Freshman Jovana Popovic arrived on campus this week as uconn continues summer preparation, the team posted a photo of the Serbian guard speaking with Geno Auriemma.
Fellow freshman Marine Dursus has not yet made it to campus, and Auriemma said he did not know when she would arrive but expected to learn more soon.
Auriemma acknowledged losing Azzi Fudd yet said he still views his program as a national championship contender, saying "I think my team is going to be way better prepared this year" and calling past shortfalls opportunities to learn.
Outside practice notes, former Huskies featured prominently in WNBA action, with Breanna Stewart scoring 28 points and Aaliyah Edwards and Olivia Nelson-Ododa each posting season highs of 15 points in the New York Liberty win over the Connecticut Sun.
The team also announced that Auriemma is expected to speak at his annual Fore The Kids charity golf tournament this week and that a few players could be made available to the media in the near future.
UConn Health Budget Shortfall And Mitigation Steps
UConn Health officials told their Board of Directors the institution faces a $54.3 million budget shortfall for fiscal year 2027 driven by State Employee Bargaining Agent Coalition wage increases, which Dr. Andy Agwunobi said totaled about $55.7 million for fiscal years 26 and 27.
The board approved a $2.2 billion budget that includes the $54.3 million deficit, and Jeffrey Geoghegan, chief financial officer, said he is "very confident in the ability to balance this with a mitigation plan."
Examples in the mitigation plan presented to the board include a workforce review with pauses on non-critical, non-revenue generating hires, reviews of overtime and temporary staff in non-revenue areas, and pauses on non-essential travel, functions, events and catering.
Other measures listed were review of purchase service contracts, decreases in capital projects and adjustments to fund balance; Agwunobi said the prior fiscal year deficit was addressed largely through clinical revenues, delayed capital spending, and one-time items that together made up over 50 percent of mitigation.
Geoghegan noted UConn Health is budgeting a full year of salary increases for fiscal years 26 and 27, averaging a 4.5 percent raise each year, and said that compared with other hospitals seeing increases of 2.5 to 3 percent, the change is a little greater.
The board was told that in fiscal year 2026 the institution balanced its budget despite a $60 million cut by using a budget stabilization fund and a $46.7 million mitigation plan.
