx to 4 titles in seven years. After enjoying her remaining season in 2018, Moore stepped away from the sport of basketball and formally retired in 2023.
Her jersey quantity was retired by the Minnesota Lynx in 2024 and she or he was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Corridor of Fame the next 12 months.
It’s fairly fascinating to say the truth that Moore and Taurasi share the identical birthday, June 11. Perhaps they may have their UConn jerseys retired on the identical time?
No. 31: Ahead Tina Charles (2006-2010)
Ahead Tina Charles, alongside Moore, turned an unstoppable duo for the Huskies that received back-to-back Nationwide Championships and completed undefeated in 2009 and 2010.
All through her collegiate profession, Charles received many accolades, together with Naismith Participant of the 12 months and the Picket awards in her senior season.
Moreover, Charles turned this system’s all-time chief in whole rebounds with 1,367 and completed No. 5 on the all-time scoring record with 2,346 factors.
She went on to turn out to be a high choose within the 2010 WNBA Draft by the Connecticut Solar, profitable the W’s Most Precious Participant award in 2012 and three Olympic Gold medals.
Charles is among the finest gamers in WNBA historical past. She is also No. 2 in W historical past in factors scored in 2024, trailing solely Taurasi.
No. 30: Ahead Breanna Stewart (2012-2016)
Recruiting ahead Breanna Stewart, one of many extremely ranked recruits of the 2012 class, to the Huskies’ program is among the finest strikes of Auriemma’s teaching profession. She, together with Morgan Tuck and Moriah Jefferson, shaped a trio that turned unstoppable for his or her 4 years as UConn teammates.
“Stewie” led UConn to 4 consecutive nationwide titles from 2013 to 2016 and has an unmatched resume. She not solely swept main particular person awards as a junior and senior, she earned an unprecedented 4 consecutive NCAA Match Most Excellent Participant awards.
After her collegiate profession, she received three WNBA Championships– two with the Seattle Storm (2018 and 2020) and one with the New York Liberty (2024) — and took residence two league and Finals Most Precious Participant awards.
She can also be a three-time Olympic Gold medalist and was named to the WNBA’s twenty fifth anniversary group in 2021.
Retiring Stewie’s jersey is a no brainer.
No. 5: Guard Paige Bueckers (2020-2025)
Guard Paige Bueckers is among the future faces of girls’s basketball, as she is understood for her all-around scoring and protection.
In her freshman 12 months with UConn, she made a right away affect on school basketball, incomes USBWA, AP, Naismith and Picket Participant of the 12 months honors.
She led the Huskies to their first Nationwide Championship since 2016 earlier this April after overcoming accidents throughout her collegiate profession.
The ladies that got here earlier than her had been unbelievable, however Bueckers has her personal distinctive place in UConn lore.
