UNCASVILLE – For the first time in over 600 days, Morgan Cheli put on her No. 23 UConn women’s basketball uniform and played the sport she loves most.
Cheli made her return to the court Monday evening in UConn women’s basketball’s exhibition win over Syracuse at Mohegan Sun Arena. While the preseason game technically doesn’t count, it was Cheli’s first time back after missing the last season and a half due to an ankle injury.
The redshirt sophomore, who begins her third academic year in Storrs this fall, played 17 minutes against the Orange and finished with one rebound and one assist.
“She’s done a lot of really great stuff, but not having played in a game in a year and a half is probably a little nerve-wracking for her,” Geno Auriemma said after the game.
Cheli’s last game for UConn was Feb. 9, 2025. She played 23 minutes in a win at Providence, recording two points, four rebounds and one assist. Then a freshman, Cheli was one of UConn’s go-to options off the bench, appearing in 24 games and averaging 13.3 minutes per contest.
However, nagging ankle pain was beginning to become too much to bear and ultimately resulted in a stress fracture.
She underwent surgery ten days later. Initially, the plan was for her to return to the court the following season, but her recovery took longer than expected, and she missed the entire 2025-26 season. Cheli didn’t practice until late March 2026 – when the Huskies were competing in the Sweet 16 and Elite Eight.
In June, when speaking with the media about her return to workouts, Cheli beamed. She was so happy to be back and healthy.
“I just know that every day I am on the court is a step in the right direction,” she said in June during the Huskies’ summer workouts. “I feel like I am finally getting back to myself, to where I can help the team. It is exciting. This is what I have been working for a long time.”
Auriemma has been impressed with Cheli in practice. Even though she’s missed so much time – she sat out UConn’s open practice in September for unspecified reasons – she brings something unique to the Huskies’ lineup thanks to her lengthy 6-foot-2 frame.
During Monday’s exhibition, Cheli played three minutes or more in each quarter, including five in both the third and fourth. After catching a pass from Jovana Popovic on the outside, Cheli bounced the ball to assist Jana El Alfy in the post for a layup midway through the second quarter. And despite getting called for two fouls in two minutes in the fourth, the guard grabbed her lone rebound of the day with 22 seconds remaining off a miss from Gandy Malou-Mamel.
“She’s looked really good in practice. She just hasn’t been out there enough,” said Auriemma. “… I think having Morgan play well takes a lot of pressure off of Sarah (Strong), you know, because she’s got the right size and the right ball-handling skills that can get us out of trouble, and the right passing skills. So now it’s just a matter of finding that comfort level, and that’s just going to take time.”
When the Huskies open the 2026-27 season on Nov. 2, hosting Cornell, it will be Cheli’s first game in 631 days.
This article originally published at Morgan Cheli returns to UConn after missing last season. What that means for Huskies..
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