Daniel Yanofsky Fri, October 16, 2026 at 6:35 PM UTC · 3 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement UConn's Fingerprints Are All Over the 2026 WNBA Finals originally appeared on NESN . Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
Two teams aim for their first WNBA Finals win when the Atlanta Dream face the Golden State Valkyries. It's a matchup featuring two dynamic organizations, with players who have plenty of college championship success.
The Dream, reaching their first finals since 2013, have 2026 Defensive Player of the Year Angel Reese, who won a national title with LSU. The team also has Allisha Gray, who won with South Carolina, and 2009 SEC Player of the Year DeWanna Bonner.
Meanwhile, the Valkyries are in the WNBA Finals in their second season. It's been quite a start for Golden State, a team featuring four UConn Huskies.
"That's probably the one team I watch play the most," UConn coach Geno Auriemma said about Golden State via WTNH . "They're all the same, but they're all unique in their own way.
"And to me that's the most amazing thing, is that every kid that spent that time here has certain qualities that make you win, that make you win championships, and I don't think I would be overstating that if those four were not on that team that they wouldn't be where they are today."
Here's a breakdown of the former Huskies competing in the 2026 WNBA Finals, including their accomplishments while with UConn.
Hayes won two national championships in two seasons where the Huskies went unbeaten. In 2009, Hayes scored 28 points and went 9-for-10 at the field against California in the regional semifinals.
Hayes' UConn career ended with averages of 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. She was selected by the Dream in the second round of the 2012 WNBA Draft and won the 2024 Sixth Woman of the Year award.
Stokes won three straight national championships with UConn. The 2015 AAC Defensive Player of the Year averaged 4.1 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 0.7 assists per game. She ended her career as the current leader in blocks (147) by a Huskie.
Picked 11th by the Liberty in the 2015 WNBA Draft, Stokes is a three-time WNBA and a two-time EuroLeague champion.
During an era when UConn dominated March Madness, Williams and the Huskies won back-to-back national championships in 2015 and 2016.
The WBCA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, Williams averaged 10.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game as a Huskie. A 2024 Olympics silver medalist and a two-time EuroLeague champion, Williams was drafted fourth overall by the Sky in the 2018 WNBA Draft.
A recent addition to the WNBA, Chen was the Ivy League Player of the Year while with Princeton. She quickly became captain for the Tigers. With one year of eligibility remaining, Chen transferred to UConn and immediately stepped up as a leader.
In one year with UConn, where she won a national title, she averaged 6.9 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game. The Valkyries selected her in the third round of the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Source: Sports
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