‘The time has finally come’: Isuneh ‘Ice’ Brady ready to start UConn career after racking up accolades in senior season

Isuneh “Ice” Brady watched the UConn women’s basketball team throughout the NCAA Tournament, using each game as a learning experience as she tried to pick up as much as she could about Geno Auriemma’s system. Set to join the team as a freshman for the 2022-23 season, Brady envisioned where she could insert herself and help the Huskies.

After UConn lost to South Carolina in the championship Auriemma sent Brady and Ayanna Patterson, the program’s other incoming freshman, a text message.

“What did you guys learn from that game that we just lost?” Brady recalled him asking.

The trio discussed things such as rebounding, physicality and toughness after a game in which the Huskies were outrebounded 49-24 and allowed 22 second-chance points.

“Just like that, right there, he told me that he expects that from me coming in,” Brady told The Hartford Courant this week. “I’m just excited to get out there, prove myself and see what I can do.”

The anticipation in Brady’s voice was palpable as she discussed her future with UConn. She’s been committed to the Huskies since the middle of her sophomore year of high school and now — finally — it’s almost time for her to come to Storrs.

“Talking to you right now, I’m just cheesing just thinking about it,” Brady said. “I can’t wait.”

Brady won’t be coming to campus as soon as expected, but for good reason. At the end of May she’ll head to Colorado to compete in trials for USA Basketball in hopes of earning a spot on the U18 team. If Brady makes the 12-player roster, she’ll stay there for a training camp from June 4-12 and then go to Mexico to compete in the FIBA Americas Championship June 13-19.

The invitation is just one of the many accolades the 6-foot-4 forward has wracked up in recent months. She played in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago in late March, and then went back to the Windy City a few weeks later for the Jordan Brand Classic. She was also named to the WBCA All-America team and a Naismith third-team All-American. And she graduates from Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego on May 28.

“Honestly, it’s pretty hectic,” Brady admits, “to say the least.”

Brady didn’t know what day the McDonald’s rosters were being announced. So when her high school coach, Jackie Turpin, called the Cathedral Catholic team into a meeting during lunch in late January, Brady figured it was for a film session. Instead, Turpin turned on the TV to ESPN for the reveal.

“I saw my name come up and I was just like literally shocked,” Brady said. “Everyone was super supportive and cheering me on, and I was really happy and really excited. It was kind of surreal, you know?”

Competing in the prestigious event was one of Brady’s goals for her senior season. Once she got there, all of the boys kept talking about the famous players who been McDonald’s All-Americans, such as LeBron James. That too, was a surreal moment.

“That just meant a lot,” Brady said. “You don’t really recognize you’re doing something until someone says like, ‘You’re now in the same position that so and so was in when they were your age.’ … If you stay on the right track it shows that you can really be one of the greats.”

Brady’s desire to reach that potential was a defining factor in her decision to commit to UConn early in her sophomore year, becoming the first member of ESPN HoopGurlz’s Terrific 25 rankings to announce.

“The way that they coach their players and the way that their players learn from that and become successful and move on to the next level, I feel like that was the biggest thing,” Brady said. “I’m naturally going to challenge myself, but also having that extra push, I feel like that’s exactly what I need to help me be the best version of myself.”

By the time the Jordan Brand Classic rolled around a few weeks later, Brady felt a lot more comfortable and confident playing among the best players in the country. She flashed her potential for all to see, making the game-winning play for her team.

Prior to their visit together at UConn’s First Night event last October, Brady didn’t know fellow commit Patterson that well. They followed each other on Instagram, but because they lived so far from each other (Patterson is from Indiana) they’d never played a game against each other or hung out much in person. They spent a lot more time together at the McDonald’s All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic.

“She’s really cool,” Brady said. “We were just talking about how excited we are and all the great stuff that’s to come.”

Brady sees herself playing mostly at the four position for the Huskies and hopes to set herself apart with her ability to float around in the key beyond the traditional post. A versatile forward, she worked a lot on shooting in her senior season, placing a priority on consistently hitting the 3-ball and midrange shots in addition to banging in the post. Improving her ball-handling skills and attacking the paint have also been things to focus on.

“You watch her play and you see the size and how big she is and how good she is with her feet and with her hands, and so all the things are there,” Auriemma said this week. “I think somebody like that, you know, obviously there’s a big need for big bodies in our program and she certainly fills that role.”

Though it’s certainly been more of a trend in recent years, as long as he’s been coaching Auriemma says he’s had forwards who want to shoot the ball. There’s a balance between allowing them to do so and scoring more traditionally — and reliably — in the lane. Finding that balance will be key for Brady.

“We’ve been looking for, obviously like everyone else, big kids who can shoot it,” Auriemma said. “We hope that’s what Dorka [Juhász] can really, really help us this year. And hope that Ice can can add to that and be another big kid that we can use in a lot of different ways. The more ways that we can take advantage of her skills the better.”

Brady knows the adjustment from high school to UConn is going to be hard, both physically and mentally. But that challenge is what excites her, it’s why she chose to play for Auriemma. Nearly two and a half years later, that decision is about to become a reality.

“I was just talking about that with my coach, just it feels like obviously forever ago I committed,” Brady said. “It’s actually happening. So that’s just super cool. I’m glad that the time has finally come.”