When the UConn women’s basketball team hits the court for the NCAA Final Four, it’ll be the first time in 30 years they’re considered underdogs. With star guard Paige Bueckers leading the charge, they aim to reclaim the top spot for 2024. Despite injury setbacks, Bueckers is back in form, scoring crucial points in the Elite Eight to secure victory. She faces tough competition from Iowa’s Caitlin Clark in the upcoming showdown. Here are some quick facts about Bueckers before the big game.
1. She racked up some impressive awards as only a freshman.
Bueckers’ basketball prowess was evident even in high school, with ESPN ranking her as the top recruit of her year. However, her star continued to rise after she joined the Huskies.
In 2021, she made history by becoming the first freshman to win the Naismith Player of the Year Award, the most prestigious honor in NCAA basketball. This achievement mirrored her success in high school, where she had won the equivalent award the year before.
Her freshman year at college was decorated with accolades. Bueckers also clinched the 2021 John R. Wooden Award, recognizing her as an outstanding player both on and off the court.
To cap off her remarkable freshman season, Bueckers achieved yet another milestone: she became the first freshman to win the Associated Press Women’s Basketball Player of the Year Award. A video capturing her emotional reaction to the announcement showcased the significance of this honor.2. Injuries kept her off the court for a chunk of her college career.
Bueckers suffered a knee injury and had ankle surgery in 2021, which sidelined her for half of her sophomore season. She also missed her entire junior season due to an ACL injury.
“The last couple years have been really challenging on my mental [health],” Bueckers said in a press conference after her team beat USC for a spot in the Final Four in early April, “I feel like I’ve had adversity thrown my way, but at the same time, I’m super blessed to be in the position [I’m in.]”
In particular, she credits her recovery in part to the support of her team, coaches, and school, and the medical care and rehab it provided.
“It could be easy for me to sulk and be upset and be sad about what life has thrown me the last couple years, or I can attack it with the mentality of being a leader.”
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