STORRS — When Breanna Stewart joined the UConn women’s basketball team in the fall of 2012, she made an ambitious declaration: she aimed to win four national championships before her graduation. Coach Geno Auriemma, who was already a seasoned champion with seven titles to his name, considered the 18-year-old’s ambitions overly ambitious. However, as Stewart led the Huskies to titles in 2013 and 2014, earning Final Four MVP honors both times, even Auriemma began to see the potential.
This Thursday, ahead of a Big East clash against Villanova, Stewart, along with nine of her teammates from the legendary 2015 and 2016 championship teams, will return to Gampel Pavilion to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of their remarkable achievement — a four-peat that solidified UConn’s status as the only program in women’s basketball history to win four consecutive national titles. Auriemma believes the pressure to maintain such a high level of success was immense, yet his team managed to rise above it, focusing not just on winning but on the level of play and the excitement of the NCAA Tournament.
Stewart’s standout performance during this period included three unanimous national player of the year awards and four consecutive Final Four MVP awards. However, the teams’ success was not solely due to her talents. The rosters for 2015 and 2016 featured an unprecedented depth of talent, with ten players ultimately joining the WNBA, and seven of those still actively playing in the league. Four of them have secured WNBA championships, with Stewart and Kiah Stokes both achieving three titles, while several players have earned All-Star accolades.
Auriemma noted that these championship teams were among the most talented he had ever coached, even in comparison to other championship squads at UConn, including the team that won the 2025 NCAA Championship. Reflecting on the four-peat, he recalls UConn great Diana Taurasi humorously admitting she would not want to face Stewart’s teams, underscoring the exceptional talent surrounding Stewart during those years.
Morgan Tuck, who now serves as general manager of the Connecticut Sun, was one of the players who completed the entire four-year run alongside Stewart and point guard Moriah Jefferson. She remarked that during their time at UConn, the expectation of winning championships felt realistic, a notion fostered by the success of previous teams. For Tuck, the monumental achievement sometimes feels less extraordinary because of the high expectations set by the program.
As Tuck prepares for Thursday’s celebrations, which will include former teammates and honorary alumni, she reflects on the significance of the accomplishments. While she may struggle to fully appreciate the rarity of their achievement, moments like these allow her to truly grasp the magnitude of their success and the legacy they have created.
Fans can catch the game at Gampel Pavilion at 7 p.m. on Thursday. UConn enters the contest with a perfect record of 17-0, while Villanova holds a strong 14-3 record. UConn leads their all-time series 47-18, including a dominant victory earlier this year.
This gathering not only honors the incredible feats of this celebrated team but also serves as a reminder of the lasting impact they have had on women’s basketball and the UConn program.