Isuneh “Ice” Brady couldn’t believe she was in the same gym as Breanna Stewart when she visited as a high school sophomore in 2019. Later in coach Geno Auriemma’s office, she was so starstruck in the moment, she was fidgeting.

“Are you nervous or something?” Auriemma asked her.

Brady had wanted to attend UConn since around middle school, even journaling about her dream school. Tuning into the UConn women during the Stewart era, Brady watched the Huskies win four straight national championships. The intensity, drive and perfection over a four-year period in which UConn went 151-5 fascinated the young player. She wanted to do the same.

“There’s just a UConn way,” Brady said. “Something about the culture I picked up when I was young, and I’ve just been obsessed with it ever since.”

On her visit, those memories and the feeling of actually being in Storrs cemented her decision. She became the earliest recruit to announce her commitment to UConn. “It was like, ‘Yep, this is it. This is it for sure,'” Brady said.

Two years later, in October 2021, the 6-foot-3 post player visited for First Night. This time, she could imagine herself in that element. She could see herself walking around campus and into the UConn practice facilities. Even her dad, John Brady, noticed how comfortable she seemed.

“To see all that come full circle, pretty cool,” he said.