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Matthew Morris Matthew Morris BVM Sports Journalist

Five-star UConn commit KK Arnold ready for another state title run

GERMANTOWN, Wis. (BVM) – Right before the start of the high school basketball season, five-star Class of 2023 point guard Kamorea “KK” Arnold announced her verbal commitment to UConn, becoming the first UConn commit for 2023.

Arnold is the reigning Gatorade State Player of the Year for Wisconsin. (Courtesy: KK Arnold)

“I’m very excited,” Arnold said. “It gave me a big relief. I’m glad I did it before the season.”

It is a dream come true for Arnold who grew up watching UConn greats like Maya Moore and Dianna Taurasi. Huskies posters covered the walls in her room and a young Arnold grew up thinking about playing for Geno Auriemma.

“That was definitely one of the big dream schools that I had,” Arnold said. “Geno’s the GOAT of course.”

Arnold not only grew up thinking about UConn, but also loving basketball above all other sports.

“Basketball was always really there,” Arnold said. “My siblings play basketball and everything, I was always in the gym with them so it just grew with me.”

She loved meeting new people, meeting new players and being in the gym everyday working on her game. Arnold continued to get better and then during the summer before her seventh grade year, Arnold went with her AAU team to a tournament. During the tournament, college coaches came over to watch her team play. From there, coaches took notice of her and Arnold realized she could fulfill her dreams.

“They started contacting me and I was like, ‘Wow I can really do this,’” Arnold said.

It wasn’t long until Arnold was receiving offers from some of the top colleges in the country and then after getting back from a tournament, she received a text that would change her life.

“It was a crazy moment,” Arnold said. “I just had came back from a tournament and I just got a text that was like, ‘Coach Auriemma wants to talk to you,’ and I was like, ‘What?! That’s crazy.’”

That moment would eventually lead to her announcement and like Arnold said, it was also a relief to have the decision made and that’s because she can now focus on basketball. Arnold and the Germantown Warhawks are looking to defend the state title they won last season. After losing eight seniors, Arnold has stepped up even more than she did last year and has taken on more of a leadership role.

“This year I definitely have a bigger voice,” Arnold said. “They look up to me and of course they look at me in tough situations in game time.”

Arnold has accepted the role and is thriving in it, even taking some lessons she learned over the summer from playing with Team USA and implementing them with her high school team. She won a gold medal with USA Basketball Women’s U16 National Team and is off to a great start with the Warhawks.

“That was awesome,” Arnold said. “Of course representing the USA on your jersey and representing Wisconsin back home; it was just all good.”

It has helped her during her junior year and, as she tries to get all the new young talent Germantown has acclimated to playing on varsity, she will need that experience she gained over the summer.

“Overall the season is going pretty good,” Arnold said.

For Arnold, it’s also a chance for her to prepare for her future with the Huskies. Arnold knows what it means to be committed to UConn to play basketball. It’s an honor she takes pride in.

“It means the world and of course representing that for the rest of the two years of high school, representing that I actually fit in going to the program,” Arnold said. “Actually show the UConn nation back there in Connecticut that I’m actually a player that’s going to come in and make a big impact and make some noise for UConn fans.”

Arnold has already done a great job of showing Husky fans what they can expect from Arnold in two years and based on her past, she will only get better.

She’s already shown that. Arnold, who averaged 22.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 3.8 steals last year, has improved those stats to 24.3 points, 9.5 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 3.5 steals. Meaning the Warhawks are in a good position to repeat and Arnold could win back-to-back Gatorade State Player of the Year awards.

Also her outside shooting, the part of her game she has worked the most on recently, is already improving. Arnold is shooting over 30% from behind the arc and for a guard that prides herself on her ability to drive to the hoop, the outside shooting makes for a deadly combination.

On defense she is once again a menace and showing off arguably the best part of her game.

“I really take pride in my defense,” Arnold said.

Arnold takes pride in her entire game. She has spent countless hours with her sibling and her dad to better her game. It has already gotten her to achieve some amazing things, but as she looks to the future, the best is yet to come.

“I still watch old highlight videos of Dianna Taurasi and I’m like, ‘Dang that’s going to me in a couple years,’” Arnold said.