Kayleigh Heckel’s brother, Tyler, played varsity baseball as a dedicated infielder at Port Chester Senior High School.
Former USC guard Kayleigh Heckel, 20, announced Tuesday, May 20, 2025, that she has committed to UConn out of the transfer portal.
She will help shore up the Huskies’ backcourt following the graduation of star Paige Bueckers.
Kayleigh took to her official Instagram handle and wrote,
k9 by name, husky by nature. see you in storrs! go huskiesss💙🤍 #committed #backhome #blessed
Kayleigh Heckel
The 5-foot-9 native of Port Chester, New York, was the No. 13-ranked recruit in her class and her three seasons of eligibility.
She averaged 6.1 points, 1.9 assists, and 1.3 steals in 16.9 minutes as a freshman last season for the Trojans.
Heckel is UConn’s second transfer addition of the offseason. The Huskies also added Serah Williams, a 6-foot-4 forward and rising senior who played at Wisconsin.
UConn also returns two central pillars of its team in the Final Four: Outstanding Player Azzi Fudd and superstar freshman Sarah Strong.
Kayleigh will round out a backcourt featuring Fudd and fellow key upperclassmen KK Arnold and Ashlynn Shade.
Kayleigh Heckel’s Elder Brother, Corey Heckel, Is A Machine Learning Engineer
Kayleigh shared a close bond with her elder brother, Corey Heckel, who played baseball at Stevens Institute of Technology while he pursued his bachelor’s degree in engineering.
Corey and Kayleigh used to play basketball in their backyard.
As per Corey’s LinkedIn profile, he also pursued his master’s degree from Stevens Institute in December 2024.
From May 2021 to August 2021, he was an undergraduate research assistant intern at Stevens Institute.
He also served as the graduate research assistant and course assistant: SSW 625 AI for software engineering from May 2023 to December 2024.
Corey has been a freelance software engineer at Posh since January 2025.
He also serves as the full-time machine learning engineer II at Nike.
Kayleigh Heckel’s Brother, Tyler Heckel, Is Pursuing His Bachelor’s Degree At Villanova University
Kayleigh’s brother, Tyler Heckel, has always supported her in achieving her basketball dreams.
Per Tyler’s LinkedIn handle, he attended Port Chester Senior High School from September 2018 to June 2022.
At Port Chester Senior High School, he played varsity baseball as a dedicated infielder.
Standing 5-foot-7 and weighing 140 lbs, Tyler wore jersey #2 and served as team captain during his senior season.
In his junior year, Port Chester finished with a 10-8 record and ranked 272nd in the state.
He has attended Villanova University since 2022 and will receive his bachelor’s degree in computer science in May 2026.
From June 2024 to September 2024, he was a game developer intern at Games For Love.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Kayleigh Amber Heckel was born on July 8, 2006, in Greenwich, United States, to her father, Walter, and her mother, Donna Heckel. Donna played softball at St. John’s, and Walter played baseball at St. John’s and in the minor leagues for the Toronto Blue Jays.
- Her grandfather, Rico Dos Anjos, played basketball at LIU and in the Eastern Pennsylvania Professional League and is in the Archbishop Stepanic High Hall of Fame.
- Kayleigh won gold with Team USA at the 2024 FIBA U18 AmeriCup and was named to the U18 AmeriCup All-Tournament Second Team.
- She hopes to win the Big Ten and NCAA championships and play professionally after college.
