After five years and four seasons of college basketball, Kaitlyn Chen ’24 is a national champion.
Chen started every game of the season for the Huskies, who dominated South Carolina 82–59 on Sunday to win the program’s record 12th national championship and their first since 2016. She graduated from Princeton last year with one year of eligibility remaining.
On Sunday, Chen scored two points alongside four assists in 18 minutes of play. She helped set the tone early in a game UConn never trailed after the opening minute, with three of her four assists coming in the first quarter. Even before the opening tip, Chen established the tenor of UConn’s successful approach.
“Kaitlyn [was] always talking about last one, last one,” graduate guard Azzi Fudd said postgame about what allowed her to play so freely.
For Chen, this year’s tournament run was beyond her wildest childhood dreams. Asked at a press conference before the Final Four if a younger Kaitlyn could have seen herself competing for a national championship, she responded simply. “No.”
Chen came to UConn expecting to fill the role of graduating senior Nika Mühl, an elite defensive guard who was drafted 14th in the 2024 WNBA Draft. This followed a Princeton career in which Chen accomplished just about all there was to accomplish — except a deep March Madness run.
Chen started all three years she played as a Tiger, averaging 14.2 points per game and winning a slew of awards. Notably, she was Ivy Player of the Year in 2023, Ivy Tournament Most Outstanding Player each of her three years as a Tiger, and a 2024 Honorable Mention All-American.
This year, she earned a spot in the UConn starting five alongside first-year center Jana El Alfy and UConn’s Big Three of 2025 Freshman of the Year Sarah Strong, Fudd, and projected first overall WNBA pick Paige Bueckers.
When she arrived in Storrs at the start of the year, UConn Head Coach Geno Auriemma quickly took a liking to her.
“She’s not afraid to use her voice; she walk[ed] into a situation that any kid would be intimidated by,” Auriemma said. “I’ve trusted Kaitlyn Chen since the minute she walked on campus.”
Not surprisingly, Chen credits Old Nassau for her development on and off the court that led to her success under the bright lights this year.
“I feel like Princeton has prepared me really well as a leader,” she said before the Final Four. “That’s where I got comfortable using my voice, and I feel that sort of translated over here.”
While Chen has had a smaller role this year than she did at Princeton due to the magnitude of star power in Storrs, she provided a stabilizing force and essential wisdom, stepping up in big moments when the team needed her. In UConn’s Elite Eight win against USC, Chen scored 15 points — six late in the fourth quarter — and suffocated the Trojans on defense.
“I thought Kaitlyn was fantastic,” Auriemma said following the game.
Following one of the most successful careers in Princeton history and becoming the first Tiger or Tiger alumna ever to win a national championship, Chen will now leave college basketball for good. All eyes will turn to the WNBA draft, where if Chen declares, she has the chance to be the first Tiger selected since Abby Meyers ’22.
Max Hines is a senior Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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