STORRS — UConn women’s basketball begins the 2026-27 season with three newcomers. Three new players ready to make an impact and introduce themselves to the fan base.
There’s also one returner looking to do the same.
Gandy Malou-Mamel appeared in just two games last season. Her freshman stat totals are the four total minutes she played and the one field goal she made against Xavier on Nov. 30. That’s it.
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But the 6-foot-5 center knew her freshman year would be focused on learning instead of playing. She was raw, inexperienced and not as skilled as her frontcourt counterparts.
Malou-Mamel isn’t new to such challenges. She made the ultimate sacrifice as a teenager when she committed to the game. And now, after a year of developing and improving in Geno Auriemma’s system, she’s ready to make an impact.
“I’m excited to show people what I can do,” said the rising sophomore last week inside Werth Champions Center.
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Malou-Mamel didn’t start playing basketball until she was 12. But she stood out because of her size and drew attention at the right time and she made the ultimate commitment to the game at age 16, packing up her life in Ireland to move to New Jersey with hopes of getting a college education.
UConn’s Gandy Malou-Mamel (42) in the second half of an exhibition NCAA college basketball game against Boston College, Monday, Oct. 13, 2025, in Uncasville, Conn. (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)
Jessica Hill/Associated Press
At Gill St. Bernard’s, Malou-Mamel dominated the high school post as she averaged 17.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks as a senior and was ESPN’s No. 75-ranked recruit in the Class of 2025.
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Yet Malou-Mamel knew coming to UConn would require more.
“I felt like coming in as a younger player with a lot of bigs ahead of me. I wasn’t expecting to come in with a lot of PT (playing time) or anything like that,” she said. “I was expecting to get a lot of development, and that’s what I wanted. I definitely got what I wanted, and I’m still, you know, still working as everyone is always, but I definitely saw myself grow into a player I want to be, and I can see the blueprint now; I can see for myself in the future now.”
UConn’s frontcourt last season was loaded with talent. Led by National Player of the Year Sarah Strong, Malou-Mamel knew she’d be at the bottom of the rotation early. Freshman Blanca Quiñonez, senior Serah Williams, redshirt sophomore Jana El Alfy and redshirt sophomore Ayanna Patterson were all ahead of Malou-Mamel, as was redshirt junior Ice Brady before she suffered a season-ending knee injury.
Even though she knew her playing time would be limited, Malou-Mamel still competed hard in practice. She was intentional about her day-to-day workouts and took the extra time to work individually with former Husky forwards coach Jamelle Elliott.
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UConn’s Gandy Malou-Mamel speaks to the press on Thursday, June 26, in the lobby of the Werth Basketball Center at UConn in Storrs.
Jim Michaud/Hearst Connecticut Media
“Working with her last year has to be one of the best experiences of my life,” said Malou-Mamel. “I treat her like family. I think she really put a lot of effort and time into looking at my film with me, making me a better and smarter player, like not just what did I do wrong, but how can I make that better, how can I not do that again, what’s the next play after this. So, thinking like a basketball player with her has helped a lot.”
Sure, it was hard to watch her teammates check in every night and play under the lights without her. But Malou-Mamel knew the time spent developing was the reason she moved to the U.S. to begin with. She knew this was just a step in the right direction.
“It’s always frustrating for a player who wants to compete, not to be able to compete, but it’s not something that I would tell myself is a setback or anything like that,” said Malou-Mamel. “I tell myself to be patient, and I think working with Coach Elliott, as well, and her helping me every day, helped me work with my patience.”
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Malou-Mamel made her freshman debut on Nov. 12 against Loyola Chicago in the Huskies’ third game of the season. She checked in with 1:47 remaining and UConn up by nearly 60. Still, the Gampel Pavilion crowd cheered loudly for her as she stepped on the court for the first time. While she didn’t record any stats, she successfully set a screen for Kelis Fisher.
UCONN women’s basketball forward Gandy Malou-Mamel, right, is photographed during an open practice at Sacred Heart University’s Pitt Center on September 21, 2025.
Arnold Gold/Hearst Connecticut Media
A little over two weeks later, Malou-Mamel made her second and last appearance of the season in the Big East opener at Xavier. Again, she checked in with the game already won and with less than two and a half minutes on the clock.
With a minute left, Fisher drove in from the corner, and as two defenders collapsed on her, bounced the ball to a wide-open Malou-Mamel under the basket. The freshman center quickly brought up the ball and bounced it off the backboard and into the hoop. The entire UConn bench jumped up and down and cheered for Malou-Mamel’s first career bucket.
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She spent the rest of the season on the bench in uniform. She participated in practices and pregame warm-ups but never checked in to any other game. In March, she was ruled “unavailable” for the NCAA Tournament. UConn did not provide a specific reason.
UNCASVILLE, CONNECTICUT – MARCH 09: Gandy Malou-Mamel #42 of the Connecticut Huskies warms up before the championship game of the Big East Women’s Basketball Tournament against the Villanova Wildcats at Mohegan Sun on March 09, 2026 in Uncasville, Connecticut. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
But what people didn’t see was the hard work Malou-Mamel put in behind the scenes to improve. She spent long hours in the weight room to add strength to her frame after watching her old film and noticing her weakness battling against opposing post players. It was easy to maneuver around smaller players in high school, but going up against players her height of taller at the college level was a new challenge.
“I think I’ve grown a lot in my strength, like lifting, being a strong post player,” she said. “I feel much stronger and able to battle in the post. I think that’s the biggest growth I’ve seen here.”
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She noticed UConn’s inconsistent rebounding and made it her mission to help. The Huskies averaged 37.56 rebounds per game, ranking 134th out of the NCAA’s Division I teams. Malou-Mamel said protecting the rim is where she has the most fun playing and something she’s prided herself on since before moving to America.
“I feel like I have a magnet with the ball,” she said. “I want to keep growing on that, making sure my eyes are always knowing where the ball is going to go, where my teammates are shooting from, so that if we don’t get the first chance, we get the second chance, or the third.”
STORRS, CONNECTICUT – NOVEMBER 12: Gandy Malou-Mamel #42 of the Connecticut Huskies plays against the Loyola Ramblers during the second half of an NCAA women’s basketball game on November 12, 2025 in Storrs, Connecticut. (Photo by Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images)
Joe Buglewicz/Getty Images
Malou-Mamel will likely still be near the bottom of UConn’s frontcourt rotation next season, but the only true center ahead of her in the lineup is El Alfy. Incoming freshman center Olivia Vukosa has experience and an impressive 3-point shot and will compete with Malou-Mamel for minutes.
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Still, she feels confident.
“She just works so hard. She’s so aggressive. She’s so committed to everything that she does, and I’m really excited for her,” said Geno Auriemma ahead of his charity golf tournament in June. “It may not happen this year, but it’s going to happen because she’s got it all, especially inside, and she’s just such a great human being that you root for her every day.”