The following is from CT Insider, “Geno Auriemma, UConn women’s basketball team excited for Ice Brady’s debut: ‘Really really, really good'”

Ice Brady (CCHS ’22) was just two weeks out from her UConn women’s basketball freshman debut last season when she fell on her right knee in practice, suffering a dislocated patella.

The injury was season-ending and forced Brady to receive surgery, spending all last year recovering and watching games from the bench.
In exactly a week from Wednesday, Brady will finally get the chance to make her official UConn debut when the Huskies open the 2023-24 season on Nov. 8 hosting Dayton (7 p.m. in Hartford).

The 6-foot-3 forward’s return is perfect timing for the Huskies as they’ll look to her to fill out their limited true frontcourt.

“Now don’t get me wrong, she hasn’t played college basketball and there’s some issues that are going to rise and all that. But anytime a kid can make shots from the perimeter, score in the lane, (is a) really good passer; she just has that kind of game,” UConn head coach Geno Auriemma said. “And it’s a great complement to, you know, to Aaliyah (Edwards) and Aubrey (Griffin) and Carol (Caroline Ducharme) and some of the other guys that we have.”
   
Brady, from San Diego, came to Storrs last year as the No. 5 ranked recruit in the Class of 2022. She was a big who could shoot from the outside and boasted a demanding presence in the post. She ended her senior year of high school averaging 20.7 points, 12.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks and was named a McDonald’s, Jordan Brand and SLAM All-American.

And after an impressive showing at the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship in June (she averaged 13.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.3 steals), Brady began summer workouts in Storrs with high potential of becoming a key backup big for the Huskies.

UConn already had starters in Edwards and Dorka Juhász. Had she been healthy, Brady would have likely competed with Ayanna Patterson as the first forward off the bench.

But her preseason knee injury took away that opportunity before she even got the chance to step on the court.

“Ice is a great player. I was so excited for her to play last year so this year I’m even more excited,” said junior Azzi Fudd, who roomed with Brady last season. “… She’d always be worried about what this year would look like for her, and I would tell her, ‘You’re gonna be the same player if not better than when you got hurt.'”

Fortunately, the freshman wasn’t alone throughout her recovery. Husky star Paige Bueckers also sat out all last season recovering from an ACL injury.

The two kept each other in high spirits through difficult and painful days of rehab and through all the games where they wished they could be on the court with their teammates. Brady took the time to also get more involved on campus and found faith and support at UConn’s Athletes in Action (a student-led ministry).

“I think she’s kind of flown under the radar in terms of just being somebody that we are going to really need this season and somebody that we could have used last season,” Bueckers said. “I’ve seen her work extremely hard. Me and her did a lot of our rehab together and we’ve grown our relationship a lot this past year. So, I’m excited for her and the future that she has this year.”

Brady began joining the Huskies’ practices toward the end of last season, participating in some drills but not all as she wasn’t quite fully cleared.

She returned to all basketball activities in May and got her first taste of what it’s like playing for UConn in the team’s exhibition games during its Europe Tour in August.

Brady averaged six points per game and shot 50 percent from the field while recording a total of 21 rebounds, six assists and four steals during UConn’s four exhibition games. While there was still a little rust on her movements under the basket, the redshirt freshman impressed with her strength, power and outside shot.

And she’s only continued to impress in practice since the team’s return to campus and throughout preseason workouts.

“She brings a level of toughness to the table and that girl loves to shoot,” Fudd said. “She loves to shoot 3’s, mid-range, wherever it is. So having that ability to kinda stretch the floor from a big man position and her confidence to do so, it’s really nice to see especially after her injury.”

With Juhász now gone to the WNBA, Brady is the likely choice to replace her in the starting lineup (Patterson is still working her way back from an offseason knee procedure). Edwards will remain the team’s most talented and experienced forward, while Patterson and Amari DeBerry will help off the bench. Redshirt freshman forward Jana El Alfy is out for the year recovering from an offseason Achilles injury.

Brady’s size will immediately compliment Edwards down low, while her shooting range will also help spread out the Huskies’ offense.

“Me and Ice have been working more on our chemistry and getting like to that level of like where me and Dorka were so that we can get into our high-low bag,” Edwards said. “I think that having Ice as an addition to the team, being impactful on the court is going to be great for us this season so I’m excited.”

When asked during Big East Media Day on Oct. 24, if Brady looks like she’ll be able to impact the team, Auriemma immediately said ‘Yes.’ The coach compared Brady to NBA Hall of Famer Willis Reed and told the redshirt freshman to watch some of Reed’s highlights.
 

“Ice is really really, really good. She’s got an old person’s game,” Auriemma said. “. … I think she went home and watched because that’s exactly how she plays. I’m old enough to know how great he was but he was a little bit undersized. She’s a little bit undersized, I mean she’s not a 6-5 center, but she just plays with a calmness and steadiness.”

Brady will get her first taste of playing for the Huskies on Saturday when UConn hosts Southern Connecticut State in an exhibition game (1 p.m. in Storrs), before making her official UConn debut on Nov. 8 in the team’s season opener.

“She’s come back and she’s better than what I remember,” Fudd said.

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