STORRS — After months of uncertainty around the injury statuses of redshirt junior Ice Brady and sophomore Morgan Cheli, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma said Wednesday he is no longer confident that either will play again in 2025-26.
Brady appeared in the first two games of the season, averaging 2.5 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.5 minutes before she was sidelined by inflammation in her right knee ahead of the team’s Nov. 12 game against Loyola Chicago. Auriemma originally said her status was day-to-day, but the 6-foot-3 forward has not appeared in a game since and did not travel with the team on recent road trips to Providence on Dec. 31 or to Creighton on Jan. 11.
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Because she played in less than 30% of the Huskies’ total games before the halfway point of the season, Brady should be eligible for a medical redshirt if she does not return to the court before the end of the year. She previously redshirted her true freshman season in 2022-23 after dislocating the patella in her right knee — the same knee causing her current issue.
Cheli underwent surgery for an ankle injury in February 2025, ending her freshman year prematurely, and she has yet to appear in a game this season. Auriemma said on Dec. 6 that there had been no conversations with Cheli about a potential redshirt, and he was then expecting that the sophomore guard would be available to play sometime in the new year. On Dec. 27 he said Cheli was “making some progress,” but as of Wednesday he said he would be “pleasantly surprised” if either Cheli or Brady saw the court for the remainder of this season.
UConn will have at least 12 players available for its game Thursday against Villanova at Gampel Pavilion, and it could have 13 with redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy working her way back from a concussion suffered Jan. 6 during practice. Auriemma said Wednesday that the 6-5 center has returned to workouts this week and is “really close” to getting back on the court within the next couple of days.
Aaliyah Edwards ceremony rescheduled: Aaliyah Edwards earned her place in the Huskies of Honor when she was named a WBCA and Wooden Award All-American as a senior in 2024, but the star forward has yet to have her name officially added to the wall at Gampel Pavilion.
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Edwards was set to be formally inducted ahead of UConn’s game against Notre Dame on Monday, but the ceremony had to be rescheduled due to a conflict with her Unrivaled game schedule. A team spokesperson said Wednesday that she will now join the Huskies of Honor on Jan. 28 before a Big East matchup against Xavier in Storrs.
Edwards was a two-time All-Big East first-team selection and the most outstanding player of the 2023 Big East Tournament, helping lead the Huskies to four consecutive conference championships. She also helped UConn to three Final Four appearances and graduated top 10 in program history in rebounds (1,020) and double-doubles (35). She is one of just six Huskies players all-time to have more than 1,800 career points and 1,000 rebounds.
Edwards was drafted No. 6 overall in the 2024 WNBA Draft and was traded to the Connecticut Sun in 2025. She is also in the midst of her second season in Unrivaled, the 3-on-3 league founded by fellow UConn greats Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart. Edwards is currently averaging a double-double with 24.7 points and 12 rebounds per game for her team, Lunar Owls.
