UConn women’s basketball guard Qadence Samuels announced via an Instagram post on Thursday night that she is entering the transfer portal after playing a limited role off the bench in her two seasons with the Huskies.
Samuels, a 6-foot-2 guard from Forestville, Md., signed with UConn as the No. 41 prospect in the Class of 2023 and averaged 12.3 minutes per game during her freshman campaign when the roster was decimated by season-ending injuries. But with a healthy squad and three top-15 prospects arriving in the Class of 2025, Samuels struggled to break into the rotation during her sophomore year. She appeared in 33 of 40 games averaging just 5.5 minutes in 2024-25, and she saw the court in four of UConn’s six tournament wins en route to the NCAA Championship.
As a recruit, Samuels had other high-profile offers from Miami, Wake Forest, North Carolina and NC State.
“To my teammates, thank you for always being there for me and pushing me to become a better player. The incredible moments we’re shared on and off the court have been truly incredible. You are the best sisterhood I could have ever asked for,” Samuels wrote in her post. “It’s been a blessing to wear the UConn jersey for the past two years, growing, developing and realizing my dream of winning a national championship.”
Samuels is just the sixth scholarship player to enter the transfer portal out of UConn since it was established in 2019, though she is the third in the last two years. Forward Amari DeBerry (Maryland) and guard Ines Bettencourt (Gonzaga) transferred after the 2023-24 season, but both were averaging less than six minutes per game even when the team was down five players due to injury. The Huskies also lost a trio of transfers after 2021-22 — Piath Gabriel (UMass), Mir McLean (Virginia, Maryland) and Saylor Poffenbarger (Arkansas, Maryland) — who all averaged less than five minutes of playing time in their UConn careers. Coach Geno Auriemma has never had a starter transfer in the portal era.
With Samuels’ departure and three incoming freshman signed, the Huskies have up to two scholarship spots available entering 2025-26 for potential portal additions. Auriemma has only signed three transfers since the portal was established, but all three have been major contributors. Princeton star Kaitlyn Chen joined the team as a graduate transfer and started all 40 games to help lead UConn to its 12th national title in 2024-25, and Fairfield transfer Lou Lopez-Senechal was the team’s best 3-point shooter averaging more than 15 points per game during her lone season in 2022-23. Dorka Juahsz transferred to UConn from Ohio State in 2021-22 and started two seasons, averaging a near double-double in her second year.
