Why UConn Should Start Serah Williams Over Ice Brady to Anchor Its Frontcourt Defense

The Power Forward Puzzle: Why UConn’s Biggest Decision Could Redefine Its Dynasty

UConn opens the 2025–26 season perched atop women’s college basketball once again — the defending national champion, the unanimous preseason No. 1, and, on paper, the team to beat.

But inside Gampel Pavilion, there’s one question stirring more debate than any preseason poll: Should Wisconsin transfer Serah Williams start at power forward over Ice Brady?

It’s not just a depth chart issue. It’s a statement about who the Huskies want to be.

Do they double down on their suffocating, championship-caliber defense — the kind that strangled opponents to just 52.2 points per game last season — or do they lean into continuity and chemistry, trusting Brady’s deep roots in Geno Auriemma’s system?

The choice could shape UConn’s very identity in the era of the transfer portal.

A New Force Inside

Serah Williams didn’t come to Storrs to blend in. She came to redefine the paint.

At Wisconsin, she was a double-double machine — 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game — the kind of production that turns heads in any conference. Her rebounding instincts are elite, her defensive presence undeniable.

And for a program suddenly without Aaliyah Edwards, the heartbeat of last year’s frontcourt, Williams feels like the natural heir to that physical, punishing interior style that powered UConn to the title.

With Williams on the floor, the Huskies could dominate the glass and preserve the defensive edge that’s become their trademark. She’s the type of player who doesn’t just protect the rim — she erases mistakes.

But make no mistake: her transition comes with questions.

Williams averaged 2.5 fouls per game in Madison, and adjusting to Auriemma’s motion-heavy, timing-based offense is a steep climb for anyone. She admitted as much herself.

“I’m learning how to play slower, because I don’t have to score as quickly anymore… That was one of my big things in the portal — I wanted to play with other good players,” Williams said.

Playing slower. Thinking faster. That’s the paradox of UConn basketball.

The Challenger Who Refused to Fade

Then there’s Ice Brady — the player who once waited in the wings behind Edwards and has since rebuilt herself into one of the program’s most reliable bigs.

Last season, Brady shot 50.5% from the field, providing steady minutes off the bench while quietly earning Auriemma’s trust. After missing time with injury and battling inconsistency, she spent the offseason reshaping her game and mindset.

Auriemma’s verdict?

“Ice is a different person today than she was before she hurt her shoulder… this is the best she’s looked since she’s been at Connecticut.”

Brady understands UConn’s rhythms — the help rotations, the motion reads, the silent communication that defines a team playing at full sync. She’s the familiar chord in a new composition.

So what does a coach do when one player brings raw dominance and another brings polished fluency?

You can almost hear Geno Auriemma weighing that question in every practice.

A Collision of Styles

This is where the debate stops being about X’s and O’s and starts being about philosophy.

Auriemma has always preached that basketball IQ beats brute strength. But the modern game — powered by athletic, switchable bigs like Williams — demands both.

He may not need to choose between them permanently, at least not yet. Expect early-season platoons, especially in high-profile matchups like the Armed Forces Classic vs. Louisville, where Williams’s rebounding will be tested under national lights.

The early signs are tantalizing. In UConn’s preseason exhibition, the Williams–Sarah Strong duo combined for 25 of the Huskies’ 43 first-half points. That’s not just production — that’s potential chemistry.

Still, balancing minutes and maintaining buy-in from Brady could prove just as important as who starts the first game.

Because let’s face it — at UConn, the biggest battles often happen behind closed doors, not under the arena lights.

What’s Really at Stake

This isn’t simply about finding a starter. It’s about future-proofing a dynasty.

Auriemma’s decision signals how UConn will operate in an age where rosters turn over every spring and “program culture” competes with “portal opportunity.”

Start Williams, and you’re embracing evolution — proof that even the sport’s most storied program can adapt without sacrificing its soul.

Stick with Brady, and you reinforce tradition — loyalty, system mastery, internal growth.

Neither path is wrong. But only one can define the next era of UConn basketball.

The Human Element

There’s also a pulse beneath the tactics. These aren’t chess pieces — they’re competitors with pride, history, and ambition.

Sophomore forward Sarah Strong, who will share the frontcourt with either Williams or Brady, already senses something special in the newcomer.

“She has a high IQ, and she knows where to be at the right time, so it’s easy to play with her.”

But chemistry isn’t instant coffee. It takes time, trust, and a few hard practices. And if Auriemma can keep both stars engaged — if he can make competition fuel connection instead of fracture it — UConn might be unstoppable again come March.

The Big Picture

If this gamble pays off, Auriemma’s decision will look prophetic — the perfect blend of old-school development and new-age flexibility. It would signal that UConn can evolve with the times, integrating transfers like Williams seamlessly alongside homegrown talents such as Paige Bueckers, Strong, and Brady.

If it doesn’t?

The move could disrupt the balance that’s long defined UConn’s dynasty — the idea that every player knows their role and executes it to perfection. Too much change, too fast, risks unraveling the very chemistry that makes the Huskies lethal.

The Verdict

Starting Serah Williams isn’t just about maximizing rebounds or rim protection. It’s a philosophical test of what UConn stands for in 2025.

Is this still the program that builds from within — or one that adapts ruthlessly to the new landscape?

Either way, the decision will echo far beyond November’s box scores. It will ripple through recruiting pipelines, shape locker room dynamics, and perhaps, define whether the Huskies’ reign extends into another golden era.

Because sometimes, the biggest plays don’t happen under the basket. They happen on the whiteboard.

And Geno Auriemma’s next lineup card might just decide who owns college basketball’s future.

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