“We treat them like they don’t know anything,”a very experienced Geno Auriemma explained ahead of the 2023 season. The now 71-year-old had explained that talent or no talent, he coaches every player the exact same way to get those results. Aurrieme had Bueckers flourish under him and that philosophy showed how it can take great players to another level.

With the same philosophy, Geno transformed another player into a silent killer, Kaitlyn Chen. Chen had ground her way from being the scorer at Princeton to transitioning into a facilitator for the likes of Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd at UConn. She was the rock of this team, the dependable one.  “At Kaitlyn’s truest form, she’s a winner,” Princeton assistant coach Lauren Dillon had said regarding Chen.

She was the girl to watch out for at Princeton, averaging 14.2 points per game in her three years there, whereas at UConn she took more of a backseat in the scoring department but formed a great partnership with Bueckers. She was the general of the court at UConn and the fans were quick to shower love. Along with that, her infectious personality was a cherry on top as the fans rallied behind Chen.

She became the first Taiwanese player to get drafted in the WNBA when the Golden State Valkyries had her as their 30th draft pick in the 2025 Draft. Chen was eventually sacrificed in the roster cuts and her WNBA dream will have to wait. The UConn fans who were rooting for their girl in the WNBA are heartbroken.

Fans left devastated after Kaitlyn Chen News

Chen was the most likable player at the draft, even to the rookies themselves. Her announcement had the loudest cheer from the room as the players clicked Chen going on to the stage. Bueckers was the star of the show but one of the loudest cheers came from her when Chen was drafted.

She was the crowd favorite at their preseason game against the Los Angeles Sparks, in which she just played for 5 minutes. Her only basket was cheered on heavily by the 17,000+ fans in the stadium. For a minute, that game seemed more like the last game of a playoff series with everything on the line. The atmosphere was just electric for Chen. Fans have expressed their disappointment as Chen will not be a part of the WNBA any further.

Paige herself showed her excitement when Chen’s name was announced in the draft. Bueckers has been a vocal supporter of Chen and all of her teammates. “It’s hard coming in here as a transfer, trying to find her way. She was a scorer at Princeton, and she facilitates a lot here,” Bueckers said of Chen earlier this year. She would have hoped to have gone up against her former teammate and friend in the WNBA but unfortunately that probably won’t happen in the near future.

“#Noticing that when a rookie gets waived the name that everyone likes to pick on is Kaitlyn Chen.” Wrote one fan. The narrative around the roster cuts has been mostly disappointment towards the league for having just 12 spots. There was a certain crop of WNBA fans criticizing and ‘picking’ on Chen after she was released. There have also been people creating the same kind of comments when a player from their rival team is released so there is nothing new, just plain old rivalry.

“Anyways, Kaitlyn Chen is a Princeton graduate, national champion, and the first taiwanese american ever to be drafted into the wnba. No one can ever take that away from her,”wrote another. Even if Chen’s WNBA experience ended on a sour note, she has achieved enough to make most of her counterparts her age dream about it. She has a degree from one of the most elite universities in the world along with  a national title with UConn. Chen played at a very high level for four continuous years in college and a month with the absolute top players in the world. Chen will treasure every minute of that experience.

“Bad move for your team and your marketability. WNBA once again doesn’t get it.”Wrote a fan. Chen was the first player of Taiwanese descent to get drafted in the W. And she was the only Asian representative in the league. If the Valkyries would have kept her ,r, it would have opened the new franchise to a whole new market and fanbase. People from Asia would have blindly followed the Valkyries and cheered every Chen move. It would have also benefitted the league as a whole but the primary beneficiary would have been the Valkyries. It would have helped them establish themselves in the league.

“Good luck to Kaitlyn. Probably needs a stint overseas,” wrote one. According to many, Chen was ready to be a solid point guard for the Valkyries, who are literally starting from scratch but the roster limitations have her knocked out of the WNBA. Chen has a solid case to make for any top-level club in Europe and who knows, she could be back next year in the W for another team and the Valkyries realize the mistake they made.