A decade after redefining dominance in women’s college basketball, UConn is bringing one of its most powerful eras back home. On January 15, Napheesa Collier and Breanna Stewart will return to Gampel Pavilion as part of a historic ceremony honoring the Huskies’ back-to-back national championship teams from 2015 and 2016.

The announcement marks UConn’s official induction of those two title-winning squads into the program’s Huskies of Honor, celebrating not just championships, but a stretch of excellence that reshaped the standard for sustained success in the sport.

According to reporting from Daniel Connolly, nine former Huskies will be recognized during the ceremony: Breanna Stewart, Morgan Tuck, Moriah Jefferson, Napheesa Collier, Kia Nurse, Katie Lou Samuelson, Kiah Stokes, Tierney Lawlor, and Briana Pulido.

That group formed the backbone of UConn teams that went a combined 76–1 over two seasons. The 2015 squad finished 38–1, closing the year on a 37-game winning streak to secure the program’s 10th national championship. One year later, the 2016 team delivered perfection, going 38–0 and completing UConn’s sixth undefeated season en route to a fourth straight title.

Led by Stewart, Jefferson, and Tuck, those teams didn’t just dominate games; they defined an era. From 2013 to 2016, UConn compiled a staggering 151–5 record, and the trio later became the first teammates in women’s basketball history to be selected with the top three picks in the same WNBA Draft.

A legacy shaped under Geno Auriemma

The induction further cements the legacy built under head coach Geno Auriemma and longtime assistant Chris Dailey, who guided all of UConn’s national championship runs during that span. With this ceremony, the 2015 and 2016 teams join a select group of championship squads formally enshrined in the Huskies of Honor, placing them among the most influential teams in program history.

Their impact went far beyond trophies. That era became a pipeline to the professional game, producing stars who would go on to shape the WNBA and, in Collier and Stewart’s case, the future of professional women’s basketball itself.

While January 15 will be a moment of reflection and pride for Collier, it also arrives during a challenging stretch in her professional career. The Minnesota Lynx star recently underwent surgeries on both ankles after sustaining injuries late in the season, a setback that will sideline her from the start of Unrivaled, the new 3-on-3 professional league she co-founded with Stewart.

The timing is bittersweet. Collier is coming off one of the strongest seasons of her career, reaffirming her status as one of the most complete players in the game. Recovery is expected to take several months, and while the long-term outlook remains positive, patience will be essential.

Collier’s return to Gampel alongside Stewart underscores how deeply that UConn era continues to shape today’s game. From championship banners to professional innovation, the legacy of those teams is still unfolding.

On January 15, the spotlight won’t just be on what those Huskies accomplished ten years ago. It will be on how their influence continues to echo in the WNBA, in emerging leagues like Unrivaled, and in the foundation of modern women’s basketball.